[paradigm]

Would you suggest getting a 1LE for regular daily use, such as on bumpy streets / highways given the stiff MRC? Or should I be looking at a regular SS or LT1? Would the most pedestrian setting of the MRC make for a comfortable ride over bumpy streets, or should I stick with a non MRC car?

[sr71bb]

Well first off the ZL1 1LE DOES NOT have a MRC suspension. A stock ZL1 has MAGNETIC RIDE CONTROL referred to as MRC which is a GREAT suspension for a daily driver and occasional track car. The ZL1 1LE has an adjustable MULTIMATIC suspension like the 2014 and 2015 Z-28's. See this link below:
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https://www.gmperformancemotor.com/parts/84352121.html

Notice the GM Disclaimer at the END of the parts description:
PARTS INTENDED FOR COMPETTION USE ONLY

Do a search and you will find alot of responses on this but I have had BOTH and the ZL1 1LE makes a MISERABLE daily driver. I had mine for THREE months and replaced it with what is essentially a SS2 1LE.

The ZL1 1LE MULTIMATIC suspension is VERY unforgiving and works great from a handling standpoint as long as NO BUMPS are encountered. Even on a track course, an irregular surface of any kind can unsettle a ZL1 1LE especially at higher speeds

Tire wear with the 3R's is UNACCEPTABLE and the tires are DEADLY in the rain. In the 3K miles or so I had mine, I replaced the tires TWICE at a cost of about 2000 dollars PER time and this was with daily driving and NO track time.

With the proper mods you can make the SS 1LE FASTER around a road course than a ZL1 1LE . The 1LE is MORE nimble as well because there is less weight over the nose.

[auto_god]

I find the mag ride suspension to actually be quite compliant in tour mode. I would have no issue at all daily driving with it.

About the only thing I'd do if I was going to daily my 1LE would be swap the tires out for something a little more forgiving. On a warm sunny day the Goodyears are awesome, but as the temp goes down the performance drops off considerably, and on some road surfaces around here the road noise can be significant from them. Never driven them in the wet so can't offer any feedback there.

[sr71bb]

Originally Posted by auto_god

I find the mag ride suspension to actually be quite compliant in tour mode. I would have no issue at all daily driving with it.

About the only thing I'd do if I was going to daily my 1LE would be swap the tires out for something a little more forgiving. On a warm sunny day the Goodyears are awesome, but as the temp goes down the performance drops off considerably, and on some road surfaces around here the road noise can be significant from them. Never driven them in the wet so can't offer any feedback there.

I AGREE. The MAG RIDE Is GREAT in tour mode. Unfortunately the MULTIMATIC is NOT adjustable except by MANUALLY adjusting it and even then you are not going to be able to get any kind of acceptable ride for a daily driver for MOST people.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by paradigm

Would you suggest getting a 1LE for regular daily use, such as on bumpy streets / highways given the stiff MRC? Or should I be looking at a regular SS or LT1? Would the most pedestrian setting of the MRC make for a comfortable ride over bumpy streets, or should I stick with a non MRC car?

While the ZLE is intended for the track, I found it to be a very drivable DD when stock. Now, with all my mods, not so much.

[arpad_m]

Originally Posted by paradigm

Would you suggest getting a 1LE for regular daily use, such as on bumpy streets / highways given the stiff MRC? Or should I be looking at a regular SS or LT1? Would the most pedestrian setting of the MRC make for a comfortable ride over bumpy streets, or should I stick with a non MRC car?

First, threads with similar questions have always been and will always be peppered with owners' self-justifying and/or rationalizing comments about their rides they spent a ton of money on, so take everything with a grain of salt (that'll be the last kitchen reference, promise! )

IMO tires matter a whole lot, I have a 2SS non-1LE and even on this "softer" tuned MRC I saw a big improvement when changing from the factory GYs to Michelin PS4S in terms of both ride quality and noise. (Yes, I do know that the 1LE comes with non-runflat tires, but the same still applies to a large extent.) Then there is the matter of individual preferences, one man's "wooden bench ride" is another's "soft cushion", but I'm sure tour mode with proper tires on the 1LE is pretty acceptable for most.

Finally, the 1/2SS 1LE is a fantastic performance bargain, you get a whole lot for $7k that, if retrofitted, would cost more altogether, and some parts like the electronic diff or PTM modes cannot even be added after the fact. Consider this as well.

[Msquared]

Originally Posted by sr71bb

I AGREE. The MAG RIDE Is GREAT in tour mode. Unfortunately the MULTIMATIC is NOT adjustable except by MANUALLY adjusting it and even then you are not going to be able to get any kind of acceptable ride for a daily driver for MOST people.

Am I missing something? Because I don't see the OP asking about ZL1s at all. He's asking if an SS 1LE is a better choice for his needs than a regular SS or LT1, isn't he?

OP, it's kind of hard to answer your question because different people have different thresholds for what they consider a harsh ride. I have an SS 1LE and find the ride in Tour mode to be just fine for daily driving. The only thing that slightly compromises the daily-driver mission is the high bolsters on the Recaro seats: they make ingress/egress more difficult than the plain seats. However, I autocross and track the car and so I will accept that slight inconvenience for the excellent support they provide. BTW, I find them to be pretty comfy for trips and daily use.

Being honest here, if you have no plans to track or autocross the car, then the 1LE probably doesn't bring you anything that will benefit you. You can order an SS with the Magride shocks (which I would definitely do for street driving) and the Recaros if you want them. You may even be able to do that with the LT1 - I'm not sure. If you get the LT1, keep your stock 20x8.5 wheels/tires for winter and you can buy a bigger set of "summer" tires with 1LE fitment, too. Which level of Camaro you get is going to come down to how you plan to use the car.

[Aragorn]

Ss 1le in tour mode is slightly more bumpy than non 1le. I don’t think I’d like to dd mine. Tons of traffic here and rough roads.
BEST ADIVSE - if you can, test drive both.

[Vaska]

Tires are everything. My ride is buttery smooth on my 18" winter tires even on very bad roads. During the summer just go with performance all seasons over hard summers if all you do is street driving.

[Msquared]

Posts 8 and 9 are very good advice that I meant to include in mine. It's worth mentioning that the springs and swaybars on a regular SS are a little softer than on the 1LE, and if you opt for the MRC dampers on that car they are calibrated a little softer to match them.

[N Camarolina]

Yep, wheel size makes a difference.

The SS 1LE is reasonably tolerable in Tour mode with the OEM 20" wheels and tires, particularly if you use it on the track and are willing to tolerate some roughness over bumps (the bumps are noticable). If you are only going to drive it on the street, I wouldn't bother going 1LE; rougher ride and you paying for goodies that you mostly can't take advantage of on the street.

I have a set of 19" wheels for daily driving (with Conti ECS tires) which provide both a higher side wall and allows front/rear rotation for more even tire wear. That extra height of rubber makes quite a difference and smooths out the bumps to make it "totally fine" for daily driving in Tour mode. I'd imagine that all-season tires might further cushion the ride, but it will probably depend on individual brand sidewall stiffness.

[Timbo-1LE]

I believe the ride depends on your roads and where you live. Tour is fine in Florida, smooth roads for an SS 1LE as my wife has back issues and it's ok for her up to about 3 hours... Then, not so much.

[auto_god]

Originally Posted by sr71bb

I AGREE. The MAG RIDE Is GREAT in tour mode. Unfortunately the MULTIMATIC is NOT adjustable except by MANUALLY adjusting it and even then you are not going to be able to get any kind of acceptable ride for a daily driver for MOST people.

Given that the original poster was referring to mag ride equipped cars, I made the assumption he was interested in opinions on the SS 1LE. I may have misinterpreted his post if he was asking for ZL1 1LE opinions.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by auto_god

Given that the original poster was referring to mag ride equipped cars, I made the assumption he was interested in opinions on the SS 1LE. I may have misinterpreted his post if he was asking for ZL1 1LE opinions.

Me too. When I see 1LE, I immediately think of ZL1 1LE, but I'm not sure what the OP is asking here.

Here https://www.camaro6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=600580 the OP's thread says 1LE and he is asking about a ZL1 1LE wing