[911medic]

***Important update regarding TapShift and Sport Mode: See the 04/06/2014 update below for more information.***

***NOTE: This post is not an attempt to belittle the 2LS or those who have chosen to purchase one. Please read the entire post before jumping to any conclusions.

When the 5th Gen Camaro was introduced for the 2010 model year, the base V6 trim was the “LS,” and the only model in that trim level was the 1LS. For low- to mid-$20K, buyers could get all the goodness of the new direct-injected V6 LLT powerplant—and the killer 5th Gen looks—without any frills to drive the price up.

In February of 2012 (late in the 2011 model year run), GM changed things up a bit. They split the LS trim level into two models, adding the 2LS to the 1LS. The 1LS remained virtually unchanged, becoming the base model equipped with a manual transmission.

The 2LS, however, is a bit of a different story. On the surface, the 2LS appears to be identical to the 1LS, except that it has an automatic transmission. This is essentially true, as the available options for either of the LS trims are otherwise identical.

However, there are a few other key differences between the 1LS and the 2LS that prospective buyers need to be aware of, and that neither GM nor their dealerships make clear. In fact, many salespeople likely aren’t even aware of these differences, and may tell buyers that the manual vs. auto is the ONLY difference between the two.

Heck, our own Camaro5 wiki doesn’t even make it clear. I have seen numerous posts from 2LS owners that were unaware of these other differences, and may have made different purchasing decisions had they known in advance. This post is an attempt to remedy that situation, and help Camaro5 continue to be the best resource for complete and accurate 5th Gen information.


So, here are the other key differences that your Chevy salesperson likely doesn’t know and won’t tell you about:

• The 2LS is geared differently than other V6 Camaros.
  
  The 1LS and all LT Camaros (auto or manual) come with a 3.27:1 axle ratio. The 2LS, however, has a 2.92:1 ratio.
  
  What does this mean and why would GM do this? Well, the why appears to be so they can have a Camaro that gets an EPA rated 30MPG highway, which they can advertise and which also helps their CAFE numbers. The taller 2.92:1 ratio means lower RPMs at highway speed, and the 2LS is the only Camaro (as of this writing) to get that 30MPG highway rating on its sticker. (As pointed out by RallySportRand in post #31 below, the 2011-2013 2LS also has a more aerodynamic lower grille than other V6 Camaros to help achieve that EPA rating.. However, RacnJsn95 saw that both 2014 LS models share the same lower grille design.)
  
  BUT…that same tall gearing also reduces performance a bit. The 2LS’ 0-60 time is 6.4 seconds, vs. 5.9 seconds for all of the other V6s. The 2LS’ quarter mile stats are 14.8 seconds @ 93MPH, whereas the LT autos are 14.4 @ 98MPH and the 1LS/LT manuals are 14.3 @ 98MPH.
  
  UPDATE (11/27/2013): It has also been discovered that the carrier in the 2LS differential is different than the automatic LT model carrier. Automatic LT owners can change their gears to an aftermarket 3.55 set, but these same aftermarket gears will not fit in the 2LS carrier. The carriers have different listed part numbers and prices. See this post by RacnJsn95.
  
  As you can see, there is a tradeoff involved here, which is fine, as long as buyers are aware of it going into their purchase. (The above gearing and performance numbers are published by Chevy, and are available here. Look on page 24, under the heading “Performance.”)
  
  
• The 2LS transmission does not have Sport Mode.
  
  The LT (and V8) Camaros with automatic transmission switch into Sport Mode when the shifter is moved into the “M” position (and the paddle shifters are not used). A letter “S” appears in the DIC and in the HUD (if equipped). In Sport Mode, shifts are firmer and quicker, and each gear is held longer into the RPM range before shifting.
  
  However, if you look at any owner’s manual for 2012 or newer Camaros (available here), in the section discussing the automatic transmission you will see references to “vehicles with any axle other than GW8” and “V6 models without Axle GW8.” In the 2012 manual, this section is on pages 9-30 to 9-36. The GW8 axle they’re referring to is the one that comes with the 2LS.
  
  Instead of Sport Mode, when shifted to “M” the 2LS goes into Electronic Range Select (ERS) Mode. ERS mode basically only allows the driver to choose the highest gear that the transmission will shift to. In ERS mode, the paddle shifters allow the driver to choose a particular “maximum gear,” which according to the owner’s manual is useful when towing a trailer (avoiding overdrive gears, which when towing can result in lots of “gear hunting”/unnecessary shifting) or descending a steep grade (engine braking).
  
  If you shift to “M” in a 2LS and don’t touch the paddles, the ERS sets a maximum gear, and the car drives within the range of 1st to whatever the max gear is, upshifting to the maximum gear and downshifting normally, unless the driver selects a different maximum gear via the paddles.
  
  NOTE: 2LS owners in the discussion that follows this post have stated that ERS either defaults to 4th or 6th for the maximum gear. This may be something that changed from model year to model year, similar to the ability to use TapShift when in "D." RacnJsn95 experimented with his '13 2LS and had this to say:

  Originally Posted by RacnJsn95

  I played with this, it seems to set the max gear based on speed/rpm. It doesn't always set the max gear to 4th, or shift to 4th... Depending on the speed/rpm if you shift from D to M, It's set the max gear on me to 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th, but no higher than 4th (probably because I haven't gone fast enough and tried it to see if it goes to m5).

• The 2LS transmission does not have TapShift.
  
  The LT (and V8) Camaros with automatic transmission go into TapShift mode when the gear selector is in “M” and the paddles are used. 2012 and newer V6s (and all model year V8s) can briefly go into TapShift mode (for 10 seconds) if the paddles are used while in “D” (2010-11 V6s cannot). This allows the driver to have some manual shifting control, and can be fun to use.
  
  However, as described above, the 2LS goes into ERS Mode when in “M,” and all the paddles do is select the maximum gear that the transmission will automatically shift to. This is discussed in the same section of the owner’s manual mentioned above. When in ERS Mode, the DIC in the 2LS displays the maximum gear selected next to the letter "M," unlike tapshift mode which always displays the current gear the transmission is in.
  
  Update (02/03/2014): As posted here by RacnJsn95 (thanks again, Jason!), the lack of true TapShift in the 2LS also makes it very difficult to get a "clean" dyno run, as the car shifts during the course of the run.

Update (04/06/2014): C5 member BlackoutLFX, using HPTuners, has discovered that both Sport Mode and TapShift can be enabled on the 2LS (and appears to provide the same functionality as the LT models). See BlackoutLFX's thread here. This has since been verified by a couple of other 2LS owners as well. BlackoutLFX basically copied the settings for the LT models from several transmission-related tables that HP Tuners displays, which he shows in post #25 of that thread. This should allow proper dyno results on these cars as well. A few caveats:

• As with any tuning, this will void your powertrain warranty.
• While the functionality changes, allowing Sport Mode, the "S" indicating Sport Mode is not displayed in the DIC. This may require changing something in the Body Control Module (BCM). When using TapShift, however, the selected gear is displayed, just like the LTs.
• This does not completely transform a 2LS into an LT, as the differential gearing difference remains (2.92 vs. 3.27).

Caveats aside, this is great news for 2LS owners who are willing to tune their cars, and can help those who bought the 2LS without knowing or being told of the differences this post describes. Kudos, BlackoutLFX!!!

For those that don’t care about these differences and want a great looking base model Camaro that happens to get the best mileage of any current Camaro—probably any Camaro EVER—the 2LS is a great car. Just be aware that your salesperson is probably clueless about the uniqueness of the 2LS.

Hopefully this will reach those who are considering the 2LS, so that they may make an informed buying decision and avoid any buyer’s remorse.

I am attaching copies of the 2012 owner’s manual and the 2013 Camaro brochure referenced above, in case the links I posted are ever changed.