Why do you wish you had an SS?

Oh and T-tops are definitely worth it.
Ok people that don't konw jack about our cars do think that the SS and Ws6 are "soooo much faster than z28's"
I think the stock LS1 cars look badass, very clean. Yes the SS does look very good. But i like the z28 better, thats my opinion.

[This message has been edited by '01BlackZ (edited September 03, 2002).]

 

I firmly believe its all up to you.. Even at the same cost, I would not own an SS.

I personally do not like:
The "hood scoop"
The rear spoiler
Larger wheels and wider tires
SS badging all over the freaking car

I would love to have my Z28 without the Z28 all over it.
I prefer tires that are sufficient. 245's do the job and I dont plan on having more than 450hp. I do know of people with the 245's getting 1.8's with 400 rwtq so I dont think I need wider at all..

I am not about excess. I am about what is needed to obtain my goals.

(Not a personal attack, just an observation)As for the guy that gets jealous, you may have some issues you may want to look into.
I dont think its healthy to actually feel jealous because someone else choose differently. My Z28 has only 3 options. Leather steering wheel, hurst shifter and T-tops. Nothing else. No power anything.. no leather.. nothing.. I dont care what others have that I dont. I am most likely lighter than many but I dont care about that at all.. When I was searching for my Z, I stated that first and formost it had to be BLACK, secondly that it had to be a 6SP, and finally it had to have T-tops.. If any of these werent met, then I didnt want one. It had to have those three items. Mine does. I chose to not have an auto simply because not enough transmission shops know about them. I went through 6 in 3 years. The sticks seem to be much simpler and I think that they are easier to work on.

T-tops I chose because once you have them, you shouldnt be without them ever again. They are so good to have down here. Mine are off more than they are on. (my 1995 didnt leak and that car was a hooptie compared to my new car)

Black is just my color of choice for cars.

So just be happy with what YOU want and what YOU have and try not to worry about other peoples stuff.
(I used to have a huge house.. I now live in a luxo apt.. I love the apt.. hate the house.. When I see big houses I think of all the work it takes and the bills and think never again... $400 a month in electricty. I am now down to $140!)

 

however, the other 99.9% of the people on the board will gladly pay top doller for that stuff to put on their z28.
"ss badging all over the car" consists of 3 emblems in place of the 3 emblems on a z28, and some tiny little emblems on the centercaps.
i just think z28s look too much like a v6. the "suprising ricers" factor can be fun, but you'll only do that maybe once or twice a month. in the meantime your car is nothing special and nobody pays it much attention. i like being noticed every once in a while, and its nice getting compliments. before i lowered my car and put chrome ss rims on it nobody said anything about it, but now i get compliments all the time



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'93 z28 m6 (Purple Pearl Metallic)
stock shortblock, 230/236 cam, mildly ported heads, hooker longtubes, csi waterpump, all the usual bolton stuff.....
7.98 @ 88.7mph 1.84 60' (1/8mi)

 

as many have posted already. if this is directly from a performace vrs. cost conscept then the z28 is the way to go. for me the ss adds a certain level of uniqueness. i see tons of z's. but since i bought my ss i have seen a total of 3 others period. yeah it costs more and yeah the hp difference isn't life altering. but the badging and minor causmetic changes throughout the car.... that is what makes it worth it.

definitly get t-tops. much better than a convertable imo.

 

but arent there more badges on the interior?
like on the dash? or something like that?
and the optional floor mats....

To me, the SS has become somewhat "the norm" around here. I dont care about blending into obscurity as that has helped my record stay spotless. hehe

When I had my first Z it had the flowmaster 80 series and that was way too annoying..

I changed it for a 30 series flowmaster (their higher performance muffler) and it was much more quieter.

I even prefer single out exhaust tips. I dont really care what everyone else thinks about my car..

 

Well everyone has made good points. In the end its about what you like better, as far as looks are concerned. I prefer a car that isn't the norm and catches someones attention, maybe its because I'm from NY who knows. Before the SS I had a yellow (great color) 94 vette. It got so much attention I loved it. I even got more attention then my buddy who had a 96 collector edition vette (silver) , man was he pissed. When we were out cruising the strip I would always get the , "hey nice car" comments from the crowd, he wouldn't get any. Now with my SS its more subdued but still there. The loudmouth exhaust helps to let people know I'm around. I love having the loud exhaust and SS badging, it scares the hell out of ricers and makes me laugh. Even most Z28s back off when they hear me arrive becuase they think I must have worked it up quite a bit. Either way its fast as hell and I haven't lost a race in it yet, wasted some C5s, WS6s, etc. Also, get the t-tops, you would regret not having them more than not having an SS.

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99 SS, Dark Metallic Blue, M6
SLP lid, KN, TBB, SLP Y-pipe, SLP loudmouth
ported MAFs, Nitto 315 DRs
Currently: 1/4 13.06@113.8 (gtech runs high in mph by about 4mph), 0-60 4.77 (w/passenger) Gtech'd
12.99@110.2, 2.06 60ft - Tazzo.
Also, 331 rwhp as measured on the Gtech

 

The SS will probably put out a little more power than the Z. No big deal, the SS is mostly about FLASH .

I get a lot of looks in my SS, especially with the chrome wheels and Zaino. It's just something extra that makes my car more FUN

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2000 Camaro SS
A4, 3.23 gears, Black, ZR-1 chrome wheels, Zaino'd, tinted windows, stock for now

 

Ya, even the majority of the V6 owners have reasons to stand by there cars. I haven't driven a Z28 so I can't give you a fair opinion. But I do know I like my SS and it performance is pretty sweet.

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99 Black SS A4 t-tops a ton of factory options plus white face gauges which have a disputable hp gain. (formerly V6white98, changed cars)

 

I think a lot of good points have been made here as well. I did want to say something about the SS being more exclusive or most likely to draw attention - it's all a function of where you live. Come to SE MI, where everyone either gets or knows someone who can get a GM employee discount, and you'll see more SS's and T/A's than any other F-body. The Z28 is probably the least common one around here. Again, it all boils down to getting what you like.

Oh, and as for the T-tops, they're great. Highly recommended, but be careful, mine had a ton of butyl rubber sealer around the windsheild that got soft and stringy in the heat. Today was the first time I yanked off the tops that I didn't have to clean up

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2002 Sebring Silver Z28 M6 - Built Aug. 6, 2002

 

You can see from my screen name as well as my sig which one I prefer. Yeah, the T-Tops are great. So great I got the supersize T-Tops. Farkin' Awesome! I never have the top up.

As for the SS package. The only performance difference is the "Ram Air" hood. (Yeah right) It should be called CAI hood. But even then, sitting right on top of the engine, any air that flows through the hood is gonna be heated up anyway. The hood doesn't really seal tightly to the air box either, so it won't build up any pressure like a 'real' ram air setup would. But it does supply enough airflow to get rid of any intake restriction caused by the stock Z28 setup. Someday I'll get one of the real ramair setups that come in under the bumper and flow up in front of the radiator.

The only SS emblems are the 3 that replace the Z28 emblems on the fenders and rear. I think they used to have one on the dash but 2002's have an anniversary badge there. The SS floor mats are optional.

I've always had cars that stuck out in a crowd. 75 Lancia, 67 GTO, even the 95 Civic EX. I had to put a (tasteful) spoiler, blacked out windows, pin stripes, Honda mud flaps, '99 Civic wheel covers and a wolf bra on it before I felt like it was 'my' car. But that's me. I'm a car freak. Earlier this year I was autocrossing my baby blue 87 Civic 4 door. Why? Because it was different, the 88 Camaro was broke and I didn't have the SS yet. I still liked driving it though, because it was different. It had a roof rack and hail damage. I've never seen another one quite like it. I got some WS6 ram air stickers for it but hadn't put them on yet. I was also gonna rivet a Folgers can to the muffler and put a vinyl flame job on it but sold it to Camride (CZ28 member) in stead. I needed the plate for my SS.

Reading over what I've just written... Man I'm nuts! Oh well. Nobody can pick but yourself. Don't get the SS for more power. There isn't any. But if you want to stand out, get the SS.

My $0.02

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2002 SS Vert:
SOM - Hurst - black leather - 12 disk changer - SLP dual center exhaust & grill insert
--- Mods - K&N, Yokohama AVS Intermediates on 16" Z28 5 spokes (autocrossing tires)

88 Camaro - FOR SALE
License plate - STRKIN (STROKIN was taken of course)
383 stroker
T350 trans (just rebuilt - 4/1/02) - shifts very hard.
373 rear.
Eibach(type) springs
Stiff sway bars Front & Rear
Air shocks in rear
Edelbrock Torker II Manifold
Edelbrock Performer 600CFM carb (w/tune kit)
Mallory 4309 Fuel pressure regulator.
shorty headers into true duals into two big flowmasters under the bumper into your face

When I start my car in the morning, my neighbors DO think the world is coming to an end!