The ZLE Inferno AGP Twin Turbo

[RoaringV8]

I was wondering when this car would be snatched up from the dealer. I was going to go look at this one, but found a white 1le 20 miles up the road and bought it. Congrats on the car!

[menendez1293]

Nice car.

[Fraxum]

I have waited to update my build thread until I spent more time in the car. So for starters I will do an upgrade review going from a 2011 2SS/RS LS3 to a 2013 2SS/RS 1LE LS3. I must be crazy right?

First of all I started looking thinking that I was going to order a 2014. I may be in the minority, but I think they look a little less nostalgic than the older Camaros. I like modern, so the 2014's appeal to me. I especially like the more aggressive front end. I also think the look of the 2014 is preparing us for the look of the C6 Camaro.

During my search for a 2013 I ran into two IOM (Inferno Orange Metallic) 1LEs. And really found myself attracted to the color. It looks orange in bright lighting and much more red in darker lighting. And since IOM is a premium color it gets 2 coats of paint as opposed to one on black Camaros (or so I am told). There is no 2014 IOM. :-(

So I changed my mind, looking into existing stock 2013s. I thought this would be a smart $$ move, getting a good deal on an almost leftover 2013 over ordering a 2014. This turned out to be almost true. And I come to find out now the Recaros I wanted are $2,000. A bit pricey to me.

What I wanted was this:

1. 1SS
2. NPP
3. BA Stereo
4. Sunroof
5. IOM
6. Navigation

I much prefer the cloth interior over the 2SS Pleather leather/vinyl combo. And I think the RS option, especially on the 1LE is a waste of money. Although if I left that off the option sheet on a 2014 it would pay for most of the Recaro money. But no such car existed in stock on the face of the planet. Most 1SSes in stock are strippers with few or no options. I did find an IOM 1SS 1LE with no other options, but I knew I would not be happy with this car.

I settled on a 2SS/RS IOM 1LE with NPP and a sunroof and no Nav. After thinking about Nav some more it is a big waste for the $$, especially if you have a smartphone. I have that and a nice Garmin too. And Mounting the Nav on a center speaker bracket raises up the screen even more from the factory Nav MyLink spot makes it easier to see. I have successfully talked myself out of wanting factory Navigation.

In the showroom the IOM 1LE shared space with three 427 C6 convertibles. There it attracted the most attention of the four cars. The car just looked angry with the black/orange contrast. Everyone in the dealership asked if I was the guy buying the IOM 1LE and they even brought it up again when I went back to the dealership to pick up my registration. After getting near invoice on the 1LE and a good trade value on my 2011 SS I jumped in the deep end and bought the car. Side note: I saw my car on the lot, they gave me $26k for the car and now are asking $32K. Good luck to them! And they took off the stripes!

On to my 2013 1LE versus 2011 SS comparison. To put the review into perspective my 2011 2SS/RS had a Sunroof as the only option other than RS. when I bought my 2011 I thought long and hard between the 5.0 Mustang and the SS Camaro. This time I knew what I wanted. The comparison by category:

Looks:

Strangely my black 2011 SS got much more attention than the 1LE. It must have been the electric orange bumblebee stripes on the 2011. They were in your face. Everywhere I went with that car I got comments from both men and women. It did get a little tiring. At one of the dealers where I was looking at a black 1LE, the sales manager parked my '11 SS nose to nose with the 1LE in front of the dealership. Guess which car attracted walk ups first? You guessed it.

But to me the 1LE is, if not better looking, the more serious looking car. 1LE fans are fewer but they all approve of the IOM/Black combo. The 1LE also got a ton of attention in the Atco staging lanes. More so then the '11 SS. But they were all disappointed when a Turbo New Beetle showed me his taillights in the quarter mile. In my defense he did red light.

I dig the black wrapped hood, although I have to keep explaining the idea it reduces glare. I get blank stares to that. I have to think of a new reason. I also think the 1LE wheels are the best looking wheels you can put on a Camaro. Many agree. I really like the black out theme and the contrast with the IOM. I will continue this these with some plastidip and other mods later.

On my '11 I installed an unpainted Heritage grill. This grill, to me, greatly improves the look of the car. But on the 1LE I like the stock grill a little better. The toothed shape of the grill goes better with the angry stance. I still have a heritage grill in the box if I change my mind later.

Overall I give the 1LE the slight win as to looks over the '11 SS. Although many do not agree. I matter most.

Interior:

The 2012 dash insert and 1LE steering wheel/shifter cover improve the look and feel of the interior. Plus the frameless mirror looks great and opens up the windshield a bit. I also like that I have a lock switch on both doors and a power passenger seat for those short of stature. One more little bonus is the seatback latches are a little less sticky on the 1LE over the '11 SS.

Mylink, although far from perfect, is a big improvement. My '11 SS had a hard time with Ipods and especially long audiobooks. All better on the 1LE. Ipod indexing still happens more than it should, but at least now you can switch songs while it is underway.

The rest of Mylink is a bit messy and the side buttons are hard to use in that sometime I brush them and they go off and other times I deliberately press with no result. Sound quality is not so good with the radio and XM, but very good with the Ipod. It sounds so good, I am not sure if I am going to install my ******** Stealth box with a 4+1 Amp, 10-inch subwoofer, and ******** harness. Although I know my system will sound at least slightly better, I am not sure it is worth the weight gain. Jury is still out.

Here the 1LE definitely pulled off a win.

Performance:

Here it's a tie. I think over time the 1LE (1,000 miles) will improve a little and be more like the '11 (25,000 miles). To those who think a 1LE is faster than a normal SS I think not. Still, I did not expect the 1LE to be faster in the quarter mile. Later I hope to improve the 1LE.

Handling:

Like with the engine mods, my '11 had most of the good chassis mods. It had cradle and differential poly bushings, front and rear adjustable sway bars, toe rod, trailing arms, and radius rod inserts. The only major thing I never got around to was tires and wheels.

My modded '11 handled really well at least as good overall as the 1LE. But the wheels and tires held it back. The stock '11 SS wheels and tires are very heavy and the Pirellis are not as sticky as the 1LE Goodyears once they are warm. The 1LE Wheels and tires are also heavy, but the wheels are a few pounds lighter. I will weigh these later. As with the '11 SS the 1LE would benefit from 18" lightweight wheels along with a good set of tires. So both are handicapped by the 20" wheels, but the 1LE less so. Those 1LE wheels though, are the best looking wheels for the 5th gen Camaro IMO. Wish they were 18"s or 19"s.

The '11 SS, with the rear BMR sways set to the highest setting, is perfectly neutral with no under steer. But the over steer comes on very quickly in the corners, so you have to be very careful with the throttle. I understand that this behavior is due to the ineffective mounting points of the rear bar and that the sway bar has to overcome the staggered tires. Because of these two issues, the bar has to be extra strong to achieve neutral handling. This result is the somewhat delicate nature of balance in the corners.

The 1LE benefits from the 2012+ sway bar mounting point and square tire sizes. The 1LE has some under steer, but it is very easy to add a little power to straighten out the curves. So the 1LE inspires more confidence in cornering.

One of the big things I noticed on the '11 SS on the drive home from the dealers, was rear "step out. If you get into the big torque of the LS3 with the steering wheel anything but straight, you can feel the back of the car shift to the outside of the curve just a little. I thought something was wrong with the car until I went home and read about it. Normal for an SS and many other IRS cars. Bushings fix this, and my '11 SS had all rear poly bushings. The result is laser corner tracking and no step out. One bad side effect of the poly bushings is more drivetrain noise is transferred to the interior of the car. But it is not too bad once you get used to it.

The 1LE may also have some step out, but if it does it is not as noticeable.

So to compare my modded '11 SS suspension to the 1LE it is close with a perhaps slight nod to the modded '11 with the solid well planted rear. But the balanced nature of the 1LE feels better driving. On a track I think the 1LE would run and hide due to the Goodyears versus the Pirellis. With equal tires it would be much closer.

Comparing the 1LE to the un-modded SS the 1LE wins hands down.

Driving:

We buy these Camaros because they are fun to drive and both of these cars stir your emotions. The big difference between the two is that with the '11 SS right away I could recognize improvements that could be made and with the 1LE, it is so good I feel the need to be careful when modding so as not disturb the balance of the car. Also the damping on the shocks feels very sophisticated. The car flows like molasses over small bumps and only becomes a little harsh on big ones. Where is the downside to 1G cornering?

The shifting, gear spacing, exhaust sound, handling, and the LS3 torque all work together to make the 1LE feel like you are driving a shark among the minnows. You can drive it as if you are driving hard off the banks of Daytona or just take it easy and enjoy a comfortable cruise. Very BMW like, but with more attitude.

The '11 SS was also fun to drive, but it is hard to miss the old car when the 1LE has everything the '11 had with many big improvements.

Another big win for the 1LE.

Conclusion:

So the big question is was it worth it to trade a dead reliable 2-year-old car with 25,000 miles, great handling, and over 400 rwhp for a new 2013 1LE?

To me a big yes. The 1LE is a much better start towards the car I was trying to build. It has a number of small improvements on the inside of the car besides the 1LE package. The new MyLiink setup for example, handles Ipods better than the ‘11, which was an Ipod disaster, especially with audiobooks, which I enjoy on long trips.

To add to that on the '11 I kept the exhaust very quiet, despite my mods so as not to be annoying on a long drive. But I sometimes wish it were more expressive than it was. NPP solves that problem nicely. And now that I have added the Exhaust Commander I can liven up the exhaust at any time with a push of one of the Home link buttons.

I also like that the 1LE has no badges. It is like a secret handshake, only those in the know, have any idea of what the car is and what it can do. It is very comparable to the Mustang Boss with no Boss fanfare. Some people look at it and wonder if it's stock but get the idea it is something special. Very cool.

To add to all that the 1LE will always be a bit exclusive because of the price of the package, one of the rarest Camaros. Not collectable rare, but in a 1LE you will not see yourself coming and going.

And finally I really dig the IOM over the black. The paint is thicker and dirt does not show as fast. An added bonus is the color seems to change depending on the light from orange to red.

I would do it all over again, no remorse.

[PYROLYSIS]

Nice review. Subscribed to your thread and I'm liking the progress so far.

[Jims Mongoose]

Beautiful car. Lots of luck with it. Great review and comparison to you other Camaro.

What spare tire did you get for the car?


Jim

[Fraxum]

Originally Posted by Jims Mongoose

Beautiful car. Lots of luck with it. Great review and comparison to your other Camaro.
What spare tire did you get for the car?
Jim

See my old build thread post # 44 + 45:
2011 LS3 SS Build thread

I bought this off Ebay. Not sure if the vendor is still putting the package together. One word of caution. My spare is 25" tall. The 1LE tires are 27". If you buy a spare check with the vendor on the height of the spare inflated and get as close to 27" as you can. I will not put the 25" spare on the rear of my 1LE due to possible diff damage. I think the front 1LE wheel/tire will go on back, but I have not tried it yet. My goal is to buy a taller tire for my setup. Right now locally I just use the tire inflator kit and I keep a tire patch kit in the car. On longer trips I will use the spare. Don't want those pounds in the car at the track!

The vendor I worked with on the spare was Randy Maddox (performancespare@gmail.com) http://shop.performancespare.com/. I recommend him and he is helpful. He was willing to swap me out a taller tire setup, but the shipping was probably more than the tire. Once I get around to the spare topic I will post here.

[Fraxum]

Originally Posted by Casperadub70

What is the
Center speaker Navigation/GoPro bracket

Originally Posted by eb_SS

waiting to read more details as well.

Sorry I will post this mod. Still catching up to where my car is now.

[v8]

beautiful car, the IOM looks great

[Jims Mongoose]

Originally Posted by Fraxum

See my old build thread post # 44 + 45:
2011 LS3 SS Build thread

I bought this off Ebay. Not sure if the vendor is still putting the package together. One word of caution. My spare is 25" tall. The 1LE tires are 27". If you buy a spare check with the vendor on the height of the spare inflated and get as close to 27" as you can. I will not put the 25" spare on the rear of my 1LE due to possible diff damage. I think the front 1LE wheel/tire will go on back, but I have not tried it yet. My goal is to buy a taller tire for my setup. Right now locally I just use the tire inflator kit and I keep a tire patch kit in the car. On longer trips I will use the spare. Don't want those pounds in the car at the track!

The vendor I worked with on the spare was Randy Maddox (performancespare@gmail.com) http://shop.performancespare.com/. I recommend him and he is helpful. He was willing to swap me out a taller tire setup, but the shipping was probably more than the tire. Once I get around to the spare topic I will post here.

Thanks for that valuable Information and the things to watch out for.

Jim

[Fraxum]

Several asked about the Nav bracket. It mounts underneath the front speaker grille. I really like how high the Nav sits and it is very easy to follow while driving. I can can also adapt it for my Canon movie camera. I may move up to a GoPro later. I can attach the camera two ways, simply suction it to the nav screen, or build a custom camera mount that fits in the Nav holder bracket. Having this softened the blow of not getting Nav on the 1LE. Between this and my Smart Phone I do not really need the factory Nav. But I find it surprising you cannot easily add Nav to MYLink. A wasted opportunity for Chevy here. Great Mod.

ProClip Camaro Speaker Mount

Just thought I'd throw in an interior pic from my '11 Camaro. I plan to keep the 1LE a little neater.

[Fraxum]

Originally Posted by Jims Mongoose

Thanks for that valuable Information and the things to watch out for.

Jim

Correction, the 1LE tire height is closer to 28". I don't think a spare that tall will fit in the well.

[vroomapunk]

Nice build, I like the rear two wheels + tires setup Id like to do the same thing for track days.

[ford20]

So what times are you running?

[Snidely Whiplash]

Originally Posted by Fraxum

Yes, when I started checking on 2013 1LEs before I ordered my '14 I fell for IOM. And no IOM in '14. So with that, and a very good deal i went with this '13. Very happy with it.

And good point about the light. Those two front pics were shot once with the light behind the car, the reddish pic, and once with the light in front, orange.

Before I ordered my 2014 2SS, I looked for a 1LE with a sunroof. Those were VERY hard to find as some sanctioning bodies and/or tracks would not allow the sunroof for road racing. Sine a large number of 1LE owners want to road race, dealers just do not order them with a sunroof.

North Central Texas is currently in the sunroof/windows down season. As with riding my Harleys this time of year, allergy meds keep me going...to a point. When on a scooter, it's time to drive instead of ride when my jeans turn green from pollen dust.