According to a Jalopnik Q and A with Mark Stielow, the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28’s chief engineer of chassis dynamics, the team at one point gave the 2014 Camaro ZL1 some of the cornering hardware that makes the Z/28 the fastest track attack production Camaro that’s ever graced the earth. This means that there was a ZL1 rumbling around Road Atlanta with Pirelli Trofeo R tires that were 305-wide in all four corners. And thanks to the 75 hp advantage the ZL1’s LSA has over the Z/28’s LS7 V8, the unique Camaro mule seemed ready to dominate the Z/28.
But it still wasn’t faster.
Stielow explained why the super ZL1 was still slower than the less-powerful Z/28, stating that “you need to rebalance the chassis to take advantage of the tires.”
So for all you ZL1 owners out there getting ideas… you might want to look beyond a tire swap.
Comments
Or just swap the suspension?? Or put ZL1 engine into Z28?
This is a perfect example of how GM has changed how they design and tune suspension.
Years ago they just tossed on some big tires, stiffer springs and bigger bars to get a big G number on the black lake in Warren.
Today they tune the entire car and make it work as one. No more bouncing around on back roads with both hands on the wheel to keep the bump steering car on the right path.
GM today balances the car and also tunes it to real world conditions no test track conditions. This is where what they learned at the ring is being put in place in nearly all their cars performance or not.
This all came from the GM Performance Division as they did it right there to fix some poor tuning. They have now integrated these people I the original designing of the new cars and it shows.
My HHR SS was done by the Performance group and it really is a blast on back country roads. You can go stupid fast with out a lot of work.
That is the key here is a well tuned car should go fast and you should not have to work hard at it.
What they do not tell you is how much slower it was. Not much, I bet.
I would say not much but with more power this should not be.
It is like putting the same running shoes on me and someone else. I may be bigger and stronger but the other guy if he is a runner will leave me since even in the same shoes.
Well, they forgot the “Flowtie”!!! What did you expect? LOL, Hah, I just had to!
Really though, they should have tested this at the “ring”, would have given them another shot (without rain) in the Z/28!
Imagine the E.T. gap their!
Cant wait for the new Z06 to blisters the “ring”!
Just the stat we need to know. Really, who cares. I drive a 2014 Camaro ZL1, I love it. I would have rather seen GM use some gas saving technology and maybe a little less performance. The fact of the matter is GM is pretty much saying that we can’t justify the reason you should pay $75k for this car, the only justification is if you (which most of us never will) take it to an amazing track, you can then run it over 160mph and outrun a Porsche 911, meanwhile you’ll just get smoked in the quarter by most cars in the 80k range and also 0-60. Come on GM, we’re better than this.
No one races the 1/4 anymore than one races a road coarse, so the Z28 was not made for the 1/4 the ZL1 was. Many care about the tires, many owners want the wheels tires and other things the Z28 came with. Someone cares because the statement was made on this site.
I have a ZL1 and a Z28 they both do different things and made for it.