Sorry...gasoline is less dense than water...which is the value you used. Gasoline actually weights around 6.073 lbs per US gallon. Which, if using a 16 gallon tank (requiring a total redesign and revalidation) versus a 19 gallon tank would save...18.29 pounds. That's not much of a trick...unless sacrificing real-world range is a new selling point? A better, and MUCH cheaper solution would be to just not fill up before a lap, or a run. Pretend it's got a 3 gallon tank.
The name never had any attachments to weight. Whoever coughed up that rumor was ill-informed. The statement was that the "Z28" moniker would never be used on a Camaro not worthy of that hallowed name...It was a comment in response to the suggestion that Chevy should design a body kit, tweak the SS and call it a Z28. That'd be akin to calling the GT's track pack "Boss"....and the team wouldn't do that.
The fact is they never once addressed a Z28 in any official capacity...so we are held by the facts to believe they never intended to call this King of Camaros by that moniker. I believe differently...and think that after they looked at the sheer capabilities of this new rendition once it was near completion...they decided to take a step beyond heritage and bring the "ZL1" nameplate into the light for the first time. A legend in its own right...it is both old and new; representing raw power and cutting-edge technology. More fitting for this model than even the iconic 'Z28', and I'd have to agree.
As far as the exhaust...most of the weight is in the resonators and mufflers on the Camaro. Some have said the mufflers themselves weigh approximately 45 lbs, together. When you figure on replacing them with an axle back....there's the 20 lbs savings...plus or minus. And that's just about what Chevy's done with the Dual-Mode system. As long as the cat converters stay in position...it's an emissions compliant system, after-market or no.
There's only a few more things I can bring up at this point...for whatever it's worth...
Throw the paper and the time slips and the numbers out of the window for a second. When you have a passenger or two in your car. You're adding 200-400 lbs, unless they are dainty women (in which case, more power to ya!). And unless you're hyper-sensitive...you will not notice this weight...you just won't. Admittedly, you're not racing...but these cars will spend 90% of their lives on public roads, and that must be taken into consideration. Some have said that you're butt-dyno won't really notice that your car is lighter until you take out in the neighborhood of 500-600 sprung pounds. Whether this is "scientifically proven", or not...the fact is 200-300 lbs is hardly detected by your senses when you're already in a 2-ton car.....worrying about how to save 15 at high expense, is simply laughable...I put together that post, only because I enjoyed the math...I don't care if the car weighs 4300 lbs, because I know it will be damn good, regardless.
The point of that little rant was to get to this point: The goal with all performance cars, after the numbers game, is to
connect with the driver. And even though it's adding some pounds, the ZL1 will be infinitely more responsive and "nimble" feeling than the SS, or even the LT models. THAT'S what's important to me...
And with that...I'll stop de-railing the .... 'valued' GT500 rumor thread....