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GT350 vs 2017 ZL1

4V Mayhem

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which contributes very little negatively compared to the complete game changer a supercharger is.

Let's keep it real.
Having a vehicle that is designed for the track, and as such gets rid of the radio, AC, and other creature comforts, just to have a competing vehicle show up and beat it, all while retaining those options and more options (some of which aren't even available on the GT350R), is a pretty loud statement...with or without a supercharger.
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02gtnh

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Having a vehicle that is designed for the track, and as such gets rid of the radio, AC, and other creature comforts, just to have a competing vehicle show up and beat it, all while retaining those options and more options (some of which aren't even available on the GT350R), is a pretty loud statement...with or without a supercharger.
This is true, but on a side note, the 350r in the Head to head had the electric package which gave it a better radio and nav. But yes the zl1 has all the creature comforts. In fact they called it a luxury track car.
 

Norm Peterson

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Having a vehicle that is designed for the track, and as such gets rid of the radio, AC, and other creature comforts, just to have a competing vehicle show up and beat it, all while retaining those options and more options (some of which aren't even available on the GT350R), is a pretty loud statement...with or without a supercharger.
Without the supercharger it'd have barely been a whisper.

At least for some, high-tech and most comfort & convenience features represent clear negatives in a track-intended car. If you "need" such distractions, maybe that level of seriousness makes such a car not right for you.

Personally, I'd give a 'pass' to AC partly on the strength of improved windshield defogging and partly because I understand all too well what heat stress can do to you and how easily it can sneak up on you. A basic 2-channel radio/CD player for the street driving time. And not much else.


Norm
 

9secondko

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This is true, but on a side note, the 350r in the Head to head had the electric package which gave it a better radio and nav. But yes the zl1 has all the creature comforts. In fact they called it a luxury track car.


Track car is the key phrase.

It was born on the Nurburgring.
And it has a supercharger.

And the naturally aspirated smaller engine mustang keeps up with it. that's props right there.
 
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02gtnh

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Track car is the key phrase.

It was born on the Nurburgring.
And it has a supercharger.

And the naturally aspirated smaller engine mustang keeps up with it. that's props right there.
You can't go just by hp and say that's the reason why the zl1 won. It takes a total package to get that kind of hp to be used. You think the Hellcat would beat either car as it has 707hp? That luxury car beat a totally track focused only car with wider and better tires and 200lbs less weight and more money. That's props right there. Now let's see a totally track focused zl1 1le for the same price do against it. What margin do you think that will be? Motor trend said the zl1 beat the 350r by 70', and that was just .39 sec.:eyebulge:
 
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4V Mayhem

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Without the supercharger it'd have barely been a whisper.
You can't say that because without the blower Chevy would have made a more potent NA engine than is in the SS. And already the SS 1LE matched the GT350R's time although on a different day. The blower isn't what won the race. Chevy designed this car the way it is. You can't just take off the blower and run them. And who is to say that if Chevy didn't use the blower then they would have given it an even better suspension or a newer version of the LS7 or something else to compensate. Chevy built it that way to prevent it from being a focused car...so it could be an all around car that is good at everything.

You can't go just by hp and say that's the reason why the zl1 won. It takes a total package to get that kind of hp to be used. You think the Hellcat would beat either car as it has 707hp? That luxury car beat a totally track focused only car with wider and better tires and 200lbs less weight and more money. That's props right there. Now let's see a totally track focused zl1 1le for the same price do against it. What margin do you think that will be? Motor trend said the zl1 beat the 350r by 70', and that was just .39 sec.:eyebulge:
Agreed. The fact that it has that kind of power, gets it to the ground effectively, and has the control it has speaks volumes to how well the car is made. It wasn't just a HP/TQ advantage. It was the overall car that won the race.
 

saf1

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Agreed. The fact that it has that kind of power, gets it to the ground effectively, and has the control it has speaks volumes to how well the car is made. It wasn't just a HP/TQ advantage. It was the overall car that won the race.
But did it get the power effectively to the ground? 70' says otherwise.

I would almost argue if you kept the two cars on the track at the same time it would be a different story. Either way the article wouldn't change my buying decision. Had a 350 been available to me in my area I would have bought it in a heart beat.

Unless I'm missing something there doesn't appear to be some insane advantage and it is a who is a better driver win. But I always hold the right to be incorrect :D
 

4V Mayhem

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But did it get the power effectively to the ground? 70' says otherwise.

I would almost argue if you kept the two cars on the track at the same time it would be a different story. Either way the article wouldn't change my buying decision. Had a 350 been available to me in my area I would have bought it in a heart beat.

Unless I'm missing something there doesn't appear to be some insane advantage and it is a who is a better driver win. But I always hold the right to be incorrect :D
Definitely not all of the power completely. But the same can be said for both cars. I think GM and Ford both are doing a great job at effectively planting the power. I do think it would be different if both cars were on the track at the same time. But you'd also need both drivers to be competent and capable of using the cars equally well. I would like to see that kind of race but then have the drivers switch cars and run them again and then compare the results.

As far as buying decision, I don't think you can go wrong either way. The testing results will not have any GT350R guys feeling bad about their purchase. Nor would it have made the ZL1 guys mad if the results were opposite. Most people who are purchasing these cars have done all their research and know what they're getting before they even start looking to buy the cars. So these tests don't really show us anything new. I think most GT350R owners knew/know that the hp/tq advantage of the ZL1 is significant. And I think most ZL1 owners know that the GT350R probably COULD out-handle the ZL1 but that hp/tq makes up for it.
 

Hack

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But did it get the power effectively to the ground? 70' says otherwise.

I would almost argue if you kept the two cars on the track at the same time it would be a different story. Either way the article wouldn't change my buying decision. Had a 350 been available to me in my area I would have bought it in a heart beat.

Unless I'm missing something there doesn't appear to be some insane advantage and it is a who is a better driver win. But I always hold the right to be incorrect :D
I love the feeling of coming up on someone at every corner because they have a fat barge that can't turn.

Kind of like the Dodge guys with a highly underrated 707 HP will wax the ZL1 in a straight line.

The ZL1 looks to be a jack of all trades, master of none.
 

scrubber3

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I wonder if Ford will counter by putting a SC in the GT350...
 

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I would like to see a lowered 1le camaro with fbo and cam setup going against the zl1 manual. 500 whp lighter 1le vs mighty zl1! Sub 50 grand vs 60 grand!
 

Norm Peterson

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I would like to see a lowered 1le camaro with fbo and cam setup going against the zl1 manual. 500 whp lighter 1le vs mighty zl1! Sub 50 grand vs 60 grand!
That would be a very interesting match indeed. Even if the 1LE wasn't lowered.

Better yet, make it a 3-way with either the GT350 or 350R for comparison on yet a different day.


Norm
 

9secondko

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I would like to see a lowered 1le camaro with fbo and cam setup going against the zl1 manual. 500 whp lighter 1le vs mighty zl1! Sub 50 grand vs 60 grand!
Meh.

It would be a beat down by the z.

We've seen as good as it gets from the American NA vs FI track cars in this MT comparison.
 

4V Mayhem

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I wonder if Ford will counter by putting a SC in the GT350...
That would sky-rocket the already high price of that car by at least another $10K. It would be worth the price. I mean, a 700+ hp GT350 would be like a lighter Hellcat that can corner.
 

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Motor Trend posted the full Head 2 Head comparing the GT350R against the ZL1 6MT (non 1LE). The times Randy Pobst got around Big Willow are below.

The video:
MT Times.png
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