Hey everyone, this is my first post on here! Last week i purchased a 2001 camaro ss 6speed from a dealer. I was happy with it until I drove my friends stock (except for a cut off muffler) 98 Z28 6 speed, which feels substantially faster. At low RPM's, the car pulls much harder than mine and really sucks you into your seat.

I'm really upset because i'm spending all my money on this car and i dont want it to have any kind of problems. Anyone know what it could be or what to check for??

Here is some info on my car: 01 SS M6, hurst shifter, 1 owner before me, bone stock, bought used with 17,000 miles on it, it has been kept up, and it was a trade in for a convertable.

Please help, because i'm pretty upset about this!!

 

Put a cutout on and see how it drives then. 30$ for the cutout and however much for the shop to install.

 

race him and see if its really faster.

usually the sound from the cutout gives the impression that its a lot faster than it really is.

 

Yeah, I'll bet it's just all in your head. Take em both to a track and get times, I'll bet you're about equal with him. The loud exhaust can give the impression that the car is faster.

 

yeah do the cut out and go from a roll so the launch wont make a diffrence

 

gotta love the 98s

it can have something to do with mileage because broken in engines go faster...

 

I really hope it has to do with the fact that he has a cutout. I'll have to take my car to a dyno and see whats up. could it be dirty furl injectors, faulty timing, etc? has anyone expereinced problems like this before? This is my first V8 car so i didn't know how it was "supposed" to feel. Are SS camshafts ground differently than regular Z28's so we make more midrange torque but less low end?

 

The cam in your friends '98 is different than yours....but I do believe yours is the truck cam so you should be making more low end torque.

 

I'm going to get it dynoed next week. whats about the average an SS dynos at the rear wheels? 310-330 hp? I need a starting point to base my accusations on. And if it dynos at, say 280 hp, could something be wrong with the engine, like bent rods, or could something be wrong with the gearbox or clutch?

Thanks for your time, i really appreciate it!

-Jason

 

u should defintly get over 300 rear wheel hp

what slp options does it have.....

 

You should get around 300 hp. Just the same as other Z28's. The cams are all the same as other cars made in the same year. The 01/02 cars have a truck cam that's supposed to give more low end torque. But the LS1's are very smooth performers and are very deceavingly fast. Mine seems to be limiting the torque by retarding the timing until I hit 3500 RPM or so. Then it takes off like I hit a NOS button or something. Maybe not that much. But there is a definate surge.

Anyway, make sure your air filter is clean and that you are running supreme grade gas. If you have bent pushrods it'll make a lot of clacking. Of course, this is easily confused with piston slap. There is only one way I know of to find out if the pushrods are bent. Visual inspection. But I agree with the others who say that the cutout might be fooling you. It might also be traction control related, if you have that.

 

Thanks for all the replies, actually, 2002z28ssconv, my car feels like you described... lots of midrange torque but no low end. I didn't know if this one normal, because like I said, my friends Z28 has a torque surge the moment you step on the gas, as low as 1300 rpm. If this is a timing issue, is there anyway to fix it or is this just normal for some Ls1's?

Also, If i'm running summer street tires in the 20 degree weather we're having in the northeast, would that explain why it's hard for me to get traction? I heard somewhere that summer tires are much worse than all season tires even in cold, dry weather because they harden up.

 

ya 20 degrees sucks it was 20 here and i cant hook for sh*t....once it got 40 i wass hooking preety good

 

get it dynoed in any case.. mainly cause you want a baseline.

Also, plan to go to the track ASAP as that will give you another baseline.

Mine originally dynoed 305-308 (had been on the dyno alot)... then the cooler weather set in.. 315!! woo hoo! bone stock!