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The trick is, always make sure your weakest link is:
1. Something that WHEN it breaks you can afford to fix it. Rear gears are a hell of a lot cheaper than a transmission. My best friend installed a monster 12 bolt in his Camaro because he got tired of breaking the ring and pinion. So, the rearend held up fine. Destroyed the transmission.
2. Something that WHEN it breaks it won't get you hurt. A broken driveshaft is no biggie if you have installed that driveshaft safety loop (you DO have one, right?), but a broken axle at the big end of the track can send you to Oh Crap City.
If you don't want to break things, you really need to look for a way to limit how hard you can launch. On my old Camaro, I figured out that I could launch all day, every day with a 1.7 60 foot time and never break anything (WE NEED TO FIND OUT THAT NUMBER FOR THE 1LE, AND FOR THE REGULAR SS). If I got under that, I started losing rearend gears, u joints, driveshafts, etc. Not all at once, mind you! I mean, when I got greedy and was hitting sub 1.7s every pass, 5-6 times a night and running Fri nite, Saturday nite, and Sunday afternoon, I would start losing things through the season. SO, once I realized that, I went with a narrower tire and slightly less agressive launch and shot for a 1.7 60 foot on every run. Stopped breaking parts.
The 5th gen Camaro is heavy as hell. That is brutal on a drivetrain when launching hard. You automatic guys will have better luck, as you do not have the instant -shock- that a stick car gets.
Best of luck to you. I'm a big fan of the 1LE, and am considering getting one. That's why I'm here.
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