[detltu]

Originally Posted by Nataphen

The stock SS will not "stay with a GT350" on a road course. The 1LE will be very close to the GT350, but it's not going to be a decisive win. I think it will depend on the track which car comes out on top. The ZL1 may be able to beat the GT350R on a track, but I don't know. It will outweigh the 350R by a lot, and it doesn't have nearly as aggressive of a tire setup. I can't wait to see what the new Z/28 delivers to compete with the 350R.

Actually the GT350 can't hang with the stock SS around a track without the track pack. Sad but true. I think the 1LE will be in the ballpark of the 350 track pack. I think the ZL1 will be in the ballpark of the 350r and the Z/28 will raise the bar again. I'm talking road courses. When the GT500 hits it will likely beat the ZL1 and hellcat in a straight line and be really close to ZL1 performance on the road course if not edge it out.

[DrkPhx]

Well this is interesting. My son just called me and said he spotted a caravan of Camaros where he lives which is odd because we don't see many test vehicles around here and he is further north of where I live. He didn't get any pics (I know!) Anyway, he saw 4 SS's, 1 ZL1 and the camo'd Z/28 pictured in this thread. The SS's and ZL1 were black and the Z/28 was in camo. He said the Z/28 was louder than my car (headers, no cats, 2.75" exhaust) and the ZL1 looked absolutely incredible in person. So be on the look out.. they're on the move.

[Nataphen]

Originally Posted by detltu

Actually the GT350 can't hang with the stock SS around a track without the track pack. Sad but true. I think the 1LE will be in the ballpark of the 350 track pack. I think the ZL1 will be in the ballpark of the 350r and the Z/28 will raise the bar again. I'm talking road courses. When the GT500 hits it will likely beat the ZL1 and hellcat in a straight line and be really close to ZL1 performance on the road course if not edge it out.

The base GT350s that don't have Magneride are going to be few and far between, so it's tough to even compare that. There's not a single track test or review for a base model out there. I think the base model was a first year gimmick to advertise the price as starting below $50,000. It's gone for 2017, so most will probably never see a fixed damper GT350. Even so, the base GT350 shocks and suspension are FAR more track focused than the pathetic Mustang GT Performance Pack. I still don't think the SS would beat it on the track except in endurance, since the non-cooled GT350s don't last very long without going into limp mode.

The 2016 tech pack has the same suspension as the track pack, it only lacks the extra coolers. So, it may not be able to finish a full track session, but it would still be quicker around the road course initially than a regular SS. All 350s are getting Magneride, coolers, and the track spoiler as standard equipment for 2017.

Where I see the 1LE taking the upper hand versus the GT350 track pack is carrying more momentum. By hopefully keeping the weight low, using the eLSD, and better stability control tuning, it may carry speed through corners better than the 350. It's still not going to win on a track with plenty of straights. The GT350 will already be in its power band on the road course, and the LT1 doesn't stand a chance at that point. That's why I said it will probably depend on the track which car wins.

If the ZL1 had R comp tires, I think it would beat the GT350R. The ZL1's lack of tire is going to be its biggest disadvantage versus the R.

[Jeffro19]

Originally Posted by DrkPhx

Well this is interesting. My son just called me and said he spotted a caravan of Camaros where he lives which is odd because we don't see many test vehicles around here and he is further north of where I live. He didn't get any pics (I know!) Anyway, he saw 4 SS's, 1 ZL1 and the camo'd Z/28 pictured in this thread. The SS's and ZL1 were black and the Z/28 was in camo. He said the Z/28 was louder than my car (headers, no cats, 2.75" exhaust) and the ZL1 looked absolutely incredible in person. So be on the look out.. they're on the move.

Need pics! Lol. That's awesome he saw those test vehicles all together. GM is bringing it!

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by Nataphen

If the ZL1 had R comp tires, I think it would beat the GT350R. The ZL1's lack of tire is going to be its biggest disadvantage versus the R.

The Goodyear Eagle F1 G:2s that last generation's 1LE and ZL1 had are phenomenal when there's heat in them. They redesigned the tire to improve grip even more for the 6th gen ZL1 and 1LE...I think these tires slot nicely in between something like a Pilot Super Sport, and a Pilot Sport Cup.

I think it'll be faster than you think, because of the tire. That said...first opportunity I get, I'm going to toss some Trofeo's on the ZL1 (just once) to see what it does...

[Nataphen]

I don't blame you, Trofeos are quite the track tire. I'd like to see a GT350R tested with Trofeos instead of the OEM PSC2s also.

If the next Z/28 comes out with Trofeos again, and they have a new high-powered NA motor in it, I'm going to be very excited to see what it can do.

[shaffe]

Originally Posted by jessrayo

The new Z/28 is going to have more power, better acceleration, and better cornering than the ZL1 or any competition.

The front engine C7 platform does not have room for turbos, but the mid-engine zora does.



With cars like the GT350R, Viper ACR, and Challenger Hellcat on the market, GM is going to have to really reach for a halo car that will stand above the other leaders. I think this Z/28 will have turbos and it will be a step above the ZL1 in every metric. I think the Hellcat proved that big power generates sales and I think the next Z/28 will raise the bar in every measurement metric, I think it is going to outgun the Viper ACR when it hits the tracks.... The future looks very bright for people that like to actually run their car.

See that is where I can't figure out where it slots in this generation lineup. The 5thgens were heavy, there were instances where even being down 75HP the Z/28 was faster around the track. So unless they have some trick N/A engine up their sleeves, do they have enough in the other areas to tackle the 640HP ZL1?

And sorry, no chance in hell the Z/28 can hang with an ACR Viper. That is the Z06/Z07's fight and it fought well, but couldn't get the job done.

[Eric SS]

I know it's very early on from first seeing it but have there hasn't any rumors about when we can expect this to be unveiled? Any cryptic messages on the camouflage like the ZL1 had?

[BradfordCamaro]

The car is not even out yet and the tires already suck?? HAHAHAhahahaha

[Nataphen]

Originally Posted by BradfordCamaro

The car is not even out yet and the tires already suck?? HAHAHAhahahaha

I didn't say they suck, but they're not R comps, and they're narrower. Even if they're great on the track for what they are, I still see it at a slight disadvantage in tires at the very least. We'll see.

[Bhobbs]

Originally Posted by Eric SS

I know it's very early on from first seeing it but have there hasn't any rumors about when we can expect this to be unveiled? Any cryptic messages on the camouflage like the ZL1 had?

The first ZL1 spy shots were back in August, so 7-8 months ago. I would bet the Z/28 will be revealed late this year or early next year. Unless of course this is a rush job to get it out for the 2017 50th anniversary.

[RLHMARINES]

It will be out for the 50th for sure.

[MrChrisLS3]

Originally Posted by Nataphen

^Thank you.

There seems to be this false notion that the Z/28 was faster than all the Corvettes that came before it. I think the hype went to some peoples' heads. It was an amazing track car for a muscle car, but it wasn't faster than everything in the world.

Of course you can't control what people want to think, or what their perceptions are. However, I believe that GM put this car out there because they wanted to show that they were dedicated to performance and to show what they could do. I also think it was a statement that the Camaro was no longer going be looked upon as Corvette's "little" brother. The younger sibling has finally come into his own, so to speak.

No, the Z/28 is not the hands down fastest, or even the best track car out there...but the fact that it can go toe to toe with some of the best, and beat many of them, for an out the door price under $80K. I mean, look at the prices of the cars mentioned in the same sentence with it. If a hearty track day is what someone does for fun, the Z/28 is one heck of a deal.

[OldJedi]

What I find interesting is that all three high performance cars, the 1LE, ZL1 and this possible Z28 are using the large single "suitcase" muffler system. None of them are using the dual muffler system from the GM Performance Parts. Is this single muffler system from the SS Camaro really better than the dual mufflers from the performance parts bin?