12-20-2023, 08:34 PM | #1 |
Drives: 98 C5 Vette, 75 914, 86 Grand Waggy Join Date: Dec 2023
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 2
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Best years of Used SS Camaro for Track Use?
Team,
I'm an experienced track/HPDE enthusiast. I'm in the middle group whenever I go, about 3-4x a year. I have had some Porsches (997S, 986Boxster, Air Cooled 911) on track, as well as a Mini Cooper S and a 1994 Vette (which was suprisingly capable stock!). My Porsche Engine exploded at Road America, Turn 3 this year.... they call it "D Chunking"....aka, their fancy German Engines just sometimes blow up for no reason..... I'm looking for a nice SS Camaro with a 6 Speed for light road use, and some track days. 1LE of course. WHAT YEARS SHOULD I KEY ON? I have read here about ICING and ICE MODE in pre 2019s....aka Only get a 2020 or newer. Open to thoughts and ideas. One other option is just ordering a new one. But a lightly used SS 1LE would be perfect. THANKS TEAM! As an example on the same course I put down a 1:56.5 in a stock 1994 6spped Corvette, 300bhp on Goodyear Supercar F3s. Brainerd International Raceway - Donnybrooke (cut paste from track time thread here- this is NOT ME!) 1. 1:51.18 - Trackpack - '18 ZL1 1LE, 7/24/21, Pirelli 18” take off slicks, GM Recommended Track Alignment |
12-20-2023, 09:58 PM | #2 |
Drives: 2018 Camaro 2SS A8 Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: East Tennessee
Posts: 12,002
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to the forums, bls72
If money is not a major consideration and you want a fully track focused car, I'd get the newest available 1SS 1LE I can get, model year 2022 or 2023. These even have a significant chunk of the warranty left, and it applies to track use as well. 2024s will be very difficult to obtain and you would probably be charged extra either in the form of dealer ADM (for new cars) or a "scalper ripoff charge" if you buy a barely used one from a private party. You can no longer order new Camaros, unfortunately the Camaro was discontinued by GM and the last vehicle was manufactured a few days ago on 12/14.
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2018 Camaro 2SS — G7E MX0 NPP F55 IO6
735 rwhp | 665 rwtq Magnuson TVS 2300 80mm pulley | Kooks 1 7/8" LT headers | JRE smooth idle terminator cam | LT4 FS & injectors | TSP forged pistons & rods JMS PowerMAX | DSX flex fuel kit | Roto-Fab CAI | Soler 95mm LT5 TB | 1LE wheels | 1LE brakes | BMR rear cradle lockout | JRE custom tune 1100 - 1/30/18 | 2000 - 1/31/18 3000 - 2/06/18 TPW 2/26/18 3400 - 2/19/18 | 3800 - 2/26/18 4300 - 2/27/18 | 4B00 - 3/01/18 4200 - 3/05/18 | 4800 - 3/14/18 5000 - 3/16/18 | 6000 - 3/19/18 |
12-20-2023, 10:58 PM | #3 |
Drives: 2021 2SS 1LE Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: Cary, NC
Posts: 859
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I second Arpad's recommendations. An SS 1LE should do you fine given the kind of cars you are used to. It has a good thrust to weight ratio and in general will not leave you wanting for more power. A rare exception might be tracks with really long straights (like Road America or VIR), but even then, ZL1 level power is a nice to have, but not essential.
I take the viewpoint that the straights are just a place to relax a bit before I get to the next corner, and my lap time should be reflective of how good I (as the driver) am in the corners, not how much engine I have on the straights. Good luck in your car hunting! |
12-21-2023, 09:13 AM | #4 |
Drives: 98 C5 Vette, 75 914, 86 Grand Waggy Join Date: Dec 2023
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 2
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Thanks for the info fellas. I knew they were stopping production, but you can still go on the GM Website and spec a new car....which is maddening that you can't actually order it, but you can build and price it. I haven't called any dealers yet because once you call one of those guys, it is like opening up the flood gates of phone calls and pestering to 'come see us'.
Are there any issues that seem to pop up with older ones? I'm pretty confident in the Chevy Engine longevity....if I find one out of warranty is there anything that needs to be checked specifically? Is the ICE Mode issue a real event? Seems to be from what i read on the forum. I looked at a nice used 2019 a month ago.....it had 9k miles on it....and a wet oil pan....the dealer said it was a 3k fix to re-seal the oil pan leak! As you know, active oil leaks will NOT pass a track tech inspection.....so I passed on that car knowing I'd need to buy it and then fix it! Is that a common issue? |
12-21-2023, 09:28 AM | #5 |
Drives: '16 2SS M6 Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Hughes Springs, TX
Posts: 328
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It takes about 30 min including jacking the car up and getting the tools out of your box to fix the oil leak. After a couple of years the pan bolts get a little loose and all you have to do is snug them back up. Many of us have done it, very rarely is it something else, like an oil cooler o-ring, but it has happened. Mine has been leak free for 3 years since tightening the pan bolts.
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David
'16 2SS M6 black on black, SW long tube full exhaust, NPP, Roto-fab CAI, ported stock TB '16 2SS M6 black w/Metallic black stripes, Kalahari, 6 piston front (totaled 1/22/20) '14 Fusion Titanium 2.0T '83 Jeep Wagoneer |
12-21-2023, 12:49 PM | #6 | ||
Drives: 2017 Blue Camaro 1SS 1LE with PDR Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 1,003
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Quote:
Quote:
Make sure to pay a Chevy dealership to verify warranty coverage with their computer if buying used (and have them check for over-revs if buying a manual transmission). If the previous owner tuned the car or installed certain modifications then the warranty is likely void. |
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12-21-2023, 12:59 PM | #7 | ||
Drives: 2017 Blue Camaro 1SS 1LE with PDR Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 1,003
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Quote:
Quote:
https://www.camaro6.com/forums/showt...0#post11248660 Here's a side by side of ice mode and no ice mode on the same track's bumpy braking zone before and after the ABS module swap: https://youtube.com/watch?&v=TLDWA4nfqX0 Last edited by cdrptrks; 12-21-2023 at 01:11 PM. |
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12-22-2023, 09:54 AM | #8 |
Drives: 17 SW 1LE Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: ROCKVILLE MD
Posts: 294
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In almost 80 track days in my 2017 ive never experienced ice mode.
I second the oil pan thing. My started leaking after 3 years, I snugged the bolts up and it went away. |
12-23-2023, 09:19 AM | #9 | |
Drives: Chevrolet SS 1LE Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: St. Charles, MO
Posts: 1,483
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Quote:
I think it's probably not much of an issue on track because the transitions from gas to brake are more predictable and smoother. But if it were me, I'd still look for a 2019+. I didn't know you could swap a 2019+ ABS module into an older car. That surprises me given the different communication protocols the cars started using in 2019 (going from MOST to ethernet). If true, then it probably means any year SS 1LE is fair game because it terms of performance, they are the same in every other way I know of.
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Matt Miller
2020 SS 1LE |
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12-23-2023, 09:30 AM | #10 | |
Drives: 2018 Camaro 1SS 1LE Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Front Range, CO
Posts: 1,975
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