Conversation w/ Engineer who developed ZL1 Steering
 

I just got home from the local car show here in Southwest Michigan. It's at Lane Automotive, which if you haven't heard of is a big distributor like Summit Racing. Anyway, I had my ZL1 there and shortly before I was getting ready to leave a guy named Kirby came up and started chatting with me. Apparently he was the engineer who designed the steering system in the ZL1. He had a lot of neat information about testing the car and some features that I, personally didn't know about the steering system in the ZL1. I guess that according to each driving mode the PTM is in the steering is also completely changed. For full-on racing the steering has very little assist compared to touring mode. It makes sense but I never really read anywhere where the steering was actually tuned differently for the different PTM modes.

I asked him what he's working on now and, of course, he couldn't say. So I asked him when I would get to see what he's working on now and he said "2016". So, speculation says it *COULD* be a new Camaro. Heck, if he worked on the steering system for the ZL1, what's the chances he'd work on the 6th Gen?

Anyway, Kirby, if you're reading this I really appreciate the conversation and thank you a ton for the info. I really hope anything I said here doesn't get you busted or anything. These are, after all, just my opinions.

Not necessarily a new Camaro. Might be working on improvements on PTM which could show up then.

Did you ask him why our power steering goes out sometimes?

Is there any written info on the steering changes in the various PTM modes? Curious about the changes from mode to mode. I honestly haven't been able to feel a big change mode to mode when I'm driving..

The big change in steering wheel feeling is when the "nannies" are off completely. The wheel becomes a bit more responsive, quicker if you will. Be careful if you have never driven the car with traction control and stability control switched off.

One in the series of introductory videos for ZL1 owners that GM produced for us does touch upon this, but without a lot of detail, as I recall.

I have driven in all modes but #5.. Will have to check that out and see what the steering feels like..

I want the heavier PTM 5 steering in PTM 3. Can tuners make this happen?