Without tuning there is most likely no way it will get a 1.5 60' time. GM will have engineered too much torque management to launch that good.

These times scare me a little but with that trap speed it should be mid 11s. I used to do 11.4s with a 1.7 60 ft at 117 mph before my motor change. Now I run low 10s but that trap speed with that 1/4 doesn't make sense to me. Maybe the tires are crap on the ZL1 just like they were on my SS....

The tires on ZL1 are obviously not tailored directly for the strip. You can't have it both ways. There's no sidewall and some of the reported tests were nowhere near optimized for traction or even power.

Passing judgement this early is really premature.

maybe it'll have optional tires like vettes. there performance tires are supposed to be for traction and power. which is why i'm wondering about radz28's comment where tires basically aren't performance not being designed for power or traction, yet vettes come with them as upgrades

However it is easy to pass judgement when the times are slower than expected with that much power. Has to be crap tires.....no other explanation. Especially when a CTS V runs pretty much the same times with more weight and less power.

The ZL1 is going to need drag radials to pull that off.
The ZL1 heavy car like the ZL1 with stock rubber pulling those kind of
60' times.
Most owners would will probably be happy just to pull sub 2.0 sec 60' times on the stock rubber with all the power.

But I do understand what your saying. Check my sig, I'm running 12.1 with only 113 mph traps. But I'm running drag radials and pulling 1.77 sec 60' times.

would like to see the CTS-V vs. the ZL1.
would be interesting to see how much quicker the ZL1 is.

I likey!!! Still that's not the matchup of the decade...

I didn't see which tires the Mustang was running so I'm not sure if the comparison was fair.
However the ZL1 comes with Ultra-High Performance tires (Eagle F1 Supercar G2's) meant for summer. The hotter the environment the better the traction will be. I can't remember where I read this but here it is, these tires are not supposed to be used in temps below 50 degrees and should never be stored at temps less than 20 degrees. Not sure why but I'm guessing that at such a low temp the structure/chem makeup of the tire is altered.

For you SS guys with the Perrelis. Have you noticed that the cooler the pavement the worse your traction is?

Also, this type of tire absolutely sucks at the strip, even on a hot day.

Let the temperature debate begin, LOL!

You guys need to get the January 23, 2012. Autoweek. One of the comments in there
Was that randy Pobst who drove both the zl1 and Laguna seca for motor trend was not as fast in the zl1 as Aaron Link, GMs engineer/test driver.Aaron link was the guy who drove the nurburgring lap.

What is...fair?

I'd consider factory-spec "fair" when considering these sorts of reviews. No need to search for details and try to invalidate the comparison.

I've always held that these articles were for entertainment value-only. This is no different. It just so happens the ZL1 came out on top in many of them. Good to see for a change.

Thanks for posting these, guys -- and thanks for adding them to the homepage Tran, was able to catch them at work! Made my day!! :D

Hmm...that sucks. I was thinkin with the roots and all that instant TQ it woulda been able to pull it off with some drag radials or slicks.

Magazine Recap of key facts relating to speed.
 

Car and Driver Mag

Curb weight: 4120 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS:

Zero to 60 mph: 4.1 sec

Zero to 100 mph: 8.9 sec

Zero to 130 mph: 14.7 sec

Street start, 5–60 mph: 4.6 sec

Top gear, 30–50 mph: 7.8 sec

Top gear, 50–70 mph: 6.7 sec

Standing ¼-mile: 12.3 sec @ 119 mph

Top speed (drag ltd, mfr's claim): 180 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 165 ft
Roadholding, 250-ft-dia skidpad: 0.98 g

Motor Trend Mag
ZL1 Boss 302
Curb Weight 4051 lb 3638 lb
TEST DATA
ACCELERATION TO MPH
ZL1 / Boss
0-30 1.6 / 1.7 sec
0-40 2.2 / 2.3
0-50 2.9 / 3.1
0-60 3.8 / 4.0
0-70 4.8 / 5.1
0-80 6.0 / 6.4
0-90 7.3 / 7.9
0-100 8.7 / 9.5
PASSING, 45-65 MPH 1.7 1.7
ZL1 / Boss
QUARTER MILE 12.1 sec @ 117.4 mph / 12.4 sec @ 113.9 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 108 ft 112 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION 1.00 g (avg) 1.01 g (avg)
2.2-MI ROAD COURSE LAP 01:41.3 01:43.7
TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH 1700 rpm 1950 rpm


Autoweek Mag
CURB WT: 4120 lb.
0-60 MPH 3.9 sec (auto), 4.0 sec (manual)
1/4 Mile 12.0 (auto), 12.1 (manual)


AUTOMOBILE Mag
Weight 4084 lb..
0-60 4.3
0-100 9.5
1/4 mi. 12.6 @ 116 mph

Interesting statement in Popular Mechanics: