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Old 02-26-2022, 11:01 AM   #1
Bad 1LE
 
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Drives: Chevrolet Camaro 2SS 1LE
Join Date: Feb 2022
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2022 2SS 1LE impressions after the first 250 miles

First off, thanks to the forum for helping me find all of the info I needed over the last several months to make the decision to buy a 1LE vs regular 2SS

Zero regrets or things I'd have done differently. Its exactly the car I hoped it would be and more. I am absolutely in love with it.

I've owned and driven so many different cars that were either too hardcore or not hardcore enough, didn't fit me right, turned and stopped like crazy but had no balls, and big HP cars that only go straight. This car is extremely well balanced and fits me like it was made for me.

I have zero issues with visibility. My initial impression when first sitting in these cars, and all the reviews I saw had me thinking I'd have to deal with some moderate visibility issues. With all the tech available my wife was parallel parking the car in the driveway after a quick seat and mirror setup without any concern. Compared to old hotrods, muscle cars, 3rd and 4th gen Fbodys, I think you could do far worse than these cars in terms of blind spots.

The GY Supercar tires are much better than I expected. I have personal experience with various DOT and non-DOT track tires and was honestly expecting worse. I do plan on driving the wheels off of this car and my wife will occasionally drive it as well, so I am swapping the tires out for Conti ECS this week. In New England its inevitable that we will get stuck in som random crappy weather while cruising around. I plan on getting another set of OEM wheels for the GYs prior to hitting track days. That being said, other than the extra road noise they are pretty good to street drive. I have had them out in the rain while getting an inspection sticker and they still bite pretty damn good. If they were half worn and it was pouring I might be hesitant to take them down the highway at 80mph but nonetheless, they are very functional if you want to roll down the road on them. As expected, the wider wheels definetly track the road differently than a standard SS wheel combo. Something that someone not familiar with these types of things may or may not like. Personally I love that feel, others may find it odd or hard to acclimate to. They are sticky even at 40 degrees. You need rock guards and ppf if you care at all about the paint. Rock guards went on mine before driving it and I'm dropping it off March 8th for a bunch of Xpel. Figure that into your budget when buying a 1LE. For those that haven't driven on gummy track tires, driving it around on the street and getting into sand or rocks sounds like you have a cement mixer in every wheel well.

The LT1 is solid and well poised. Even though I'm still breaking it in, it feels like it will apply the power swiftly and smoothly. I get the impression that the power is in a sweet spot that will have it pulling like a train when exiting corners. While the power of a ZL1 in one of these cars is probably a blast, with what I'm doing with this car I'd never use it. I've seen plenty of guys at race tracks that buy more car than they can handle and have a hard time enjoying themselves. I've seen the same guys get smoked by 190hp Miatas because those dudes could wheel a car. I won't be tracking the car to be a hero, just want to go out and have some fun and get some seat time.

Tremec 6060 is obviously great. Don't force it into gear when its cold and it will likely treat you right for a long time.

Suspension isn't really broken in, but ride quality is really quite good considering what the car is capable of. If the springs soften up a little over time it may even get a little better. Everyone that has been in the car comments that it rides way better than they'd expect it to ride. Firm, but not harsh at all.

The Recaro seats fit me like a glove. 5'8" 195lbs and other than a custom poured seat I don't think anything could fit me better. I had a friend ride with me that is just over 6' and he fit in the passenger seat with no issues. It was as low as it could go and fairly far back but he was comfortable. He kept saying he was blown away by how comfy the seat was. The bolsters will make it hard for some people to get in and out of. They are fairly aggressive. Thats what makes the seats so good to sit in, so its not a negative, merely a side effect. If you are tall and have kids that need to ride in the back it will be cramped. My wife and I are relatively short and its just a touch snug to have the whole family in the car. Very rarely will I have more than one passenger in the car so as a non-primary vehicle it's not an issue here.

The tech in the car is intuitive and easy to use. Some of the displays can be a little redundant, but its nice to be able to set different information up in different areas based on what you are doing with the car at any given moment. I thought I'd hate the HUD and keep it turned off most of the time. I set it low in my line of sight, fairly bright, and I keep it on all the time. I love having it and its not distracting, its like a peripheral vision thing that feels natural after a few miles. The rear view camera was weird at first. Very nice for backing up and moving the car around for sure. I had a hard time driving with it on for a while. After playing around with settings I found that if I set it to the lowest and closest view it felt more natural to leave it on. Sometimes I drive with it off, but its been pretty damn handy for the most part. I wouldn't base a decision of 1SS vs 2SS solely on this camera. Its a nice feature, but I could live without it if needed. The blind spot monitoring and cross traffic alert stuff is really nice to have in the 2SS. I could manage without it, but it helps to have every once and a while in some awkward driving situations. Backing out of a blind drive or a parking spot between a couple of trucks is a little less stressfull for instance.

The Bose system is pretty decent. I found that for some reason I need to set the fader most of the way to the rear to get a decent sound balance. I also wish it had more than a 3 band EQ to tweak, I think it would have made it even better. Other than that the Bose system sounds pretty damn good for stock.

I am a skeptic and somewhat cynical by nature. I'm trying to find something to really pick apart with this car and I can't really find anything that I have a problem with. I guess you could whine that some stuff feels a little plastic-y but some of that stuff helps shave weight. Overall, everything you interact with feels nice and works well.

I think the engineers did a great job designing a car and the 1LE package for true enthusiasts. Any time you build a car to perform a specific task, it will always lack in other areas. They did a great job mitigating the negatives without compromising much of what the car was designed to do. I am so glad I bought this car. Every time I look at it, every time I get behind the wheel, or even just sit in the seats it feeds my soul.

Hope this helps someone on the fence make a decision. Or at least help put the right person in the seat of a 1LE.
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Old 02-26-2022, 11:51 AM   #2
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Great writeup! Making my wait even harder.
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Old 02-26-2022, 02:23 PM   #3
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CONGRATS! I'm in Maine and have only driven my car from the dealership in Portsmouth to my house which was a 32 mile drive. Not enough seat time for me to draw any conclusions. I don't think the visibility is bad. My Tundra has far larger blind spots and no tech helpers so I'm used to driving my using my mirrors and turning my head. I can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can actually drive her. She will be a garage queen.
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Old 02-26-2022, 03:18 PM   #4
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Congrats. great write up. Where in Ma. are you located? I'm in the Milford area. As far as visibility that everyone seems to complain about, I am not really having any issues. In fact I use the rear view mirror instead of the rear view camera. I just can't seem to get used to it. But I only have 137 miles on the car.
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Old 02-26-2022, 04:23 PM   #5
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I'm in Middleboro. Just off of 495 before it turns into 25 to head onto the cape. The snow just messed things up for a bit as far as driving it goes. Hopefully the salt residue washes off the roads before I need to take the car in for the Xpel.

I'm using the mirror about 60% of the time. Its awesome in certain situations and disorienting in others. I think if it had a view that was as close as the normal rear view but still not have the rest of the car in the view it would be much better. The widest zoom out view really scrambles my brain when driving on the highway, lol.

Watching and reading reviews, I think the car world has gone soft. I guess not many of those people have experienced building a car from scratch, riding in car that needed extensive mods to be up to task, or just blasting around any old school muscle car, sports car or hotrod. You can't drive one of these things and complain about all things it wasn't built to do. I have a 3500 dually to tow and plow with and a Pilot to haul the kids around with and they do that stuff just fine, the Camaro wasn't built for that purpose.
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Old 02-26-2022, 04:27 PM   #6
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I'm with SSlow6. Great write up and my wait started 8/23/21. Cancelled that order with no allocation on 2/5. I found one in transit and placed a deposit on 2/5. It's been bayed in Toledo, OH since 1/28. The waiting is sooo difficult.
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4B00-1/28/22; 4200-Shipped! 3/5/22; On it's Way! In North Platte, NE 3/11/22; Train is rolling through Wyoming 3/14/22; Arrived at final train stop in Kent, WA 3/22/22; Arrived at dealer 3/24/22; Pick up 3/26/22!!! Finally...the agonizing wait is over...
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Old 02-26-2022, 05:03 PM   #7
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I think I waited 4-5 weeks from the time mine was listed as in transit. I also was fortunate to put a deposit on an unsold unit while waiting for an allocation with another dealer. I got a great deal on this car to boot. Just shy of $2200 off msrp and GM financing promo on the balance. After a good size down payment, I'm in really good shape all things considerd. Davidson Chevy in Canton CT was really good to work with.

When I test drove a basic 2SS non mag ride I thought it was a little floaty. Lots of nose lift on accel. In some ways it reminded me a lot of my 4th gen, suspension wise. It was comfy to drive and the standard leather buckets were nice too.

The 1LE package is nothing like the standard stuff. It definetely transforms the car into something special. I've caught a few people stopping in there tracks staring at it trying to figure out what the heck it is. Theres a couple nice 6th gens but not really many 1LEs driving around in my neck of the woods at the moment. I could care less what everyone else thinks though, I bought this one for me.
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Old 02-26-2022, 11:52 PM   #8
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you're trying to find something to fail on this car?

the shifter.

otherwise they drive really well
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Old 02-27-2022, 03:42 AM   #9
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No. You are taking my comment too literal, lol. I'm just trying to look at it from an objectionable point of view for new buyers.
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Old 02-27-2022, 08:04 AM   #10
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OP thanks for the review. I've got about 350 miles on my 1SS 1LE and am still trying to get used to the car, but I agree with many of your comments.

I like the heads-up display and knew that I would since it was on my prior C6. The Tremec manual transmission is also far superior to the one in my C6. I also like that the 1LE package is specifically engineered for the car. And it certainly gives the car a different, more aggressive look than other Camaros.

Because my car is not a 2SS I don't have all the creature comforts, but overall I'm happy with the interior, except for the hard plastic knee pads. I've already swapped those for the black suede knee pads which actually matches the steering wheel and shift knob pretty well.
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Old 02-27-2022, 01:36 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bad 1LE View Post
I think I waited 4-5 weeks from the time mine was listed as in transit. I also was fortunate to put a deposit on an unsold unit while waiting for an allocation with another dealer. I got a great deal on this car to boot. Just shy of $2200 off msrp and GM financing promo on the balance. After a good size down payment, I'm in really good shape all things considerd. Davidson Chevy in Canton CT was really good to work with.

When I test drove a basic 2SS non mag ride I thought it was a little floaty. Lots of nose lift on accel. In some ways it reminded me a lot of my 4th gen, suspension wise. It was comfy to drive and the standard leather buckets were nice too.

The 1LE package is nothing like the standard stuff. It definetely transforms the car into something special. I've caught a few people stopping in there tracks staring at it trying to figure out what the heck it is. Theres a couple nice 6th gens but not really many 1LEs driving around in my neck of the woods at the moment. I could care less what everyone else thinks though, I bought this one for me.
MRC is a game changer in any car that it is in, regardless of MFG.

MRC makes 1000 micro damping adjustments every second, there is no way to compete with that with any passive damper. The new 4.0 version in the C8 and Caddy is even further refined.

I just got out of an SS 1LE and into a 2022 718 GT4 and PASM is way behind MRC.

So much so that I swapped out my PASM for MCS 2-way remote dampers and there are STILL a couple of areas where MRC is better than those expensive motorsport coil-overs.
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Old 02-27-2022, 05:58 PM   #12
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Did you get the ventilated seats and heated steering wheel without the chip issue? I m curious because my order is in hold 4D00 status and worried it might be due to chip shortage!
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Old 02-27-2022, 07:52 PM   #13
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Yes and the PDR as well. Nothing was omitted from the build.
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Old 02-28-2022, 06:50 AM   #14
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I dont recommend the ECS find another max/ultra summer tire that you can get wet. I have the ECS on my car and the sidewall is squishy and turn-in is vague, car has a real push on the front end.

If that matters to you.

I would not buy them again.
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