Top Gear Z/28 Review - "the results are both terrible and wonderful"

[hotlap]

edco is reduced to arguing about a spare tire. GeZz

[edco]

Originally Posted by hotlapZL1

edco is reduced to arguing about a spare tire. GeZz

No argument here. When I open my trunk I have a 5 spoke ford racing wheel with inflated mounted balanced Pirelli tire. When you open your trunk you have
an argument why you don't need one. Thanks for making my point about horse power heads. If you get a flat you will just have to limp on down the shoulder
and kick ole green teeth in the knee.

[hotlap]

Originally Posted by edco

No argument here. When I open my trunk I have a 5 spoke ford racing wheel with inflated mounted balanced Pirelli tire. When you open your trunk you have
an argument why you don't need one. Thanks for making my point about horse power heads. If you get a flat you will just have to limp on down the shoulder
and kick ole green teeth in the knee.

Reading your posts is like listening to a one legged, short fat man boasting in the Lakers locker room about how fast he is because of his low center of gravity

[detltu]

Originally Posted by edco

I think these specialty cars Z/28, ZL1 (Mustang GT500 included) are more for advertising and brand bragging than real world driving (streets/roads/highways-not tracks). This Z28 is 3,820 pounds dry, I read all the silly things they did just to cut 8 pounds here and eight pounds there. A greater weight reduction is achieved by removing the spare tire and jack from a GT and that does not raise the price. This euro assessment is accurate. There are some enviable things about camaro, but weight and size are not two of them. The Z28 is a track performer by overkill engine and tires. It is likely a gas hog on the road and a summer car only. In interest of fair disclosure I think the Mustang GT500 is in the same place. The Boss 302, while not matching the power numbers and track numbers is a far better street driving man's machine than GT500 Z28 or ZL1. It is more balanced, more responsive, more efficient, and more fun than any of these bad boy brutes. Chevy mimics all the Mustang derivations. The Z28 answers the Boss 302. I think it misses. You can make an army tank fast, but it is still an army tank.

Maybe this is where you went wrong.

You are correct that Chevy tends to mimic the mustang derivations, but the Z/28 is not the answer to the Boss 302. It's more like a 302 Laguna Seca that is taken to even more of an extreme place. The lineup matches up more like this:
Z/28 - 302 Laguna Seca (discontinued)
ZL1 - GT500
GT track pack - SS 1LE - Boss 302

Every Camaro on the list is faster than its Mustang counter part around a track (The GT500 is notably quicker in a straight line than any of the Camaros).

Some lightning lap results as backup
Camaro ZL1 02:57.5
Shelby GT500 03:00.6
Camaro SS 1LE 03:01.5
Boss 302 LS 03:02.8

Granted Lap times aren't everything. And most of these cars will see very little track time if any.

Acceleration, track times, fuel economy, price, weight are measurable quantities that can be used to compare these cars without in tangible terms.

You are welcome to decide which of these measures are most important to you, and include other opinions such as which car looks better and which car suits your needs best, but if you are trying to convince people that your opinions are somehow factual your probably barking up the wrong tree.

One opinion we can probably all agree on is that the Z/28 is the best track car of all of the options listed above and is also the worst street car of all of the cars listed above.

[GretchenGotGrowl]

Originally Posted by edco

No argument here. When I open my trunk I have a 5 spoke ford racing wheel with inflated mounted balanced Pirelli tire. When you open your trunk you have
an argument why you don't need one. Thanks for making my point about horse power heads. If you get a flat you will just have to limp on down the shoulder
and kick ole green teeth in the knee.

I don't have a Z/28, but my Camaro did come with a spare and free road-side assistance. My spare spends most of its time sitting in my shop.

[DanSS24]

This thread got way off-topic...but fun to read.

[edco]

Originally Posted by hotlapZL1

Reading your posts is like listening to a one legged, short fat man boasting in the Lakers locker room about how fast he is because of his low center of gravity

Come on lighten up. The spare tire reference was a friendly rib between myself and McRat. I have taken a liking to him. He knows cars and car history and has good content in his posts. I would be lying if I said I never ran my car with the spare wheel and jack hardware at home in the garage. It does shed about 70 lbs.

[edco]

Originally Posted by detltu

Maybe this is where you went wrong.

You are correct that Chevy tends to mimic the mustang derivations, but the Z/28 is not the answer to the Boss 302. It's more like a 302 Laguna Seca that is taken to even more of an extreme place. The lineup matches up more like this:
Z/28 - 302 Laguna Seca (discontinued)
ZL1 - GT500
GT track pack - SS 1LE - Boss 302

Every Camaro on the list is faster than its Mustang counter part around a track (The GT500 is notably quicker in a straight line than any of the Camaros).

Some lightning lap results as backup
Camaro ZL1 02:57.5
Shelby GT500 03:00.6
Camaro SS 1LE 03:01.5
Boss 302 LS 03:02.8

Granted Lap times aren't everything. And most of these cars will see very little track time if any.

Acceleration, track times, fuel economy, price, weight are measurable quantities that can be used to compare these cars without in tangible terms.

You are welcome to decide which of these measures are most important to you, and include other opinions such as which car looks better and which car suits your needs best, but if you are trying to convince people that your opinions are somehow factual your probably barking up the wrong tree.

One opinion we can probably all agree on is that the Z/28 is the best track car of all of the options listed above and is also the worst street car of all of the cars listed above.

Good post.

[brt3]

Originally Posted by hotlapZL1

Reading your posts is like listening to a one legged, short fat man boasting in the Lakers locker room about how fast he is because of his low center of gravity

Here's a thought on how to deal with a troll; I call it Troll-B-Gone:

1. Click on their username; using edco as an example, that takes you HERE

2. On that page, just below the username at the top/left, there are two drop-down menus with arrows.

3. Select "User Lists", then "Add to Ignore List" from the drop-down menu.

Problem solved, as you'll never see the troll's posts again!

[edco]

Originally Posted by brt3

Here's a thought on how to deal with a troll; I call it Troll-B-Gone:

1. Click on their username; using edco as an example, that takes you HERE

2. On that page, just below the username at the top/left, there are two drop-down menus with arrows.

3. Select "User Lists", then "Add to Ignore List" from the drop-down menu.

Problem solved, as you'll never see the troll's posts again!

Can you posts a scan of the window sticker on your Z/28. I am interested to see the detail of options, costs, freight, ratings, and EPA specs. Thankx.

[Angrybird 12]

Originally Posted by brt3

Here's a thought on how to deal with a troll; I call it Troll-B-Gone:

1. Click on their username; using edco as an example, that takes you HERE

2. On that page, just below the username at the top/left, there are two drop-down menus with arrows.

3. Select "User Lists", then "Add to Ignore List" from the drop-down menu.

Problem solved, as you'll never see the troll's posts again!

They still show up in other peoples replies when they quote him, so that is really useless.

[joelster]

Originally Posted by edco

Thank you for the data, and the differential is $6K or greater. Is the 1LE the equivalent of the Boss 302? That is an argument. The Boss 302 is a radical change from a GT. Recaro seats, rear seat delete, rear seat brace, HP/torque increase, custom tune, special intake plenum, side pipes, tires/wheels, brembo brakes and etc. You get what you pay for. What is GM doing to an SS for $3500 to produce a 1LE. It falls short of what Ford did to a GT to produce the Boss 302 in hardware changes. The 1LE package is more an equivalent to the GT performance pack. A GT with performance pack is not a Boss 302. The 1LE is heavier and has less power and will run circles around the Boss right? That is an argument. Everyone who has driven and reviewed the Boss 302 has raved about it. It might be the best solid axle pony car ever. It is a balanced responsive performance car. It is worth its price. I have yet to see one for sale on used car lot. There will always be faster cars, that does not take anything away from the excellent sports car a Boss 302 is.

Wow, are you misinformed. The 1LE is a direct competitor to the BOSS. It annihilates the Track Pack GT. There's a youtube comparison and it's not even close.

We're sorry that GM didn't have to make a million changes to a regular SS to produce an option package that could beat a BOSS around a racetrack. They changed what they wanted, and got the results, period.

Used BOSS's can be found. Before I ordered my 1LE I was looking around for a BOSS. The closest and cheapest one was $42k, it was 400 miles away, it was yellow (yuck), and it had 2000 miles on it. There were others but they were scattered all over the country. They have a fantastic engine in a chassis that doesn't hold a candle to a 1LE chassis.

[edco]

Quote: They (Mustangs) have a fantastic engine in a chassis that doesn't hold a candle to a 1LE chassis.

While you are racing on U tube SCCA is racing on tracks. I think all these cars are fast. The results really don't underscore your point.

http://scca.cdn.racersites.com/prod/...ed%20final.pdf (AS=American Sedan)

http://scca.cdn.racersites.com/prod/...e%20final1.pdf

[brt3]

Originally Posted by Angrybird 12

They still show up in other peoples replies when they quote him, so that is really useless.

Hmmm, you're right. I've been on other boards where even the quoted text doesn't appear for a blocked user. Main advice is do NOT feed the trolls; without attention they wither and die...