[~Jb]

As the title says. I posted over in the ZL1 forums with just a few responses, obviously this was probably the better section to post my question.


Basically. I attended my first AutoX event in the ZLE and I really had a blast. I know the ZLE is not really designed or at all the best car for AutoX, but since already own it, I figured I would see what some others that AutoX the Alpha platform think. I love the car and not really looking to sell it, but where I live and more importantly with my job AutoX is just all around easier for me to attend.

Thanks in advance.
~Jb

[ZRacerLE]

Originally Posted by ~Jb

As the title says. I posted over in the ZL1 forums with just a few responses, obviously this was probably the better section to post my question.


Basically. I attended my first AutoX event in the ZLE and I really had a blast. I know the ZLE is not really designed or at all the best car for AutoX, but since already own it, I figured I would see what some others that AutoX the Alpha platform think. I love the car and not really looking to sell it, but where I live and more importantly with my job AutoX is just all around easier for me to attend.

Thanks in advance.
~Jb

Hard to beat the miatas, s2000s, and elise/exiges. I do autox mine for the cheap seat time though. My son just bought a turbo 1le. Anxious to see how competitive he can be with it.

[MatthewAMEL]

The ZLE is in SS (Super Street). No, it's not a competitive car in SS Nationally.


SS is a Porsche 911 GT3/Cayman GT4/Acura NSX club. The ZLE is a great car and unbeatable for the $$$, but outclassed by that group.



In CAM-C, where I am now (and where you could be) it's hard to judge as you could go up against Hellcats (which you would slaughter) or really well built S550's that will have an edge due to weight.


However, it's fun as hell no matter where you finish in the list at the end of the day. And you always learn something about car control.

[foshjowler]

Originally Posted by ZRacerLE

Hard to beat the miatas, s2000s, and elise/exiges. I do autox mine for the cheap seat time though. My son just bought a turbo 1le. Anxious to see how competitive he can be with it.

I can tell you that there is an argument to be made that the turbo 1LE is the best Camaro for Autox. It's hard for the V8s to make up for the extra weight over the front axel.

Though any Camaro can be competitive at local events

[rotis]

I autocross a ZL1 1LE and take it National events. I would have been at Nationals this year, had it not been cancelled.

Realistically I think it is mid-pack in Super Street and should probably be in A-Street. With the right driver I think it could trophy at Nationals but I don't think it would be contending for a win.

I was able to mix it up with some GT3s at the Packwood Champ Tour this year. I didn't win, but it was really close. As you can imagine with 650hp and street tires, throttle control is paramount.



Here's my fastest run from Sunday at the champ tour, I was faster than both GT3s but missed out on the win due to my time deficit from Saturday-

The car just got classed in SSR, which I think is intriguing. I think A7s give it more opportunity to use its power, which is substantial. It is still not a top car, but I think it would be fun.

If I were running CAM, I'd probably start with a SS1LE. It's easy to make up the power, but difficult to drop the weight. Locally I run in a PAX class using the CAM-C index, since it is softer than the SS index.

[ZRacerLE]

Originally Posted by foshjowler

I can tell you that there is an argument to be made that the turbo 1LE is the best Camaro for Autox. It's hard for the V8s to make up for the extra weight over the front axel.

Though any Camaro can be competitive at local events

His car is very impressive. I assume he'll be beating me as soon as he gets the hang of it.

[~Jb]

Thanks for everyone's input, my thoughts immediately went to Exige for AutoX, but I feel like I would immediately miss the presence of the ZLE overall. The ZLE is a terrible street car, but I presume still much more streetable and livable compared to the Exige.

In a perfect world I would own all the track toys, in reality I have to pick one. Oh and Ryan your vids definitely inspired me to even go try AutoX In my ZLE. So yeah, maybe I won't ever win nationals, but learning to drive my ZLE is still a blast.

Thanks again everyone for the insight.

[Msquared]

I think I agree with all the posts above. The one thing to sort of watch out for with the ZLE is that it comes from the factory with SC3 R tires that have a treadwear rating of 100. All Street classes as well as CAM require tires with at least a 200 rating. So the showroom-stock ZLE is not actually legal for any of the classes, and one would have to buy different tires right off the bat. It would be legal for SSR as sold, though, so that's an easy option for someone starting out. Run through the stock tires (it won't take long!) and then decide if you want to run in a street tire class (SS or CAM-C) or stay in SSR (then you buy Hoosiers for autocross use and use different wheels/tires for street driving).

[foshjowler]

Originally Posted by Msquared

I think I agree with all the posts above. The one thing to sort of watch out for with the ZLE is that it comes from the factory with SC3 R tires that have a treadwear rating of 100. All Street classes as well as CAM require tires with at least a 200 rating. So the showroom-stock ZLE is not actually legal for any of the classes, and one would have to buy different tires right off the bat. It would be legal for SSR as sold, though, so that's an easy option for someone starting out. Run through the stock tires (it won't take long!) and then decide if you want to run in a street tire class (SS or CAM-C) or stay in SSR (then you buy Hoosiers for autocross use and use different wheels/tires for street driving).

I want to say some cars are legal in street classes with their factory tires that are below 200 tw. I've never been affected by it, so I can't for sure though.

[ZRacerLE]

The 3Rs are pretty terrible because they are cold most of the day, but it does make it fun!