Epiphany
Well-Known Member
I've always had respect for Camaro's. I just happen to be a "Ford guy" and as such stick with Ford products. The most recent Camaro iteration has definitely caught my attention. I recently went down to Georgia to take care of a few things with my good friend George from MGW shifters. He had just picked up a '17 Camaro SS 1LE and the plan was to track the car to get a feel for the stock shifter mechanism.
He had a white GT350 that we tracked and I couldn't help but notice similarities between the two as different as they may be.
It was about a 2.5hr drive to Roebling Road (each way) and I got used to the dash layout and controls fairly quickly.
George drove his "just off the showroom floor" Focus RS there and we both spent quality time in each for a full track day. He had rented the track so there was nobody there but four cars and only us two in the afternoon.
The SS 1LE is a very close match to the GT350. I was able to hit 145mph by the end of the straight in the GT350 but only about 141 in the Camaro. The Camaro was in need of a shift from fourth to fifth too whereas the GT350 could have kept on going weren't there a need to get hard on the brakes for turn one. The cars feel the same size/weight wise. The various drive modes are very similar as well. Brakes are a wash. And surprisingly, the Goodyear tires on the Camaro held their own once hot in comparison to the Michelin's on the GT350.
The Camaro did have a couple of things the Mustang sorely needs. For one, rev matching. Heel and toe purists may balk but it works so well that it allows complete focus elsewhere. No matter what gear or rpm you are in/at, the car matches your downshifts perfectly. And you can shut it off instantly if you want to.
The other thing the Camaro had was a performance data recorder. All you need to do is to plug the appropriate memory card into the dash, and go. It uses the Navigation/Audio screen, a front mounted camera, and GPS. It automatically figures out the track layout and shows braking, throttle position, steering wheel angle, tire slip, rpm, mph, etc. As soon as you pull into the pits you can watch the laps you just ran. Nice to see your line, note speed, slip, etc. Perfect, instant, feedback. I consider this a must-have for the GT350 successor.
One thing I absolutely hated about the Camaro that I never see mentioned - the footwell on the driver side. The floor slopes downward right where your heel would normally reside, down into a lower "box" area. It prevents modulating the clutch by pivoting your ankle. It forces you to pivot from the hip and pick up your entire leg. I didn't notice it as much when being as aggressive as possible while on the track. But under regular driving conditions outside of the track it really ruined the experience for me. If I had a Camaro I'd definitely be welding in a plate beneath the carpet to flatten it out like every other car out there.
Beyond the above, I did like the TR6060 that Ford abandoned in favor of the TR3160. If the next GT500 has much more power than the current GT350 Ford may have to go back to it if for anything, the additional torque capacity. It worked well in the lower revving Camaro so I'm not sure how Ford will handle it if their next monster revs way up high. Anyway, part of my visit included building a transmission stand for the Camaro's TR6060. Similar to the TR6060 in the last GT500 but with typical GM deviations (bellhousing, trans mount, shifter, fixed flange, etc).
The Camaro does differ from the GT350 quite a bit in terms of access to the shifter. Looking up from under the car while it is up on a lift...nightmare. A labyrinth of obstruction. You have to remove the exhaust system, driveshaft, heatshields, all before attempting to tip the rear of the transmission down to gain access to the stock shifter. The car could definitely use a shifter but it sure isn't going to be as easy as it has been in the past to do it.
The ZL1 has got to be a monster. The ZL1 1LE...I'd definitely consider buying one at MSRP. The biggest motivation for me would be not having to deal with ass rape at Ford dealers across the country. The next Mustang bad boy is going to have absolutely ridiculous ADM's unless Ford somehow manages to get it under control. I don't think they care enough to address it (I actually think they take pride in it) and that alone pushes me away.
He had a white GT350 that we tracked and I couldn't help but notice similarities between the two as different as they may be.
It was about a 2.5hr drive to Roebling Road (each way) and I got used to the dash layout and controls fairly quickly.
George drove his "just off the showroom floor" Focus RS there and we both spent quality time in each for a full track day. He had rented the track so there was nobody there but four cars and only us two in the afternoon.
The SS 1LE is a very close match to the GT350. I was able to hit 145mph by the end of the straight in the GT350 but only about 141 in the Camaro. The Camaro was in need of a shift from fourth to fifth too whereas the GT350 could have kept on going weren't there a need to get hard on the brakes for turn one. The cars feel the same size/weight wise. The various drive modes are very similar as well. Brakes are a wash. And surprisingly, the Goodyear tires on the Camaro held their own once hot in comparison to the Michelin's on the GT350.
The Camaro did have a couple of things the Mustang sorely needs. For one, rev matching. Heel and toe purists may balk but it works so well that it allows complete focus elsewhere. No matter what gear or rpm you are in/at, the car matches your downshifts perfectly. And you can shut it off instantly if you want to.
The other thing the Camaro had was a performance data recorder. All you need to do is to plug the appropriate memory card into the dash, and go. It uses the Navigation/Audio screen, a front mounted camera, and GPS. It automatically figures out the track layout and shows braking, throttle position, steering wheel angle, tire slip, rpm, mph, etc. As soon as you pull into the pits you can watch the laps you just ran. Nice to see your line, note speed, slip, etc. Perfect, instant, feedback. I consider this a must-have for the GT350 successor.
One thing I absolutely hated about the Camaro that I never see mentioned - the footwell on the driver side. The floor slopes downward right where your heel would normally reside, down into a lower "box" area. It prevents modulating the clutch by pivoting your ankle. It forces you to pivot from the hip and pick up your entire leg. I didn't notice it as much when being as aggressive as possible while on the track. But under regular driving conditions outside of the track it really ruined the experience for me. If I had a Camaro I'd definitely be welding in a plate beneath the carpet to flatten it out like every other car out there.
Beyond the above, I did like the TR6060 that Ford abandoned in favor of the TR3160. If the next GT500 has much more power than the current GT350 Ford may have to go back to it if for anything, the additional torque capacity. It worked well in the lower revving Camaro so I'm not sure how Ford will handle it if their next monster revs way up high. Anyway, part of my visit included building a transmission stand for the Camaro's TR6060. Similar to the TR6060 in the last GT500 but with typical GM deviations (bellhousing, trans mount, shifter, fixed flange, etc).
The Camaro does differ from the GT350 quite a bit in terms of access to the shifter. Looking up from under the car while it is up on a lift...nightmare. A labyrinth of obstruction. You have to remove the exhaust system, driveshaft, heatshields, all before attempting to tip the rear of the transmission down to gain access to the stock shifter. The car could definitely use a shifter but it sure isn't going to be as easy as it has been in the past to do it.
The ZL1 has got to be a monster. The ZL1 1LE...I'd definitely consider buying one at MSRP. The biggest motivation for me would be not having to deal with ass rape at Ford dealers across the country. The next Mustang bad boy is going to have absolutely ridiculous ADM's unless Ford somehow manages to get it under control. I don't think they care enough to address it (I actually think they take pride in it) and that alone pushes me away.
Sponsored
