Lucas Bell 
Over the past 53 years, the Chevrolet Camaro has participated in all sorts of motorsports. Whether it be the drag-racing COPO cars of the 1960s, or the legendary IROC road racers of the 1970s and 1980s, GM’s muscle car has done it all. The Camaro has become even more of a multi-motorsport capable vehicle today, thanks to the wide-range of performance models on offer. Chevrolet Performance has just rolled out some new eLSD (electronic limited slip differential) calibrations for the Camaro ZL1 and SS 1LE models, which got us thinking one thing: Which one will buyers prefer?
We’ll start things off the 2017+ Chevy Camaro SS 1LE and its new Autocross focused setup. According to Chevrolet Performance, the Autocross Calibration for the eLSD is the result of the Camaro engineers desire to perfect the car’s on-track and street driving behaviors. During corner entry, the tuned eLSD can now decouple the differential at a faster rate based on pedal and steering inputs, enabling faster yaw rotation. On corner exit, the tune allows the eLSD to couple faster than before, getting power to both wheels sooner.
The software is specifically designed to help the Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE turn in faster, as well as to put the power down better on corner exit. Both are vital to ripping off fast runs on the tight and technical courses found at Autocross events around the country. In our experience, the calibration is best suited for use with slick tires.
Should you prefer your racing to take place in straight lines, Chevrolet Performance has rolled out drag-focused calibration for the range-topping 2017+ Camaro ZL1. The tune is specifically aimed at helping improve times at the drag strip by working to ensure better burnouts and launches. The new tune doubles the differential coupling torque during a burnout or a hard launch, and prevents slippage between the differential clutch packs. This helps the driver to warm each of the rear tires evenly in the burnout box, and helps keep the car pointed straight down the track.
Chevrolet Performance also notes that this calibration is for drag racing purposes only, and is not meant to be used on the street. As such, the eLSD Drag Performance Calibration can only be enabled when the driver switches off the traction control systems. GM goes as far as to say that turning these systems off on the street is dangerous and not recommended for any operator, but is still happy to sell you the car with 650 horsepower and 650 ft-lb of torque.
Both of these new Chevy Camaro eLSD calibrations from Chevrolet Performance carry an MSRP of just $350. A trip to the dealer is required for installation, but neither tune will affect your vehicle’s warranty. They should certainly affect how the car behaves however, despite the relative bargain of a price. In the future, we could see both of these calibrations being offered as OTA updates, thanks to GM’s Global B electrical architecture. But whether or not a Camaro is a part of the future is still TBD.
If you have a 2017+ Camaro model, do either of these interest you? Let us know down below which tune you would consider slapping on your own muscle car.
