Quote:
Originally Posted by John Hennessey
Here are a few more thoughts on this subject:
1. We only had a manual Hellcat available. We tried to find a local HC with manual but didn't get any takers. So we just ran with what we had, auto vs manual.
2. Stock ZL1 manual vs HC auto = ZL1 loss every time. I do think that the ZL1 auto runs even with or slightly edges the HC auto. I am sure we will see this race from one of the magazines soon as they will get a ZL1 auto before the public does.
3. We could have run them from a dig but I believe that there would have been a lot more haters crying about the results from one side or the other. A side by side dig race would have been even harder as reaction time would have factored in. The roll on race tells the story as both cars would have issues hooking up from a dig on street tires with full air pressure.
4. I own the ZL1 and really am impressed with the overall car. The ZL1 is a sports car whereas the HC is a big living room couch with a jet engine. Both are very fast and fun to drive. HC super comfy cruiser but the size and weight are significant. ZL1 feels tight, light, balanced but it does feel smaller.
5. ZL1 seats are comfortable and supportive. I like the shifter a lot. Car sounds good, not as loud as the Gen5 ZL1. Brakes are great.
6. Would like to get ZL1 on road course. It will be way faster than HC on road course. It may give the GT350 a hard time on a road course. But don't expect ZL1 to beat GT350 by much, if it does win on a road course. GT350 is true road race weapon even with less power.
7. Overall, what other car offers this much power, performance, practicality for the money? It runs very close to the Z06 Corvette from a roll, has 4 seats and a trunk. If Cadillac offered a CTS-V 2-door coupe it would be this car but it would cost $100k. Its a tremendous bang for the buck and looks great, especially in the front.
8. Expect to see approx. 100 rwhp gains with tune, intake, pulley and headers for around $5k worth of parts. At this power level, the all-in performance value becomes unmatched.
The Camaro team has outdone themselves with the new ZL1. It's a world-class sports car.
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I really appreciate the write up, and most of all, the videos! Keep them coming!
I agree with most of what you're saying. You're right on. #3 is the only part I sort of disagree with. I feel you should've ran them from a dig and a roll to be totally fair and tell the whole story. Yeah, if all you want to do is compare the best power to weight ratio, then the roll race is all you need, but some are more curious about 1/4 mile results. A roll race is always an advantage for a car with more weight and/or higher power and/or traction issues, all of which the HC has. It also doesn't matter if it's a dig or a roll race, reaction time is always a factor. The first one to hit has the advantage. Just doing one or the other has the one being put at the biggest disadvantage crying the most, unless their car wins anyway, lol. That said, I doubt the outcome would be any different from a dig with those particular cars, but you never know until you try. I hope you find a stock manual HC willing to throw down, or we'll be waiting a while for the auto Z.