1LE Daily driver?

[krump99]

Hey guys I'm really looking into buying a Camaro soon and was curious how well of a daily driver the 1LE is. I go to college in Michigan so I know its not gonna be the best in the snow but if the roads are that bad I would just stay home. I'm also debating on a 5th gen 1LE or a 6th gen 2ss.

[Livernois Motorsports]

Hey we can for sure relate since we are in Dearborn MI. The only thing that scares me on my car is the giant potholes that can occur from our lovely roads. Also the salt factor would make me want to have a winter car for 3-4 months. But if your cool with it then yes it would be a bad ass daily driver

[Glassman66]

I daily mine in Colorado, but only when the snow is off the streets. Tires will be important. I pulled the GY Eagle F1 supercars off and went with bfgoodrich comp 2, world of difference in the cold.

[Tomsusername]

I daily drive mine in Boston. My honest opinion: If you're not going to the track, you might as well just get a regular SS. The ride will make you grind your teeth on every so-so street you encounter. Something with the same power, but softer suspension would probably make the daily drive a lot more fun. Also, I've bent and fixed 1 rim sofar. (Which is actually way better than I thought I'd do after having the car for over a year.)

HOWEVER if you do plan on going to the track, a 1LE is almost mandatory. The difference in cornering speed between this thing and a regular SS is visible at a track day. For that reason alone, I suck it up on the daily commute.

As for the snow, the ground clearance is legitimately better than my old 4th gen. I got a set of Pirelli Sottozero 3's, and snow hasn't been an issue. I just power-wash under the car as often as I can.

[terry_b]

Tomsusername is right. I'm actually not far from Boston too. The ride is definitely pretty rough on bad pavement. I feel really bad when I'm giving my girlfriend's mom a ride or something.

Suspension may be punishing, but there are a couple other things to consider specific to the 1LE. I had a 2010 V6 and the difference between my v6 and a regular old SS wasn't really a big deal to me. But then I drove a 1LE and I knew I had to have it.

The transmission has closer gearing and the rear has 3.91 gears. Overall, the final drive ratio isn't a whole lot different than the SS, but the closer gears 1 - 4 makes it way more fun. It also gets electric power steering, and the interior goodies are pretty neat.

Of course you can always buy new wheels, but getting the OEM 1LE wheels is pretty awesome.

For winter, snow tires are a must have. I've gotten by with my Michelin A/S 3+ tires.... But there are times when I literally just couldn't get the rear tires to get traction. Scary when torque and cold temperatures have your rear tires spinning on every stoplight!

I couldn't be happier though, I'm at 66k miles, and I've driven it every single day.

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[WHAMMO]

Ill chime in; bought my 1LE new 2013. I live up north in Canada. Forget about the stock tires unless lapping. Even for autocross they suck. They will only throw rocks on your car. But they are sticky and impressive on a hot day when warm.

Stock tires makes the ride a lot harsher. When I switched to Michelin A/S 3, it got a lot softer, but lost a grip on hot days, which are rare.

For a daily and suspension, its nowhere close to be a problem IMO. The car needs to be store during winter, like any other SS. We have yhe worst roads in north America, and its a proven fact. I just go around the pothole and thats fine. When I hit one accidentally, its not bad at all. I dont see any problem.

I would never skip on a 1LE because its a tremendous value and its so worth it!!

Small upgrades on a regular make a world of difference, which could be a solution. Just better sway bars are said to be big step..

I strongly suggest Goodrich A/S 2...those tires would grip on wet roads with my agressive setup!! Theyre good on light snow too.

[krump99]

Thanks for all your input guys! I'm definitely gonna buy a 1LE hopefully next month. The concerns you guys brought up aren't too big of a deal and there's no way I can buy a normal ss because when I see a 1le on the street I know I will regret it. Also, I'm young so the ride doesn't really bother me.

[WHAMMO]

Originally Posted by krump99

Thanks for all your input guys! I'm definitely gonna buy a 1LE hopefully next month. The concerns you guys brought up aren't too big of a deal and there's no way I can buy a normal ss because when I see a 1le on the street I know I will regret it. Also, I'm young so the ride doesn't really bother me.

Ill add that I drove a GTR, which was stiff as hell. Still can be DD driven, but the 1LE is way more forgiving and handling is as good.


My friends base C6 was less comfortable too imo. Its all about personal preference, but I've never had any complain from my GF or anyone riding in the car for long distance, even 4 heavy guys for a 300miles+ trip. And I've done more than a few 14hours travel in it and its nothing, from Canada to Boston, winchester, Atlantic city, etc. It even has a lowered rear springs (1inch).

I'll repeat my advice for you ; Goodrich comp A/S 2, They are the real deal for a year long use and light winters, or Michelin A/S 3 but they are more expensive and not as sporty as the Goodrich.

Good luck!! Go for it!

[JKiss45]

Originally Posted by Glassman66

Tires will be important. I pulled the GY Eagle F1 supercars off and went with bfgoodrich comp 2, world of difference in the cold.

I agree with this. I DD mine in Ohio. Honestly isn't horrible in the snow. It's substantially better than my G8 was.

[terry_b]

Just had a little snowstorm last night here in MA. My camaro did just fine... made an executive decisions and made a couple stop signs "optional" ( I drove in at 5:30 and had full visibility of the intersection ) but pretty easy drive overall.

Like others have said snow tires are required, but those and good throttle discipline make the camaro handle better than most 4wd pickup trucks.

[BadFrog]

No snow here (Florida) but yes she's a good daily driver