[travislambert]

I took delivery of my ZL1 today.

I believe there's a chance that I may be the first to get a black '17 ZL1 with a metallic black center stripe.

[LibertyHill]

THERE IT IS!!! Now how does it compare to the old car????

[travislambert]

Originally Posted by LibertyHill

THERE IT IS!!! Now how does it compare to the old car????

Let me get a few miles on it first and I'll get back with you on the performance.

Here are some first impressions:

The car seems to drive about the same other than the throttle being much more tame than my SS. I expected the suspension to be a little stiffer, but I didn't notice any difference on the drive home.

One notable difference is the steering. When I put 285s (and later 275s) on the front of the SS, the steering got noticeably stiffer. The ZL1 with the 285s steers as easy as the SS with 245s. I'm assuming there's simply a software difference with electric power steering.

I'm not a fan of the suede...I know many people love it. I'm not one of them. I much prefer the leather in the SS. With that said, I love the contour of the Recaro seats better than what I had before in the SS.

The wheels on the ZL1 are a bear to clean. I'll get better at it with time, but those wheels easily took twice as long to clean as the SS 1LE wheels.

The shifter is visibly shorter in the ZL1. I'm sure there's a small improvement in the shifting as well, but honestly I didn't really notice a difference from the SS.

The PDR is a nice toy. I tried it out on the drive home. I don't know how much I'll really use it, but it's a nice feature. GM just needs a 4K camera and better SD card support to go with it. I'd also like to have side and rear facing video feeds.

I noticed right away that there's a trade-off on the 0-60 in first gear. When idling the car around in a parking lot, the ZL1 wants to go a little too fast for me. I found myself constantly clutching to slow the car down without stalling the engine. However, I could never get traction with the SS in first, so the ZL1's gearing should be an improvement as far as that goes.

I hate to say it, but the ZL1 certainly seemed to turn a few more heads. There are several other SS Camaros where I live, but I don't know of any other 6th Gen ZL1s. I noticed several people checking the car out as I drove by. I'm sure the newness will wear off at some point, for the moment though, the car seemed to grab a lot of attention.

[travislambert]

Oh...this isn't ZL1 specific, but the headroom is awesome. There is much more space between the top of my head and the roof. I purposely omitted the sunroof from the order in hopes that I'd gain some headroom. I think that worked out and there's a good chance I'll fit with a helmet.

[LibertyHill]

Interesting that the gearing seems different. I wonder if it is or it just seems that way for some reason. What is the idle RPM? Mine seems closer to 600 than 650.

I'm iffy on the suede too but mostly because of a concern for how it will wear long-term. It still looks good in my daughter's '13 S4 at 50k.

Very nice that the throttle pedal is more linear. I still struggle a bit with mine but better tires will help. I'm finding now that it is easier to drive with the TC off. With it on it was too intrusive and tended to cause a Bobcat-like bucking effect as it pulled power and then reintroduced power. Now that I'm feeling more comfortable with the power I just leave it off and counter-steer through the wheelspin. Rough rural roads are much better than those in town.

[travislambert]

Originally Posted by LibertyHill

Interesting that the gearing seems different. I wonder if it is or it just seems that way for some reason. What is the idle RPM? Mine seems closer to 600 than 650.

I'm iffy on the suede too but mostly because of a concern for how it will wear long-term. It still looks good in my daughter's '13 S4 at 50k.

Very nice that the throttle pedal is more linear. I still struggle a bit with mine but better tires will help. I'm finding now that it is easier to drive with the TC off. With it on it was too intrusive and tended to cause a Bobcat-like bucking effect as it pulled power and then reintroduced power. Now that I'm feeling more comfortable with the power I just leave it off and counter-steer through the wheelspin. Rough rural roads are much better than those in town.

The gearing is actually different.

Gear.....ZL1(MJK)...SS(MM6)
1...........2.289.....2.664
2...........1.611.....1.783
3...........1.208.....1.302
4...........1.000.....1.000
5...........0.818.....0.741
6...........0.536.....0.503
R...........3.106.....2.903

[hadkins2]

Originally Posted by travislambert

Let me get a few miles on it first and I'll get back with you on the performance.

Here are some first impressions:

The car seems to drive about the same other than the throttle being much more tame than my SS. I expected the suspension to be a little stiffer, but I didn't notice any difference on the drive home.

One notable difference is the steering. When I put 285s (and later 275s) on the front of the SS, the steering got noticeably stiffer. The ZL1 with the 285s steers as easy as the SS with 245s. I'm assuming there's simply a software difference with electric power steering.

I'm not a fan of the suede...I know many people love it. I'm not one of them. I much prefer the leather in the SS. With that said, I love the contour of the Recaro seats better than what I had before in the SS.

The wheels on the ZL1 are a bear to clean. I'll get better at it with time, but those wheels easily took twice as long to clean as the SS 1LE wheels.

The shifter is visibly shorter in the ZL1. I'm sure there's a small improvement in the shifting as well, but honestly I didn't really notice a difference from the SS.

The PDR is a nice toy. I tried it out on the drive home. I don't know how much I'll really use it, but it's a nice feature. GM just needs a 4K camera and better SD card support to go with it. I'd also like to have side and rear facing video feeds.

I noticed right away that there's a trade-off on the 0-60 in first gear. When idling the car around in a parking lot, the ZL1 wants to go a little too fast for me. I found myself constantly clutching to slow the car down without stalling the engine. However, I could never get traction with the SS in first, so the ZL1's gearing should be an improvement as far as that goes.

I hate to say it, but the ZL1 certainly seemed to turn a few more heads. There are several other SS Camaros where I live, but I don't know of any other 6th Gen ZL1s. I noticed several people checking the car out as I drove by. I'm sure the newness will wear off at some point, for the moment though, the car seemed to grab a lot of attention.

On the steering, make sure the removed the shipping blocks from the front springs. My dealer left them in. The feel changed somewhat after they were removed.

What mode were you in when driving home? I keep mine in sport 24/7 unless I am actually at a track. And I think the ride is a little better than my SS.

The suede is a little hotter than the leather. I have found myself using the vented seats more even in winter on the longer drives. But I do like the feel of it. You don't move around and the Recaro bolsters definitely hold onto you.

Yes, the wheels are a major struggle to clean. Along with the 6 piston Brembos up front, it is really hard to clean the barrels.

The gearing is higher. I noticed that right off too. You will notice it more on the lots like you already have and during city driving.

Interesting about your reactions from other people. Down here in Huntington unless you're driving a Mustang, no one looks at you. And I never see any 6th gens running around down here either.

Congrats again on the ZL1. Make sure to check the shipping blocks. Mid-state is notorious for messing up PDI. I had to take mine back to get some things corrected on the 16 SS.

Howard

[travislambert]

Originally Posted by hadkins2

On the steering, make sure the removed the shipping blocks from the front springs. My dealer left them in. The feel changed somewhat after they were removed.

Yeah, the blocks are removed. I feel like the ZL1's steering is an improvement over the SS, so no worries.

Originally Posted by hadkins2

What mode were you in when driving home?

I was in the Tour which is where I left my SS most of the time.

[Divrdown]

Where did you order yours from in WV?Looking for the right allocations and dont seem to be many.

[travislambert]

Originally Posted by Divrdown

Where did you order yours from in WV?Looking for the right allocations and dont seem to be many.

I had the same problem. Many dealers either didn't return my email/call or simply didn't have an allocation. I ended up finding an allocation at Midstate Chevrolet in Flatwoods.

[KLR ZL1]

Atleast you can't see the gap between the stripe and front and back windows. Looks badasss in black.

[travislambert]

I swapped out the suede for traditional leather. I'm going to see if the red in the door panel grows on me. If not, I plan to replace the red with something custom using factory materials.

[travislambert]

I have a few hundred miles on the ZL1 now, and I know at least a few people are curious as to how it compares to my SS with the LT4. I’ve been trying to respect the break-in period (mosty), but I think I’ve ran the car hard enough to know how the cars compare.

I’ll start by saying I really like the ZL1, and I certainly don’t regret the purchase. My old SS is without a doubt faster in a straight line, but the ZL1 is a lot better at putting power to the ground while maintaining control. First gear in the ZL1 is actually useful and I don’t seem to have to worry about the rear of the car suddenly kicking sideways on a hard acceleration. Taking a turn while putting power down seems to work very well in the ZL1 where the SS would always break traction. Both cars are really fun to drive in their own way. The SS was a little faster, but the ZL1 is easier to drive fast. To be completely fair though, if I were to void my warranty and tune the ZL1, I think it’d be as fast if not faster.

For a daily driver, the SS is hands down more practical. With the higher first gear, the ZL1 is noticeably harder to take off from a stop. It’s comparable to taking off in second gear with the SS (although probably not quite that bad). The side skirts and high bolsters on the Recaro seats make the ZL1 much harder to get in and out of. The larger front splitter and the lower profile tires on the ZL1 require more effort to avoid damage to the car in the hills of WV. Also, my insurance is about $40 higher per month with the ZL1 vs the SS, for the same coverage. And of course, the ZL1 wheels are a PITA to clean! The difference in the handling and short throw shifter are hardly noticeable on the street.

Now that I have the ZL1 I wouldn’t trade it for the SS, but having the option to keep both cars would have been nice. Before owning the ZL1, I suppose I assumed that most aspects of the ZL1 would be at least as good if not better. I must admit, there ended up being at least a few minor disadvantages to the ZL1 I didn't see coming. Both are great cars, but there are certainly advantages and disadvantages to each.

[LibertyHill]

Originally Posted by travislambert

I’ll start by saying I really like the ZL1, and I certainly don’t regret the purchase. My old SS is without a doubt faster in a straight line, but the ZL1 is a lot better at putting power to the ground while maintaining control. First gear in the ZL1 is actually useful and I don’t seem to have to worry about the rear of the car suddenly kicking sideways on a hard acceleration. Taking a turn while putting power down seems to work very well in the ZL1 where the SS would always break traction.

Great review thanks! Do you attribute the above mostly to a more linear pedal or the eLSD?