[ZL1Atlanta]

For me, it's the challenge that comes with it. After having this car for almost 5 years and modding previous ones, I don't think I even care about having a fast car anymore. I thoroughly enjoy driving around my 2500 series truck if I need to get places.

I'm so entrenched in the challenge of doing things that others give up on or say can't be done that it keeps me going. Once I feel like we hit insurmountable limits of a built 10L90, I'm not sure if I'll keep the car or not. I can do like others and do a TH400, but then I just have a fast car using parts that many cars have gone fast with before. Sounds boring right now, but we'll see.

That said, I initially started modding just so I could have the cam sound and have people look at me... That changed shortly after.

[USAFS197]

I don't necessarily think that these cars need more power or louder exhausts, per se. But, I do think these cars can benefit from some efficiency improvements and slight tweaks here and there. I find myself boggled by how some people think that engineers have the final say on how a car gets built. You can see short cuts, compromises, and legitimate face palming moments in nearly any vehicle that is mass produced--these are no exception.

Now, I have no real love for drag racing so, it's not like I'm going to put a drag tire on my ZL1 1LE but, traction is indeed scarce, much like how it was on my C7 Z06. And that in of itself can really steal some of the joy of these cars. I find the acceleration, even when it hooks, to not be very impressive at all. But, I do, however, find the handling dynamics of the Alpha chassis to be very impressive and it's really the only reason why I'm back in another Camaro after having sworn off front-engine rear-wheel-drive vehicles.

[raptor5244]

Originally Posted by Camaro1973

Simple answer = Because we can

Same reason why a dog licks its balls.

[EDFHOBBIES]

Originally Posted by ZL1Atlanta

For me, it's the challenge that comes with it. After having this car for almost 5 years and modding previous ones, I don't think I even care about having a fast car anymore. I thoroughly enjoy driving around my 2500 series truck if I need to get places.

I'm so entrenched in the challenge of doing things that others give up on or say can't be done that it keeps me going. Once I feel like we hit insurmountable limits of a built 10L90, I'm not sure if I'll keep the car or not. I can do like others and do a TH400, but then I just have a fast car using parts that many cars have gone fast with before. Sounds boring right now, but we'll see.

That said, I initially started modding just so I could have the cam sound and have people look at me... That changed shortly after.

Your doing great stuff just my 2 cents worth consider this and don't take this the wrong way. I wish there was a class for street tire that everyone had to run with stock suspension and same trans to even things out. Having slicks, having a built tranny, needing special suspension parts all to make great 1/4 mile pass in search of 7s, for me it would mean more to do it with less parts. it seems 99% car now and 1% driver mod basically you got a bigger budget and better car than the comp. yes there is great skill to dialing it in. I guess what I'm saying is you have 2 M6 guys and you have pretty equal cars wouldn't it be more of thrill or brag knowing your the better driver when you beat him. I know there's a lot more into it than that but that's what it appears to be just when i see that. Like the old saying your computer shifting car beat me not you! Going after a time in straight line or tracking is no substitute for one on one racing..

I'm very competitive I grew up playing golf I didn't need a handicap or help(well I had a good teacher but I had to do the hard work) to be ranked 13th in the nation in college back in 93 or the 8 th best armature in the world at the US Amateur. i didn't have special cheater muscle back clubs I played blades the most unforgiving clubs out there I probably still had persimmon woods at the time where other kids had metal. I got more pleasure knowing that i was one of the best not my equipment. That's how i see it that.

[ZL1Atlanta]

Originally Posted by EDFHOBBIES

Your doing great stuff just my 2 cents worth consider this and don't take this the wrong way. I wish there was a class for street tire that everyone had to run with stock suspension and same trans to even things out. Having slicks, having a built tranny, needing special suspension parts all to make great 1/4 mile pass in search of 7s, for me it would mean more to do it with less parts. it seems 99% car now and 1% driver mod basically you got a bigger budget and better car than the comp. yes there is great skill to dialing it in. I guess what I'm saying is you have 2 M6 guys and you have pretty equal cars wouldn't it be more of thrill or brag knowing your the better driver when you beat him. I know there's a lot more into it than that but that's what it appears to be just when i see that. Like the old saying your computer shifting car beat me not you! Going after a time in straight line or tracking is no substitute for one on one racing..

I'm very competitive I grew up playing golf I didn't need a handicap or help(well I had a good teacher but I had to do the hard work) to be ranked 13th in the nation in college back in 93 or the 8 th best armature in the world at the US Amateur. i didn't have special cheater muscle back clubs I played blades the most unforgiving clubs out there I probably still had persimmon woods at the time where other kids had metal. I got more pleasure knowing that i was one of the best not my equipment. That's how i see it that.

Well, that's sort of where I am. While the transmission is "built" as far as frictions and steels, the real limitation remains, and that is the electronics and tuneability. The 10L90's have a fraction of what the Ford guys have with 10R80's, so there will be a hard limit we hit at some point. Either that, or it only survives for very few passes. I pushed it bone stock further than anyone and that is when it was built.

The car still has stock springs, stock mag ride, stock converter, stock differential. The tires are DOT drag radial (ET Street R's). There is some weight loss of course, but before I did that I had a goal of going 8's with every single feature the car came with, and it did at 4,150 lbs. To my point, I only change stuff when it becomes clear that the limits have been reached. That is the fun part for me. Once there aren't any inherent 6th gen Camaro limits left, it'll be much less fun.

[serper3]

Although my zle is stock beside axle back, once my powertrain warranty is expired, i would like to do basic bolt ons or maybe a 2650 kit. just need to make sure it wont overheat or cause issues on track.

for me, i dont care too much about being the fastest, etc., i think there is an optimal amount of hp for the street - ~700 rwhp. with good tires, you can hook up from reasonable speeds pretty well still, and it just makes the car more exciting which i enjoy.

[7LitreC5]

Originally Posted by SpiritedAway

Curious about why the heck some (a ton apparently) people modify their ZL1s for even more power/louder exhausts.

Like, who says 650hp is not enough 😂?

I’ve modified slower cars before so I get it, but I struggle to hold onto the steering wheel while WOT + changing gears lol.

It’s pretty dang loud stock, but I also drive a ‘Vert so it’s more raw for me probably. Interested in seeing people’s responses

I live at an elevation of 7350 feet. I modify to put back the power that the altitude takes away.

[ZX-10R]

Originally Posted by JBones81

I got the audi because I have 2 kids and wanted the fastest sedan available under $60k.

2 kids in an RS3? I hope they are 5 years old or less. How much power are you putting down at x boost?

I will say that the rs3 is the best all around car I've ever owned. I've never kept a car longer than 3 years, and I'm coming up on the 4th anniversary in September.

They are fun cars, I just don't trust these mega boost mouse motors for long term unless you know a good engine builder. No defying the laws of physics, they will start losing compression after about 70k miles or so

I drove an modded FD RX-7 for 18 years, I know what a good handling, light car is - nothing really compares to it even now except P cars

I'm warming up to the new M4 but it's pricey for what it is, and again boosted to the moon small motor - supposedly they have resolved most of the reliability issues though

[JBones81]

Originally Posted by ZX-10R

2 kids in an RS3? I hope they are 5 years old or less. How much power are you putting down at x boost?



They are fun cars, I just don't trust these mega boost mouse motors for long term unless you know a good engine builder. No defying the laws of physics, they will start losing compression after about 70k miles or so

I drove an modded FD RX-7 for 18 years, I know what a good handling, light car is - nothing really compares to it even now except P cars

I'm warming up to the new M4 but it's pricey for what it is, and again boosted to the moon small motor - supposedly they have resolved most of the reliability issues though

Kids were 5 and 3 when I bought the car. Son is now out of the car/booster seat and still fits fine back there. Daughter is in a booster and she's tiny anyway. Our SQ5 was the family car (just sold it today). Now we have the Tesla M3P to fill that role. I still need to have a sedan for the times I need to take everyone in my car for some reason.

My rs3 makes around 600hp at this stage on ethanol. They run high 10s at around 130 with this setup. It's super quick around town with the awd and the dsg transmission/trans tune. It handles well for what I do with it...I've never been an autocross guy anyway. Drag racing and street runs are more important to me. This platform hasn't seen super high miles much, since they've only been out for 4 years now, but they go strong up to and at this stage. Very few people have issues when under stage 2. When people go stage 2 or further without beefing up the motor, they can have problems. So, many people are doing the IROZ motor setups with hybrid or better turbos and running 9s to very low 10s. The TT/RS's are faster because they're lighter, but check out some rs3 clips on youtube. They're really quick when modded, and very fast when you get serious with them.

I know these new M4s are insane, too, especially from a roll, but I don't have any experience with them. I had a 2013 335i, and it was a fun car, but it was my daily and was a lease so I didn't do anything to it.

At this point, I'm not planning to get nuts with the zl1. Hoping to do a couple minor things to accentuate the fun factor - intake and exhuast for sounds and a few cosmetic mods. I really just wanted to get this last big new v8 muscle car with a manual while I still could. It will probably see 3k
miles annually, but they will be very enjoyable ones, I hope!

[raptor5244]

Originally Posted by SpiritedAway

Why did you sell the Grand Sport but keep the Camaro?

I got the itch to try out a Tesla Model 3 Performance. At the time Tesla was offering what I paid for the Grand Sport so I traded it. The Tesla instant torque was nice and they make great daily drivers but the novelty wore off for me after a couple years so I traded it for a ZL1. The Grand Sport was great but I think I enjoy the ZL1 a little more. Once the C8 markups calm down I may eventually trade the ZL1 but the ZL1 is hard to beat from a price/performance perspective. A 2LT C8 with Z51 and magride is over $80k now. Just hard to justify when the ZL1 is so good for less than $70k and you still get a choice of transmission.

[JBones81]

Originally Posted by raptor5244

I got the itch to try out a Tesla Model 3 Performance. At the time Tesla was offering what I paid for the Grand Sport so I traded it. The Tesla instant torque was nice and they make great daily drivers but the novelty wore off for me after a couple years so I traded it for a ZL1. The Grand Sport was great but I think I enjoy the ZL1 a little more. Once the C8 markups calm down I may eventually trade the ZL1 but the ZL1 is hard to beat from a price/performance perspective. A 2LT C8 with Z51 and magride is over $80k now. Just hard to justify when the ZL1 is so good for less than $70k and you still get a choice of transmission.

Nice. Looks like we've had similar cars! The model 3 performance should be a fantastic commuter for my wife. It's hard to believe how quick it is (0-60 in 3.1), but it's pretty boring otherwise. It's so hard to drive a silent car after having so many awesome sounding ones over the years. I think I mentioned before, but I also had a c7 Grand Sport. I sold it when the market was super hot. I never really bonded with that car. I think the mistake was getting the automatic in it. I loved the way it looked, but driving it wasn't great. Hoping the manual zl1 will be much more engaging and exciting.

[ZX-10R]

Originally Posted by JBones81

My rs3 makes around 600hp at this stage on ethanol. They run high 10s at around 130 with this setup.

25 to 30 psi right?

Tremendous stress on an engine when driven hard. I'd love to see compression at 50 to 70k miles. The more serious guys with those cars seem to live down the street from an engine builder. Reminds me of rotary world, they are still getting about 500 rwhp from the 13B (aftermarket single turbo) and that car weighs about 2800 lbs. FD is still a great looking car, too, especially with fat rear tires and aftermarket wheels.

Bigger engine running lower boost is generally a better formula for reliability. Discounting the oil pump issues these engines should have no problem holding compression at 100k miles

[USAFS197]

JBones, you and I seem to have a very similar car lineup over time. I had a 2016 2SS A8, 2018 SS 1LE, and a 2019 C7 Z06. I now have a built TT RS and my wifes RS3 is getting the same build. They are shockingly quick for minimal amount of mods. The only real short coming with these engines is the stock rods and pistons. Once you get past that, you can make them fly.

After having a modified C7 Z06, Charger Hellcat Redeye, and now my ZL1 1LE, I'm really disinterested in trying to pursue power on a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicle when we have our Audi's at our disposal. Their ability to put power down and be drivable in all kinds of weather conditions makes them a hell of a treat to drive. Although admittedly, they don't handle nearly as well as the Alpha chassis out of the box, they can be made to handle exceptionally well. Audi seems to have purposely put copious amounts of understeer into that car that can be quickly remedied with a proper alignment--not C8 kind of alignment but, still.

For the ZL1 1LE, it'll just be seat time and rowing around in a more analog vehicle. Driving pleasure, per se. The only time I'll ever really take it seriously is on a twisty piece of road or a track where my Audi's can't use their power. My wife's RS3 hangs on my bumper like white on rice. Her RS3 has JRI coilovers and ground control plates. I only slightly pull on her on the very top end and she's just got a couple of bolt ons w/ 93 octane. She's ran an 11.01 @ 125 with hardly any mods and can do that consistently on the street. My TT RS, with a boost leak and some sketchy injectors did a 10.8 @ 127 with the same mods when it was still just bolt ons with 93.

[FRANK121]

For me I bought the ZL1 and wanting that muscle car sound. It did not have that with the stock exhaust. The axle back I purchased sounds awesome, looks fantastic and has zero highway drone. I added the Rotofab CAI to get rid of that ugly air box and increase the Superchager whine. Now the car sounds like I wanted and runs a little better!