[m6-lt1]

Originally Posted by vince3

I also don't get the people saying their stock cars feel fast. These things are slow stock. If I had a ZL1, it would also feel slow stock too.

Damn I can’t imagine not being satisfied with 650HP. But you know what, you’re probably right, I would eventually want more as we do tend to get used to what we have haha. I like to think though that 650 is the magic number where I stop needing more. We’ll see lol.

I think the other problem is the 6th gen masks speed very well. Older cars with less power probably “feel” a bit faster. Not 5th gen’s though as they were slow/overweight. Other older cars though probably felt awesome.

[vince3]

Originally Posted by m6-lt1

Damn I can’t imagine not being satisfied with 650HP. But you know what, you’re probably right, I would eventually want more as we do tend to get used to what we have haha. I like to think though that 650 is the magic number where I stop needing more. We’ll see lol.

I think the other problem is the 6th gen masks speed very well. Older cars with less power probably “feel” a bit faster. Not 5th gen’s though as they were slow/overweight. Other older cars though probably felt awesome.

My heads cam C5Z06 felt insane at around 430 RWHP. Its been 20 years but i remember that feel, but it ran about the same at the track as both of my 6th gens. I never thought about how the 6th gens mask the speed feel, but they do.

[KingLT1]

Originally Posted by vince3

I also don't get the people saying their stock cars feel fast. These things are slow stock. If I had a ZL1, it would also feel slow stock too.

It's all relative... I personally think anything that 60-130's under 7 seconds in average air is pretty quick on the street. My car is low 6's and it's plenty of power for a 110% streetcar. Anything below 5 is borderline insane for the street. I have driven a few mid 4 second cars which equates to over 150mph trap speed in the 1/4 mi. I have no desire to make my car that fast. The LT1/SS cars you can get them into the 6's pretty easy with a supercharger @ 10psi, fuel system, e60, and a 305/35/20 555r2 tire. And they will be reliable doing it.

[NYTMARE23]

Originally Posted by m6-lt1

Damn I can’t imagine not being satisfied with 650HP. But you know what, you’re probably right, I would eventually want more as we do tend to get used to what we have haha. I like to think though that 650 is the magic number where I stop needing more. We’ll see lol.

I think the other problem is the 6th gen masks speed very well. Older cars with less power probably “feel” a bit faster. Not 5th gen’s though as they were slow/overweight. Other older cars though probably felt awesome.

Annnnnd THIS is where me not daily-ing my ZL1 has MANY benefits. Every time I DO drive it, compared to my daily Silverado and my wife's Traverse it is an EXCELLENT adrenaline rush each time. Which is why it's only got 1,069 miles on it. I don't "get used" to the 650 hp by not daily-ing it and it's much more fun that way!

[vince3]

Originally Posted by KingLT1

It's all relative... I personally think anything that 60-130's under 7 seconds in average air is pretty quick on the street. My car is low 6's and it's plenty of power for a 110% streetcar. Anything below 5 is borderline insane for the street. I have driven a few mid 4 second cars which equates to over 150mph trap speed in the 1/4 mi. I have no desire to make my car that fast. The LT1/SS cars you can get them into the 6's pretty easy with a supercharger @ 10psi, fuel system, e60, and a 305/35/20 555r2 tire. And they will be reliable doing it.

7s on average air would be what I want, but I'm a decent amount away from that, and I'm out of bolt-ons.

It's heads and cam time or supercharger at this point for me, and either is going to be 10k plus if done right, supercharger might be closer to 15k.

[TransamGTA350]

The modding game never stops and its never enough power. It will be good for a bit, then you get used to it and want more. The game gets old after a few rounds. Been there, done that.

The LT1 is a great car, as is an SS and certainly a ZL1. But, given that all of these trims are not hard to find, you'll be way ahead just buying the car you want (ZL1) rather than modding an LT1 into a sort-of ZL1. You're going to spend more money than you think on the supercharger, fuel system, tuning and other supporting stuff just to have something that isn't as reliable and still won't have the suspension/brakes/Ediff and other stuff the ZL1 has. Plus, there is resale. Maybe you'll keep the car forever, but most likely not. You'll get a lot more money on resale for a stock or lightly modded ZL1 than a heavily modded LT1. In fact, the supercharger may even make the LT1 harder to sell and therefore bring less money than a stock LT1.

[NYTMARE23]

Originally Posted by TransamGTA350

The modding game never stops and its never enough power. It will be good for a bit, then you get used to it and want more. The game gets old after a few rounds. Been there, done that.

The LT1 is a great car, as is an SS and certainly a ZL1. But, given that all of these trims are not hard to find, you'll be way ahead just buying the car you want (ZL1) rather than modding an LT1 into a sort-of ZL1. You're going to spend more money than you think on the supercharger, fuel system, tuning and other supporting stuff just to have something that isn't as reliable and still won't have the suspension/brakes/Ediff and other stuff the ZL1 has. Plus, there is resale. Maybe you'll keep the car forever, but most likely not. You'll get a lot more money on resale for a stock or lightly modded ZL1 than a heavily modded LT1. In fact, the supercharger may even make the LT1 harder to sell and therefore bring less money than a stock LT1.

Exactly why I just plan on leaving my ZL1 stock...650 is plenty and I agree, once you start, you generally won't want to stop...or I've seen alot of "issues" or "problems" arising when modding(OBVIOUSLY NOT ALL, but there's been enough to scare me off from modding). So as much as I'd LOVE more and more power, the higher the power/higher amount of money you put in, I'd also assume the higher the cost to "fix" the problems that may arise with it.

[Mark20242SS]

Go with the ZL1 ! are you going to street drive it or just track use?
for street driving stick with the regular ZL1, not the 1LE as everything I have seen says the ZL1 1LE rides too rough for street driving.
the regular ZL1 keeps the mag ride which rides much better.

[DeuceCam]

How many miles on the LT1?

If money isn't an issue, and you prefer the ZL1, then it makes sense to go ZL1. But, coming from a miata, I do like your idea of trying a non-boosted V8 first. However, modding a LT1 (or SS) to be a 'sleeper' and to perform like a ZL1, doesn't make sense (just get the ZL1).

If you plan on doing track days (road course), then the ZL1 makes more sense because it is basically track ready with: aux transmission/coolant/engine/trans/diff coolers, massive brakes, eLSD with PTM, and a suspension that's been fiddled with. The LT1 doesn't have this stuff (the auto trans models do get a trans cooler).

A couple things to clear up after reading through this thread:

-- The suspension, engine and drivetrain on the LT1 is identical to a 1SS.
-- You don't need brembo rear brakes on the street or autox. (I'm not even sure if the rear rotors are bigger on an SS compared to LT1).
-- The SS/ZL1 models do have a larger digital gauge display--which allows more data points to be monitored at once-- between the '1990's style' (lol) analogue tach and speedo when compared to the LT1, but that's the only difference.
-- Unless you're an audiophile, the LT1 stereo is fine.

[Maverick ZL1]

Thanks gentlemen for all your inputs and advice, I have a lot to think about and digest.
I should have mentioned from the get-go that I don't plan on tracking whichever Camaro I buy.
It will just be a fun car to drive on the street and experience for the first time what a muscle car is like to drive.
I've owned many sports cars but never owned a muscle car.
I already have a 2019 Mazda MX5 Miata RF manual for the track as well as a 2021 Campagna T-REX RR, both of which are very lightweight and are great for the track regarding consumables like tires and brakes Etc.
With those vehicles I can go a whole season without changing the brakes or the tires.
However with heavy vehicles like mustangs, corvettes, camaros, Porsches Etc you will be going through those consumables on a regular basis.
I remember with my Ariel Atom I could do 12 track days on the same tires and brakes.
The gentleman who said this I think really hit the nail on the head for me...
"If you are just looking for something with a V8 to play around with and not spend a lot, the LT-1 would be a good choice... But may need some upgrades to handle the power (wider wheels/tires, perhaps suspension upgrades...)"
I guess I am just looking for the V8 experience with a good manual transmission, and 450 horsepower sounds like enough to start with.
It will be the most hp of any car I have owned, and also the heaviest car I have ever owned, however most Automotive journalists say the Camaro doesn't feel heavy, and handles the best out of the 3 well known muscle cars, Camaro, Mustang & Challenger.
All the cars I've owned are fairly lightweight,
Acura NSX, Porsche Boxster, Subaru STI, Ariel Atom, Toyota GR Cotolla, Honda Civic, Acura RSX, Golf GTI, ND2 Miata.
From reading ZL1 posts many mention that the ZL1 is highly prized by thieves, and are one of the most stolen cars today.
I guess that's another good reason to not purchase a ZL1, if you have to constantly worry about theft.
Gents, I'll keep you posted on my decision and thanks again for your inputs.

[TransamGTA350]

Originally Posted by Maverick ZL1

Thanks gentlemen for all your inputs and advice, I have a lot to think about and digest.
I should have mentioned from the get-go that I don't plan on tracking whichever Camaro I buy.
It will just be a fun car to drive on the street and experience for the first time what a muscle car is like to drive.
I've owned many sports cars but never owned a muscle car.
I already have a 2019 Mazda MX5 Miata RF manual for the track as well as a 2021 Campagna T-REX RR, both of which are very lightweight and are great for the track regarding consumables like tires and brakes Etc.
With those vehicles I can go a whole season without changing the brakes or the tires.
However with heavy vehicles like mustangs, corvettes, camaros, Porsches Etc you will be going through those consumables on a regular basis.
I remember with my Ariel Atom I could do 12 track days on the same tires and brakes.
The gentleman who said this I think really hit the nail on the head for me...
"If you are just looking for something with a V8 to play around with and not spend a lot, the LT-1 would be a good choice... But may need some upgrades to handle the power (wider wheels/tires, perhaps suspension upgrades...)"
I guess I am just looking for the V8 experience with a good manual transmission, and 450 horsepower sounds like enough to start with.
It will be the most hp of any car I have owned, and also the heaviest car I have ever owned, however most Automotive journalists say the Camaro doesn't feel heavy, and handles the best out of the 3 well known muscle cars, Camaro, Mustang & Challenger.
All the cars I've owned are fairly lightweight,
Acura NSX, Porsche Boxster, Subaru STI, Ariel Atom, Toyota GR Cotolla, Honda Civic, Acura RSX, Golf GTI, ND2 Miata.
From reading ZL1 posts many mention that the ZL1 is highly prized by thieves, and are one of the most stolen cars today.
I guess that's another good reason to not purchase a ZL1, if you have to constantly worry about theft.
Gents, I'll keep you posted on my decision and thanks again for your inputs.

Well, since you are already a track guy, I think you are going to find it hard NOT to take a 6 Gen Camaro to the track “just to try it”. Then you’ll want to do it more, and wish you bought a 1LE. See how that snowballs?

[ariZona28]

Originally Posted by m6-lt1

Not 5th gen’s though as they were slow/overweight.

Wrong! LOL!

[Devstrike]

The one thing I wish my LT1 did have is the Brembo rear brakes as well instead of the floating single piston caliper. I only autocross and take my car on twisty curvy roads and for the most part outside of regular driving so the LT1 is perfect for that. Now cooling if you don't care about interior features is the other thing what separates the LT1 from the SS cars. You can add cooling but if you look on here about adding the brembos to the rear its pretty much impossible due to iirc the parking brake. If you Drag race it isn't really a big deal since the LT1 does make a great Drag car but if you want to track race it will. If the ZL1 is in the thinking process though I vote ZL1.

[DeuceCam]

ZL1 is the most common stolen car in USA from my understanding.
Camaro's in general are the 3rd most common stolen car.
V8 cars are the prime targets.
Unfortunately, GM left huge security vulnerabilities in the 6th gen Camaro's. An experienced thief can steal one in just a few minutes with a couple hundred dollar OBDII diagnostic tool.