Help Me Decide Upgrade to Bolt On SS or Upgrade to ZL1
 

Alright guys, looking for facts and opinions. I’m sure some of you have been in a similar situation and I’m looking for some advice. I currently have a 2018 2SS M6 (9k miles) and a 2009 Corvette Z06 (13k miles). I’m selling the Z06 since I never get to drive the car for many reasons. I love the car, but I only drove it 1900 miles in the last 2 years, so It’s time to let it go and let someone else enjoy it. However, by selling the Z06 I will free up some funds to put towards my SS or on ZL1.

Quick Background:

My dilemma is that since I’ve had the Z06 with the LS7 and before that I had 2 5th Gen 2SS cars one having spent 12k on mods and running 475hp with the LS3, I am now use to that power level and expect it. I love my 18 SS M6, but its missing the top end pull I had with the bolt on LS7 and FBO and Cam LS3 I had. I bought the Z06 to go to the next level and sold my 5th gen all private party, didn’t get to drive the Z06, so I bought the 18 SS for a semi daily driver. Trying to find the balance here and I’m debating on upgrading the SS or just going for a ZL1 if I can find the right one.
I’ve only driven 2 ZL1’s and one was a bad example since it was a Personal Lease vehicle with 30k and was in rough shape and I’m pretty sure it was running 87 octane gas from the Dealership plus it was 97 degrees outside. Needless to say I wasn’t that impressed with the power in that example. It felt the same as the SS if not more sluggish off idle, but at WOT on the hwy with the a10 it was noticeably faster than the SS, but didn’t pull like my Z06. The second one I test drove I was limited to a high traffic area, so I really didn’t get to test it out properly, but it did feel stronger and more responsive on the under 3500RPM than the last one.

Here is my list on the pros and cons for me in my opinion.

ZL1 A10 Stock +
Borla/Corsa Cat back
Roto Fab CAI or K&N/Green drop in
SC coolant expansion tank
Elite Engineering Ex2 or MM Catch Can
BMR Rear Cradle Lockout


Pros
1. 650HP Factory Warranty
2. Better overall performance
3. A10 Transmission
4. Stronger eLSD Differential
5. More potential with performance upgrades later on vs the SS and a better starting point.
6. Holds it value better long term
7. Better looking exterior than the SS


Cons
1. Alcantara Interior (Will replace with Adrenaline Red leather 2SS Interior Trim)
2. More expensive overall
3. Higher monthly Insurance rate
4. Long term blower maintenance with possible degraded performance on with the blower blocks getting cloaked in PCV blowby. May require removal and cleaning. Still going to run a catch can.
5. Difficulty locating the right car
6. Heavier approx. 3900 vs 3700 on the SS (My 2SS weighed 3620lbs on a CAT scale with ¼ tank of gas)
7. Slightly worse gas mileage 16-18ish vs 20-21 with the SS (Don’t really care about this lol)




SS M6 + Bolt Ons
RotoFab CAI
Katech/Nick Williams 103 TB
MSD Intake
ARH or Kooks 1 7/8 headers
Borla Atak Axle back
Elite Engineering Ex2 Catch Can
BMR Rear Cradle Lockout
E85 flex fuel sensor
E85 Flex Fuel Tune
Should be around 480 to 490HP on e85 and around 460 to 470 on 93 Pump gas

Pros
1. Should be close to straight line roll performance of the ZL1
2. Cheaper as I already have the car plus 6k-7k on bolt ons is still less than the ZL1
3. N/A Motor build less heat soak prone performance issues
4. I prefer the 2SS interior over the ZL1
5. Driver engagement with the M6 vs the A10
6. Lighter than the Zl1, but not close to my c6 Z06 lol

Cons
1. Depreciation is on a higher curve for the car and the bolt ons are mostly lost in the value
2. May or may not be quite as fast in a straight line from a roll as the ZL1 stock
3. Warranty lost
4. Degraded long term reliability


So there you have it. That’s where I’m at in my mind. Which route to go is the question?

i have thought about the same thing also but my car is a 16 1ss so im almost paid off and not even sure if im going to keep it or sell it but for now just keeping it the same and paying it off first is my goal

It is more expensive to try to build a Camaro SS into a ZL1 than it is to just buy the ZL1. There are a couple of people that always pop up and say that you can do this cheaper. However, when challenged they never provide any type of line item listing for the costs.

The other piece is that a ZL1 will have the additional value of being a ZL1 while a heavily modified SS will not have the extra value and may in fact have far less value (you mentioned this in your post).

I disagree here, it is relatively cheap to bolt on and E85 a LT1, FBO I did beat a Hellcat thru the gears, he was closing on me in when I shut down at 110 MPH. Probably near even in a 1/4 mile both of us on street tires not DRs (Hellcat high trap for sure). I felt FBO on the M6 (still could use NLS) was a near ideal street car, light, fun, bout as much power that can bee hooked to the ground. There are cheap was to do this too, for instance a Pray ported intake and LT5 TB (stock off the shelf) is really near a MSD and 103 MM, for 1/3 the price.

I'm sure with DR / slicks and a prep track the ZL1 can then apply the torque to the ground, I'd take the ZL1 auto, the OP does not mention he wants to do this. I will point out there are FBO M6 in the low 11s and I believe Pray / SixGunSled's buddy has a high 10 M6 with drag pack. So it would be about even with the fastest Zl1 stock

The depreciation on a ZL1 could easily pay for FBO on the SS ( including the further depreciation of his currently owned SS). I was and am frankly shocked at the ZL1's nominal depreciation. But please show me the data of a Zl1 auto 2017 cost vs selling price over 3 years, toss in the 8% sales tax too. I roughly estimate that my SS loses 2.5K a year or 10 K since I owned out the door price - what I could sell it for now put back to stock condition. So say 3K on the high side of or 12K for 4 years, just for discussion sake.
https://www.edmunds.com/chevrolet/ca...tyle=401720981

That is 21K of depreciation (not including taxes, insurance etc), his currently owned SS would be 12K (see above), 3K for FBO, he is coming out 9K ahead over 5 years just on depreciation.

back to the OP, I really enjoyed FBO and an M6, it was just fun, I would leave the traction control on and let it do its job in the corners (straightens the car out) it was like I was a professional drifter, just a tad of throttle on corner exit and the car was completely straight, must have done it 1000 times. Since going supercharger, I can't do it anymore as the FI will overwhelm the traction control, the M6 FBO was SO fun, NLS, (get a Hurst pistol grip, rose wood). FI heavy, not as toss-able, just not as "fun". Plus you can get away with PS4 tires, while the FI crowd in general need 555R, the PS4 is a very fun toss-able tire on a M6.

for starters, none of the cars will compare to the ls7. i’d guess a simple bolt on LT1 would walk away from the LS3 cars, only to get decimated by a stock c6z

subjective question. we don’t know your goals, feelings or anything else. all i got from that blurb about cars was you want more power. there are plenty of ways to get it. it doesn’t take much for a na LT1 to make a stockish ZL1 look silly.

need heads and cam to >= LS7... been there too

Let's be clear. I am asking you to detail the line item costs to upgrade a Camaro SS to a ZL1. This is to have all of the functionality, performance, features, safety equipment, cooling, chassis tuning, etc. Straight line performance is only one piece of this puzzle. You work up the costs, line by line item.

Once you have those costs, we can work on depreciation schedules. Are we considering straight line depreciation or accrued depreciation models?

Sure, where do I send the accounting bill?

Ok, your statement makes my point. Either you can provide evidence or you cannot. Obviously, a big bunch of bluster or all hat and no cattle.

I provided data about the real depreciation of a SS, I provided a site that shows the depreciation on a Zl1. He already owns a SS so there is no way to equate many of the attributes you want to account for. Ballpark numbers suggest it is significantly cheaper to FBO his current ride over the next 5 years. I'd say $3500 in bolt-nns and it would add $1000 in resale. So $2500 for roughly equivalent street performance. I can't do any dynamic calculations other than a SS on PS4 tires is a nice package, the Zl1 is much heavier. The OP does no mention he is into corner carving so I would assume the SS with PS4 would be all he wants and needs meaning the Zl1's handling advantage equates to zero $$$$$. The SS is lighter so IMO it has less tendency to get itself into trouble in the real world. I'm really sorry for you if you don't understand that a new ZL1 will depreciate about $9K more than a FBO currently owned SS, and you need to result to childish antics. shame really.

Only a fool would believe rolling a brand new Zl1 would save money over a currently owned SS over the next 5 years. The cost of just buying the Zl1 would probably pay for his FBO... LOL..QED.

Which is always a good point to consider. Nobody considers that when buying brand new. But paying for the mods makes the cost seem a lot higher.

That was the reason I decided to mod my C5 corvette coupe instead of selling and getting a C6Z06.

Once again, list the bolt ons. List the time to do these modifications. Please add in the assumed cost of a loss of factory warranty.

You are making assumptions and arguing facts that are not in evidence. Since no mention was made of handling, you are discounting the costs of that very handling. You are also making statements that are not supported by evidence.

To be clear then, you are depreciating a ZL1 and not including any of the costs to upgrade the SS to anything approaching a ZL1s capabilities. This is a complete strawman argument.

Once again, you said that it is cheaper to upgrade a SS to be a ZL1. Called on it, you are crawfishing.

Seriously??

I can state that an SS on PS4S tires, even slightly wider with a slightly lower aspect ratio (nearly same OD as OEM) do not transform the SS into a ZL1. The PS4S will heat cycle out much more quickly than the QY SC3s. So much so that they become greasy and actually a bit dangerous to be on. I also have found that the GYSC3s provide better off the line traction, if they are at the proper temperatures.

Either you can support your argument or you cannot. So far you have provided scant facts.