:popcorn:

THANKS man, I really REALLY like these cars! Happy to give my thoughts but before I do, please know that I have always been a Corvette guy (I've owned 6 of them lol) and so I am naturally a little biased. That being said the 6th Gen Camaro has really changed my opinion!

C7 Stingray (non Z51): I bought this car from a friend and I really loved it. The biggest problem with the non-Z51 Stingray is that it has poor gearing, cooling, and is far too soft of a ride (does not even have a rear sway bar!). The car looked killer, but always felt a little slow to me. I eventually sold it

SS 1LE: This car is the absolute sweet spot for the money. You simply cannot buy a better car for $40k-ish! I drove this car for a year and would say that from a handling standpoint, it crushed the Stingray. It did still feel a little slow (about the same as the non-Z51 stingray) to me. Not that it is in anyway SLOW, it was just that I've owned faster and was wanting a little more especially since the chassis could clearly handle it!

Z51 Stingray: The entire time I owned the non-Z51, I wanted a Z51 (something about grass being green or something). When a local dealer had one at a great price (and offered me an amazing trade on the SS 1LE), I jumped. That car was/is amazing. The gearing in the Z51 is so much better than the regular Stingray that it feels like it has 100 more hp. This car was fully loaded, had mag-ride, 2LT, and all I wanted. If I am honest, the Camaro feels like a newer generation car than the C7. Handling and overall feel is just a bit newer feeling to me. The Z51 is a bit twitchy, and while it was a perfect car that I would've been happy keeping, it does NOT have an LT4.

ZL1 1LE: Well, 650hp and the fully upgraded interior. This car is the beast I've been waiting for. It is amazing, perfect, awesome, insane, ridiculous, and all other things childish boys in men's bodies want in a car. The suspension is perfect (and I fully intend to daily it), the brakes are amazing (yes, I will put the Z26 pads in for the road haha), and the acceleration is insane. I cannot imagine a better car than this, and you'd have to pry it from my cold dead hands right now. It is crazy. I can't really compare it to the SS 1LE because I think the regular ZL1 is a better comparison (closer in chassis setup, etc). When I was 5 I collected matchbox cars and they were all race cars. This one is a full sized version. :biggrin:

Pics in order (C7, SS 1LE, Z51, ZL1 1LE):

Thanks Devnull for the informative write-up. Actually, truth to be told, my "dream" car is a C7 GS, but circumstances and practicality (needing rear seats) shifted me to the Camaro. I understand your comment about the LT1 engine feeling slow. Even comparing to my 450 WHP Audi TT, 1.8 L. , that used to be my project / "fun car" until I got the Camaro - The Camaro feels slow (despite the much higher Torque) - mainly because of its weight. I guess that the only way to make the Camaro feel fast, is to turn the LT1 into an LT4...which is not such a huge task and not so pricey either.

I think a 4.10 rear would make all the difference in the world on a Stingray or SS Camaro! The Z51 did feel fast.

It's not that the LT1 cars felt sloooow, they just didn't make my face hurt, and I expect facial pain in order for complete happiness!

The Grand Sport is an amazing car, I put that up with my ZL1 as far as my own personal rating... You put a few upgrades on a GS (cam, heads, headers, intake) and you have yourself a BEAST!

Thanks bud...

No kidding, I'm using the track days for daily driver duty duty right now (as well as track) and almost regret it lol. I will never complain about "factory" brembo dust again.

Changed brakes for the first time, ever. This thread was very helpful, thanks! I struggled with understanding how to push the pistons back in. I eventually bought a tool. I put the pads back in and usd the tool to push the pads. I was slow this time, but, I'll be faster next time. It seemed like there were two different rear pads. The first two pads that I tried to instal were the same and one just wouldn't go in deep enough on the inboard side, I pulled out one of the two remaining pads and it went in fine. I think that ut board pads have squealers and the inboard ones don't.

Holy brake dust Batman!

Changed brake PADS, not brakes.

Anyone have experience with the Z26 pads on track?

Short answer is don't do it. They will not hold up to track type duty. Z26 pads are perfect street (even in aggressive use), but will not be great on the track.

:thumb:

This exactly... :thumb:

This was very helpful, I swapped all my pads today and finally swapped off the all seasons for my new PS4S! No issues other than my caliper coating being softer than butter, it chips at the slightest touch.

Two questions, is it normal to have a small amount of play in the bottom front pins? And should the rear pins sit flush or slightly less than?

What are 5k-6k mile used (street use only) pads worth? I swapped to the Z26 and have the OE set to sell.