Z28 / Z28 SS - Difference?
 

Hi all. It's been a LONG time since I've been here. But, I like to stop by every now and then just to see how the place is doing.. Today, I've got a question. A good friend of mine is thinking about abandoning his Mustang hobby and is wondering what the difference is between the Z28 and the SS..

He's been thinking about an '03 Cobra so I want to give him all the details I can. The more descriptive I can be, the better chance there is of him converting.

Anyways.. Thanks in advance.. I'm sure whatever response I get here will be the best response I can expect anywhere...

Thank you. I know there's 15 more horse. Right? Bigger wheels.. Is the suspension much better? Can an SS be had with an automatic? If so, are the 0-60 and 1/4 miles numbers much worse? If so, any inexpensive remedies to that?

Thank you...

the spolier, hood, wheels, ram air, ss floor mats ect. basically what i heard is that the ss is basically a $3000 apperence package.

Thank you. So far it's sounding that way. I thought there was a better suspension for the SS.. 15 horsepower isn't that much - but how did they get it? I'm guessing things that can be done easily to the Z28...

There are bigger swaybars and stiffer suspension available on the SS, depends on the options when ordered I guess? The horsepower increase is due to the exhaust and Ram Air (according to Chevy) but most people find the SS Ram Air to be inefficient compared to a FIPK or even a lid + K&N. The SS looks badass IMHO, but the stock 98+ Z28 hood looks a little plain for my taste.

My opinion:

Buy an SS if it's priced reasonably, but you'll likely find a Z28 much cheaper that will perform nearly as well, and you can use the money you saved to buy some nice performance parts for the Z.

Worst-case scenario, you could fit an SS hood and spoiler onto a Z28. Right? Or no?

Just thought I would let you know the SS does not have 15 hp on the Z28. This merely GMs marketing ploy to get people to spend the $3500 on the SS. In reality the difference from motor to motor is much more significant, and I have seen Z28s dyno with more power than SS, really it matters on the motor. The SS is a bad a$$ looking car, the Z28 is rather plain looking w/o the hood, but that doesnt mean the Z28 cant hold its own in a race b/c it doesnt have a hood scoop.

The guy I'm trying to pull over into ChevyWorld really likes the looks of the SS but has a good deal on a Z28.. So.. I'm basically telling him the cars are so close it doesn't make any difference - and IF he wants, he could always make the Z28 look just like the SS.. He agrees with the boring look without the hood and smaller spoiler...

this topic comes up at least once a week.....do a search


spoiler
hood
rims
catback
floormats
build number
emblems
different suspension options

Z28 owner
 

I've got your solution. I own a 1993 Z28 and it's great. I really do want the SS style hood and a few other SS modifications, but if your friend doesnt want to look mainstream, he could buy a Z28 and look for other types of hood styles like cowl, big block, super z, or ss. The SS does have a slightly better suspension than a Z28. Don't listen to that mess about Z28's dyno more powerful than an SS. It just doesnt happen if they are both stock. The SS has the exact same LS1 as the Z28 (assuming its newer than 97 otherwise its an LT1) The hood forces air on a shorter path to the engine, making the extra 15hp. It's not a rumor, or a GM ploy, it's fact. Why else would you buy a forced induction? Look at anyone's modified Camaro and you'll find some sort of aftermarket hood. If you want to see the "fastest LS1 in the world" go to LS1Motorsports.com and look for the link on the main page. 9.94 seconds if I'm not mistaken. Make sure your friend knows that Mustang GT's come with 260hp and Z's start at 305 I believe. In my personal opinion I would keep this Z over a 2003 Mustang Cobra even if someone handed me the Cobra for free. I love this car to death and you couldn't pry it from my dead body. If you have any other questions e-mail me. I've done quite a bit of research on both. check out the car @ http://members.sounddomain.com/ryanas By the way, I'm adding a West Wings F1 kit and SS hood this summer. Can't wait. Check it out.

Re: Z28 owner
 

Yes b/c SS ram air is so effective. :rolleyes: Not every motor that rolls off the assembly line is the same so b/c of hp variances between motors yes it is very likely that a Z can dyno higher than an SS. BTW its also the same motor LS1 that comes in the Corvettes so why do those have 350 hp. Once again marketing ploy for the flagship car. However the fact is that theyre actually right about the Vette. The motor creates about 350 in a Vette, SS, or Z, obviously with slight variations. The SS is actually underrated and the Z is even more underated.

SS ram air blows the big one...no questions asked....

The corvette uses an LS6 not an LS1. LS1 is a corvette "derived" engine. They are both 5.7L engines but you would have to consult a GM maker for the exact differences. "Every Z28 engine is different" is not true. Mine is the same size, shape, as yours. The differences would be in transmissions, oil used, air filter used, mods, and of course weather. The weather is not exactly optimal for a dyno if you live in death valley, california. The SS hood creates extra horsepower or you wouldnt see thousands of Camaro owners putting it on their cars. If it just didnt work at all and was a complete scam why have so many people who know cars bought into this secret GM ploy to make you spend a few grand more on a hood and spoiler? The facts are on the table. My guess on the fact the engines are both 5.7 liter V8's is either the quality of parts installed, the corvette engine is most likely not a 350ci, or design of the intake. It's common knowledge the Corvette has an LS6. Where have you been?

lots of the people with ss hoods get an aftermarket ram air anyway....cuz SS RAM AIR IS WORTHLESS...have u ever seen one???...worthless!!!!u have like 2 posts....how bout u go look around and check to see what ppl have before u start talking bout something you dont know much about



just my 2 cents:rolleyes:

your right stick, i guess because i only have a few posts means ive never researched mods before. I'm truly stupid. I wish i had so much CamaroZ28.com experience as you. If your SS hood was so useless why did you buy it again? I guess maybe you should just not buy a sports car ever again if you dont buy it somewhat for appearance. Go buy a Civic and put some pretty stickers of unicorns on steroids on it. That adds at least 300hp so im told. While your at it, call GM and Ford, and every other producer of sports cars that their falsehood on the ram air was mean. Tell them how useless it is and how their research failed them. But be sure to tell them how good of a ploy it was. Sure had you fooled i guess. Had you goin for a bit if you know what i mean. *wink wink*

i never said anything bout appearance.....i love the way the ss hood looks otherwise i wouldnt have it....but u cant argue with the fact it sucks...only good fbod ram air is on the transam...

u obvioulsy have never looked at ss ram air or youd know what im talking bout....
who said anything bout other car's ram air...im talking bout ss ram air PERIOD.....


some people:rolleyes:

how is a WS6 ram air any more effecient than an SS hood? If what you say is true why dont i see a lot more WS6's on the road? Maybe its just Texas, but I dont see hardly any Firebirds. Pontiac is a bad son of GM. Chevrolet definently went behind GM's back and created a nonefficient ram air system. Why would they do this? Why why why??

ok.......
sit down and grab some pretzels and welcome to session 9

ss ram air blows....

the ram air starts with the hood scoop and splits into 2 and then wraps aroundthe whole hood ending at the intake....so u see that it has a lot of travel and theres no way to push that air around the bends efficiently


ws6 ram air goes straight in....


look under a ss hood sometime u will totally under stand why....

any help???
got u convinced???

little bit???


didnt mean to sound like a jacka$$.....

ive heard of this problem with the ram airs on ss splitting but if you buy an aftermarket ram air box lid it eliminates the extra run in. yes if you have a stock SS you might have problems but adding a $85 box gains 10hp at the wheels and you dont have the problems. SLP provides an assembly like that on your sponsored website. Maybe you should check it out.

thts what im saying stock ss ram air sucks...when u put something else on it of course it will make it better....but whisper ram air with a lid is really good in my opinion...

Sorry dude but you really don't know what you're talking about.
The air enters the SS hood near the middle of the motor then splits in two then each half travels a complete 360° to end up entering the air box at the very front of the car. The SS scoop is only good for supplying cold air. There is NO ram effect.
The WS6 scoops are on the very leading edge of the hood and the air goes straight into the air box. There is some ram effect but not much because it's not a sealed unit.
As to why we buy SSes when we know these facts? It's because we love the look and I personally love the way ours handles. Could you buy a Z then add shocks, swaybar, springs, tires, wheels, catback, spoiler, and hood? Sure. Would the end results be about the same? Sure, but then you wouldn't have a real Super Sport.:D :D

I don't mean to be an old bag of sloppy nuts but doesn't the Corvette still use the LS1 and the Corvette Z06 use the LS6?

Anyways.. I've heard enough to believe that Ram Air doesn't do as much as we're all led to believe. If I'm not mistaken, the difference at around 60mph is nominal. Yes, every little bit helps - but can you really get 10 horsepower to the wheels with ram air?

Maybe so... Maybe not. This is a debate that could go on forever and ever. It's not worth bothering, really.

I just wanted to know the main differences between each car. Apparently, the Z28 and SS doesn't handle very well no matter which way you look at it. If it handles like the Iroc's and TA's of the previous generation, they'll have trouble keeping up with Northstar Cadillacs on twisty roads.

On the other hand, my '87 Vette feels like rumbling Hell when you drive over an ant or worm crossing the road. It handles amazingly, but I don't know if it's worth banging my head on the removable top each time I pass over one of these worms. Thank God for seatbelts...

wish I had an '02 SS w/m6 and all slp options :(

but i'm lucky to have found a z28 for little money :D

corvettsuse ls1...and z06 uses ls6...thats right


i dont know why some ppl think tha all corvettes have ls6...i guess they are just misinformed....

alright guys...go bitch to GM if you dont like the fact the Corvette engine puts out more than your Camaro. I frankly dont give a **** what you think. My car is rated #3 overall on this site and if you dont like that either then take it up the ass. Dont buy a sports car ever again if your going to cry about it. Thats all I have to say.

Wow! That last post made me think of a new Steven Segal movie title!

Explosion!
Of!
Fury!

Yeah! Baby! I'm gonna send it in! hehe

I just dont think its right to bash someone else for their opinion. No one is an "all knowing" Camaro enthusiast and we all have opinions. If they dont think the hood creates 10hp then thats their own thing, they can stick with a stock hood.

I hear ya! We could all use a course in anger management. Right, Tony? :p There are a few important things we don't learn in school..

Otherwise. We're all Camaro enthusiasts here. So we're technically all on the same side. When all is said and done, we may have different opinions - but we all have at least one thing in common..

Besides appearance it has many standard features plus bigger sway bars, tighter suspension, and different exhaust. It is very easy to make a Z28 as fast as a SS if it isn't already. But the claimed 15hp isn't why people get an SS, unless they are an id!ot. If I had a good deal on a Z28 I would take it over the SS any day. Its all the same LS1.

ok im about to own this thread.


Sal Callaziano.

ss - z28 = all really the same
the ss has a better suspension than the z28 (helps in road racing, no so much help at the track though); it has a hood with "ram air" (yes this "ram air" does suck, but it adds a little maybe 1 or 2hp due to more cold air going in. its not really ram air. ), spoiler, 17" inch rims, exhaust, and some more accesories.

the z28 has none of what was mentioned above. Yet that does not mean it is inferior. they both have the ls1 (which is an incredibly awesome engine) in my personal opion i like the ss better than the z. NOT BECAUSE OF POWER, but because of looks.

if your friend wants a car for road racing then the ss with SLIGHTLY out perform the z28 (with a control i mean).....(for those that are slightly slow. a control, in an experiment, is the factor that is the same......ex. both ls1's in the experiment producing the same power, z28 engine and ss engine........leaving the additional performance the hood and suspension aspects)

Now if your friends wants a car for the strip then the ss's suspension upgrades wont matter, because the z28's have good ones too.......and the ss suspension upgrade is for handling..........not going in a straight line (like a drag stip)

As for what your friend needs to get--It all depends on what he's going to do with the car..............if he is going to turn it into a bad a** fast machine....then the z28 will be the best (because its the cheapest, and if he really turns it into a fast ass machine then he will change suspension, induction, exhaust......which if he bought an ss he would do too, because its stuff isnt what you want when building an all out dragster)......so basically when you change the exhaust, suspension, better flowing hood (if you want to change that)..........you just replaced what you just payed for....................so what was the point in buying the ss??????

now to the post about z28 power being as much as the ss power......................WRONG the ss does have slightly more, but yes there are a few freak ls1 engines that produce more power than the other ones...........so yes you can see a z28 dyno with more power than an ss. they both have ls1 engines but no engine is identical.

i would tell your friend to buy a z28, because im thinking he likes power and is going to heavily modify the car.

and im not just biast about the z28, i would take an ss over the z28. I am actually looking into this as we speak.

and again.......to your question about will the hood fit if you wanted to buy one and put it on there???......yes and so would the spoiler.


Im sure i have forgotten to add a couple things (as my post is very long and i dont feel like rereading it and making sure i havnt, so im just saying i might have)

but if you want to know everything (the difference in power between the different years...........i.e.-- 1998-2000, 2001 and 2002.......there were just small changes in the engine to make these differences) CAL then you can call me at 601-924-3835.

but it all comes down to preference



Thanks..............Scott

Let me get in this real quick. LS1 corvettes and f-bodies put out right around the same numbers. GM has to over rate the corvette because its a "corvette" and has to be on top.
The only reason I bought my SS was because of the appearence and the fact that its an anniversary... other than what I would have gotten a used one to mod it up quick.