How It Works-Amazing Vehicles

Chevrolet Camaro

The Camaro specialises in pouncing on European supercars

and taking out their performance stats with lethal efficiency

As you’d expect from one of the biggest names in muscle car

production, the Chev rolet Camaro is prett y fast. Achiev ing
0-97 kilometres (0-60 miles) per hour in 5.2 seconds, it could
keep up w ith a Jaguar XK w ith ease, but unlike Camaros of
old, today’s models boast tech that make it not just a pac y

machine, but one that can handle most terrains – and
without consuming vast quantities of hydrocarbons to boot.
Critical to this is the StabiliTrak electronic control system.
This consists of four speed sensors on each wheel, a rotation

rate sensor on the wheelbase, a steering angle sensor on the
steering wheel, a brake-operating hydraulic unit and a
master control unit in the engine bay. Combined, these
components monitor ever y manoeuv re and make instant

adjustments to maintain maximum traction.
How this works is best explained w ith a theoretical
manoeuv re. If a driver has to corner sharply to the left and
then immediately right at high speed, the steering angle

sensor detects the initial input and transmits it to the master
control unit. At the same time, the Camaro’s rotation rate
sensor – which measures the car’s lateral speed and rotation
around its centre line – determines its projected potential

for straight-line drift and also communicates this to the
control unit. The brains of the system act upon the feedback,
adjusting the car’s rear-left hydraulic brake, slow ing its

rotation and aiding a smooth cornering manoeuvre. To

avoid oversteer, when the car’s steering wheel is turned

back to the right to take the next bend, StabiliTrak gauges

the rotation speed of the front-left wheel and repeats the

process, this time reducing the right-hand turning force and

preventing the vehicle’s back-end from spinning out.

The other notable engineering feat on the reborn Camaro

is GM’s Active Fuel Management (AFM) technology. This

electronic system automatically deactivates four out of the

vehicle’s eight cylinders when cruising at speed to conserve

fuel and boost miles-per-gallon economy. This is a lot more

complex than it sounds, as the engine control module (ECM)

has to automatically reprogram the c ylinders’ fi ring pattern

each time a deactivation takes place.

For example, if a Camaro is sustaining a cruise speed with

light throttle response, the ECM w ill – ideally – deactivate

c ylinders one and seven on the engine’s left bank, plus four

and si x on the right, creating a four-c ylinder fi ring order of

eight, two, fi ve and three. However, if cylinder one is

undertaking a combustion event when the AFM is called on,

then the ECM automatically detects this and, rather than

forcing deactivation, bumps the deactivation on to the next

c ylinder (ie c ylinder eight), which in turn rearranges the

deactivation pattern for optimum effi ciency.

The statistics...

Length: 4,837mm (190.4in)

Height: 1,360mm (53.5in)

Weight: 1,769kg (3,900lb)

Engine: 6.2l (1.6ga) V8

Transmission: Six-speed manual

0-97km/h (0-60mph): 5.2sec

Power: 318kW (426bhp)

Effi ciency: 9.77km/l (27.6mpg)

Chevrolet Camaro

4x © GM Company

Suspension

Independent four-link

suspension, a 52/48 front-to-rear

weight ratio and 50.8cm (20in)

front and rear wheels ensure

both a smooth ride and great

grip while turning at speed.

Engine

The 6.2l (1.6ga) V8 engine in the

Camaro is quite something.

Thanks to improvements such

as an enlarged cylinder bore of

10.3cm (4in) and a stroke length

of 9.2cm (3.6in), the block can

output up to 318kW (426bhp).

Anatomy of a Camaro

Check out our illustrative cutaway of this famous Chevy,

which highlights just some of its advanced features

Chassis

The body is made from

aluminium and measures in at

483cm (190in) in length. Due to its

lightweight construction

materials, the Camaro only

weighs 1,769kg (3,900lb).

Electronics

GM’s StabiliTrak electronic

stabilit y control system

automatically analyses the

driver’s steering input

compared to the car’s response

and makes adjustments to

prevent over- or understeer.

Transmission

A six-speed transmission comes in

t wo flavours – manual and

automatic – with the former more

suited to track driving. The

automatic variant reduces the

horsepower to 298kW (400bhp) but

also improves fuel economy.

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