Camaro5 NYIAS Interview Series (1/7): Mark Stielow on the 2014 Camaro Z/28

[Mr. Wyndham]

Featured on Camaro5 HOMEPAGE

I had the pleasure of interviewing a bunch of awesome folks from GM at the NYIAS during the media day, and I think you'll enjoy reading what they had to say about their recent Camaro work.

Feel free to ask any questions - and I may be able to elaborate.

Interview with Mark Stielow – Engineering Manager, Camaro Z/28
3/27/13
by J. Bella, Camaro5.com

How do the mechanical components of the suspension in the Z/28 compare to the ZL1?

We went to higher spring rates in the Z/28, and we lowered it 33mm over what an SS car is. We wanted to have that hunkered-down, really stiff roll gradient, high spring rate, enthusiast kind of car. It’s more athletic to me, with the lighter weight and the LS7 – it’s got an athletic feel to the car.

Can you describe the Z/28 dampers to enthusiasts?

They’re a formula one technology; A new valving technology that we wanted to look at. With a niche-market car we can sometimes look at really new technologies, and these new dampers were one of them.

They’ve got a unique spool valve inside that allows us to almost draw the shock curve we want, and laser-etch it into the valve. So it really quickened up the development process, and allowed us to do some stuff with the shock valving that’s not as easy to do with a more traditional shock.

It’s a different technology then even the MR, which has more of a bi-modal operation. It’s more firm, but in a track car it really plants the car well. At Virginia International Raceway, when we were testing it, coming up through the high-speed esses, the car was just nailed down and felt great.

Would you say the Z/28 is confidence inspiring, or frightening when you drive it?

With the brakes, having that very repeatable firm brake pedal; the tires, with a 1.05 max lat. capability, it’s really confidence inspiring. The capability of the car is going to be well above a lot of people’s normal realm of exposure.

Since the Camaro team has been out seeing what enthusiasts are doing on their cars, was anything on this car inspired by any of that?

Oh, definitely. We’ve gone to shows like the Camaro5 events, and even at GM we had a show car with the LS7 not so long ago. We kind of watched what other people are doing, but internally we’re all car enthusiasts, too. This is a car that we wanted, it’s a car that is just fun to drive!

Did anything change about the LS7 since its been in the C6 Z06?

We went through a redesigned the exhaust. The Z/28 actually has a true 3” exhaust, so it reduced the backpressure to allow the big naturally aspirated engine to breath well, and it’s got nicely done exhaust manifolds, and larger monolithic cats. Then we went to a really nice, big induction system with an open element air filter by K&N. This marks our first OE application with that type of filter. So we tried to lower the restriction on both the induction and exhaust sides to optimize the power output of the LS7.

Did this car break down any walls or old ways of thinking about the development process of performance cars?

Not really. I was part of the HPVO, the high performance vehicle operations group. And that’s kind of the core group of us that does the performance variants, now. So this car is in that genre of being a performance variant within the more mainstream Camaro family. Like the ZL1 or the 1LE, to a certain degree, were performance variants of the base architecture.

But we were able to go to “the toolbox” of available components, like the carbon ceramic brakes, or the LS7 engine, and were able to do a little “shopping” to get some parts that were available and integrate them together to make a good car.

What other cars in the segment, or price range (and I know there haven’t been prices yet) have carbon ceramic brakes?

They’re in production on our Z06 carbon, and ZR1 Corvettes. So those brakes are very similar hardware to what we’ve had in production for a while. But nothing in the pony car market has ever had these brakes put on them before.

The benefit of these brakes is mass, wear, and a very consistent brake feel lap after lap. The rotors are “worn out” when they’ve burned out so much carbon that they get too light, so the rotors will last the life of the car for many customers.

There appears to be an extensive aerodynamics package on the Z/28, does the car create down force?

Yes. We spent a lot of time in the wind tunnels and in scale models to get the splitter on the front of the car, the extractor hood, the big spoiler in the back, the rocker moldings, and the little wickers on the fender flares. All that really generates positive down force as you gain speed, and the car is really stuck to the track because of it.

Would you label this car as an evolution of the 1LE performance package, an evolution of the ZL1, or something completely different?

It’s something completely different. You know, the way the whole package integrates together it’s kind of a continuation of the performance of the Camaro family. The SS is fast, the 1LE is faster yet, the ZL1 is one of the fastest pony cars out there, and the Z/28 is one step above even that. It’s the peak track performance car, and will be for the enthusiasts want to take a car and have a very enjoyable experience laying down lap times.

How livable is this car on the road…not racing?

If you’ve ever driven a car like the Porsche 911 or something like that, it has a very athletic feel. The spring rates are higher, the ride frequencies are higher, the car’s a lighter weight car, the gearbox is nice and short throws with the high-compression LS7…it’s a very athletic feeling Camaro. It’s very light and nimble.

Speaking of driving it every day, we did an eight-hour night ride where we drove 300 miles in one night. And the car is just a hoot to drive on the street.

Anything special or specific you’d like people to focus on when looking at this car?

I think one of the things that people are going to get pretty excited about are the new performance seats: I mean, they’re really comfortable. And the car, when you see it, has a very menacing presence to it. It’s very low and wide and has a unique stance when it’s coming down the road at you.

Full interview list:

Interview 1: Mark Stielow (Chief Engineer of Z/28)
Interview 2: John Fitzpatrick (Marketing Manager for Chevrolet Performance Cars)
Interview 3: Helen Emsley (Director of Interior Design for Performance Cars)
Interview 4: Mary Barra (GM Senior Vice President, Global Product Development)
Interview 5: Russ Clark (Director of Marketing, Performance Cars)
Interview 6: Tom Peters (Director, Exterior Design)
Interview 7: Ed Welburn (Vice President of Global Design)

[90503]

...Interesting about the street driving...I think once that issue is put to rest, a lot of angst will go away...

...Perhaps a "tire" option for the street at least?...

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by 90503

...Interesting about the street driving...I think once that issue is put to rest, a lot of angst will go away...

...Perhaps a "tire" option for the street at least?...

No, definitely not. It, more than even the ZL1, was built to do one thing - and a major part of that performance is coming from the tire. People need to understand what they're buying is a no-compromises, but "street-legal", track car with the Z/28.

[bdstealth]

Thanks

[90503]

As far as "filtering-down" and "tools in the tool box"...

1Le was given ZL1 suspension upgrades, etc........Any chance the introduction of the LS7 into this Gen5 Z/28 might filter down to SS or 1LE models in the 5thGen?..

.How available of a tool might the LS7 for assembly line use be for the remainder of the 5th Gen?...

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by 90503

As far as "filtering-down" and "tools in the tool box"...

1Le was given ZL1 suspension upgrades, etc........Any chance the introduction of the LS7 into this Gen5 Z/28 might filter down to SS or 1LE models in the 5thGen?..

.How available of a tool might the LS7 for assembly line use be for the remainder of the 5th Gen?...

1LE doesn't actually share many suspension components with the ZL1...it shares wheels, tires, shifter, transmission ratios, maybe a rear sway bar, too...but they are two very separate suspension calibrations.

The LS7 is a hand-built engine (not on an assembly line), and it's very expensive. More costly than even the LSA in the ZL1. It's very likely that the Z/28 will be its one and last application before it's retired for good when the Gen V engines take hold.

What did filter down already, from the Z/28 was the functional hood vent to the SS, the rear diffuser (also functional) to the SS, and the Recaro seats....But there's a lot of new stuff on the car, like the open induction, F1-style shocks, etc that we can hope will make its way down in the future.

[Z/284ever]

Great interview, Joe!

BTW, I've got a question for you. Do you sense that the Z/28 will become a permanent part of the Camaro line up going forward, or is this a short lived, special edition?

[Mr. Wyndham]

I got the distinct impression this would be part of the lineup going forward. At the very least for the 5th generation.

Russ Clark seemed to think so. And when I spoke with John Fitzpatrick, he made an encouraging comment: "In the back of our minds, since 2010, the Z/28 always existed". So...it would appear that the team understands that the names "Camaro" and "Z/28" are synonymous with each other. Good stuff!

[RubyCamaro]

Very cool read! Interesting. Thanks.

[90503]

Inquiring minds want to know...lol....As far as re-freshes, intro of new models, engine variants (V-8 and V-6)...is the 5thGen of Camaro as it is now, for practical purposes, time-frames, etc,. all done overall?....

2 (yrs)?? 1 1/2?? to go before the 6thGen...??

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by 90503

Inquiring minds want to know...lol....As far as re-freshes, intro of new models, engine variants (V-8 and V-6)...is the 5thGen of Camaro as it is now, for practical purposes, time-frames, etc,. all done overall?....

2 (yrs)?? 1 1/2?? to go before the 6thGen...??

All I got were smiles and "we're never finished".

But...a little thought would suggest brand new awesome models like 1LE, ZL1, Z/28....are done...this is my thoughts, and not representative of any interviews/discussions, though.

[Z/284ever]

Originally Posted by Mr. Wyndham

I got the distinct impression this would be part of the lineup going forward. At the very least for the 5th generation.

Russ Clark seemed to think so. And when I spoke with John Fitzpatrick, he made an encouraging comment: "In the back of our minds, since 2010, the Z/28 always existed". So...it would appear that the team understands that the names "Camaro" and "Z/28" are synonymous with each other. Good stuff!

I'm really pleased with how focused the Z/28 is. I had a chance to chat with Russ recently, and I agree, as far as the Z/28, he "gets it".

[T4JEt]

Great idea with this series of interviews... Quite interesting.

[Zfatuated]

Really great look at more details, thank you for posting this!

The new suspension, the DSSV, this is from Multimatic correct? The shock/struts are true coilovers with adjustable spring perches for ride height and corner balancing? Going even further, are they owner adjustable 2/3 or 4-way adjustable? Remote mounted reservoirs?