How much better can they make the 1LE?
 

Was thinking about this today. With the 5th gen, imo the 1LE package was a a good upgrade to the standard SS. Mostly due to the 5th gen being a heavy car, the 3.91 gears. Everyone said trans/suspension upgrade made the car feel more nimble/funner and have better handle. So it was a worthy upgrade. I myself would have looked for a 1LE had I knew how to drive six speed manual. Didn't want to learn on a car like that. But hopefully my next sports car in near to far future will be stick. :D

That being said, now that 6th gen has come out, it has impressive performance numbers. Is more light hence feels more nimble. Do you believe it can still get better than it already is or the upcoming 1LE package won't be necessary except for hardcore track racers?

Now that mrc is also available....

MRC is a good option if you don't want to compromise comfort in the name of track performance. The Z/28 didn't have it and it was focused for the track.

The most obvious upgrades would be wheels, tires, brakes and aero. Not sure if gearing needs to be changed. As good as the SS is, I'm sure there is even more than can be done with a 1LE.

The current 1LE really isn't hardcore. The suspension is firm but I have never had anyone complain about the ride, even my 80 year old grandpa who's had multiple back surgeries. The rough ride is over blown in my opinion.

Definitively the gen. 6th 1LE should be a better handling Camaro with wider wheels and tires and improved suspension, it will get rid of the understeer that the regular 6th. gen SS has, probably will come with Recaros or competition seats like the Singray, and maybe for the first time available in the A8 automatic transmission.
I'm also waiting for it to come out to make my move.:thumb: The question is when?

We'll the 1LE is really a ZL1 without a blower and 3.91 gear ratio. Now that you can get MCR, NPP exhaust, ect on the SS whats the point of a 1LE?

I personally believe there not going to make a new 1LE. Which is good news for 5th gen 1LE owners and would make it a rare model.

The front wheels and tires on the SS are very narrow, probably is what is causing the understeer. I hope that GM follows the same direction to the 1LE with wider squared set up tires and wheels that was a winner recipe. 1LE should go head to head with the regular GT350 (not the GT350R that one will be the challenger to the next ZL1 or Z28)

I can see the 1LE including all the performance accessories we've seen already. Including the 6 piston brake kit and the functional front splitter and blade spoiler. Add in wider tires up front, racing seats and maybe remove the rear seats to reduce weight, and voila - 1LE.

By the looks of it, that's what this car is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9lI6OiIUe4

The Z/28 will be the comparable to the GT350R. Naturally aspired motor and roughly the same price point if they did remove the Carbon brake setup. (We shall see).

Put the same tires from the Gt350 on the 2SS and well... the GT350 dosen't seem all that special anymore. The Voodoo isn't anything to write home about in my opinion.

First of all , the new Camaro SS is a GREAT CAR.

It has more than enough day to day performance for a large majority of people who dont drive their cars beyond 8/10ths maximum...

When we talk about the 1LE, we are talking about folks that value handling and balance ABOVE ALL.....

So here are my observations ( I have been able to test drive the 5th 1LE and number of times and like to think my previous cars have all handled relatively well when getting into the twisties...)


The new SS feature 245 and 275 tire on the front and back respectively....


Keep in mind a big reason why the 1LE was such a balanced car and removed the inherent understeer of the 5th SS was the 285 tires on all for corners...


here is one of the first videos of a 6th SS being TRACKED... please focus on 1:30 mark to see that highspeed understeer becomes a factor close to the limit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cMm...5tmPN&index=17

They are currently tuning and developing the 1LE at the Nurgurgring along with the ZL1 ( the 1LE has the 660 manufacturing plates)


Considering the SS can get to 80 mph in second gear with a 3.73 axle ratio... there is definately room to get it down to 3.91 or even 4.10 ( they can always leave 6th as a super tall gear for fuel economy...nobody tracks their car in 6th....)

This would give as a 1st-2nd gear optimized for 0-60 acceleration, 1st-4th gear optimized for 1/4 mile, skid pad and the track. Motortrend knocked off about 3/10ths of a second from the 0-60 from that axle ratio change and tires alone when they tested the 1LE.


One could conservatively estimate the 1LE to achieve a 0-60 of 3.8 seconds on hero runs and a consistent 4 seconds with a manual transmission. Skid pad prob around 1.05 G.



Will be interesting to see if they keep the MRC shocks ( I think that would be a very smart move, perhaps with even more aggressive damping in Track/Sport)


Another thing missing are the Recaros seats... Thats a big deal for me because my last car had that as an option in Europe but they didnt bring them to North America at the last minute... I sat in a car that was retrofitted with the Recaros and they were amazing....

Combine that with the Alcantara steering wheel and shift knob....

The last Gen 1LE kicked the new Trackpack Mustangs ass on the track and twisties last year... what GM has done with the 2010 Camaro platform to make it handle so well in 2015 is magic... I cant wait to see what they do with the new model with is leaps and bounds ahead of the old car.

I dont track my cars much, but I love to feel a balanced chassis down a country road or a highway offramp.... Nothing better than cruising at 7/10ths down a straight stretch with a " sporty car" trying to stay on your tail, then gunning it as you enter the twisties and having them disappear...


I'll be waiting until 2017.

Then again I'm the type of guy who doesnt like to slow down for corners... :plane:

The SS is under-tired for balanced handling at the limit/ at the track. You can have all the suspension wizardry in the world... without a good tire set up it means nothing... because the tire contact patch is the only part of the car that touches the road.

Gen5 1LE exclusivity is a nice thought.... however GM would be stupid not to challenge the 350 shelby with a 1LE... and they are already spending the $$$ racing the 1LE prototype at the 'Ring....

SS> GT
1LE> 350
Z28/ZL1 > 350R

Thats the Chevy gameplan

Any car can always be made better.

What I hope for in a 1LE:

Wider wheels with a better offset.
Wider, non run flat tires.
A Z28 like spoiler and splitter.
Lower ride height with better spring rates.
Blacked out hood.
Upgraded struts and shocks (do not want MRC).
3:91 gears.
Sport seats.
Various 1LE badging.
No more then a $5000 option.

Fingers crossed...

As much as I think model equality comparisons like this is bullshit, I offer this:

SS -> GT
SS+1LE -> GT+PP

At least, wasn't that the theory for 5th gen...

A 1LE is for the track (or at least track oriented). While the 16' SS already does perform very well, there is certainly room for improvement at the track.

If you are only concerned about street performance, then I really think a 1LE is overkill.

Yes it was. You could make that comparison for the 2016s too, but it would be a slaughter. The 16' SS already beats down the GTPP in performance metrics. A 1LE would only humiliate it in its intended function.

In my opinion, the 1LE can and will gun for 350 like track performance. I don't know if Chevy can do much to counter the 350's much higher peak HP numbers, but I have no doubt that a 1LE optioned SS will match or better the 350 in handling characteristics.

Wider wheels/tires
Brakes
Gearing (maybe?)
Spoilers for down force
Track-oriented suspension (or just MRC with a hardcore track mode)
Maybe a few interior changes

This is basically what the 5th gen 1LE was. I think this would certainly out handle the base 350 and possibly even be comparable to the 350TP. Again, the problem is that Voodoo will pull harder on the straights and give you more freedom to rev it out instead of needing to shift.

But the Camaro would cost less if equipped on a 1SS, and would weigh around 100 pounds less also.

*cringe*

If a 6th gen SS "slaughters" a GT non-PP, then what does it do to say, a Subaru BRZ? Or a Civic?