Aerodynamics matters far more than just to top speed. It can affect performance long before top speed is reached, not to mention gas milage, wind noise, etc.

There's a reason why GM is so proud of the .36 coefficient of drag that the GMT-900 SUVs have... and no, it's not top speed.

 

Hmm, I can't find a source that will verify that statement.. both 3rd and 4th gen seen to be in the .34 cd with the 4th gen's having a slightly lower frontal area than the 3rd gens....

 

The blunt nose is not the issue so much... a blunt nose (depending on the aero efficiency) can actually improve front end stability... it's more the rest of the car's body where gains in aero efficiency is achieved.

Qualifier: I'm no aero dynamicist but I'm only going by what I've read on recent designs like Cadillac's 'Art and Science' theme and how GM's designers were commenting on how they could still achieve good aero efficiency with that chiseled blunt nose.

 

Ok...Here's info from the "1982 Camaro Product Specialist Manual". The Z-28 figure is also in the '82 Camaro brochure.

I don't know where the .32 is coming from, but it also makes me wonder about the .34 of the 4th gen.

 

The top speed of the GT and the bullit is actually about 145. Some claim 147 though.

 

These are the same kind of concerns that the mustang guys had before the 05 debuted. I guess its normal

 

The angular parts reflect the radar away from the source. Thats why the signature is reduced. They are also covered with a composite skin (which the camaro will not have ) to absorb the waves. An angular chape could theoretically introduce errors into the returning wave that would make it read incorrectly.................

 

People worry about the blunt nose because of the frontal area it presents. Reducing frontal area reduces drag. But there are other ways to compensate.

 

I dont see how it could be either. Starting to think its one of those myths like the 3rd gens easily out handleing the 4ths. I know they did a lot of aero work on the 4th gens to get the gas milage as high as possible.

 

I thought frontal area was the "shadow" of car from straight on. In otherwords a 2D representation of the surfaces that hit the air.

If that's accurate,then sloped vs. flat nose is irrelevant to a measurement of frontal area. It would definitely factor into CD, but frontal area is only concerned with the total square feet of area that sees air hit it from straight on.

So as long as the nose isn't taller than the windshield or wider than the rest of the car its really not a factor in the measurement of frontal area.

 

I have all my fun in the first 3 gears, not enough open road for anything else. Fastest I've ever gone is 125, and can't say I'd ever need more than that again.

As far as the aero, I'd gladly give up some aero for a well styled package. Look at the butt of the C5, thats what happens when aero takes higher priority than styling. They improved it greatly w/ the C6, but for me, I don't want a design dictated solely by the wind tunnel. I want as slick a car as I can get so long as it still has attractive styling. An example for me would be the 4th gen LS1 Firebirds. I thought their styling was much more interesting than the Camaros, but I think they were a notch or 2 higher in .cd.

 

It was a downhill on the interstate, bigger throttle body, and i just wanted to max out the speedo, it probably wouldn't have done it on flat ground, i am just talking about the stability at that speed.

 

Even in terms of Cd, the shape of the front of the vehicle is nowhere near as important as the after run.

It's not really the way you hit the air, it's the way you leave it that matters.

 

Btw - if you really want to go faster than 165ish mph, there are MUCH MUCH more cost-effective ways to do it.

Bias the gearing towards fuel economy/quarter mile/road course - leave the top speed contests to Corvettes and hyperbikes.

 

That was my understanding, but I don't do aero for a living or anything.

Regarding the Stealth Camaro, you need to make all the body panels out of radar absorbent material, and then use RAM paint, and then the glass would need to be tinted with gold too.