GT350R vs 1LE

[DrumReaper]

I am all for battles to increase the performance of the vehicles we love. The 14/15 Z/28 was a gamechanger, yet you needed a wheelbarrow full of dough to get one. There are still some of them on the lots, which speaks to the character of this car. You either love it, or hate it!

This new Camaro is no different IMO... Still a parts-bin, shook together car comprised from probably 2 continents of products. It's fugly! It's GM at its best, sorting through the parts bin.

I can honestly say that the 350/R has nothing to do with a parts-bin throw together. It was engineered well, save for the cooler saga, and that ordeal may have been instigated by the ordering of the 14/15 Z/28. But at any rate, the new Camaro is still an uninspiring, bastard kid of a parts bin that has a lot of different sperm donors in one egg.

As for those of you saying the new Z/28 will "stomp" the 350R, I have just one question for you... What Z/28?

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[J_Maher_AMG]

I will never understand why people get so caught up in the "this car is better that one cause of X Y or Z". People have different tastes in different vehicles; true enthusiasts do not bash other vehicles just to try and prove that they made the "right" choice in purchasing a car. It is the competition between manufacturers that lead to these great products.

Whether you decide to purchase a 350 or a Camaro is moot, buy what YOU like and what works for YOU. Anyone who chooses to bash the Camaro IMO is silly, because you cannot deny that the vehicle has fantastic performance capabilities. GM has been making some outstanding vehicles the past couple of years, especially in the new Camaro and Stingray. Whether you think the car looks good or has a good or bad interior, those topics are purely subjective.

If someone bought the 350 because they thought it had better resale, great! That works for that buyer. Next guy might prefer the sound of a pushrod V8 with gobs of low-down torque and save themselves a huge chunk of change while also getting almost identical performance metrics, that is OK too!

I just feel that people get too worked up, on both the Chevy and Ford side, in regards to justifying why their cars are better than the others just so they can feel more secure about their purchase. Every car has its pros and cons, its up to the consumer to decide which vehicles fits their needs/desires most appropriately, whether that be a logical decision, based on performance, quality, public perception, longing of the heart, whatever it may be.

Vast majority of people couldn't bring these cars anywhere close to their handling limits, myself included. So why measure dicks online over meaningless tenths of seconds as long as the car makes you happy when you take it out for a drive that early sunday morning and makes you smile, that's all that matters!

 

[GOFAST]

The 1le is "just" a Camaro. It will not have any high value to it. Period.

A car is just a car. A GT350 is just a car, a Camaro is just a car. The only value they have is what they do for us and how they make us feel. Only we can decide what value that is.

Of course the above statement does not take in to account cars that will increase in value in the relative short term. Cars like the previous Gen Ford GT.

Using the word 'investment' when talking about cars is a farce and delusion but for 1% of cars out there. Even then, a smarter person would invest in instruments with a much higher rate of return if investing was the goal.

 

[GOFAST]

I am all for battles to increase the performance of the vehicles we love. The 14/15 Z/28 was a gamechanger, yet you needed a wheelbarrow full of dough to get one. There are still some of them on the lots, which speaks to the character of this car. You either love it, or hate it!

This new Camaro is no different IMO... Still a parts-bin, shook together car comprised from probably 2 continents of products. It's fugly! It's GM at its best, sorting through the parts bin.

I can honestly say that the 350/R has nothing to do with a parts-bin throw together. It was engineered well, save for the cooler saga, and that ordeal may have been instigated by the ordering of the 14/15 Z/28. But at any rate, the new Camaro is still an uninspiring, bastard kid of a parts bin that has a lot of different sperm donors in one egg.

As for those of you saying the new Z/28 will "stomp" the 350R, I have just one question for you... What Z/28?

The one we have ALL seen pictures and videos of(crashing in to a wall...hahahaha). Call it whatever you want, we know it is coming and we can safely assume it will be faster than the R. Obviously right? It's the newest iteration of track monster. Ford will punch back and on and on the game goes.

 

[krt22]

It doesn't have anything to do with brand loyalty. If just the SS is really close to the R, then hats of to GM. And holy s#$! what is the ZL1 and Z28 going to do! :eyebulge:

I would hope a regular GT350 beats an SS around a track, but that is probably a very even race.

While these are fun to read and talk about, they are meaningless to me in a real world sense. I'm not Randy P and can't drive anywhere near what a pro can do. So I choose my cars based on other reasons now and not 0-60 or lap times I can't achieve anyway.

With the times these cars already put down, honestly dont expect to see any huge gains with the upcoming camero varieties. There just isnt much more performance to irk out on DOT tires and standard aero.

And either way, largely a moot point unless you are a professional or very seasoned amateur. A large majority of drivers will never be able to reach the theoretical limits of any of these cars. Buy the one that looks and sounds the best

 

[machsmith]

Yep and not long after the new z28 comes in 2020 the new 350/boss will rear its head and i believe it will be the pinnacle of the mustang track machine. Ford is getting set to put some nails in coffins as we speak.
I am open to all makes but one thing that will always keep me coming back to ford is that they have fight in them and they wont quit until they win. The next GM i'll possibly get will be the zr1...looking forward to that one.

 

[J_Maher_AMG]

Yep and not long after the new z28 comes in 2020 the new 350/boss will rear its head and i believe it will be the pinnacle of the mustang track machine. Ford is getting set to put some nails in coffins as we speak.
I am open to all makes but one thing that will always keep me coming back to ford is that they have fight in them and they wont quit until they win. The next GM i'll possibly get will be the zr1...looking forward to that one.

I personally believe that the 350 will not return after this run. Having a new gen 350 would only make Ford lose some credibility in regards to its limited production special vehicle runs. I expect the Mach 1 to be the next higher performance option on the Mustang like the 1LE, with the Boss 429 name returning as the next track oriented mustang. Ford wants to get away from the Shelby name and image, and market the Ford Performance moniker.

 

[1mic]

In regards to General Motor Trend doing the review, early this year they gave the car of the year award to the 2016 Camaro SS.

I wouldnt be surprised if the 1LE wins. In the end nobody will give a shit about the camaro anyway, look at the zl1 and z28. There are still new gen 5 z28's sitting on the lot and the 2013/2014 ZL1 is selling around the same price as the 2011/2012 GT500 (NOT similar year 2013/2014 GT500).

 

[Bossing]

C7 Z06..... touchy subject, touchy car, bittersweet, love and hate... one lap wonder. I think that sums up my experience owning & tracking one for close to a year and a half.

 

[Voodooo]

The one we have ALL seen pictures and videos of(crashing in to a wall...hahahaha). Call it whatever you want, we know it is coming and we can safely assume it will be faster than the R. Obviously right? It's the newest iteration of track monster. Ford will punch back and on and on the game goes.

Your blind. What makes you think their will be a Z28? What makes you think it will be faster? It's not even close to being a car yet. What Z28 are you comparing the R to? I laugh at your Z28. Zero28

 

[cosmo]

Supposedly the R was 2 seconds faster than the 1LE. If the 1LE was just about the Z28's time (which was 1.16 slower than the R at chuckwalla), that puts it about 0.31s faster than the base 350 (which was 2.31 slower than the R at chuckwalla) if the gap between the R and base 350 remains the same. The gap is likely tighter on Laguna Seca between the R and base 350 as the track is shorter, but it is lining up that the 1LE is about the same/has slightly superior track performance as a base 350.

1LE is one hell of an impressive car.

 

[krt22]

Supposedly the R was 2 seconds faster than the 1LE. If the 1LE was just about the Z28's time (which was 1.16 slower than the R at chuckwalla), that puts it about 0.31s faster than the base 350 (which was 2.31 slower than the R at chuckwalla) if the gap between the R and base 350 remains the same. The gap is likely tighter on Laguna Seca between the R and base 350 as the track is shorter, but it is lining up that the 1LE is about the same/has slightly superior track performance as a base 350.

1LE is one hell of an impressive car.

That is some serious bench racing right there!

 

[Voodooo]

Supposedly the R was 2 seconds faster than the 1LE. If the 1LE was just about the Z28's time (which was 1.16 slower than the R at chuckwalla), that puts it about 0.31s faster than the base 350 (which was 2.31 slower than the R at chuckwalla) if the gap between the R and base 350 remains the same. The gap is likely tighter on Laguna Seca between the R and base 350 as the track is shorter, but it is lining up that the 1LE is about the same/has slightly superior track performance as a base 350.

1LE is one hell of an impressive car.

Soooooo where's the same day same driver times? You're comparing times from a year ago on the R to today's times from now on the 1le

 

[cosmo]

That is some serious bench racing right there!

Soooooo where's the same day same driver times? You're comparing times from a year ago on the R to today's times from now on the 1le

Best we got as of right now, but at least I'm doing some "type" of racing. Have either of you done... any type of racing yet with your 350s?

I'd love to see some same day racing, hopefully Motortrend sets it up.

 

[Spacebird]

Also, no back seats so no Vette for a lot of people in my situation. Still have to pick up my daughter form daycare/school.

I think of my R as the no compromise car (with the rear seat kit) as my whole family can ride along. If I wanted a real track car, it wouldn't be a GT350 or a Vette, it'd be a Spec Miata, Caterham, etc. with only a driver's seat.

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