quick ss vs zl1 question

[CamaroTrent]

I've had my 2011 1SS for a little over two years and its still completely stock. A buddy of mines treaded in his 2009 SRT8 charger for a ZL1 this weekend. Needless to say I need a performance upgrade, though Im not trying to outrun him I would still like a little boost in HP. Can anybody steer me in the right direction? Thanks in advance.

[3rdgen3]

Originally Posted by CamaroTrent

I've had my 2011 1SS for a little over two years and its still completely stock. A buddy of mines treaded in his 2009 SRT8 charger for a ZL1 this weekend. Needless to say I need a performance upgrade, though Im not trying to outrun him I would still like a little boost in HP. Can anybody steer me in the right direction? Thanks in advance.

I see on average ZL1's trap speed is 115-118mph.

Headers, CAI, Cam & tune should get you there with a good tire.

[CamaroTrent]

any specific brands you can recommend and im assuming your talking longtube headers

[Juiced1]

If you plan on keeping the car a while we generally recommend a quality stainless steel header. They will outlast the car itself. Two of our top sellers are Stainless Works and ARH long tube headers. They can add 30-35 rwhp and add some serious rumble! A cold air intake is another great way to add some easy horsepower. We get the best reviews on CAI and Roto-Fab systems, they also look cool, sound good and perform awesome!

[3rdgen3]

Originally Posted by CamaroTrent

any specific brands you can recommend and im assuming your talking longtube headers

That depends if your an LS3 or L99 car (stick or auto) and what your budget is.


If you wanna beat a ZL1 "on the cheap"?

-TSP 1 7/8" or 2" Long tube headers
-Night Furry cam package/LG G6X3 cam package/Custom ground cam + matching valve train
-CAI/Roto-Fab/Vararam/Some sort of cold air intake
-JRE tune/Dyno Tune of soem kind from a reputable tuner

That will do it.

[2SSJIM]

Before spending $15-20K beefing up your SS, why not invest that in your own ZL1 and have it covered under warranty..... Just a thought!

[steel insane]

you don't need to spend $20k to do that...

[SPCBA]

Originally Posted by 2SSJIM

Before spending $15-20K beefing up your SS, why not invest that in your own ZL1 and have it covered under warranty..... Just a thought!

zl1 is nice and a fantastic car in many facets. wont take 20k to beef up a ss thats a bit high and mighty

[Dupree878]

Drive it like you stole it.

He's $60,000+ into that car and it much more likely to baby it.

How much can you spend? Just buy a charger and you'll be over his output

[2SSJIM]

Originally Posted by SPCBA

zl1 is nice and a fantastic car in many facets. wont take 20k to beef up a ss thats a bit high and mighty

Depends on what you want. If you want to beat the ZL1 all around, you definitely need to supercharge the SS, to beat the ZL1 on the track, you need to beef up the suspension. If all you do is CAI, Headers, tune and Cam.... well if your friend with the ZL1 does the same thing it will leave you in the same boat. I did the Math when I owned my 2SS to make it match the ZL1.... trust me, it's cheaper to just buy a ZL1. Also, for those that thing most of us baby our ZL1's, think again.... I don't... drive like I stole it!

[Rcfiddy1]

Bolt up a blower.

[SPCBA]

Originally Posted by 2SSJIM

Depends on what you want. If you want to beat the ZL1 all around, you definitely need to supercharge the SS, to beat the ZL1 on the track, you need to beef up the suspension. If all you do is CAI, Headers, tune and Cam.... well if your friend with the ZL1 does the same thing it will leave you in the same boat. I did the Math when I owned my 2SS to make it match the ZL1.... trust me, it's cheaper to just buy a ZL1. Also, for those that thing most of us baby our ZL1's, think again.... I don't... drive like I stole it!

i can do all the bolt ons, cam, headwork, rear end, slap on a blower and replace the entire suspension for less than it would cost me for a zl1. track wheels and tires and i still would have less invested.

the zl1 has some really cool stuff like the magnetic suspension and all the launch settings. the zl1 interior is nicer as well. i was tempted to get a zl1 and keep my ss but didnt and decided to make my ss perform better on track while still driving it every day. zl1 is a phenominal car dont get me wrong but by no means is it some unbeatable supercar. if there was a awd version i would have gotten it for road course with no second thoughts to bad we arent local to each to other because i would invite you to compete against my measely 450rwhp cars lap times at my next track weekend. heck arizona is not far come out to fontana may 4-5 and race on the roval with me

[Sven59]

Originally Posted by SPCBA

i can do all the bolt ons, cam, headwork, rear end, slap on a blower and replace the entire suspension for less than it would cost me for a zl1. track wheels and tires and i still would have less invested.

the zl1 has some really cool stuff like the magnetic suspension and all the launch settings. the zl1 interior is nicer as well. i was tempted to get a zl1 and keep my ss but didnt and decided to make my ss perform better on track while still driving it every day. zl1 is a phenominal car dont get me wrong but by no means is it some unbeatable supercar. if there was a awd version i would have gotten it for road course with no second thoughts to bad we arent local to each to other because i would invite you to compete against my measely 450rwhp cars lap times at my next track weekend. heck arizona is not far come out to fontana may 4-5 and race on the roval with me

I don't think you could equal the ZL1 without the suspension piece, after all it beat the GT500 on the track with 70 less HP. And yes you could mod your car and try to bring it up to ZL1 specs. What I think we are trying to say if you buy an SS and do all the mods to make it a ZL1 it would cost more than if you just bought a ZL1. You also have to remember other things that would have to be upgraded, brakes, steering, tranny, rear end and all the extra cooling that goes with that. These were all beefed up to take the additional power of the ZL1. I think you need to look at some of the Nurburing or VIR times to see that this $56,000 muscle car beats $150,000 to $200,000 supercars.

[SlingShot]

Originally Posted by Sven59

I don't think you could equal the ZL1 without the suspension piece, after all it beat the GT500 on the track with 70 less HP. And yes you could mod your car and try to bring it up to ZL1 specs. What I think we are trying to say if you buy an SS and do all the mods to make it a ZL1 it would cost more than if you just bought a ZL1. You also have to remember other things that would have to be upgraded, brakes, steering, tranny, rear end and all the extra cooling that goes with that. These were all beefed up to take the additional power of the ZL1. I think you need to look at some of the Nurburing or VIR times to see that this $56,000 muscle car beats $150,000 to $200,000 supercars.

I agree ... You would have to start off with a 2SS/RS to keep things somewhat equal. Then you would have to completely change the weight balance of the SS to equal the ZL1's 51/49 ratio. Then there would be a problem with the aero design. The SS is designed to create lift, where the ZL1 is designed to create down force. Those are just a couple things that would have to be done, to be apples to apples.