350R VS Z/28

[Hack]

When a new car comes out magazines are going to want to test it against something immediately. They won't make any money if they kept waiting for a "fair match".

If you use his logic any match ups between the Mustang, which is about 2 years old now and the new Camaro will also be unfair.

Sponsored

 

[redline727]

If you use his logic any match ups between the Mustang, which is about 2 years old now and the new Camaro will also be unfair.

I don't think this will change. These cars have been built by response. I don't see them ever coming to market with a completely new platform at the same time. Competition is how these cars get made, and then improved. I think the GT350 is what it is because of the Z28. Ford wouldn't have pushed the engineering so hard if they didn't have too. Now Chevy has to do the same. There will never be a continuous champion between the two and you shouldn't want there to be. That's when shit gets stale.

 

[200MPHCOBRA]

I don't know if that's the exact case, I'm just thinking that's very likely. No big deal though, the Voodoo still wins. The Voodoo needs only 500-1000RPM extra to make the same power as an LS7 throughout the curve on 91 versus 91 octane. Watch the overlay comparison, and you see that when the Z/28 makes X amount of power, the GT350 gets there right at 500-1000RPM later. The thing is, it makes power for over 1200RPM more. It's the better engine, and that's coming from a huge fan of the LS7.

By the way, I'm sure some would argue that the Z/28 makes power from much lower. It will feel more gutsy driving around town, but it matters little to nothing in any kind of racing or tracking. Over 3000RPM is where it's at.

I agree.

 

[dcasandman]

If you use his logic any match ups between the Mustang, which is about 2 years old now and the new Camaro will also be unfair.

Still not reading, not that it's 2 years old that it's not even the latest platform. I didn't look at the Z28 and boss as competitors at all really, but they were atleast on same gen car. Ford never really released an answer prior gen for Z/28. They answered the ZL1 with the 500. I guess I just agree to disagree with you. I drive a mustang by the way. I just don't think this is that big of a deal. I think it should have been expected.

 

[Trackaholic]

Still not reading, not that it's 2 years old that it's not even the latest platform. I didn't look at the Z28 and boss as competitors at all really, but they were atleast on same gen car. Ford never really released an answer prior gen for Z/28. They answered the ZL1 with the 500. I guess I just agree to disagree with you. I drive a mustang by the way. I just don't think this is that big of a deal. I think it should have been expected.

I agree that the Z/28 didn't really have a straight up competitor from Ford until the gt350. The Boss and 1LE were a good match, as were the ZL1 and the GT500.

I also agree that the GT350 was "expected" to beat the Z/28, but in wasn't sure it would actually turn out that way. Most already know what a great car the Z/28 was, even though it was (IMO) overpriced by about $15,000. I am not surprised to see the GT350 get the victory, but it was nice to see that it not only was more livable on the street, but it was also more capable on the track. Of course it's almost impossible to find a GT350R at a reasonable price right now, so hopefully adding some r-comps and lightweight wheels to the regular GT350 will get close enough to achieve a similar feel behind the wheel.

I also wouldn't be surprised to see whatever new hi-po Camaro arrived to be faster due to the use of the LT4, but I don't know it it will be as nice as Fords high revving NA motor to drive.

-T

 

[Nataphen]

Not the standard Boss, but the Boss Laguna Seca was the "competitor" for the Z/28. Chevy even released a video showing that the Boss LS was their benchmark. I would argue that the Z/28 was so much better, that you could say the Boss LS wasn't direct competition. That was the way that it went though.

SS vs. GT
1LE vs. Boss
Z/28 vs. Boss Laguna Seca

I understand what you mean about the chassis itself being new on the S550, and the Camaro being on the old platform, but that's how things fell in the timeline. The thing is that emissions are tightening up from here on out, and the GT350 is the last of its kind I believe. There will be no direct answer from GM because they won't have anything with which to answer. They won't build a Z/28 specific engine because they always reach into the Corvette/Cadillac Lego bucket to build a Camaro. The Camaro never has bespoke tech.

The GT350R may have been expected to win this comparison, but not in every single possible aspect, including subjective aspects, while maintaining day to day comfort. People wondered if the steel brakes would be better than the CC brakes on track. People wondered if the steering feel would be better than the Z/28's. It flat out won in every category. Whether old or new platform, the Z/28 was only built for the last two model years. The GT350 was most likely in the works before the first Z/28 sold to the public. The Boss LS sold from 2012-2013, then Z/28 from 2014-2015, now GT350 from 2016-2017.

 

[Hack]

The GT350R may have been expected to win this comparison, but not in every single possible aspect, including subjective aspects, while maintaining day to day comfort. People wondered if the steel brakes would be better than the CC brakes on track. People wondered if the steering feel would be better than the Z/28's. It flat out won in every category. Whether old or new platform, the Z/28 was only built for the last two model years. The GT350 was most likely in the works before the first Z/28 sold to the public. The Boss LS sold from 2012-2013, then Z/28 from 2014-2015, now GT350 from 2016-2017.

This is well said. Old platform has nothing to do with the fact that the carbon ceramic brakes were a mistake, for instance. They raised the price of the car too much and didn't give the user a distinct advantage. Really a disadvantage in that they will be very expensive to maintain.

To me the Z/28 is an example of bigger hammer engineering and design. GM just bolted parts onto their car. Stiffer suspension, race parts on their push rod engine... etc.

The Ford actually has ground-breaking technology and innovation. That's a big reason why there is no comparison in my opinion. A flat plane crank? WOW. Just wow. It's anything but boring to drive. DOHC engines just deliver the power so much better than a push rod engine. And then when the camshaft timing can be changed through the RPM range it becomes amazing how broad and flat the torque curve can be.

Sponsored