New ZL1 owner questions.

[SEPA]

Greetings! I am a few days from buying a 2012 ZL1 and have a few questions that I am having difficulty finding answers both on the forum and the internet in general.
Any relevant information you can give me is much appreciated.

I am almost 100% positive my parking garage at work will scrape the air dam on the front of the car, my Honda accord scrapes if I go too fast exiting the garage. The grade is about 13 degrees. Can the ZL1 navigate this even with scraping? This could really be a deal breaker as I will want to drive the car as much as possible.

Has anyone replaced the air-dam and how much of a PITA is it?

I have read the paint is quite thin on the ZL1. How susceptible is the paint to chipping?

Should I get the front end and rear gills wrapped?

Are there any higher miles 2012 ZL1s that have not had the supercharger replaced?

I have read that driving the car under 40 degrees is not ideal. Is this simply due to lack of traction or is there a legitimate mechanical issue/damage potential?

How do these cars hold up to road salt or brine?

How does the car handle in heavy rain?

Many thanks,

SEPA

[kinpin]

1. When driving down or up a steep grad you need to approach at an angle to not scrap.
2. getting paint protection on the problem areas ( front, gills ,rear quarters behind the wheels ) is always a good idea because the car will get chips it sit to low not too and all paint on cars now days is soft.
3. The Camaro ZL1 was not made for winter weather at all for lots of reasons .
If you drive on stock tires under 40 degrees the tires will turn into hockey pucks
and the side walls of the tires will get cracks all though them. Even below 60 the ties are useless for traction until they worm up. Even with snow tires you will most likely end up in a ditch the car has a lot of torque. The car sit way too low for any snow and because it sit so low the salt and brine will destroy the car quickly you will have salt getting in the engine bay up to the supercharger . The car was made for warm weather

Hope that helps

[StreetRage320]

agree with everything Kinpin stated..

It is good you are doing your research before buying. Based on your parking arrangement, and desire to DD your Z in PA, I worry it may not be a good fit for you. It was about 44 degrees here a few weeks ago, my car had been stored for three months, so I had to take it out. I was quickly reminded why these cars are not meant for winter driving. Alot of HP/TQ + hockey pucks = bad day.

If you do proceed with your purchase, I suggest a good pair of winter tires. The forum has a nice wheel and tire section with a lot of good advice.

[BossRS4]

Originally Posted by SEPA

Greetings! I am a few days from buying a 2012 ZL1 and have a few questions that I am having difficulty finding answers both on the forum and the internet in general.
Any relevant information you can give me is much appreciated.

I am almost 100% positive my parking garage at work will scrape the air dam on the front of the car, my Honda accord scrapes if I go too fast exiting the garage. The grade is about 13 degrees. Can the ZL1 navigate this even with scraping? This could really be a deal breaker as I will want to drive the car as much as possible.

Has anyone replaced the air-dam and how much of a PITA is it?

I have read the paint is quite thin on the ZL1. How susceptible is the paint to chipping?

Should I get the front end and rear gills wrapped?

Are there any higher miles 2012 ZL1s that have not had the supercharger replaced?

I have read that driving the car under 40 degrees is not ideal. Is this simply due to lack of traction or is there a legitimate mechanical issue/damage potential?

How do these cars hold up to road salt or brine?

How does the car handle in heavy rain?

Many thanks,

SEPA

1.) Approach at an angle and always be aware of how low your car is and you will not have any issues.
2.) Never have replaced it but it doesnt seem too bad. In my opinion the price isnt that bad either, I think they are around $120.
3.) Paint is not the best, but I always touch up rock chips and do my best to keep up on it, and it still looks to be in great condition (21k miles).
4.) It would not be a bad idea, if you want it to stay perfect thats for sure the route I would go.
5.) You will not harm the car at all driving it in the cold, in my opinion its a combination of all that power and the stock Goodyear F1's are HORRIBLE in the cold. If you switch out the Goodyear F1's and know how to handle a higher horsepower car you will be fine in the colder temperatures.
6.) Never have driven the car in with salt, have not heard anything negative though.
7.) My car has only seen the rain once or twice and its fine. Like I said, you gotta know how to drive a car with a high horsepower rating and you will be fine. **I highly recommend using the wet mode in PTM, severly limits the car from losing grip and does a really nice job**

Hope this helps. I absolutely love this car and highly recommend it! Exceeded my expections!

[RobZL1]

Originally Posted by BossRS4

5.) You will not harm the car at all driving it in the cold, in my opinion its a combination of all that power and the stock Goodyear F1's are HORRIBLE in the cold. If you switch out the Goodyear F1's and know how to handle a higher horsepower car you will be fine in the colder temperatures.
6.) Never have driven the car in with salt, have not heard anything negative though.
7.) My car has only seen the rain once or twice and its fine. Like I said, you gotta know how to drive a car with a high horsepower rating and you will be fine. **I highly recommend using the wet mode in PTM, severly limits the car from losing grip and does a really nice job**

Hope this helps. I absolutely love this car and highly recommend it! Exceeded my expections!

Also-



I agree. I don't have to deal with salt either, but I have consistently driven it in heavy rain, cold temps (routinely in the teens and 20's, and as low as 7) and even in light snow (~1").

I will say this: your first mod should be to get rid of the GY F1's. Those tires are damn near a race slick. They are sketchy at best in the rain and in temperatures below 70, in my opinion. I'm sure they are a wonderful track tire, but they kinda suck for daily duty. I would break the tires loose on a 60 degree day while gently accelerating on a left hand turn (and that is AFTER driving it for 30 minutes!!) Fact is, those stock tires need a lot of heat to be happy, and they'll only get it at the track or on a really hot day in the summer.

The Conti DWS06 I put on there made it a different car. I thought I would lose a little traction in the dry, but I haven't found that to be the case yet. Maybe it will be a different story on a 90 degree day, but not sliding off the road in the fall and winter is an acceptable compromise in my mind.

[silversleeper]

My comments would closely match what boss said.
You can buy clear "bra" type protective stick on material to protect areas subject to rock chips. Trim it before you apply it.
If you are dealing with ice or heavy snow a front wheel drive or all wheel drive is best.
There are popular all season tires available and I'd drive it in typical snows. 1foot drifts or ice with it's torq would be challenging.
I sometimes drive a civic. It always scrapes as I enter exit my driveway. SLOW at a 45 degree angle helps. My ZL1 can go over the same area straight at a few mph with no scraping. I've pulled my ZL1 too far into a normal size parking lot curb and the curb went under the front splitter with no contact.
It isn't a jeep wrangler but it does better than I expected in daily driver situations.

[BossRS4]

Originally Posted by silversleeper

My comments would closely match what boss said.
You can buy clear "bra" type protective stick on material to protect areas subject to rock chips. Trim it before you apply it.
If you are dealing with ice or heavy snow a front wheel drive or all wheel drive is best.
There are popular all season tires available and I'd drive it in typical snows. 1foot drifts or ice with it's torq would be challenging.
I sometimes drive a civic. It always scrapes as I enter exit my driveway. SLOW at a 45 degree angle helps. My ZL1 can go over the same area straight at a few mph with no scraping. I've pulled my ZL1 too far into a normal size parking lot curb and the curb went under the front splitter with no contact.
It isn't a jeep wrangler but it does better than I expected in daily driver situations.

That is some good advice, always back in when you can!! That way you have 0% chance of scraping that front splitter. Some curbs the front splitter will go over and others that are a little higher up, it will not. Be careful.

[lbls1]

If you plan to do a lot of driving in your ZL1, then its a good practice to protect the gills and front bumper from rock chips. ZL1s and Z28s are especially prone to chipping and "sanding" at the gill areas due to the wide, sticky tires and the rear quarters that flare out. Paint quality will be the same throughout the Camaro line.

I would seriously advise against driving the ZL1 in the snow and salt. It can be done, but salt is very corrosive and in time you may see some signs of corrosion. a good practice would be to apply undercoating to a clean underbody (I do this to all of my new cars). I skipped the undercoat for my ZL1 because of the nature of its use, in which it may never see snow or rain under my ownership.

Good luck.

[stuckpipe]

I’ve had to back into my drive way for the last 4 years now and pull out slowly so I don’t scrape the air dam.

[SEPA]

Guys,

Thanks for the replies some really great information to help me make a decision.

A little more information about my driving scenario.

This will be a 3rd vehicle for us we have an Accord and a 4wd truck.

So most likely I will not be driving the car too much in under 40 degree weather.

I was planning on DDing the car pretty much April to October/November when the last snow ice event occurs and the first of the season. I am not sure this is realistic considering the amount of rain we get here.

While the car will be garage kept it will not be a garage queen. I do want to keep the car as pristine as possible while driving it about 6-7 thousand miles a year. There is a lot of construction in the area, lots of dump trucks carrying stone, gravel and other building materials. It would pain me to see the car get hashed up. Does the 3m clear wrap work well? What should one expect to pay to get the front and gills protected in the free market Philly area?
Thanks,

SEPA

[camarodude87]

I have seen cars with the 3M clear bra look like crap around the edges. It looks like crap on my tacoma. You could always vinyl wrap it. That is my plan.

[ZMEnow]

Originally Posted by stuckpipe

I’ve had to back into my drive way for the last 4 years now and pull out slowly so I don’t scrape the air dam.

You know they make a splitter guard that has been great for me, besides without them you will only have so many scraps before you cannot get the screws out..

https://zl1addons.com/collections/splitterguard-washers

[SEPA]

Originally Posted by ZMEnow

You know they make a splitter guard that has been great for me, besides without them you will only have so many scraps before you cannot get the screws out..

https://zl1addons.com/collections/splitterguard-washers

Nice, thanks for sharing!

[SEPA]

One last question for the experts on the forum.

In a private party sale what would you expect to pay in a good deal for the buyer and fair for the seller.

2012 auto 7500 miles 1 owner sunroof, black wheels, orange, no accidents, proper break in, super clean, original tires.

Thanks,
SEPA