ZDriver96

I looked at a 2SS the other day and it weighed in at about 4600lbs. What do the 1SS's weigh in at since they don't have leather and some of the other options?

Has anyone run their 1SS or 2SS at the drag strip to see the difference in quarter mile times? Any comparison on handling between the 2?

wacker

A 2SS with the A6 weighs in at around 3950lb Don't know where you got that number from. Sounds like your getting the GVWR which is what the car can carry.

ZDriver96

yeah your right.. My mistake. Thanks

wacker

No worries...FYI a gen IV does way about 500lb less, due to all the plastic parts instead of steel.

Need4Camaro

Less than a 4th gen?

wacker

..

99SilverSS

The only difference in curb weight that I've seen is the difference in the L99 A6 at about 3950 and the LS3 M6 at 3860 or so. I've not seen much comparison between the non-leather 1SS and the 2SS. I would think that the RS option, leather and sunroof would have to add weight over a Camaro w/o those options. How much is anyones guess.

wacker

I have a loaded car with the sunroof. When I get back into town I will drive it over the scales and post the results.

guionM

Not sure I understand exactly what you mean by plastic parts insted of steel, or which parts you mean.


The truth is, a 4th gen weighs about 500 pounds less than a 5th gen due to a number of things.

IRS adds weight. Buildiing a drivetrain capable of 100 more horsepower and torque adds weight. Building a structure capable of handling about 600 horsepower and enough torque to twist the 4th gen's chassis in half adds weight.

wacker

Plastics front fenders, clip, and fiberglass doors. The main reason 5th gens are heavier is because of stricter safety standards.

Z28Wilson

As guionM stated, the added weight in the 5th Gen can be found in its structure. It is closely related to a full-sized sedan. It was designed beefy enough to handle the blown V8 in the CTS-V for a Z28 model that may or may not ever materialize. Crash standards have gotten stricter compared to 2002, but that doesn't account for a near 500 pound weight gain. Neither does a switch from fiberglass to steel skinned doors - that adds some weight, but not even 50 pounds I'd guess.

ZDriver96

Well I noticed that the plastics in the new camaro felt much more solid than in the 4 gens, the leather seats were thicker with more padding and there were no squeaks or rattles. So im sure a lot of the weight is in thicker quality material. Sitting in that new camaro reminded me of a performance luxury car. There is really no comparison between the 4 gen interior and the 2010 interior.

But again I'm still curious of how much better if any a 1SS will perform.

JeremyNYR

This is kind of a pet peeve of mine... but LEATHER ISN'T HEAVY! Leather Seats do not equal heavy car! Power seat tracks with 6 way adjustability, side air bags installed in the seats, inflatable lumbar support systems, heating or cooling features.... okay those things contribute to a heavy seat. But why reference the leather?

Joe 1320

Most people get stuck with all the little weight adding gadgets when they opt for leather, so they just assume the leather seats as a whole are heavier. Can you even get leather without the power track and everything else?

guionM

No, leather seats by themselves aren't heavy. They might add a few pounds over cloth. But leather seats, usually come with power motors for everything whereas, cloth seats usually are base seats. That's what's heavy on it's own.

Another point to make is that there is no simple way to cut weight out of a car. If it was, car makers would.

There are so many small things that add weight that have nothing to do with safety, which is why everytime the subject of Camaro's (or any car's) weight comes up, the first thing I usually ask is "What are you willing to give up???"

High horsepower means beefier engine parts which adds weight. It means a bigger cooling system, that adds weight. It means a beefier transmission and drivetrain, that adds weight. Want to stop faster? Those manhole cover sized iron brake rotors and small microwave oven sized brake calipers that have 2 large pistons instead of 1 small one adds weight. Want a solid body that doesn't flex and can handle twice the horsepower of the 4th gen? More weight. Want an independent rear suspension? That requires a cradle/subframe to attach it to before you bolt it to the body... which adds more weight. Since you are bolting a heavy IRS cradle assembly to the body instead of a log axle and a few attachments, the mounting points have to be thicer and stronger as well as the area it's attached to... more weight. This car is going to need a suspension system to not just handle the weight increase, but to be a superior handler than it was in the 4th gen. That means thicker springs and stronger struts... and more weight.

And then we get into the (not quite as heavy, but still adds pounds) goodies. A mega speaker stereo isn't weightless. Nor are power seats for both driver and passenger. Thicker sound deadening and double pane window glass is heavier than less sound deadening and thinner windows that aren't as quiet. Power wndows and all power motors add quite a few pounds. 245 tires are lighter than 275s and 15-16" rims are lighter than 18,19, & 20 inchers.

True, some items might be a pound or two, a few might add 50 to 100 pounds, and alot are somewhere in between. But all this adds up. Before you know it, you have a car 300 pounds heavier than it's predesessor.

The Mustang weighs 300 pounds less than a comprable 5th gen Camaro (without plastic fenders ). But it doesn't have IRS, it has smaller brakes, it has a lighter 5 speed manual instead of a 6 speed, it isn't made to take down brick walls on impact (though it does safely crumple, also adding to it's 5 star rating) and Ford didn't try to make the Mustang feel like a bank vault in quietness and serenity.

Also, all Mustangs have a speed governer (even the 500+ horse Shelby GT500) because the Mustang's relatively lightweight chassis isn't quite solid enough to handle mega high speeds (the way the Camaro's is). The GT500 is fully capable of running well past 180 mph, yet is governed to 155. GTs are governed to 145 to artificially give the GT500 a clear top speed advantage (marketing) though the GT is fully able to run 155-160 mph itself.

Again, if weight is the issue, then the question begins yet again: "What are you willing to give up?"

Crash standards that add weight hasn't changed since the 1990s. The crash standards that have changed have influenced car design, not weight. Fuel tanks must be mounted away from the back bumper as they come to market (the reason why the new GTO had it's fuel tank moved to the trunk... Ford was lucky with the Crown Vic and it's Panther cars: it was engineered that way when they came out back in '79). The other standard involves passenger safety. A pillars have to be located a certain distance away from passengers, or have airbags installed in them (what contributed to the 4th gen's demise). All other safety standards involve technology and programming (ie: smart airbags, deployment speed of airbags, etc...).

Some safety standards actually decreased weight (ie: 2.5mph bumpers instead of the old 5 mph standard, and the more compact airbags that are in the steering wheel today compared to before).

Camaro's 5 star safety rating isn't a government mandate. Camaro could have been engineered at a 2 star or even a 1 star standard and completely passed government safety standards. But no one, and I mean NO ONE wants a 1 or 2 star rated vehicle. Not the manufacturer, nor the public.

The new Camaro isn't heavy because of "things are made of steel instead of plastic". The 4th gen's plastic fenders and roof skin and composite doors skins did not bear any structural stresses. Therefore did not save much if any weight over steel skins. The 4th gen's plastic skin was intended not only as a selling point (never denting), but also due to GM's intention to frequently (and cheaply... plastic is cheaper to redo than sheetmetal) restyle the 4th gen Camaro over it's life.... which didn't exactly happen.

The 5th gen Camaro is heavier than the 4th gen in short because it has a far superior structure, has alot more features, is built to handle some industrial strength horsepower & have some world class capabilities, and have the best possible safety rating.

Not because of plastic fenders or federal safety standards.

Hope that clears things up.