So my old Shelby Charger had a Stage 1 ECU. Aside from slightly higher boost pressure, it made a night-and-day change to how the engine would rev. The Stage I computer made it rev as if it had a lighter flywheel, and the factory tune was abysmal in this area.

My story is relative to my SS currently. Driving around town, I don't bang gears all of the time, and much like ANY other similar car (an older 2.2 Cavalier and a 2009 Cobalt LS XFE that are still in the family), I can take a nap between the 1-2 shift waiting for the engine to rev down. Does tuning address this at all, or is it only a function of the flywheel mass with these cars? If so, what flywheel is good for this car so that drivability isn't completely compromised? A buddy of mine put a lightweight Fidanza unit in his WRX some years back and it made the car feel like a ton of bricks to get it rolling. I know I'm splitting hairs here, but I'm sure I'm not the only one to notice this.

I do recall reading an article about the new Cadillac ATS and they complained about the flywheel here as well, saying that almost zero pedal effort is required to get rolling.

 

I asked a similiar question years ago on my N/A 2.2 5 speed and was told it was indeed part of the tuning. I would guess the SS is the same.