yaj15

iTrader: (3)

Be sure and pick up the December 2012 issue of Road and Track Magazine.

They have an article about the new 2013 Camaro 1LE. It also features a little history and they have a mint condition 1989 IROC-Z 1LE as well!

The car has the LB9/T-5/3.45 geared 9bolt rear, has dark blue metallic paint, and a custom gray cloth interior. The car is also still wearing its Goodyear Gatorback tires! I would love to have that car.

Slater126

iTrader: (1)

I just got the issue. Other than constantly referring to the 1LE as the "1988 1LE," good article. I also like the new 1LE, though I think the Fifth Gen is about 500 pounds too heavy. I'm waiting for the Sixth Gen, which will supposedly be a lot smaller, before considering a new F-Body again.

yaj15

iTrader: (3)

Ha ha yeah no argument from me. The original 3rd gen based 1LE still is the better out of the two cars to me. It really is a factory stripped purpose built race car and had all of the factory go-fast parts installed in a performance based platform to start with.

The new 5th gen cars are way too big in many ways and one of the results of that big design is that they pay a serious weight penalty. That is part of the reason why an LS3/6-speed Corvette outperforms a simularly equipped LS3/6-speed camaro. The LS3 is a powerful motor but, it sitll has to comply to the laws of phyics and extra weight reduces the performance envelope.

Slater126

iTrader: (1)

Seen a Gen V close up? They are Huge!! It looks like they took a Chevy Tahoe/GMC Yukon and put a Camaro shaped body on it. And maybe they actually did, who knows? Not only does weight reduce the performance envelope, it also kills gas mileage.

Apparently, until the recent economic crash, carmakers felt Americans wouldn't buy anything that weighed less than 4,500 pounds. Now they're caught with their pants down as gas prices keep climbing and consumers keep looking at smaller cars. And to be fair, I'm not just picking on GM here. The Dodge Challenger is an absolute monstrosity, and even the Mustang is a bit porky. And Honda has seemingly added 500 pounds to each generation Accord and Civic since the late 1990s, to the point that these formerly great cars are a total joke and need to be completely redefined. S-it, even the BMW 3-Series was going in that direction until BMW finally snapped out of it and reduced weight for the current car.

88I-ROC

I guess thats why I see those 5th gen 300 HP V6 Camaros doing low 15' for 1/4 mile at the track....

yaj15

iTrader: (3)

The new 6th gen Camaro needs to be on a serious weight reduction diet. It shouldn't weigh more than a fully loaded 3rd or 4th gen car was.

The weight is part of the reason why a mildly modified LS1 4th gen will have no problem keeping up with at 5th gen.

okfoz

Rules of Thumb

For every 10% decrease in weight translates into 8% increase in fuel mileage.

For every 100# of weight you remove from the car translates roughly into .1 sec at the track...

These are not hard rules, they are meant to give a quick and dirty calculation...