Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums - Camaro5.com - 2014 Chevrolet Z/28 Drive June 10 (UPDATED)

Some of you might remember last fall I was invited by GM to their Milford Proving Grounds to take a shotgun ride hot-lap in the new Z/28. I was hoping I behaved enough to get an invite back to actually be a pilot of this Rocket Ship that wears the sacred Z/28 badge. Well, I got the invite. Tomorrow is the day.

Stay tuned... :headbang:

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What a day what a day… I think I’m going to have Permagrin for days after piloting the new Z/28 around GingerMan Raceway.

First off, I want to thank Al, Mark, Monte and the rest of the Camaro Crew for inviting me down to GingerMan and allowing me the opportunity to drive the new Z/28. It was a great privilege and honor.

Now, let’s get to the good stuff…

Exterior

One of the best quotes about the design of the new Z/28 came from a friend of mine the first time I showed him a picture, “Man, that thing looks like it’s ready to punch you in the mouth without batting an eye”. I’m a really big fan of the Z’s exterior styling. I can honestly say there is nothing I would change. Nothing looks out of place. And of course we all know that every part of the exterior design is due to functionality. 410 more pounds of downforce, WOW! We had for color options to choose from with white being the only color missing from the lineup. It would be a hard choice if I had the 75 G’s to lay down on one of these Bad Boys. And yes, I drove every color option.

Interior

As most of you already know the Z has a matte finish with sued microfiber inserts that set the tone for a race-ready interior. The RECARO’s are nice, I’m a bigger guy and I must say they were very comfortable and fit me like a glove. I had plenty of support from the “aggressive bolsters” no matter how high the lateral G the Z pulled in the corners with me behind the wheel. I was able to ride shotgun for a few laps and the support in the passenger seat was outstanding. The flat bottom steering wheel is a nice feature giving me plenty of legroom. Now, my heel/toe shifting needs some work but I’m going to blame that on my size 13’s, they don’t listen to what my brain tells them… And let’s not forget about the short-throw shifter, it’s smooth and is at the perfect height for fast and hard shifts. The only issue I had was driver side seat height. The driver side seat was at its lowest position and my helmet still touched the headliner. It really was not that big of a deal once I was out throwing the Z into the turns. Later, when I was leaving the track and sat down in my SS I already missed the Z’s RECCARO’s, almost felt as if I was naked.

Drivetrain and Chassis

7.0 Liters of pure “Badassery” plane and simple. The LS7 is rated at 505 HP with 481 LB-FT Tourque. It’s mated to the TREMEC TR6060 aluminum 6-speed manual transmission with close-ratio gearing. The rear dif has a high-performance helical limited-slip differential and 3.91 gears.

As for the chassis the Z/28 has stiffer front and rear control arm bushings, increased spring rates and specifically Z/28 tuned anti-roll bars. The 305/30ZR19 Pirelli PZero Trofeo R’s on all four corners are a sight to see in person. The Z also has a lower center of gravity and customized control Dynamic Suspension Spool Valves, DSSV for short. The DSSV’s are factory-tuned and feature independent control of high- and low-speed compression and rebound, providing stiffness without affecting the Z’s ride comfort. Performance Traction Management has 5 Modes allowing for different levels of assistance depending on the driver’s skills. So, what does this all add up to? A tack capable BEAST that provides maximum grip during insane braking, hard acceleration and serious cornering.

The Drive

I was lucky enough to be one of the first on the track with Chriss Frezza as my copilot. The first couple laps we were escorted by Mark Stielow in a lead Z/28 showing us the ropes of GingerMan. Once everyone had two laps under their belt GM opened the track up and we were on our own, only limited by two lap intervals and our own driving skills.

I started off in Mode 3 – Sport as suggest by Al so I could get a feel for what the Z/28 had to offer. As I floored the accelerator going into turn one from the pits the sound from the LS7 was to die for. The exhaust note is perfect. The Z pulls hard, I can only imagine how big the smile on my face was. As I hit the first turn I was amazed at how much grip was available. I drove deep into turn two before using the massive Brembo’s to slow the Z down, came out of the turn and shot off like a rocket ship. Corner after corner I kept pushing more and more and the Z/28 did everything I wanted it to. The Z/28 is definitely a car that builds confidence in your driving skills. Later in the day I could feel Mode 3 limiting my driving skills so to say, so I was ready to move on to Mode 4 - Sport.

Now, Mode 4 - Sport Active Handling Off is defined as “for use by skilled drivers who are already familiar with a particular track. Dry conditions only. Requires more driver experience than Modes 2 and 3. Active Handling is off and available engine power is still limited to match Mode 3.” Yeah that sound like me right I’ve been in mode three all morning so time to step it up. Mode 4 was a blast letting you drive the Z harder into the corners and slide out with the front wheels pointed in the direction you wanted them to be in on exiting. Lap after lap this car just performs flawlessly.

The Z/28 is by far one of the best Track Ready production cars I have driven. I said it in my 2013 review and I'll say it again... The Z is definitely a "Track Ready Beast" that will embarrass some serious competition and then cruise the main strip home.

In closing, my advice to all new Z/28 owners - You Must find the nearest road course in your area and “track it” no excuses…

Our Z/28 Milford Proving Grounds Experience - 10/14/2013