drove a Camaro SS on the track

vanbmw · 05-03-2011, 11:21 AM

I was doing some driving instruction at a private track day last week. I turned about a dozen hot laps in a guys new Camaro SS showing him some driving lines. He was getting near the end of his PZero's life so he wasn't concerned about tire wear so he told me to have at it. The track I was on is tight and stresses handling more then speed. I got to the top of 3rd gear only. Here's my impressions:
interior - I am not too into the retro look but it is nicer then previous Camaro's. The high belt line is terrible! I am 5'10" but it felt like the doors came up to my ears and I found I had to strain my neck to see over the concule in some corners.

Engine - great V-8 power! It has tons of torque and it pulls hard most of the way to redline. This car gets off the line pretty good and pulled hard thru 3rd gear (I never got into 4th). I was suprised how quiet it was inside. In a Corvette the motor noise is fairly loud and it seems to "soround" you. The Camaro seems more muted inside. The tranny (6 speed manual) was good.

Driving - The car handles good but not great. It tends to be fairly neutral in the corners. It understeers at the limit and it takes some effort to get the back end out. The limit is fairly high and it smoothly goes from full grip to understeer. Too much gas in the corners leads to more understeer as opposed to oversteer. You can certainly get the back end out but it requires some work. Generally it made it way around the track with minimal drama and turned a descent lap time. Now for the bad! This car feels heavy and big! The brakes did not fade too bad but you could tell they were working hard to slow this beast down. The car doesn't lean too much but you can sure feel the mass moving around. In a set of s-curves it felt like a full size sedan but with stiff suspension...big and heavy. On the one hand it was able to control the weight and brake okay, accelerate very well and never did anything stupid in the coners but on the other hand it never felt overly comfortable on a tight track.

chris328i · 05-03-2011, 05:40 PM

It is big and heavy. The gun slit windows are foolish IMO. The handling sounds about right for most operators because few are actually drivers.

05-03-2011, 11:21 AM	#1
vanbmw Major 130 Rep 1,101 Posts Drives: 2015 Black 335i Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Vancouver iTrader: (0)	drove a Camaro SS on the track I was doing some driving instruction at a private track day last week. I turned about a dozen hot laps in a guys new Camaro SS showing him some driving lines. He was getting near the end of his PZero's life so he wasn't concerned about tire wear so he told me to have at it. The track I was on is tight and stresses handling more then speed. I got to the top of 3rd gear only. Here's my impressions: interior - I am not too into the retro look but it is nicer then previous Camaro's. The high belt line is terrible! I am 5'10" but it felt like the doors came up to my ears and I found I had to strain my neck to see over the concule in some corners. Engine - great V-8 power! It has tons of torque and it pulls hard most of the way to redline. This car gets off the line pretty good and pulled hard thru 3rd gear (I never got into 4th). I was suprised how quiet it was inside. In a Corvette the motor noise is fairly loud and it seems to "soround" you. The Camaro seems more muted inside. The tranny (6 speed manual) was good. Driving - The car handles good but not great. It tends to be fairly neutral in the corners. It understeers at the limit and it takes some effort to get the back end out. The limit is fairly high and it smoothly goes from full grip to understeer. Too much gas in the corners leads to more understeer as opposed to oversteer. You can certainly get the back end out but it requires some work. Generally it made it way around the track with minimal drama and turned a descent lap time. Now for the bad! This car feels heavy and big! The brakes did not fade too bad but you could tell they were working hard to slow this beast down. The car doesn't lean too much but you can sure feel the mass moving around. In a set of s-curves it felt like a full size sedan but with stiff suspension...big and heavy. On the one hand it was able to control the weight and brake okay, accelerate very well and never did anything stupid in the coners but on the other hand it never felt overly comfortable on a tight track.
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05-03-2011, 05:40 PM	#2
chris328i Private First Class 3 Rep 111 Posts Drives: 328i Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Ohio iTrader: (0)	It is big and heavy. The gun slit windows are foolish IMO. The handling sounds about right for most operators because few are actually drivers.
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