Z28 Higher than SS?

[stovt001]

I autocrossed a non-SC Cobalt SS (2.4L NA 177hp). Did it deserve the SS badge? No. But the Sport name the trim has now? Heck yes. Very sporty. Just not super sporty. The new TC Cobalt SS making 260 hp? I think so. That is darn respectable in a compact, right up there with the Mazdaspeed3.

The last gen Malibu SS? Totally uncalled for and totally killed the name.

Older Impala SS? Good. New Impala SS? Borderline. Again, I drove it at Rev It Up on the autocross course, and it was a ton of fun to drive and pretty quick. It easily spun the front tires on launch.

Trailblazer SS? IMO, currently the best SS in Chevy's lineup. I mean that thing blew your mind. I never thought a large SUV could be so fast through an autocross course. And I didn't even push it to its limits because I still couldn't adjust my head to driving an SUV that hard. It is really legit.

Anyway, the way I see it, the SS and the Z28 can be two different types of top dog. The SS can be the fully loaded V8 model, with tons of features, tons of power, good suspension, etc. The Z28 could be more of the bare bones racer. Hard core, brutal, and meant just for performance. So both would be top dogs, just in different ways.

[09'Z28]

Stovet001 you got a pretty good idea with the SS being the fully loaded model and Z28 being bare-bone racer

[2010_5thgen]

agree^^^^^^
whos says the z28 wont be bad ass if its not the top dog????? its still a sick car no matter what the name is. ss or z28 it doesnt matter. just buy the baddest if thats what you want,no matter what the name is.


oh and they did make the impala in a ss form. the last rear wheel drive lt1 version was an ss, and they made many ss version in the 60's.

[Kahlis]

I forgot about the Trailblazer SS. A buddy of mine at my last command bought one. Damn quick, agile, and fun to drive. Oh yeah,... thee days after he bought it someone threw up all over the back seat. You couldn't help but laugh! LOL

[radz28]

Ouch. If someone barfed in my brand new truck, I'd have to punch them in the zipper...

I think the SS, back in the day, meant strickly straight line performance. I loved all those cars from the 60s and early 70s. To me, the Z28 just seemed to be the ultimate expression and balance of straight line performance and agility in the turns. I'm bias toward Z28 being the top dog, however, I'd be almost as happy with an SS; I'd just have to get a matching SS tatoo on my left shoulder to match the Z28 on my right

[nbjczk71]

Originally Posted by IToldYouSo

no i am sure becasue my dad had one back in the day and the insurance companies looked at them has the faster and more powerful of the 2. yeah there were 427 but how many do you see around that are matching numbers and came like that from factory? so as far as the 2 cars themselves ( z28 and ss) the z no matter what motor was in it was considered the better faster car

OK, as an avid first gen camaro collector, the answer to all this lies in what kind of "muscle" car you want. For the track, the Z28 was the top dog. That's why they made the car, to race on a track to compete with the Boss 302's, and later the ARA Cuda's. If were talking dag strip, then either a 396 SS car, or COPO 427 (if you wanted to pay basically double the cost of a SS 396). In a straight line no doubt the big block SS cars would take the Z28. Trust me, I own one of each. The Z28 is actually kind of boring to drive around town unless you keep it above 3500rpm.

[wildpaws]

Originally Posted by nbjczk71

OK, as an avid first gen camaro collector, the answer to all this lies in what kind of "muscle" car you want. For the track, the Z28 was the top dog. That's why they made the car, to race on a track to compete with the Boss 302's, and later the ARA Cuda's. If were talking dag strip, then either a 396 SS car, or COPO 427 (if you wanted to pay basically double the cost of a SS 396). In a straight line no doubt the big block SS cars would take the Z28. Trust me, I own one of each. The Z28 is actually kind of boring to drive around town unless you keep it above 3500rpm.

Actually, when the Z/28 first came out in '67, there was no Boss 302 yet (at least on the track). Ford was still running 289cid engines in the Trans Am Sedan Races. Other than that small detail I agree with your thoughts.
Clyde

[2010_5thgen]

Originally Posted by radz282003

Ouch. If someone barfed in my brand new truck, I'd have to punch them in the zipper...

I think the SS, back in the day, meant strickly straight line performance. I loved all those cars from the 60s and early 70s. To me, the Z28 just seemed to be the ultimate expression and balance of straight line performance and agility in the turns. I'm bias toward Z28 being the top dog, however, I'd be almost as happy with an SS; I'd just have to get a matching SS tatoo on my left shoulder to match the Z28 on my right

well back in the day , all they had to do was strait line racing. i dont think they were drifting or doing too much lemanns racing back in the 60's in the states.most of that was over seas.

[wildpaws]

Originally Posted by 2010_5thgen

well back in the day , all they had to do was strait line racing. i dont think they were drifting or doing too much lemanns racing back in the 60's in the states.most of that was over seas.

"Back in the day" the whole reason the Z/28 was put into production was to meet homologation requirements for the Trans Am Sedan Races, which were most certainly not straight line racing. Now I will agree that there were not many individuals participating in such racing back then, almost all of the Trans Am teams had factory sponsorship or help. And I was among many enthusiasts that bought new Z/28s because they were much more than straight line racers, there was only a few dollars difference between a new Z/28 and a new SS350 in '67-'69, many of us opted for the Z/28 because of what it was.
Clyde

[The_Blur]

I've always viewed the Z28 as a stripped track racer and the SS as a street racer with all the trimmings. Look at the SS cars on the road today. They all seem to feature leather, two-tones seats with an advanced audio system and 18" rims. With that in mind, I would put the SS higher in price with more features and luxuries while the Z28 features a bigger motor. Recently, Chevrolet has been supercharging or turbocharging SS models, so I can see the SS with a smaller engine but more horses under the hood.

I guess which one is better is up to what priorities the driver has. A stripped, lightweight track racer is better for those who seek raw speed; a leather-clad, big-rim street whip is better for those who want to flaunt style and street-legal speed.

[2010_5thgen]

^^^ look at the ss in 2002, it was nothing likr you are describing there. it was a raw racer. suspension mods, exhaust, the looks. it was more to it than the z.

[The_Blur]

Originally Posted by 2010_5thgen

^^^ look at the ss in 2002, it was nothing likr you are describing there. it was a raw racer. suspension mods, exhaust, the looks. it was more to it than the z.

I know there are exceptions to what I said. Now, SS models come with all the trimmings. I would expect the Camaro SS to fit that standard by having speed and luxury. That's just my observation. It certainly doesn't mean that's how things will work with the Camaro.

[radz28]

Originally Posted by 2010_5thgen

well back in the day , all they had to do was strait line racing. i dont think they were drifting or doing too much lemanns racing back in the 60's in the states.most of that was over seas.

I was also thinking about the Trans Am series. Maybe I got all mixed up.

[radz28]

Originally Posted by 2010_5thgen

^^^ look at the ss in 2002, it was nothing likr you are describing there. it was a raw racer. suspension mods, exhaust, the looks. it was more to it than the z.

IMHO, the SS was not a "raw racer." They made close to the same power (if you didn't opt' for SLP options.) You couldn't get 1LE components on an SS, although some similar parts could be sourced from SLP, however, the Z28 was completely GM, to my understanding. My '02 has everything the SS had (through GM; I don't consider SLP as part of GM) except two-tone seats, the same 500 watt Monsoon, 12-disc changer, same tranny, same gears, etc. The biggest difference I know of what the hood/spoiler, different exhaust (larger with two single tips,) paint and seat trim. Again, SLP offered a catback, Blackwing lid at the end of the production run, a couple interior details, and a couple levels of suspension. SLP is just not the same to me because it isn't GM... I don't agree with the statement above, completely.

Just my .02.