ZL1 Camaro vs gt500

[Mikeg1028]

so, i currently have a 2012 5.0 and im thinking of getting a new toy in the middle of next year.. im not getting rid of the 5.0 as i friggin love the car its very well balanced.

now heres my question i know the gt500 kills the zl1 stock in a straight line but my question is how does it perform with mods.

aka lets say you throw a tune and a pully do you have any chance?

i would love to own both these cars as i think it would be not only awesome bu ballin as fuuuu lol

[Deki]

Buy one over the other purely based on one aspect of performance is foolish. Just drive them both, and see which one fits your needs better.

[Mikeg1028]

well if it was purely performance i wouldnt even consider the ZL1, i want some variety and theirs some queues about the camaro that i miss but after all it is a Performance car and i do expect a 50k+ car to perform

[LimaCharlie]

Originally Posted by Deki

Buy one over the other purely based on one aspect of performance is foolish. Just drive them both, and see which one fits your needs better.

I agree with Deki.
Both cars have their good/bad points over the other. In general, the GT500 is a numbers and bragging rights car. It has awesome power, great power-to-weight ratio, amazing 1/4 mile times, and is a good road course car. The ZL1 is the more civilized car. I think it's a better daily driver, has better comfort/ride quality, has awesome road course ability, and still has plenty of power.

[Mikeg1028]

Originally Posted by LimaCharlie

I agree with Deki.
Both cars have their good/bad points over the other. In general, the GT500 is a numbers and bragging rights car. It has awesome power, great power-to-weight ratio, amazing 1/4 mile times, and is a good road course car. The ZL1 is the more civilized car. I think it's a better daily driver, has better comfort/ride quality, has awesome road course ability, and still has plenty of power.

i cant speak for a gt500 cause ive never owned one but i felt my gt made a better DD than my SS due to the blindspots the SS had and the horrific drone it made when you put a aftermarket exhaust on it...

has their been improvements when it comes to that drone issue now that im sure the market in exhausts has improved..

the car is not going to be a daily driver to be honest

[sonic656]

Originally Posted by Mikeg1028

i cant speak for a gt500 cause ive never owned one but i felt my gt made a better DD than my SS due to the blindspots the SS had and the horrific drone it made when you put a aftermarket exhaust on it...

has their been improvements when it comes to that drone issue now that im sure the market in exhausts has improved..

the car is not going to be a daily driver to be honest

I'd say go with the GT500 then. If you were going to drive either one literally 5 days a week to work I'd think about maybe getting a ZL1 but even then its not like the GT500 its riding in a buggy hahaha.

Drive both and whichever is a better fit is the best thing to do. If you're the kind of guy like I am and like to open it up on a back road every once in a while I'd look at some 60-130 times. The Shelby is no slouch out of the box even compared to a C6Z in those regards.

[motorhead]

It's stupid to purchase a car based solely on 1/4 mile times unless you plan on doing a lot of drag racing which you could spend a lot less and smoke both a zl1 and gt500.

[Mikeg1028]

Originally Posted by motorhead

It's stupid to purchase a car based solely on 1/4 mile times unless you plan on doing a lot of drag racing which you could spend a lot less and smoke both a zl1 and gt500.

Once again I'm not buying it strictly based on performance as if I was I would undoubtably get the gt500, however I do want to be able to pull on some cars every once in a while as once again it is in the end of the day a performance car. And this car will be my toy, moreso than than my 5.0 cause i put my 5.0 through daily driving and it's great at it.


I'm just wondering how they respond to mods is it making a significant difference or is it marginal improvements, I would love to buy a car that responds well to something simple like a pulley change and a tune.

[BlackinBlack]

Originally Posted by Mikeg1028

Once again I'm not buying it strictly based on performance as if I was I would undoubtably get the gt500, however I do want to be able to pull on some cars every once in a while as once again it is in the end of the day a performance car. And this car will be my toy, moreso than than my 5.0 cause i put my 5.0 through daily driving and it's great at it.


I'm just wondering how they respond to mods is it making a significant difference or is it marginal improvements, I would love to buy a car that responds well to something simple like a pulley change and a tune.

As a ZL1 owner I can give you my opinion on the car.

1) Blind spot is not so bad when the mirrors are adjusted. My biggest grip in my 2010 was backing up and the backup camera has eliminated that complaint for me.

2) As a DD. The car has perfect street manners and is smoother than my SS and ton more behaved than the 2013 Mustangs I test drove. Traction is good dry or wet as long as you use your brain.

3) Modding the car. Simple CAI give the car 30+ HP at the crank with no tune and put the car over 600 HP. Pulley and CAI can put you near 75 HP again with no tune but is the limit without a tune. My concern with the pulley change is if GM would have an issue if a warranty problem arises. As a DD the car has tons of power and can get you past any legal speed limit in a hurry. I am still on the fence on even adding a CAI to mine. The car is pretty perfect "as is" and it is great knowing I can drive it hard with no warranty issues. Something I never felt like I could do with my SS. If warranty is not an issue the car will make a ton of power quickly.

[Mikeg1028]

Originally Posted by BlackinBlack

As a ZL1 owner I can give you my opinion on the car.

1) Blind spot is not so bad when the mirrors are adjusted. My biggest grip in my 2010 was backing up and the backup camera has eliminated that complaint for me.

2) As a DD. The car has perfect street manners and is smoother than my SS and ton more behaved than the 2013 Mustangs I test drove. Traction is good dry or wet as long as you use your brain.

3) Modding the car. Simple CAI give the car 30+ HP at the crank with no tune and put the car over 600 HP. Pulley and CAI can put you near 75 HP again with no tune but is the limit without a tune. My concern with the pulley change is if GM would have an issue if a warranty problem arises. As a DD the car has tons of power and can get you past any legal speed limit in a hurry. I am still on the fence on even adding a CAI to mine. The car is pretty perfect "as is" and it is great knowing I can drive it hard with no warranty issues. Something I never felt like I could do with my SS. If warranty is not an issue the car will make a ton of power quickly.

exactly the answer I was trying to find!!! your the man...

I know some may be sensitive to hear this but cant you just put the stock parts back on? a CAI and pulley shouldn't be hard to put back when you take it in for warranty. I'm glad you mention this as warranty is part of my concern.

since you own one has there been any big issues with the car with other owners that you know of? for example the 5.0's are known to have the cheap mt82 transmission that's always breaking and a piston number 8 issue anything like that going around with the zl1's?

[BlackinBlack]

Originally Posted by Mikeg1028

exactly the answer I was trying to find!!! your the man...

I know some may be sensitive to hear this but cant you just put the stock parts back on? a CAI and pulley shouldn't be hard to put back when you take it in for warranty. I'm glad you mention this as warranty is part of my concern.

since you own one has there been any big issues with the car with other owners that you know of? for example the 5.0's are known to have the cheap mt82 transmission that's always breaking and a piston number 8 issue anything like that going around with the zl1's?

You can put the stock parts back on but that seems to be a pain. The pulley is not an easy change is it is the lower one. A CAI as far as I know has never voided a warranty. I had one on my SS and three different dealers never said a word about it.

So far my car has been fine. The transmission is great and much improved over my SS. From what I have read on this forum most issues are not ZL1 specific but Camaro issues (like rear end noise, paint, my link, etc.... none of which mine has had at this time.). Most common complaint for ZL1 owners that is model specific is noise from the isolator on the supercharger. It is a common thing with LSA engines and has be an issue for CTS-V owners for years. It does not affect operation but is an annoyance to some people. Either mine does not do it or it does not bother me. My car has a little under 1700 miles on it. For the most part the car is very solid. With the number on this forum modded and raced it is amazing that there has not been a major failure. (There was the one 2012 that famously crashed but the car had day one issues.) Looks like overall GM delivered a solid car.

Would I buy my car again? Without question.

[james347]

I was going to suggest reading over the Mustang Forums, but since you already own a 5.0 I am sure you are well aware of what the GT500 owners are saying. Just keep an eye on issues from the factory. That is the stuff that really tweaks most owners of any performance car, buying something new only to have it have some PITA glitch.

[DarkneSS]

If you already have a 5.0 and you are keeping it, the choice is obvious. Get the Camaro and enjoy both awesome cars.

[Deki]

Originally Posted by Mikeg1028

I'm just wondering how they respond to mods is it making a significant difference or is it marginal improvements, I would love to buy a car that responds well to something simple like a pulley change and a tune.

If you're going to mod, then just get the base GT500. The internals are forged, unlike in the LSA, and stock block 5.4s have gone 1000whp, and pretty reliably at that. The 5.8 is just as good as the 5.4, and they are making 700whp with just a pulley, tune and xpipe.