JasonD

Interesting observation. The correlation was never mentioned since the focus of this meeting was a bit more on the convertible than anything else. Makes you wonder...

jg95z28

Any chance the "why not LS7 for Camaro (cough Z28 cough)?" question got asked? I'm not looking for GM's response, just did anyone ask the question.

CamaroZ282008

How often does one go over 155+? Unless I'm in Germany and use the Autobahn everyday, the comprises made in the handling department are not worth the stability at extreme high speeds. If I can have a Camaro that goes 130+(track only) and handles as good as it looks I'd be set. Being that the U.S. has no high speed roads like the autobahn and the majority of Camaros are sold here why did GM go to the extremes to make it ride so well at speeds it'll rarely if ever see?

I think the main problem though is the Camaro, Mustang and the Barge(Challenger) are just too big. This goes for a lot of cars today all in the name of safety. How about a 5 point harness? Ah there goes the comfort aspect

GMRL

Thats great to hear, really makes me feel better. Ive waited this long, several more months cant hurt I guess.

guionM

I think the my focus on the speed aspect has thrown you off quite a bit, so I'll boil it down some.

Competition today is for the most solid feeling cars that can be made. Also, to make a car handle, you need a very rigid structure to put those suspension pieces on. Finally, if you even hope to make a convertible that doesn't feel like it's made of flimsy cardboard, you have to put a lot of beef into the structure.

This trend was started by those very same cars that are passing you by on the Autobaun, which at 155 mph feels as solid as other cars doing 70. It's ironic that you bring that up. All that reinforcement gives you a vehicle that will feel very solid at high speeds... not an undesirable thing in, say, a 426 horsepower Camaro SS (or Challenger SRT8 which will do 170 mph!) let alone, Germany's own BMWs and Mercedes Benzes that are capable of the very same speeds Camaro SS runs which you seem to dismiss as unnecessary.

You bring up Germany, and point to size as the reason why Camaro and Challenger are too heavy. However, did you know that Camaro is pretty much the lightest, RWD, IRS, 5 passenger, unibody, regular production car with the level of power that it has?

The current BMW M5 weighs 4,000 lbs, and is no larger than Camaro (2" longer and 2" skinnier). It has more extensive aluminum, and still weighs as much as a larger Challenger SRT8 with it's IRON block 6.1.

Again, that the Ford Mustang GT is about the same size as the Camaro, but weighs generally 300 pounds less. Although IRS likely accounts for at least half that weight, the rest is in building a solid structure that rides nice, provides a very solid structure for a convertible, and can handle monster horspower and torque without twisting itself apart or becoming unstable at high speed.

Cars here are big not for "safety" reasons, but....[b]because that's what the American public demands[/i].


Finally, it seems you don't really know what types of roads are actually here in the US. No you can not "legally" go 155 mph on public roads here in the US, but as anyone who lives west of the Mississippi (especially those of us west of Central Standard time) will likely tell you that there's plenty of roads capable of handling such speeds.


But the point is NOT running a car on a road that fast (by my count, I've hit 150 mph at least 4 times in my life, and one memorable run that buried my 160 mph speedometer...& I've exceeded 140 at least 3 times this year).

The real point is that if you have a car that is rock solid at 155 mph, and is fully capable of running 170, then you have a car that can handle just about anything at the upper range of speeds you are going to hit occasionally, and you do have the power to do those occasional 90 to 140 mph power bursts to break the monotony on empty expanses of freeway on long trips, or entertain yourself in putting away someone in a WRXi who thinks they have the fastest car on the planet.

(yes...that last part is from personal experience )

2010_5thgen

i hope someone asked that, and i hope they have a good response to it. not a good excuse why not to use it, but a good response as to how they will use it