[mikem2104]

Ive had experience with both. I had a 2016 2ss that was totalled by an idiot driver and now own a 2ss 1le. My opinion ... honestly ... get the 2ss. Without tracking it there is no reason to get the 1le. The alcantara is harder to take care of, the tires are sticky and fling a ton of rocks, on the street the stock 2ss brakes are more than enough. Add mag ride to the 2ss and have a great damn time, you will not regret it. You can jazz up the interior with different leather options too.

My 2 cents.

[Racerman27410]

I've tracked my 2ss plenty of times and never found it lacking in performance ..... except for the first time my brake pedal got soft at the end of a session. i switched to dot 4 fluid after that and no more issues.

Seeing as how your original post was comparing a 2SS and a 1SS 1LE i'm assuming these cars are both on the lot...... i would go 2SS.

i've been around VIR in my 2SS with a pro driver at the wheel and he did not find the car lacking one bit.... matter of fact he also passed a 1LE during our session so unless you are a pro driver i doubt you will be disappointed with the 2SS. I know i love all the extra features on mine and would not buy another car without them.

[Dark Phoenix]

Sounds like the car for you is a 2SS 1LE. Gauging from what you said in your original post and your car background, I wouldn’t settle on a 1SS 1LE or a 2SS non-1LE.

[wjones14]

Originally Posted by jaxonjr

First post on here, so go easy.

I’m weighing buying a 2020 2SS or 1SS 1LE. Both manual.

2SS has Mag ride and the upgraded exhaust.

I’ll never track it.

I like performance. I’ve owned a lot of German performance.

I know the brakes are better on the 1LE.

Heard the chassis is better and the clutch is better on the 1LE.

Like the wheels better on the 1LE.

But.... I prefer the interior and upgrades on the 2SS.

Just for grins..... I haven’t owned Chevy since 1976 when I had Chevy Vega. I was 21.

If you're coming from an M2, you have to get a 2SS. Otherwise, you're losing a lot of features and going for a significant downgrade in interior quality. Even better, look around and find a 2SS 1LE and you will have no buyer's remorse.

I came from a 2 Series myself, though it was the M235i and not the M2. Overall I like the 2SS 1LE a lot better, but even with the 2SS, the BMW still had a nicer interior.

And if you can't swing the 2SS 1LE, don't think that the 2SS non-1LE is a non-performer! Check out this Motor Trend Head-to-Head comparison with an M4 versus a non-1LE SS. The SS hangs with the M4 in every objective measure, so you can be sure it compares even more favorably with your old M2.

[slimjim2525]

Get the 2ss. A lot more options, especially since you don't plan to track the car. Also, not sure if it matters to you, but the tire choices are significantly limited for the 1LE.

[dangjohnny]

I switched to Michelin ps4s and was my first tire choice. Had no issues getting the same size as stock.

[AmazinglySmooth]

Originally Posted by Nightfall ss1le

Is this because you got a really early production date 2018? I do agree with most others on it. Tough to go wrong with a 2SS 1LE & get the best of both worlds. I had planned on a new 1SS 1LE & found a deal I couldn’t pass up on with my car... now that I have the extra stuff I wouldn’t want to go without it.

They only had 1 1LE on the lot. A few more of the others (2SS and ZL1). I bought in May 2018.

[closs2sx]

Originally Posted by TRZ06

THIS!!!

Those that reply saying you will only use 30% of what a 1LE is on the street do not push their cars hard.

I am a performance guy and after my horrible experiences and disappointment in my previous M3, I wanted a proper track focused car where everything works in harmony, that my friend is the SS 1LE. I do not track, but I love canyon roads, mountain roads, switch backs and on/off ramps. I use 100% of what the 1LE offers, not all the time, but definitely in select spots.

The 2SS 1LE is the perfect balance.

If you are a performance oriented guy, like it sounds like you are, there is no other option you should choose other than the SS 1LE, unless you wanted to step into the big dog ZLE, but that is definitely not a perfect balance car, that is a TRACK FIRST, DAMN THE REST car.

I couldn't agree more. I have a z06 z07 pkg c7 with 650 rwhp (never had it on the track at least yet bought it new in 2015) a 2018 zl1 1le with just intake and corsa exhaust from primary cats back (been on track once so far) and a 2018 ss 1le with 850 rwhp that I just got in October (never been on track) but boy are the back roads of nh fun

there is a big difference between an ss and an ss 1le when driven spirited. nothing wrong with the ss. comparing an ss to an ss 1le is like comparing a challenger rt to an ss

[7speed]

Get a used Zl1.

[cdrptrks]

Originally Posted by mikem2104

Ive had experience with both. I had a 2016 2ss that was totalled by an idiot driver and now own a 2ss 1le. My opinion ... honestly ... get the 2ss. Without tracking it there is no reason to get the 1le. The alcantara is harder to take care of, the tires are sticky and fling a ton of rocks, on the street the stock 2ss brakes are more than enough. Add mag ride to the 2ss and have a great damn time, you will not regret it. You can jazz up the interior with different leather options too.

My 2 cents.

+1

I have a 1SS 1LE and it is great on the track and works on normal roads but the 1LE's added stiffness definitely compromises the comfort too much to justify if you will never track it. If the road is not glass smooth it is much more noticeable/uncomfortable in the 1LE even in the softest touring suspension mode than in a regular SS because of the thicker sway bars and stiffer suspension. I definitely recommend considering the magnetic ride option though. I have driven 2 different rental Camaro SSes hard in the canyons pulling slightly over 1G in some of the corners according to the HUD and had no issues with their stock brakes/tires...you are very unlikely to notice a difference in brakes/tires (besides the 1LE tires costing more, needing to be replaced noticeably more often, and being more sketchy in the rain) unless you are driving at a track or autocross. I can pull around 1.2 or 1.3G in the corners on track in my 1SS 1LE for comparison and of course there aren't cliffs you could drive off of there so the actual delta is probably a bit smaller. :P

Originally Posted by Laststandard

Suspension arms and geometry are the same, and all Camaro's have the strut tower to body links. Pretty sure the cradle and suspension bushings are the same as well.

There are different suspension arm part numbers for the 1LE (FE4 option code) because they include stiffer bushings than the regular SS. Not sure if the shape and dimensions of the metal are the same or not. I assume other suspension bushings are also stiffer.

Originally Posted by closs2sx

there is a big difference between an ss and an ss 1le when driven spirited. nothing wrong with the ss.

In terms of lap time, in the hands of a pro driver, the SS 1LE is 3 seconds faster on a 1:34 lap or slightly over 3% faster. If you are consistently pushing hard enough to notice the difference in corners on the street, expect to understeer or oversteer out of your lane eventually, potentially damaging your car and/or injuring yourself/others. The 1LE does feel more stable in the corners due to less body roll from the stiffer suspension and the better bolstering of the Recaro seats but not worth the cruising comfort tradeoff if you are never going to track it IMO.

[closs2sx]

The 1LE does feel more stable in the corners due to less body roll from the stiffer suspension and the better bolstering of the Recaro seats but not worth the cruising comfort tradeoff if you are never going to track it IMO.[/QUOTE]

Bought my ss 1le in Tennessee and drove it home in a day and a half to nh with my 72 yr old father. After the trip my dad said that car is pretty comfortable. The car also has the 1le specific eibach springs in it so comfort is not an issue at all. So if your just going to cruise around town and never push the car then the ss is plenty more then adequate being the op has had the M series of bmw then I would assume he would want the “M” series of camaro and that’s the ss 1le or the zl1 1le.

[Fraxum]

OP, if you are not going to track your Camaro I think you would be happier with the 2SS. Why carry around extra weight (50-75 pounds)for no purpose on the street? They both handle about the same snd the 2SS is also a great track car if you decide to try it. ALL SSes are.

The 2SS has more goodies you might appreciate. The 2SS 1LE would be cool but for the price you could buy a lightly used ZL1 and get the 1LE on sterioids and the 2SS luxuries and make a really smart buy.

If you are not going to track you might consider an LT1. It is a 1SS mostly without the extra tracky stuff. And is one of the best perfromance bargains on the planet. And it too is quite trackable witrh tires.

I went 2SS -> ZL1 -> LT1 and found my Camaro sweet spot.

[Abubaca]

Those that reply saying you will only use 30% of what a 1LE is on the street do not push their cars hard.

Just so we're clear... ....what your saying is that you push your car, on public roads, beyond the limits of an SS?

[Lafourche1]

I suggest the 2SS. I had a 2016 2SS with the TR6060 transmission. The car was fantastic on a 4,000 mile road trip to Little Big Horn, Black Hills and Badlands. It was comfortable, had enough storage for a couple of guys on a real road trip and just ate up the miles. This car had the MRC and NPP exhaust and no sunroof (really like the look of that roofline).

I tracked that car, very hard, as well. I did end up, upgrading to a more track oriented pad and rotors. However, that was likely due to me learning the car and I may have been guilty of newbie braking. The 3,300 foot front straight at NOLA does put a strain on the brakes for corner #1. The car was predictable and while it understeered a bit at the limit, the right foot could change that tendency.

The 2SS is a wonderful package. It is plenty capable on the track or the street. Find one with the MRC and you can change from GT to track capable with a push of a button.