Considering buying a Camaro

[TehWingman]

Hello Forum!
I am a long time member/moderator of CobaltSS.net and have owned a decently modded Supercharged Cobalt SS for 9 years. There isn't much I haven't done with this car, including putting down well over 300 whp with my own ECU tuning (HPTuners), methanol injection, and a blower swap. I also have owned, worked on, and/or tuned: nitrous injected LS1 Camaros, 5th gen corvettes, and turbo Hondas So I'm not exactly a newbie to cars.

But I digress to the reason I'm here. I have been considering buying a new Camaro for a daily driver. I am looking at the LFX v6 engine with the AY6 manual transmission. I have driven a few 5th gen Camaros (automatic v6 and manual SS). Hated the automatic, loved the SS but it's more than I have to spend and I can't bring myself to take an SS through northern Ohio winters.

Obviously I will run winter tires on all 4 corners during the snowy months as I do with my current vehicle. Does anyone drive their Camaro through the winters? If so, How do they handle? I see they are all equipped with a limited slip differential. I will search the Wheel/tire forum for tire advice.
Also, does the limited rear visibility bother anyone / cause problems?
I noticed the Trunk is rather small, however it should be fine as long as I can fit a set of golf clubs.

I am considering the LS Camaro due to price (I get the GM employee discount), decent fuel economy, and... have you looked at a Camaro lately?

Any words of wisdom I should consider?

[Sir Nuke]

Welcome to our happy little corner of the net, and to Camaro5. There is a BIG fridge on the back porch with anything you can think of in it...help yourself...of course only take what you can LEGALLY have. Make yourself at home on one of the big fluffy couches, kick your shoes off, put your feet up on one of the tables, yes we are allowed to do that, mom's, wive's, husbands, girlfirends and boyfriends here don't care....and take it easy.



oh...btw....every once in a while a food fight breaks out...so you may not want to wear nice clothes here.

Welcome!!

[TheGhosty]

I have some limited insight that might help. First off you might want to look for an RS. It gets you bigger rims and tires which helps if your going to increasing power. The next is I believe the LFX exhaust manifolds do not come off? Someone correct me if I am wrong.. But that kind of limits how much you can do aftermarket wise with that engine. You get used to the poor visibility. I think it makes you a better driver, you have to use your mirrors. But if you make the jump you will LOVE the car. Your always turning heads driving one of these around.

[TehWingman]

Thanks for the welcomes.
Ghostly, I believe you are correct, the LFX exhaust manifolds are built into the heads somehow. I don't have intentions of significantly increasing the power. Most I plan is an intake and tune. I plan on tossing winter tires on the stockers anyways and getting some 19" or 20" wheels for summer.
Only having driven the Camaro a couple times, I feel unsure of myself while changing lanes or backing up. But I suppose I would get the hang of it

[SPARTAN sui]

I've driven my Camaro through two winters now in North Dakota and it handles great. No issues handling snow covered roads with proper tires.

[TheGhosty]

I have a pre MYLINK camaro, so no backup camera but it do have back censers. I HIGHLY recommended one of those 2. Adds a lot of confidence.

[alex5160]

I'm not a rich guy so I can't have a winter car. So the Camaro hits the snowy roads. Everyone thought I was crazy. But this past winter I had no issues what so ever. I did swap out my 20" rims for my winter set - OEM stock rims w 245x55x18's and like I said, not one problem. I was born, raised and live in Upstate NY near Buffalo. What better test environment is there? I was just more careful of other drivers sliding into me, I think that's the danger. You will do fine I'm sure!

[SSJ455]

I have a 2011 2LT/RS and I love it! I got it for the show factor. I do agree, look for the RS package. It makes the car look so much better with the larger wheels and the gauge pack is cool, too.

[stoopid]

The modding options are limited with the V6. Like you I got mine as a daily driver so it wasn't a concern. By the description of the Cobalt, you like to tinker so you may want to consider a used V8 instead or a different vehicle altogether depending on your expectations. I enjoy the power of the V6, but it's not a rocket. The auto transmission further handicaps the vehicle due to a differential designed for efficiency. I joke that it's the slowest Camaro they make, but still kicks ass. And it does. Everything being equal, I happily trade the slight loss in acceleration for the extra fuel efficiency.

How fast does the Cobalt go from 0-60? The manual V6 is 5.9 seconds, auto 6.4 It wouldn't make sense to get a slower car (?) unless there was something else about the Camaro that you find attractive.

[TehWingman]

Stock the cobalt SS with 2.0 s/c was rated at about 5.9 or 6.0 seconds. All depends on mods and traction. I never was able to measure my 0-60

I suspect I will use the car much like you, buying it for a daily driver that is sort of fun, looks great, and gets decent fuel economy. I like the fact that the v6 can run 87 octane. I'm tired of having to run 93 and with my mods I get worse mpg than the LFX.

Winter tires would be used on stock 18s then get some nicer wheels/tires for summer. I like the fact that the LSD seems to be standard equipment.

Anyone ever fit golf clubs in the trunk? Looks kinda tight in there. Do the back seats fold down?

[SPARTAN sui]

Yep, the back seats do fold down. If it makes you feel better I could fit one of 19" rims with a mounted tire through the trunk opening. It's small, but it usable. I'm not a golfer, but I don't see you having issues fitting a set of clubs back there.

[stoopid]

Originally Posted by TehWingman

I suspect I will use the car much like you, buying it for a daily driver that is sort of fun, looks great, and gets decent fuel economy. I like the fact that the v6 can run 87 octane. I'm tired of having to run 93 and with my mods I get worse mpg than the LFX.

And it runs better (has more torque) if you use premium fuel, so if you ever want a cheap boost from it, just add 91/93 octane.

Best I've seen is 28MPG highway. I don't do enough city driving to have a solid number, probably high teens. I'm averaging 24MPG with premium fuel. That's about right when compared to what I find online.

[TehWingman]

Really? Most cars factory tuned for 87 don't benefit from premium. Although considering it is e85 capable which is a very high octane, I could see how the computer would possibly be able to adapt to the slight increase in octane from premium. I always wanted to play with E85 in the Cobalt SS but it's not available close enough to me. (Ironic, considering there are plenty of corn fields out here in BFE)

[stoopid]

Originally Posted by TehWingman

Really? Most cars factory tuned for 87 don't benefit from premium. Although considering it is e85 capable which is a very high octane, I could see how the computer would possibly be able to adapt to the slight increase in octane from premium. I always wanted to play with E85 in the Cobalt SS but it's not available close enough to me. (Ironic, considering there are plenty of corn fields out here in BFE)

There's several threads discussing this. FINALLY someone posted a dyno of a stock 3.6L (parent engine to today's LFX) with 87 and 93 octane. Noticeable gains between 3000-5000RPMs (15-20tq, some hp gain).

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=118

I'm pretty frugal but choose to run higher octane in mine. I dropped to 87 for a tank and noticed a slight difference in acceleration, and after final calculations a 1MPG drop in fuel efficiency (same 1MPG gain I measured after 4-5 full tanks with premium). Engine definitely runs better with premium, the numbers don't lie. My butt dyno seems to detect some extra oomph.