FRS vs Camaro Handling

[bfrank1972]

Originally Posted by Summerwolf

Unfortunately the 1le v6 cars aren't that well equipped. The ediff and magnetic suspension is absent.... and no, the non 1le v6 cars are pretty crappy.

Drive an ss instead!

I *think* a 1LE V6 = normal SS regarding the suspension.

Also, not to derail this thread but if you're shopping in the good handling muscle car genre, might want to try out the GT350 (more expensive than 1LE) or a used Boss 302 (less than a 1LE).

[Denver1LE]

Originally Posted by slipstream8

Curse you Camaro guys! I test drove it yesterday, and now I'm having second thoughts about my BRZ PP deposit. That 1LE is sooo good!

My history includes a couple of M3s, and I keep hearing stories of ex-BMW and ex-Porsche guys that are now happily driving the Camaro.

Glad you were able to check it out. Did it have Performance Data Recorder?

[slipstream8]

Originally Posted by Denver1LE

Glad you were able to check it out. Did it have Performance Data Recorder?

It did. I didn't really spend time playing around with the how that feature worked, but I was pretty happy with the fairly long test drive that included a few good curves in the road.

[glamcem]

Originally Posted by slipstream8

Curse you Camaro guys! I test drove it yesterday, and now I'm having second thoughts about my BRZ PP deposit. That 1LE is sooo good!

My history includes a couple of M3s, and I keep hearing stories of ex-BMW and ex-Porsche guys that are now happily driving the Camaro.

was it an SS 1LE or V6?

Two Porsche owners on Camaro forums (one with GT4 and the other with GT3 IIRC) both say that they have a change to compare 1LE to them and favor their 1LEs so I don't know. I really like the GT4s but not sure if I ever want to spend that much when I can multiple fun cars (or maybe a truck and a motorcyle) instead

[glamcem]

Originally Posted by bfrank1972

I *think* a 1LE V6 = normal SS regarding the suspension.

Also, not to derail this thread but if you're shopping in the good handling muscle car genre, might want to try out the GT350 (more expensive than 1LE) or a used Boss 302 (less than a 1LE).

GT350 looks like a great car but 1LE will be faster at track days and they also cost a lot more, and with the dealer markups they even cost more than ZL1 s which is absurd IMHO The GT350R, OTOH, is definitely better with its carbon fiber wheels, Cup 2 tires, and most importantly the "custom suspension tuning" but they're beyond absurd with their $30-40k dealer markups and only marginally faster than a 1LE (and obviously slower than a ZL1). I personally prefer pushrod engine low end torque over the DOHC high revving engine. High revving engines are nice also (loved my S2K and would probably love a GT3 engine) but it takes a lot of R&D to keep the track environments temps in check, especially if they're V8. That's where the new Camaro track variants excel... 1LE and ZL1 (even with the supercharger) did a great job on that department so overheating is not an issue. In fact, the Corvette team got some help from the Camaro team on addressing some overheating issues with the LT4 engine. Camaro team improved the supercharger coolant efficiency and design, and re-routed some of their heat exchangers. The surface area of the Camaro should also help of course.

It's still to early to talk about the long term track reliability of course but LT1 engine has been out there for a while and it seems to be good (knock on wood)

Also, after the Focus RS fiasco and my Mustang rental experience, I decided not to consider any Ford "sports" car for a while

[bfrank1972]

Originally Posted by glamcem

GT350 looks like a great car but 1LE will be faster at track days and they also cost a lot more, and with the dealer markups they even cost more than ZL1 s which is absurd IMHO The GT350R, OTOH, is definitely better with its carbon fiber wheels, Cup 2 tires, and most importantly the "custom suspension tuning" but they're beyond absurd with their $30-40k dealer markups and only marginally faster than a 1LE (and obviously slower than a ZL1). I personally prefer pushrod engine low end torque over the DOHC high revving engine. High revving engines are nice also (loved my S2K and would probably love a GT3 engine) but it takes a lot of R&D to keep the track environments temps in check, especially if they're V8. That's where the new Camaro track variants excel... 1LE and ZL1 (even with the supercharger) did a great job on that department so overheating is not an issue. In fact, the Corvette team got some help from the Camaro team on addressing some overheating issues with the LT4 engine. Camaro team improved the supercharger coolant efficiency and design, and re-routed some of their heat exchangers. The surface area of the Camaro should also help of course.

It's still to early to talk about the long term track reliability of course but LT1 engine has been out there for a while and it seems to be good (knock on wood)

Also, after the Focus RS fiasco and my Mustang rental experience, I decided not to consider any Ford "sports" car for a while

Yup some very valid points. I've watched your track vids, you know what you're doing out there and are probably able to approach the limits of these cars. A lot of people want a car that's good on the track, good on the street, and really fun to drive. While the 1LE is undoubtedly the bang-for-buck king and an engineering marvel of sorts, I find the GT350 (or the inferior Boss 302) to be a more engaging and 'special' car (IMHO). 99% of miles on a dual purpose car will be street mileage, even for a track junkie - so for me a car's feel and character are much more important than a few tenths on a track, YMMV. I wanted to really love the Camaro, but I feel really claustrophobic in the cabin - it's not even the visibility, it's the overall tight cockpit which was surprising for me in such a big car. I find the Mustangs to be a bit more my preference in that regard. Anyhow just wanted to throw them out there if someone is considering switching to the high performance muscle car genre - you really can't go wrong with any of them. They're all *beasts*, just pick what you like best - Sorry to derail, I know this is a Camaro thread, and congrats on your 1LE, what an awesome car