Camaro ZL1 gets 580 hp

The ZL1's SAE-certified horsepower is 580 @ 6,000 rpm. It's 30 more than the 2011 Shelby GT500, and 150 more than the (conservatively published number for) the 1969 Camaro ZL1.

The ZL1's torque figure is 556 lb-ft @4200 rpm, 47 more than the Lamborghini Aventador.

More interesting tidbits at the link. The article is actually titled "The Chevy Camaro ZL1 gets 580 hp, and 9 other things you need to know".

Impressive car indeed...

 

For sale... 2010 SS Imperial Blue. 1st owner, one mod, one love... Let's get together and feel all right.

(damn pandora got me singing again...)


oh yeah.. i want a ZL1....

 

I'm sure the price per pound will be fabulous.

Great power, hideous weight.

 

I'm sure it is going to kick serious even with that weight.

 

Wow, this car is going to be amazing. I'm so glad it is more than just a Camaro SS with an LSA under the hood.

 

Considering with street tires on both the Caddy CTS-V will beat a GT500 in the 1/4 mile this thing should be an 11.9 car with the extra hp and a littel less weight.

 

where's this thing supposed to come in $$$ wise?

 

That would be 4199.2 pounds at 7.24 pounds per horse... no lightweight, but do we really think anyone really thought it would be?

 

Even though it is going to haul ***, it is a bit sickening to see that number typed out.

I was hoping it would be capped at a (still obese) 4100 lbs. Oh well. I'm not in the market for a $50k toy right now anyway.

 

Yeah I hear ya, I think my Dodge Dakota quad cab weighs just a few hundred more. Having said that and the state of the average American driver I am kind of comforted knowing that weight would help keep me alive when the guy texting hits me head on. I don't feel that comfort in my Cobalt.

 

When you have that much HP and torque you really need to beef up the car. Don't forget people are going to mod this thing so it really needs to handle like 700HP. Plus it has to last for the 100,000mi. warranty.

Try building your own 580HP car with the reliability that this Camaro is going to have.

 

More power and a lot more technology than I thought the car would have. Considering what has been learned from the Z06, CTS-V and ZR1 the pedigree is there for serious performance. In an age of bailouts and car czars GM isn’t pulling any punches on performance models.

But as usual it's never too early to complain about speculated weight and price as has been the case since the 5th Gen was cleared for production.

 

Just for comparison.

- My 99 SS has about 430-435 (est) crank hp and weighs about 3400 lbs. 3400/432.5 = 7.86 lb/hp

- 2012 ZL1 has 580 hp and weighs 4200 lbs. 4200/580 = 7.24 lb/hp

I know it is a much nicer, safer, better potential, and many other things car. Just shocking how weight chews up horsepower.

 

Actually....you kinda got it backwards.

It takes a lot of weight to handle a lot of horsepower.

Take this 580 horse ZL1.

You can't use the regular SS powertrain, it would chew it up or rip it apart. That means a heavier duty transmission, driveshaft, differential, and IRS assembly. All that adds weight.

Then there's the fact that more horsepower means more heat, and therefore a bigger cooling system. Bigger capacity radiator and a waterpump that flows more coolant. More weight.

Then there';s the engine itself. You simply aren't going to use the same internals on a 425 horse engine as you're gonna use on a 580 horse one. That means a tougher crank and rods for starters which add weight. Then there's that supercharger and related piping and intercooler. Even more weight.

But even before you get to all of that, you first have to engineer the chassis to handle that much power (along with a huge margin for future power upgrades) all to prevent the car from shaking like a bad wooden rollercoaster at high speeds or twisting itself in half doing too many burnouts with too-sticky tires. Imagine doing a great burnout then the IRS begins to wheelhop violently and rips itself from the rear end.

Pick up the brake rotors off of your '99 Camaro. Then pick up the rotors off of the ZL1. Compare the size of the calipers between the 2 cars. World class braking performance means bigger.... and heavier... brakes. The new SS (and ZL1) have a power steering and oil cooler. Your '99 probably doesn't. That's additional weight.

It all adds up.

Your '99 didn't come from the factory with 435hp, and therefore didn't have to pass GM's grueling duribility testing & NVH standards that buyers routinely expect in a $20K car, let alone one that's going to come in well north of $40K. You modified your car pretty substantially to get that extra 25% horsepower gain and that power-to-weight ratio (post-2000 LS1 Camaros have many LS1 components and put out about 340hp across the board, but I'm using it as a best case example here).

A simple pulley swap in the ZL1 that gains even just 15% will sit it at just under 670hp (with no additional weight gain). That puts power-power-to-weight at just about 6.3 to your 7.9 (both rounded).

Point is, it's not a good idea comparing a modified car to one that came off the showroom floor. It's sort of like comparing the 100 yard dash times between an athlete and a cracked out guy on a bike thinking the cops are behind him. You may get an impressive number, but you aren't gonna use it to judge the athlete's time.

A stock LS1 Camaro has a best PTW ratio of about 10lbs per hp (340hp, 3400#).

A stock '12 SS's is 8.9, as is the current Mustang 5.0 (3800#/426hp & 3700# 412hp)

The Corvette Z06's is 6.3 (3200#/505hp)

The ZL1's 7.25 is nothing to sneeze at.

 

No doubt. Though since they published the power to weight ratio and the power, it isn't all that much in the way of speculation to see that it is a 4200 lb car at this point.

It is still going to throw down some serious performance; I fully believe that. I really hope they will take some of the lessons they've learned in terms of suspension tuning / tires / etc. and offer an option package for the SS and V6 cars. The SS's 426 hp and 14" brakes are no joke; a more handling-oriented package (especially if some other minor weight reduction could accompany it) could go a long way. Not that I think the current car is a bad-handler.