Modern Z/28 Performance Kits Shave Seconds on the Track

[L99CAMA2011]

When you’re racing a road course, every second matters. Increased power will certainly help you shave seconds off of your lap times but more times than not, true performance comes down to the handling capabilities of your ride. Chevrolet knows all about this and has worked for years to come up with the latest and greatest suspension upgrades for its wide variety of vehicles, especially the famed fifth-generation Camaro. And according to The Block, one of their latest offerings may just be the best yet! For most road course racers, suspension and handling is 90 percent of their build, with the ultimate goal being to out handle the competition for better lap times. So when someone tells you you may just be able to shave a couple seconds off your lap times by installing two performance kits on your fifth-generation Camaro in a single day, it’s obviously going to peak your interest. That’s exactly what the recently debuted Chevrolet Performance Z/28 Performance kits did for avid racer Todd Napieralski and his Total Performance Racing Camaro. Napieralski works very closely with Chevrolet Performance when it comes to testing products and getting them accepted into the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) scene. One of the products Napieralski has been working on homologating into the SCCA circuit is the Chevrolet Performance Z/28 Suspension Kit (PN: 23464729). This kit includes complete front and rear DSSV shocks, front and rear sway bars and end links, front control arms and upper and lower rear control arms. Napieralski and his team reportedly installed this kit on Napieralski’s 2011 Camaro SS in just eight hours at the shop. They also installed the Z/28 Aero Kit (PN: 23489551), which gives the fifth-generation Camaro more downforce to keep the car planted not only in the straight-aways, but also during high-speed cornering. On the weekend of August 23rd, the Total Performance Racing team competed in the SCCA Northern Conference US Majors at Grattan Raceway in Michigan with the Z/28 performance kit-equipped Camaro. Napieralski’s brother Rich piloted the 2011 Camaro SS and told The Block, “I cannot believe how good this Z/28 suspension package is. The Multimatic DSSV shocks are phenomenal. I could put the car where I wanted it lap after lap. When you can do that, it is nothing but fun!” While the car certainly had more performance appeal on the track with the added Z/28 performance kits, the Camaro proved to have better track times as well. With the kits, Rich Napieralski was able to drive the Camaro to a new SCCA Touring 2 Class track record and two race wins at the Northern Converence US Majors. The car was also able to take a 25-second lead across the finish line on the runner-up car, a Porsche 911, during Sunday’s race, knocking two seconds off of the Camaro’s previous lap best. The gains in performance from the Z/28 Suspension and Aero kits is undeniable and should be taken seriously by any fifth-generation Camaro-wielding road racer. After all, you don’t get two-second drops in lap times with the installation of any two part numbers very often, and certainly not with ones that only take a day to install on your car! This is an article from The Block. I personally find this very impressive and a huge applaud for GM for mustering up a kit that gets the job done better than many aftermarket offerings, way to go GM excellent job .

[backtotintops]

this is great. It would also be great if a Z/28 could run in scca nationals but the brakes would have to swap to steel and probably more denutting.

[brt3]

Clearly, whoever wrote that article is delusional. Everyone knows the true key to the Z/28 is those "cheater" tires...

[lostwon]

Anyone seen a price for this kit ,yet?

Price is kinda important.

[Firefighter]

Those DSSV struts aren't going to come cheap...

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[Firefighter]

Jegs has the kit listed just shy of $4K...

http://www.jegs.com/i/Chevrolet-Perf...ductId=3025547

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[Firefighter]

It almost looks like the 1LE kit they offer. Bars, T/A, struts, sorings, end links etc... just different parts. I would bet the only real difference in the Z/28 kit vs. 1LE kit is bars and struts/springs.

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[sho928]

Originally Posted by Firefighter

It almost looks like the 1LE kit they offer. Bars, T/A, struts, sorings, end links etc... just different parts. I would bet the only real difference in the Z/28 kit vs. 1LE kit is bars and struts/springs.

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1LE kit does not include the Multimatic DSSV shocks (worth 2-sec)
nor control arms capable of taking the loads the DSSV exert in order to maintain tight body control

$ 4K is well worth it, what other mods would give you 2-sec with no change in tires?

[Firefighter]

Originally Posted by sho928

1LE kit does not include the Multimatic DSSV shocks (worth 2-sec)
nor control arms capable of taking the loads the DSSV exert in order to maintain tight body control

$ 4K is well worth it, what other mods would give you 2-sec with no change in tires?

That's why I said "bars, struts/springs" our cars actually have struts not shocks. I didn't notice the control arms...

The main reason I pointed that out is because I have a 1LE an I figure the real difference is the ones I mentioned.

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[SomeGeoffGuy]

I would bet that every bushing in every one of those parts is different and tuned just for that suspension. That kit came up for $3200ish on one of the gm parts on-line sites, too.

-Geoff

[Firefighter]

Originally Posted by SomeGeoffGuy

I would bet that every bushing in every one of those parts is different and tuned just for that suspension. That kit came up for $3200ish on one of the gm parts on-line sites, too.

-Geoff

Quite possibly... you probably couldn't get the struts cheaper separately either.

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[X25]

I bought this kit for $3.4K shipped, and will be delivered on Tuesday per its tracking info. For a good conversion, in my opinion, you need:

• Lightweight 19x11 or wider wheels, preferrably lighter than Z/28 wheels to make up a bit of the weight advantage of Z/28 brakes.
• Z/28 full suspension kit
• R-compound tires in 305/30 size: Trofeo R, Hoosier R7(315/30), R888, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 comes to mind.
• Optional: StopTech BBK or similar to further reduce or match the overall unsprung weight.

Remarks:

• Chevy claims the CC rotors are 40% lighter than comparable steel rotors. If it means 1-piece, 15.5" steel could easily hit 29 lbs. 60% of it would be 17.5 lbs (including hat). Stock SS rotor is 25.15 lbs, whereas ZL1 rotor is 27.5 lbs. We should note, the Z/28 caliper is likely substantially heavier than SS calipers due to its size.
• I don't think 20" wheels would work well. Not just overall weight, but diameter of the rotating weight is also very important.
• DSSVs are very finely tuned, which makes them excellent for 1LE with its identical weight, but also means that it will not work as good if you don't effectively reduce the unsprung and rotating mass like it's done on Z/28.

[Firefighter]

I would love to see this done to a 1LE. Start a build thread. If you have one already please give me a link.

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[sho928]

Originally Posted by Firefighter

That's why I said "bars, struts/springs" our cars actually have struts not shocks. I didn't notice the control arms...

The main reason I pointed that out is because I have a 1LE an I figure the real difference is the ones I mentioned.

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Sorry that I mis-read what you wrote.

Here is a link that goes into more detail (taken from OP's post):

https://theblock.com/news/shave-seco...rformance-kits.

The SS Camaro had a 1LE kit already installed in order to compete in SCCA T2 class, thus the Z28 kit adds all the parts you need to upgrade from 1LE.

In other words without Trofeo's , LS7 and carbon brakes the Z/28 suspension is worth 2-sec quicker than the 1LE, impressive!