Another ZLE vs ZL1 mag ride thread with Z/28 comparisons
 

I had the opportunity to drive my newly acquired '21 ZLE A10 for 35 miles today. Weather was nice with temps in the mid 60's. Everything is 100% stock with factory 3Rs in place. Here are a few obvious and other maybe not so obvious observations:

ZLE is noticeably rougher but not obnoxiously so. A 5th gen Z/28 with the same DSSV shock setup feels rougher IMHO with the Pirelli Trofeos. Car is twitchy on the interstate but it doesn't "tram line" as bad as a Z/28. ZL1 mag ride feels like a Cadillac comparatively.

ZLE does not have an "on throttle wig/wag" feeling my ZL1 mag ride car seems to have since new. ZLE is very flat on interstate exit ramps with virtually no body roll.

Rear visibility is actually better with the taller wing in the ZLE as there is an unobstructed view through the mirror. The mirror camera is going to take some acclimation time as it awkward and weird at first. In the camera position, it required significant repositioning compared to use as a typical mirror.

Engine power seems typical LT4 and nothing different with the transmission shifting of the A10. A bit more NVH noted and gear whine coming from the rear but this is truly splitting hairs.

The infotainment system is much updated compared to the '17 ZL1 and requires many more button presses to access the vehicle modes. The look of the screen is far superior in the '21. Center stack graphics are much crisper with fancier colors in the '21. Sound quality of the '21 sound system seems exactly the same as the '17.

Another thing which was just a cursory observation in the '21 ZLE...the steering wheel is actually straight as the car is tracking straight. My '17 ZL1 has been aligned many times but the wheel is never perfectly straight. We shall see how long it takes for on track to knock it "out of whack".

ZLE has 50 miles total now and quite a bit to go before the break in is complete and the first oil change at 500 miles.

Nice review! I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of how flat this car remains while entering and exiting turns at speed. You instinctively expect body roll with such a big and heavy car. Yet, it stays planted and sticks well when the 3r’s are at the proper temps.

Will this be a track only car for you now that you own two ZL1’s?

I will get rid of the '17 soon...I need to remove a few pieces like the Borla 60606 secondary cat delete section and swap the destroyed front rotors.

I've heard people say that the ZL1 has on throttle wig/wag but I've noticed none of this in my 2021 ZL1. I even had a friend of mine locally with an 2018 model tell me the same but and that it was even dangerous, but again, I've seen none of this in my 2021. Makes me wonder if they corrected something with later models, possible eLSD programming or maybe some mechanical adjustment to the suspension.

I love the rearview camera, there's no question its far superior to using a standard mirror. I love that you can adjust the FOV also, I just use the widest FOV so that I get the most visibility.

A few guys on here have replaced the stock rear cradle bushing with the ZLE's solid bushing, and report the same improvement in "throttle wig/wag". No increase in NVH reported, so seemingly no downside.....would be great if they started putting the solid bushing in all ZL1's starting in 2021.

Hello Guys, I am new to this sight and my ZL1 is on order and not due until March.
What does "on throttle wig/wag" mean?
What are the initials "DSSV" mean?
What does "NVH: mean?
Trying to learn all the Lingo I can.
Thanks In Advance.
Gary, :thumbup:

:w00t:

"throttle wig/wag": when you go wide open throttle, the rear axle moves left/right a bit; some ZL1s here exhibited this behavior from the factory

"DSSV": stands for dynamic suspension spool valve; name of the Multimatic shock absorber technology the ZL1 1LE comes with (https://www.multimatic.com/manufactu...ing-technology)

"NVH": shorthand for noise, vibration, harshness; technical term for acoustic comfort associated with how a vehicle rides

Thank You, very informative. :happy0180:
Gary

The wig/wag occurs with less than wide open throttle also...at least in my '17 ZL1 and I have the cradle lockout also. It is better than stock but still present.

I say give it time for that to change. I had both of them at the same time for a over a year and often drove them back to back. The ZLE rode a lot stiffer and tramlined worse once the SC3 wore down. When I wanted to cruise around comfortably we took the Z/28 out after having the ZLE...:smiling1:

One thing I've noticed (especially during auto cross events) is that tire pressure differences of more than 2psi make the car wiggle around on acceleration and worse during turn in/out and hard corner braking.

So much so that I invested in a high quality tire pressure gauge.

Stephen do you like the ZLE more then the Z28 LS7 ?

How much of a rougher ride is the ZLE compared to your regular ZL1? I know you said it's not obnoxious but many seemed to prefer the regular ZL1.

Would you consider taking it on long road trips or daily driving it or would it be too much to handle often being that it is stiffer than the regular ZL1?

Does it noticeably feel slower than the regular ZL1 since the wing would probably cause drag during high speeds or kinda hard to tell?

I'm not sure if both ZL1's have the same exhaust system but is the rev matching in the ZLE noticeably louder than the regular ZL1?

Having the ZLE now do you find it more entertaining to drive on the street than the regular ZL1 and wouldn't go back?

Beautiful car by the way thanks for answering questions in advance.

Good review by the OP.

I cannot stress enough how much tires play a massive role in ride comfort. The stock GY3R tires are dangerous to drive in anything under 60'. In addition, the very stiff sidewalls of the GY3R tires make it a terrible tire to drive on the street.

Switching the stock tires to something like Michelin PS4S tires make the ride 10x times better with grip in all situations.