GM Authority Site Poll - Would the Camaro be a better sports car if it were lighter?

[BiggFoot]

Build it out of Unobtainium. Like the guy said, "look at all of that cheddar"

[djsnoflake]

If you want a lighter Camaro, wait for the 6th gen. I am waiting till the 2013 MY in hopes of hearing more about the next gen Vette.

Cars are always getting better, it's just a matter of how long you want to wait.

[hognutz]

yes. end of story. The sky is also blue.

['StangBlaster5000]

This is like asking if a Bear $h!t$ in the woods.....

[bada]

Originally Posted by jmaryt

yes! the car would be better,but just don't hit anything with it,or get hit!
the weight is there for a reason.the car is 5 stars (safety rating) and is still a "ton" of fun!..just sayin'

Make that TWO TONS of fun......

[VenomInside]

It is not a sports car.

I would like it if it was lighter.

[radz28]

Of course it would perform better, but it would probably be more expensive because of using more exotic-like materials, wouldn't have the crash protection attributes the current generation does, and would be as limp as a noodle and generally feel cheap.

No thanks. Make the mass count and please give me a solid car...

[Shurenuff]

Originally Posted by VenomInside

It is not a sports car.

I would like it if it was lighter.

I agree with both points. To me it's not a sports car or a pony car, and a lot of that has to do with the size and weight of this vehicle.

[oldfriend]

Originally Posted by DGthe3

And coming next week:
Will the Camaro be a better sports car with more power?

And the week after that:
Will the Camaro be a better sports car with wider tires?

And after that:
Will the Camaro be a better sports car with a more responsive suspension?

And after that:
Will the Camaro be a better sports car with more of its weight towards the rear?


There are plenty of ways that the Camaro could be improved upon, if thats the only thing you're considering. But when you're juggling 100 parameters to make a even the simplest of decisions making one area better can easily hurt something else that you're trying to do (like keep cost low)


Ok ... now, take a ~5'10, 150 lb runner and give him 50 lbs of extra muscle mass rather than dead weight and see how he runs. He's gunna be faster.

Its not just pure mass that affects things. Where it is, and what its doing there play an even bigger role than its mere existence. I'm getting kinda tired of people thinking of the weight on the Camaro as 'flab'. Sure, its heavy. But I think of it more as being heavy like an NFL linebacker rather than an armchair quarterback. It not there due to laziness ... it serves a purpose.

The Camaro is heavy due to a number of things. First, its a very stiff chassis. This helps with not only safety (remember that the Camaro aced the 2012 NHTSA safety tests) but it also improves the handling. When the body doesn't flex, the suspension can work better. To pull that mass out you have to either A) switch to more expensive materials B) reduce the strength C) make the car much smaller. Personally, I don't think any of those options are all that great.

There's also the independent rear suspension. Improving handling ability, ride quality, and weight distribution (and possibly centre of gravity ... not sure on that one though). Yes, it adds 150 lbs but it helps more than it hurts.

You look more like a guy running for office ... dancing around the question ....and never go head on to the OP question .....Less weight ....not more muscle , get it now ?huh 0h , that's why in F1 they add like 200lb to the car , so it can corner/brake and reach faster speeds faster ,right.

[GM4lyfe]

Originally Posted by Rice Killer

Any sports car, or any car for that matter, would be better if it was lighter.

Well said, the best quote in this thread. Its a no brainer. I'm surprised that a discussion is needed.

Power to weight= enough said

[HumanWiki]

I'm curious at what point something with X power becomes too light for the method of power transfer to work, even with very sticky tires. The tires depends on a certain amount of downward force to help hold it to the ground... If that's all removed and the vehicle is very light but has crazy power, how are the tires going to transfer it to the pavement -- even with an incredible suspension setup?

I'd like to see the Camaro lighter for sure, but I'm more curious on how far one could reduce the weight of the car before they start seeing loss of traction regardless of the tire in use and would actually make the car slower as a result.. Sort of like an extreme version of slapping on four digit power numbers and using OEM tires.

[den318]

Originally Posted by ron10

it wouldn't be better,but it would definitely be faster.

Faster doesn't equal better? I guess everyone should save the $$ and buy a SS or even more $$ an LT.

[Aziz]

Absolutely. High horsepower figures + Lightweight + more down-force + Proper gear ratios= unbelievable machine of speed.

[WheelmanSS]

In related news, there will be a poll tomorrow:

Would Camaro be a better sports car if it had more power?


Followed by:

Would grass grow longer if it was watered?