I wish I would have bought a ZL1

[Front Runner]

Originally Posted by Billy10mm

The 1LE is almost as good as a Stingray.

Dude, put down the crackpipe.

[45thAnniversary2SS]

Originally Posted by schecter7

You read it right. I'm one of those very few people in this forum who drives both 1LE and SS. I laugh everyday as 1LE owners try to convince themselves how significantly better 1LE is than SS. They both have the same damn trim - SS. If 1LE was such a big deal, it would have its own trim with a much higher price tag.

Do you seriously think $3500 will buy you 13 second on VIR in 2013/14? Hehe - I wish you were right. You picked a 2010 SS for VIR comparison. SS suspension received a major upgrade after 2010.

SS is faster in straight line & 1LE is faster on track. There is a catch - after 3/4K miles on GY and Pirellis, 1LE handles like sh*t and SS handles better at that point on the street, which is a bummer if you think about it. 1LE is nothing but an SS with some cheap mods (still worth $3500 if you factor in the suade, red calipers, matte wrap, etc). You can put the same money on an SS for wider, lighter wheel/tire combo and few other goodies and it'll just be as good (if not better) as a 1LE.

Winner.

[t&t moyer]

For the love of god someone end or lock this thread....... It's turned in to a "he said she said" vomit contest blah blah blah.

[schecter7]

Sorry, Billy10mm & everyone else :( I should have played it cool - my apologies. Enjoy your badas* rides. Time to hit the bar. Peace.

[PwrCrusr]

Originally Posted by 45thAnniversary2SS

Winner.

Hardly...

[GONIF]

Wow ,all I did was express my opinion on the fact that I was wishing I bought a ZL1 . All in all I like the 1LE ,just wish it had more grunt like the ZL1 with good drivability . In the fall I will cam and retune the 1LE . All Im after is another 50 RWHP . My intent was never to start a big blowup on what is better .

[CamaroTom]

Originally Posted by schecter7

You read it right. I'm one of those very few people in this forum who drives both 1LE and SS. I laugh everyday as 1LE owners try to convince themselves how significantly better 1LE is than SS. They both have the same damn trim - SS. If 1LE was such a big deal, it would have its own trim with a much higher price tag.

Do you seriously think $3500 will buy you 13 second on VIR in 2013/14? Hehe - I wish you were right. You picked a 2010 SS for VIR comparison. SS suspension received a major upgrade after 2010.

SS is faster in straight line & 1LE is faster on track. There is a catch - after 3/4K miles on GY and Pirellis, 1LE handles like sh*t and SS handles better at that point on the street, which is a bummer if you think about it. 1LE is nothing but an SS with some cheap mods (still worth $3500 if you factor in the suade, red calipers, matte wrap, etc). You can put the same money on an SS for wider, lighter wheel/tire combo and few other goodies and it'll just be as good (if not better) as a 1LE.

Then what did you buy your 1LE for if you already had an SS?

Cheap mods like a different transmission(giving you same 1-4 gear ratios as Z28)
3.91 rear end
suspension
wheels
tires to name a few? OK

In addition to my own experiences, I value a Pro's word over some dude on a forum any day.

Randy Pobst states "the 1LE is the best balanced Camaro I've driven over any of the Models" 12:25

[2cnd chance]

Originally Posted by 1LEMayhem

Then what did you buy your 1LE for if you already had an SS?

Cheap mods like a different transmission(giving you same 1-4 gear ratios as Z28)
3.91 rear end
suspension
wheels
tires to name a few? OK

In addition to my own experiences, I value a Pro's word over some dude on a forum any day.

Randy Pobst states "the 1LE is the best balanced Camaro I've driven over any of the Models" 12:25

[47AJV8]

Originally Posted by GONIF

I like the 1LE a lot ,but wish I bought the ZL1 . Modifying the 1LE engine with a Maggi SC is $7000.00 and would work real well I suppose ,but I would then need to do the brakes. I know I would never recoup the cost in 2 years when I sell it ,whereas a stock ZL1 with just Headers would have been more fun and less loss at resale time . I was too dumb/cheap to realize just how good a ZL1 is . A cam might work ,but to get real power NA ,it would need to be a big one and would kill drivability and this is a daily driver. So in the end GM had it right FI is the answer . If ya want to play ya gotta pay. And nothing has changed ,the question was and still is how fast do you want to go ? And the answer is still ,how much are you willing to spend. So the Mods are done and I will just enjoy the car as it is .Bo Ported TB, long tubes with HF cats, CAI with race scoop ,and a Nick D tune .

If you're going to mod, always start with the fastest car you can afford. It's just the way it is.

[Camaro Dude]

What GONIF really wants is a Z28, but he doesn't know it yet .

[gajagfan]

Originally Posted by schecter7

You read it right. I'm one of those very few people in this forum who drives both 1LE and SS. I laugh everyday as 1LE owners try to convince themselves how significantly better 1LE is than SS. They both have the same damn trim - SS. If 1LE was such a big deal, it would have its own trim with a much higher price tag.

Do you seriously think $3500 will buy you 13 second on VIR in 2013/14? Hehe - I wish you were right. You picked a 2010 SS for VIR comparison. SS suspension received a major upgrade after 2010.

SS is faster in straight line & 1LE is faster on track. There is a catch - after 3/4K miles on GY and Pirellis, 1LE handles like sh*t and SS handles better at that point on the street, which is a bummer if you think about it. 1LE is nothing but an SS with some cheap mods (still worth $3500 if you factor in the suade, red calipers, matte wrap, etc). You can put the same money on an SS for wider, lighter wheel/tire combo and few other goodies and it'll just be as good (if not better) as a 1LE.

I used the VIR times to stay in line with your use of VIR times. I am aware of the suspension upgrade in 2012, but Road and Track found the standard 2013 to have a skid-pad result of .87 G (only slightly better than the 2001 WS6 rating of .84 and about the same as Edmunds .88 rating of the 2010 SS). Skid pad is not the only telltale of handling, but I think the slight refresh of 2012 pales in comparison to the 1LE improvements. And this is not the only comparison between the standard SS and the SS 1LE's where the 1LE showed out significantly better. The Randy Probst comments of the 1LE being "the best handling Camaro ever", or something very close to that is a pretty nice vote as well.
There is no way, and I mean no way, that you are taking a stock SS, changing the transmission and rear end so the gearing is more set up for the track (not the strip, but the track, or any spirited driving on nice twisty roads for that matter), change out the wheels and tires, change out the sway bars, change out the shocks, and add the somewhat non-performance stuff (which I find odd is what you make mention of) like a wrapped hood, a flat bottom wheel with suede covering, and the absolute non-performance improvement red Brembos for $3500. I have not even covered all the important changes between the two cars!
Though not on a regular bases, I too have driven both a stock SS and of course daily drive the 1LE. We did not buy a stock SS because I (for the money they wanted for it) was not very impressed with the car. It is a beautiful, nice car, good for going fast in a straight line, but with the same handling problems that my 2001 WS6 that we were driving at the time (2011 or 12) had. No way could I justify spending money on a newer version with the same problems. The 1LE package fixed those problems, and then some.
So much like you find people that feel the 1LE is a big deal over a standard SS laughable (and I guess pro-racers like Mr. Probst is a big joke as well), you have offered us some good humor today. Don't be all caught up in whether it is a different package or simply an option, go with the facts. Go with the test results that show it to be a much different car (and notice I did not say better, because it may not be for some, but it is different). Oh and at 15K miles, I put new Goodyears on the car. At that point, they were not as good as when they were new, but I had chords showing through on the backs. Up until about 2K miles before, the car handled just as good as it ever had, so I do not know what you did with yours at 3 - 4K miles, but out side of that all being track time, it seems a little hard to believe. Congrats on owning two nice cars, but I think one is much nicer than the other....but to each their own!

[GONIF]

Originally Posted by Camaro Dude

What GONIF really wants is a Z28, but he doesn't know it yet .

Yes I would ,but that has to be the most over priced Chevy in the history of Chevrolet . I am getting used to driving the 1LE harder now and looking forward to the fall/winter to install a cam to get a few more pony's .

[Orange Crush 1LE]

Originally Posted by GONIF

Yes I would ,but that has to be the most over priced Chevy in the history of Chevrolet . I am getting used to driving the 1LE harder now and looking forward to the fall/winter to install a cam to get a few more pony's .

A cam and longtubes will blow you away. It transforms the car.

[Camaro Dude]

Originally Posted by Orange Crush 1LE

A cam and longtubes will blow you away. It transforms the car.

I have followed your track threads, and your ride's straight line speed vs a more stock-like application like member cornerspeed's, is quite remarkable, so your above statement holds water big time coming from you.

If I may ask, what kind of cam setup are you running for the type of road course racing that you are doing? How has reliability been, and with your type of cam, must you do a valve train rebuild every so often, or is it a valve train friendly cam? Your HP numbers are quite impressive in your sig, so I'm almost inclined to think that it's a more aggressive type of cam.....

I hope my questions are not off-topic to GONIF, but I want him to get the best out of his ride, as I do as well.