ZL1 Constructive* Criticism Thread

[sspaul]

Originally Posted by Shardik2SS

The only thing I think they should have done was to go with the TVS2300 rather than the 1900 but that's just me being picky.

true but i feel they could have had more horsepower.

[Number 3]

Originally Posted by sspaul

i really think they should have went with a ls7 with maybe a differnet cam and some ported heads.

A farrrrrr more expensive engine with 50 less HP. Still good?

Originally Posted by obzidian

I would say that my only really "problems/negatives" with the car right now are:

1. Weight. We all have read the rumors of the new alpha platform being used for the 6th gen. As it sits, the SS is heavier than the GT500 with the new aluminum 5.4L and that is without any of the extras added on such as the blower+components, mag. ride, body work, etc. The car needs to go on a diet.

2. Hypereutetic Pistons. This is a HUGE no-no in my book. The GT500's 5.4L has been fully forged since DAY 1 and will easily handle 700rwhp+. We all know that the hyper-pistons are brittle and will just come apart. I think that a fully forged piston solution is necessary for GM to compete with the 5.4L motor as the aftermarket is 2-3 steps ahead of the LSA/LS9. (talking about the LS9, use those pistons.... they get the job done!)

3. AFTERMARKET, AFTERMARKET, AFTERMARKET.

I would say the biggest turnoff right now with GM is the lack of an MAJOR "really cool" performance packages for their cars AND the no-tolerance attitude when it comes to modifications. I understand the need to protect themselves but instead of frowning upon any kind of modifications... really offer serious performance upgrades that will keep us happy and the warranty happy. Big blowers with approved tunes, intakes, intercoolers, etc.

These are all things that EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO BUYS THESE CARS will look into and will have to if they want to compete with the GT500. (Look at the FRPP catalog... yeup! 750hp+ 3.4L WHIPPLES with a warranty!) If this is the time for us, the public, to "see" a new GM then be BOLD and let em' hang.

Let the engineers run things for a while. Give them the chance to produce performance packages that will make every GT500 in the area leak oil out of fear. Seriously, the engineers are the guys that propose all the "cool" things that ACTUALLY SELL CARS so give them the freedom to really make a statement with the ZL1.

This is not the time to go soft. Start fresh with this car and get to work. No more "special edition" DECAL CARS. Get nasty! Ford plans to produce a twin turbo 1000hp GT500!!! Seriously, go after that with a performance catalog that will make Carol Shelby rethink the "Ford thing".

uh, that's about it.

You had me until you said "every single person". That's your opinion and probably shared by many here on Camaro5. But it is really a very small number of people that mod to the level you are thinking. If you had said, "come on GM, at least 40% of the buyers of this car....." I might agree, even if that is still high.

And I have no idea where you are hearing Ford has a 1,000 HP TT anything comming out. That's Veyron territory and a RWD Mustang for the street with that HP right from the showroom would be beyond simply an opportunity to get sued. But I wouldn't mind a link to the intel if you have one.

And what on earth makes you think the engineers weren't turned loose on this car?????? It's the best technology GM has to offer on any car and then some. You seem to think somehow because the LS9 (at least a $10,000 premium) that the engineers didn't basically throw the collective knowledge at this car??? They did and I am actually sad to be on a THIS site and hear people think otherwise.

Originally Posted by sspaul

i think they could have done better on the performance side.

Really? I thought they said track times etc. weren't going to be announced util summer.

[nester7929]

The fog lights don't look that good, I would have liked to see the hood vents on the sides of the cowl, and the shark gills on the side should be functional.

My biggest gripe, again, is with the steering wheel. I was among those who hated the feel of the original, and it's good that they made the feel more in-line with other sports cars, but damn that thing is ugly. I don't know why they couldn't have just rescaled the current wheel.

[sspaul]

Originally Posted by Number 3

A farrrrrr more expensive engine with 50 less HP. Still good?



You had me until you said "every single person". That's your opinion and probably shared by many here on Camaro5. But it is really a very small number of people that mod to the level you are thinking. If you had said, "come on GM, at least 40% of the buyers of this car....." I might agree, even if that is still high.

And I have no idea where you are hearing Ford has a 1,000 HP TT anything comming out. That's Veyron territory and a RWD Mustang for the street with that HP right from the showroom would be beyond simply an opportunity to get sued. But I wouldn't mind a link to the intel if you have one.

And what on earth makes you think the engineers weren't turned loose on this car?????? It's the best technology GM has to offer on any car and then some. You seem to think somehow because the LS9 (at least a $10,000 premium) that the engineers didn't basically throw the collective knowledge at this car??? They did and I am actually sad to be on a THIS site and hear people think otherwise.



Really? I thought they said track times etc. weren't going to be announced util summer.

so whats the price difference betweent the lsa and the ls7? and when i said performance i mean they could have had more horsepower. they could have taken the ls7 and put some performance parts in it to have 550+ hp

[lbls1]

I feel that this car could be a slight performance disappointment, due to a few tuner camaros that are on the market now that are making more power than the lsa. It is a bit of ashame, in that the lsa and the powertrain are a stellar team.

The car's composition, including the body trim, interior and wheels, is IMO quite appealing. The theme of the car, however, seems a bit lost. There are a few "ZL" cars out there right now which could make one think that "ZL" is the new "SS"...in terms of badge abuse. I am also afraid that, since chevy decided to name this latest camaro version ZL1, it will suffer some upstaging from the aftermarket ZL cars that are more powerful and could potentially outperform chevy's ZL1.

For me, the avenue that chevy should take to make this wonderful camaro successful is to market it as a close competitor to the GT500, and have its price range in the mid to upper $40,000 range. In addition to this, chevy should re-think adding expensive components to this car that could add more weight as well as drive the cost of the car out of the Ford GT500's price range. If this car exceeds $50,000 then its going to get pushed around by its aftermarket brethren and possibly its big brother Corvette.

Lastly, once Chevy figures out and resolves this car's identity crisis, keep it around a little while. Chevy has an uncanny knack of killing off great cars prematurely. Improve the formula of this new camaro, while sharing those improvements with the SS and the base camaro. Offer some exciting colors with this new model and (hint....another variant of ABM or close to it), most importantly, make the car easier for enthused buyers to own it.

[Number 3]

Originally Posted by sspaul

so whats the price difference betweent the lsa and the ls7? and when i said performance i mean they could have had more horsepower. they could have taken the ls7 and put some performance parts in it to have 550+ hp

If you to GM to buy a crate motor, the LS7 is a bunch more money than the LSA. If I recall correctly, just buying crate motors the LS7 is at least $5,000 more than the LS9.

And I know every hot rodder on this sight can get more HP out of an LS7, to meet ALL of GMs requirements for durability, the LS7 is really at the ragged edge. Any more and you'd have an engine that would be breaking.

And the LS7 already has the highest tech hardware in it. I mean it has Titanium connecting rods

So always keep in mind, what the hot rodders and tuners can do is different that what GM can do simply because GM warranties it for 5 years and 100,000 miles. It needs to make great HP, but also be strong and durable.

Don't get me wrong either, I love the LS7 and I love the power it makes as a NA engine. But unless GM finds away around "hand making every one", the LS7 the costs are very prohibitive. The LSA is made at higher production volumes in a more "normal" plant.

It is truly a great idea, but when you say GM should have used it, you can't also create more HP. It is a 505 HP answer and from what I'm told there isn't much more blood to wring out of the stone................and be durable.

[truth411]

I might be the only one but, it's called the ZL1, that means it should atleast offer the most powerful V8 engine available to GM which is the LS9 as an option.

LSA=Standard
LS9=Optional

[The_cartoonist_88]

I love it but i would like:
1. The option to opt out of the suede interior for a leather interior
2. A more attractive steering wheel
3. Real rear brake vents
4. And maybe an option to use the Transformer spoiler

[OldJedi]

First and foremost, to any Team Camaro member that reads this post, I want to say "THANK YOU". My deposit is in and I am waiting for this car to be built. You exceeded my expectations and you worked very hard at building a phenomenal vehicle. Almost everything that I hoped would be in the car, you installed and then added some things that I did not think would make the build sheet. Thank you, I truly look forward to taking possession of my ZL1 next year.

There are some things that I would like for you to consider before final production:
1. - Please use either the Heritage Grill or the Jay Leno Grill, either one of these grills have a much cleaner look than the current egg crate grill.
2. - The Jay Leno car real rear brake vents would really set off the side appearance of this car and make the 'Bad Ass' look stand out even more. Of course functional rear brake cooling is a nice plus too!
3. - I personally liked the combination LED tailights on the yellow European pre-production car and would like to see them on the ZL1.
4. - Please, please paint it in Jet Stream Blue or Super Sonic Blue or Marina Blue. This car really needs a lighter blue color to bring out the center black stripe and make the car look alive even while it is sitting still.

My only true disappointment came when I saw the under hood pictures. It just seems to be very cluttered and not a clean appearance. the CTS-V engine compartment is much cleaner and I am hoping that maybe some of the hoses and other things can be re-routed just to clean things up a bit in there. The red engine cover and ribbed supercharger looks great, the excessive hoses take away from them, making everything very busy and cluttered.

Thank you once again on a magnificent Camaro that I will be very proud to own.

[dansap]

Wish list would be

1. Heritage Grille

2. Recardo seats

3. Bose system instead of the BA system

4. 600hp

[htron50]

Originally Posted by ndcyberss

1) Push button start

2) 7 speed auto with paddle shift

3) Classic Camaro Colors available


Thats it other than that the car is perfect!

per radz28: ADD Privacy Glass Option

my .02:
ADD Factory Delivery
ADD Full Shop Manual with every car!
__________

[sspaul]

Originally Posted by Number 3

If you to GM to buy a crate motor, the LS7 is a bunch more money than the LSA. If I recall correctly, just buying crate motors the LS7 is at least $5,000 more than the LS9.

And I know every hot rodder on this sight can get more HP out of an LS7, to meet ALL of GMs requirements for durability, the LS7 is really at the ragged edge. Any more and you'd have an engine that would be breaking.

And the LS7 already has the highest tech hardware in it. I mean it has Titanium connecting rods

So always keep in mind, what the hot rodders and tuners can do is different that what GM can do simply because GM warranties it for 5 years and 100,000 miles. It needs to make great HP, but also be strong and durable.

Don't get me wrong either, I love the LS7 and I love the power it makes as a NA engine. But unless GM finds away around "hand making every one", the LS7 the costs are very prohibitive. The LSA is made at higher production volumes in a more "normal" plant.

It is truly a great idea, but when you say GM should have used it, you can't also create more HP. It is a 505 HP answer and from what I'm told there isn't much more blood to wring out of the stone................and be durable.

well the ls7 is $15,000.00 and the ls9 is $23,000.00, so the ls7 is actually cheaper than the ls9 by $8,000.00. i just think gm could put the ls7 in with a nice cam and a set of ported heads and the hp will be about the same as the lsa if not more.

[Revo1]

Please lose the ugly Trailblazer steering wheel, and give us back out sexy deep dish!

Basically all else is badazz!

[Mr. Wyndham]

Hmmm...interesting comments all around.

I've played enough Devil's advocate for the day....so I'm not gonna nitpick anybody's comments. (Apologize if I've come off that way today...)

The ONLY two things...ONLY things I would like to see changed:

• Those DRLs attract too much attention away from the rest of the gorgeous front fascia. I'd like to see the brake ducts relocated to where the DRLs are right now, and the opening for them mirror the edges of the cut in the fascia (so...the brake duct openings would be trapezoidal in shape). And to make up for the loss, have the HID foglights used as DRLs, instead. I never had a problem with a lack of foglights, personally.
  
  
• I LOVE the steering wheel shape and treatments...The original was nice...but a little clunky looking...please consider replacing the bowtie in the airbag cover/horn pad with the text: "Camaro" from the original wheel.

Thank you.

And THANK YOU for for such an amazing new model in the Camaro lineup. You've COMPLETELY out-done yourselves!!!