Quote:
Originally Posted by ParisTNDude
Curious that so many would object to the proposition that a Z28 would be tested on the 1/4 mile track. The 1/4 mile test is the standard measuring stick for every car magazine on every car they get their hands on. We all draw huge assumptions based on the 1/4 mile and 60' times it will post, as well as braking. Some of the Car Mags post a database of all the cars they've tested and I, for one, generally use that to rack and stack where my car and others fit in.
The original Z28 spent many an hour at the drag strip and most were very pleased with it's performance. I'm guessing, most people who will own a new Z28 will never hit a road course for lots of reasons, mostly that tracks are few and far between and expensive to run, especially since a set of tires could be gone in one track day. The drag strip cost $20 and is a venue where you can legally "open it up". However, some of our military guys lucky enough to get an assignment to Europe will have the blast of a lifetime!
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The concern isn't as much that somebody eventually will run this car at the dragstrip as it is that there are people who would shift the Z/28's publicly-perceived focus away from its road course intent.
Placing so much emphasis on dragstrip stats skews the way the car is viewed even within the enthusiast segment. ETs and trap speeds is one thing, but as soon as you mention 60' times you've shown a clear dragstrip focus and a desire to make a dragstrip car out of the Z/28. That's where the objections lie.
On edit, simply opening it up in a straight line isn't challenging enough for some of us.
Worst downstream case would be for Chevy to listen to the dragstrip moaners about how 7 liters and 500+ HP wasn't performing in a straight line up to expectations, and they proceed to soften the road course capabilities to crutch the dragstrip numbers as a result.
"Standard measuring sticks" aside, we don't all have the drag racer's outlook and don't even think the same way. Suppose the corner-carvers here had asked what skidpad and slalom performances could be expected from the COPOs? With the implication being that some whining would result if those measurements came in below the performance level of, say, a base SS. That's what concentrating on dragstrip results for the Z/28 and hinting at comparisons to the ZL1 sounds like as heard out toward the other end of the enthusiast spectrum. Try to understand.
Norm