We love the Chevy Camaro: its looks, its power, and its handling ability are nothing short of awesome. And we also love to hit triple digits (on a closed track, of course). But one of the things the Camaro has been criticized for (even by us) ever since the resurrection of the fifth-gen is its heft.
The V6 LTs come in at 3,750lbs and the SS V8s weigh just over 3,860… and that’s for the lighter coupe models, not taking into account the convertibles. Compare that to cross-town rival Mustang and its modest weight of 3,453lbs., and there’s no denying that the Camaro is on the heavy side of the sports car continuum.
And this brings us to the day’s question: would the Camaro be a better sports car if it were lighter? Vote in the poll and feel free to sound off in the comments below.
Comments
Next Poll: Should the next Camaro push futuro vs. retro?
Retro is tired. Even though the current iteration of the ‘Vette has faint retro Stingray styling cues – it’s mainly new and unique. Why then continue following Ford and milking the retro look any longer? I think a next-gen Camaro needs to fly in the face of normality and carry it’s legion of followers with it.
To me, the best thing about the born-again Camaro is it’s reduced size and weight. When the dinosaur known as the F-body 4th generation died a slow death – the big question was, “why didn’t GM reduce the size of Camaro and Firebird to meet current demand for 2+2 sporty cars?” It took 8 years, but GM finally did – again, like the first Camaro, in response to a wildly successful Ford Mustang product. Why can’t GM get out in front this time and lead?
How GM can lead: They can promote smaller ICE engines, use turbos ala: Nissan GT-R and perhaps really WOW the public with some form of E-assist meant for performance AND fuel efficiency. Right now, Porsche readies it’s latest 911 (991) which will include an option for it’s form of KERS, as found in F1 cars. Kinetic Energy Retrieval Systems are cutting edge. Instead of a ZR-1 that’s as heavy as the U.S.S. Enterprise with a gargantuan V-8 able to suck foreign crude oil at leaps and bounds… Why not put Ford and Chrysler on it’s heels ( and everyone else ) by giving next-gen Camaro a battery, or flywheel-based energy storage system that’ll provide a boost of power that’ll rocket you past any Mustang or Challenger using half the weight?
Carbon fiber and composite material seem just too expensive for weight loss in a car at Camaro’s pricepoint. Cruze Eco engineers used creative ways to lop off hundres of pounds to increase efficency. I say GM go at it with the next Camaro, using more aluminum components, and step out of the box and leapfrog everyone else using cutting-edge tech.
Before you naysay re: cost — Remember the Camaro is a high-volume piece, and economies of scale will kick in rather quickly.
CHEVY VOLT – MORE DRIVE – LESS FILLING,
James
If it losses weight, doesn’t it burns less rubber ( in ft)?
Possibly. But if it’s lighter and makes the same power, it’s faster. That’s more important to me than the showman tactics of burning rubber. 🙂
Y’ever go to YouTube and watch the Tesla Roadster smoke cars costing twice as much?
I love the one of the kid in the passenger seat going “OMIGOD! OMIGOD! OMIGOD!” , it’s a classic! EVs have 100% torque right out of the gate and don’t even really need a transmission to kick to a certain ratio BEFORE you get to enjoy that powerband. If practical family-movers make lithium batteries affordable to sports-minded “car guys”, isn’t that a good thing? First off, somebody has to buy the commuter – family car, or the EV Camaro that’ll knock your socks off while burning a patch the length of a football field will never happen.
Plus, you get to hear the squealing tires and smell the rubber while grinning that you’re not buying some Arab oil sheik a new golden Rolls Royce or a villa for another harem!
* or a nuke “dirty bomb” for some Islamic Fundamentalist nutjob
Cheers,
James
James,
Hey, Ive always respected your comment but you just crossed the line!!!
The majority of Arabs in the world are living under $10 a day and barely have enough to eat!
What the hell do you mean by Islamic Fundamentalist?
If someone would use a bomb to kill innocent people is NOT a muslim or Islamic. Nowhere in Islam does it say its right to do any of the scenarios you mention.
Just because the Virginia Tech shooter was a christain and called himself a christain does not mean christianity supports or encourages killing. Right?
If you have any self respect youll apologize.
Is this poll really necessary? Weight has always been the enemy irrespective of what car you drive. Less weight has always been better for all aspects of performance (handling, launching, fuel economy etc).
I mean to me, it’s like asking “are you going to give up your addiction to oxygen and use nitrogen from now on”?
Less weight has always been better except for when you’re hitting triple digits and your feather-light jalopy feels like its dust in the wind.
In other words, I’ve met several Camaro owners who detest the idea of the next-gen (or even a refresh) losing weight.
Now, I wonder how many people actually hit triple digits in the Camaros to appreciate the extra poundage.
I wouldn’t want it to loose much weight, couple hundred pounds would be good, but not so much that it wouldn’t feel stable even at speed.
@James @Babersher This is the perfect reason why stereotypes are bad, in the most pure sense of the word.
The perfect Camaro in my opinion would be the size an weight of a 1986 BMW 3 series or a 1986 Toyota Corola GTS,but with a gen 5 smallblock shoved way back under the dash so that the shifter on the six speed would have to lean forward like on the original Shelby Cobra, and the weight would be distributed more toward the back wheels like a Corvette. Tall people would fit because there would be long narrow footwells like on old British cars like the GT6 Triumph.
Such a nimble easy to park hard to get in and out of car would appeal more to yong people than the currant musclecar demographic, but that could be a good thing for the future of American performance cars in general.
@Alex – Weight, or unsprung weight ( or the lack of it ) is understandably not soley responsible for a car not “hitting triple digits and your feather-light jalopy feels like its dust in the wind” . Of course, proper aerodynamics easily insures a lightweight automobile will be planted to the ground and not fluttering about like leaf. It’s why F1 , Indy and Le Mans cars can be feather light yet stick to the ground like glue. Obviously any street car sold to common citizens needs to have all the proper safety features installed, and those alone will account for prodigious amounts of weight and ride height. Camaro could lose substantial weight and still perform fantastically if it’s aerodynamics were not hogtied by the aforementioned limitations of a design strapped by nostalgia. A more wedge shape without a gaping grillwork to remind of a ’69 predecessor, and some more aggressive underbody ground effects would do the trick.
@Alex @Babersher –
My mentioning of an “Arab Fundamentalist nutjob” is plainly no broad brush stereotype of the Saudi Arabia or Muslims as a whole, Arabic peoples, or the common Arabian citizen. You may notice the word “Fundamentalist” in “Fundamentalist nutjob”. This is accepted verbiage for a jihadist who interprets jihad to be (literal) warfare against anyone but those adhering to their religion/mentality. It was not improperly or insensitively used – as we know Islam and Muslims broadly debate the true meaning of “jihad” and they will for centuries to come. A FUNDAMENTALIST Muslim ( 9 of 10 9-11 hijackers either were born in Saudi Arabia or lived there at one time, and Usama bin Laden, of course was a Saudi. All were Fundamentlist in their views of Islam.) We know most of the money that funded 9-11 and many other terrorist acts upon Americans comes from Saudi Arabia – Read the 9-11 Commission. A Fundamentalist who believes in a “literal” jihad in my mind constitutes a “nutjob” – or one who is crazy in the head.
As for bringing the poor, oppressed Middle Eastern or Arab citizens into my comments. I say “obsurd”. The uprisings in the Middle East of late are evidence that the common citenry are fighting back. It’s the Royals and the sheikdom I mock. If you are part of the oil royalty and are sticking up for the little guy – I wish you would make sense. It’s not the common citizen of the Middle East who owns harems and drives diamond-embedded Bugatti Veyrons – It’s the royal hierarchy. To say my deriding them is offending YOU in my mind outs you as ONE OF THEM. I will never refrain from sharing my opinion that the oil hierarchy, mainly made up of our enemies is a great reason Americans need to wake up and get off foreign crude oil burning gas pigs.
To me, this is a car and auto industry forum, not a place to debate politics ( unless directly related to the car business or future of automobiles ) or religion. I’d be more than glad to discuss/debate Islam, forms of Islam – religion or culture with you – BUT NOT ON THIS WEBSITE OR THIS FORUM. I in any way, did not disrespect or misindentify the ENTIRE Muslim world – get real. The fact that you took it that way says a bit about you. Perhaps you should look up the word fundamentalist?
Let’s talk about cars. OK?
Truly, James
James,
I would have no problem with your comment if you took out the words “Islamic” and “Arab”. By adding arab and islamic you are implying that every arab is a rich oil sheikh and that every fundamentalist nutjob is Islamic. I hate the oil sheikhs as much as you do, possibly even more so.
And I guess I did misunderstand you a little bit. I guess I took it that way becuase Islam is always being attacked in the media and elsewhere. How would you feel if the name Christianity is used to describe any violent event, regardless if it was related to christianity or not?
Oh, and implying that im a rich oil sheikh is ridiculous, Im not even Arab, just know Arabs and can feel what they go through every day.
You dont want to talk about anthing but cars here, Right?
Well can you explain to me how the below comment you originally posted is about cars?
“Plus, you get to hear the squealing tires and smell the rubber while grinning that you’re not buying some Arab oil sheik a new golden Rolls Royce or a villa for another harem!
* or a nuke “dirty bomb” for some Islamic Fundamentalist nutjob”
I think the question was about weights affect on the performance of cars not the weight of the world. I like the retro style of the current Camaro but it could us a 450 lb diet .Replace a lot of the steel suspension bits , cradle ,arms with alluminum ,build a 4.3 liter twin turbo V8 move it back in the frame.Where steel is needed use high tinsel steel use more light weight materials for the body panels , hood , doors , decklid the MPG would go up and so would PERFORMANCE.