Black plate (30,1)Chevrolet Camaro Owner Manual - 2011
5-30 Instruments and Controls
The images are projected through
the HUD lens located on the driver
side of the instrument panel.
Notice:If you try to use the
HUD image as a parking aid, you
may misjudge the distance and
damage your vehicle. Do not use
the HUD image as a parking aid.
The tap shift gear will also appear
on the HUD if the vehicle has tap
shift and it is active.
The HUD information can be
displayed in one of three languages,
English, French, or Spanish.
The speedometer reading and other
numerical values can be displayed
in either English or metric units.
The language selection is changed
through the radio and the units
of measurement is changed
through the trip computer in the
Driver Information Center (DIC).
See AM-FM Radio on page 7‑8
and Driver Information Center (DIC)
on page 5‑25.
HUD Display on the Vehicle
Windshield
The HUD information appears as an
image focused out toward the front
of the vehicle.
When the ignition key is turned to
ON/RUN, the HUD will display an
introductory message for a short
time, until the HUD is ready. The following indicator lights come
on the instrument panel when
activated and also appear on
the HUD:
.Turn Signal Indicators
.High-Beam Indicator Symbol
The HUD temporarily displays
CHECK GAGES and ICE
POSSIBLE when these messages
are on the DIC trip computer.
The HUD also temporarily displays
the following messages on vehicles
with these systems, when they are
active:
.Check Tire Pressure
.Cruise Set To
.Low Fuel
.Speed Limited To
.TRACTION CONTROL ACTIVE
.STABILITRAK ACTIVE
Black plate (35,1)Chevrolet Camaro Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-35
Compass Messages
CAL
This message is displayed when the
compass needs to be calibrated.
SeeCompass on page 5‑4.
– – –
Three dashes will be displayed if the
compass needs service. See your
dealer for service.
Cruise Control Messages
APPLY BRAKE BEFORE
CRUISE
If this message displays when
attempting to activate cruise control,
apply the brake pedal and try again.
CRUISE SET TO XXX
This message displays when the
cruise control is set and shows the
speed it was set to. See Cruise
Control on page 9‑43 for more
information.
Door Ajar Messages
DRIVER DOOR OPEN
This message will display when the
driver door is open. Close the door
completely.
HOOD OPEN
This message will display when the
hood is open. Close the hood
completely.
PASSENGER DOOR OPEN
This message will display when the
passenger door is open. Close the
door completely.
TRUNK OPEN
This message will display when
the trunk is open. Close the trunk
completely.
Engine Cooling System
Messages
A/C OFF DUE TO HIGH
ENGINE TEMP
This message displays when
the engine coolant becomes
hotter than the normal operating
temperature. To avoid added
strain on a hot engine, the air
conditioning compressor
automatically turns off. When
the coolant temperature returns
to normal, the air conditioning
compressor turns back on. You
can continue to drive the vehicle.
If this message continues to appear,
have the system repaired by your
dealer as soon as possible to avoid
damage to the engine.
COOLANT LEVEL LOW ADD
COOLANT
This message will display if the
coolant is low. See Engine Coolant
on page 10‑20.
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Camaro Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-1
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Competitive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 9-9
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . 9-12
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . 9-13
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . 9-18
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Retained AccessoryPower (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Shifting Into Park (Automatic Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Shifting Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Parking (Manual Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Parking Over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Active Fuel Management
®. . . 9-28
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . 9-30
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Manual Transmission
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . 9-34
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
StabiliTrak
®System . . . . . . . . . 9-39
Competitive Driving Mode . . . 9-41
Limited-Slip Rear Axle . . . . . . . 9-43
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-43
Object Detection Systems
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . 9-46
Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Camaro Owner Manual - 2011
9-8 Driving and Operating
Driving on Wet Roads
Rain and wet roads can reduce
vehicle traction and affect your
ability to stop and accelerate.
Always drive slower in these types
of driving conditions and avoid
driving through large puddles and
deep‐standing or flowing water.
{WARNING
Wet brakes can cause crashes.
They might not work as well in
a quick stop and could cause
pulling to one side. You could
lose control of the vehicle.
After driving through a large
puddle of water or a car/vehicle
wash, lightly apply the brake
pedal until the brakes work
normally.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
Flowing or rushing water creates
strong forces. Driving through
flowing water could cause the
vehicle to be carried away. If this
happens, you and other vehicle
occupants could drown. Do not
ignore police warnings and be
very cautious about trying to
drive through flowing water.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous.
Water can build up under the
vehicle's tires so they actually
ride on the water. This can happen
if the road is wet enough and you
are going fast enough. When the
vehicle is hydroplaning, it has little
or no contact with the road.
There is no hard and fast rule about
hydroplaning. The best advice is to
slow down when the road is wet.
Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, other wet
weather driving tips include:
.Allow extra following distance.
.Pass with caution.
.Keep windshield wiping
equipment in good shape.
.Keep the windshield washer fluid
reservoir filled.
.Have good tires with proper
tread depth. SeeTires on
page 10‑50.
.Turn off cruise control.
Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Camaro Owner Manual - 2011
9-10 Driving and Operating
Winter Driving
Driving on Snow or Ice
Drive carefully when there is snow
or ice between the tires and the
road, creating less traction or grip.
Wet ice can occur at about 0°C
(32°F) when freezing rain begins to
fall, resulting in even less traction.
Avoid driving on wet ice or in
freezing rain until roads can be
treated with salt or sand.
Drive with caution, whatever the
condition. Accelerate gently so
traction is not lost. Accelerating too
quickly causes the wheels to spin
and makes the surface under the
tires slick, so there is even less
traction.Try not to break the fragile traction.
If you accelerate too fast, the drive
wheels will spin and polish the
surface under the tires even more.
The
Antilock Brake System (ABS)
on page 9‑36 improves vehicle
stability during hard stops on
slippery roads, but apply the brakes
sooner than when on dry pavement.
Allow greater following distance on
any slippery road and watch for
slippery spots. Icy patches can
occur on otherwise clear roads in
shaded areas. The surface of a
curve or an overpass can remain
icy when the surrounding roads
are clear. Avoid sudden steering
maneuvers and braking while
on ice.
Turn off cruise control on slippery
surfaces.
Blizzard Conditions
Being stuck in snow can be a
serious situation. Stay with the
vehicle unless there is help nearby.
If possible, use the Roadside
Assistance Program (U.S. and
Canada) on page 13‑7 orRoadside
Assistance Program (Mexico) on
page 13‑10. To get help and keep
everyone in the vehicle safe:
.Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
.Tie a red cloth to an outside
mirror.
Black plate (39,1)Chevrolet Camaro Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-39
TCS automatically comes on
whenever the vehicle is started.
To limit wheel spin, especially in
slippery road conditions, the system
should always be left on, but it may
be necessary to turn the system off
if the vehicle is stuck in sand, mud,
or snow and rocking the vehicle is
required. Also, turn TCS off while
in deep snow or on loose gravel,
to assist vehicle motion at lower
speeds. SeeIf the Vehicle is Stuck
on page 9‑12 for more information.
See also Winter Driving on
page 9‑10 for information on using
TCS when driving in snowy or icy
conditions.
To turn the system off, press and
release the TCS/StabiliTrak button
located on the console in front of the
shift lever.
Press and release the TCS/
StabiliTrak button and the traction
control system turns off and the
TCS warning light comes on. Press
and release the button again to turn
the system back on. For information
on turning StabiliTrak off and on,
see StabiliTrak System following.
StabiliTrak®System
The vehicle has an electronic
stability control system called
StabiliTrak. It is an advanced
computer controlled system that
assists with directional control of the
vehicle in difficult driving conditions.
StabiliTrak activates when the
computer senses a discrepancy
between the intended path and the
direction the vehicle is actually
traveling. StabiliTrak selectively
applies braking pressure at any
one of the vehicle's brakes to help
steer the vehicle in the direction
which you are steering.
If cruise control is being used when
StabiliTrak activates, the cruise
control will automatically disengage.
Press the cruise control button to
reengage when road conditions
allow. See Cruise Control on
page 9‑43 for more information.
Black plate (43,1)Chevrolet Camaro Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-43
Limited-Slip Rear Axle
Vehicles with a limited-slip rear
axle can give more traction on
snow, mud, ice, sand, or gravel.
When traction is low, this feature
allows the drive wheel with the
most traction to move the vehicle.
The limited-slip rear axle also gives
the driver enhanced control when
cornering hard or completing a
maneuver, such as a lane change.
Cruise Control
With cruise control, the vehicle can
maintain a speed of about 40 km/h
(25 mph) or more without keeping
your foot on the accelerator. Cruise
control does not work at speeds
below 40 km/h (25 mph).
{WARNING
Cruise control can be dangerous
where you cannot drive safely at
a steady speed. So, do not use
the cruise control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.
Cruise control can be dangerous
on slippery roads. On such roads,
fast changes in tire traction can
cause excessive wheel slip, and
you could lose control. Do not use
cruise control on slippery roads.
The cruise control buttons are
located on the outboard side of the
steering wheel.
5(On/Off):Turns the cruise
control system on and off. An
indicator light comes on in the
instrument panel cluster.
\(Cancel): Press to disengage
cruise control without erasing the
set speed from memory.
Black plate (44,1)Chevrolet Camaro Owner Manual - 2011
9-44 Driving and Operating
RES/+ (Resume/Accelerate):
Move the thumbwheel up to make
the vehicle resume to a previously
set speed or to accelerate to a
higher speed.
SET/−(Set/Coast): Move the
thumbwheel down to set a speed
or to make the vehicle decelerate.
Setting Cruise Control
If the cruise button is on when not in
use, it could get bumped and go into
cruise when not desired. Keep the
cruise control switch off when cruise
is not being used.
1. Press
5to turn cruise
control on.
2. Get to the speed desired.
3. Press the thumbwheel toward SET/− and release it.
4. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
When the brakes are applied, the
cruise control shuts off. Resuming a Set Speed
If the cruise control is set at a
desired speed and then the brakes
are applied, the cruise control is
disengaged without erasing the set
speed from memory.
The indicator light on the instrument
panel cluster goes out when the
cruise is no longer engaged.
Once the vehicle speed reaches
about 40 km/h (25 mph) or more,
press the thumbwheel up toward
RES/+ briefly on the steering wheel.
The vehicle returns to the previous
set speed and stays there.
Increasing Speed While Using
Cruise Control
If the cruise control system is
already activated,
.Press the thumbwheel up toward
RES/+ and hold it until the
vehicle accelerates to the
desired speed, and then
release it.
.To increase the speed in small
amounts, press the thumbwheel
up toward RES/+ briefly and
then release it. Each time this is
done, the vehicle goes about
1.6 km/h (1 mph) faster.