The Chevrolet Camaro is no stranger to sub-10-second times on the drag strip. In fact, it’s no stranger to sub-nine or even sub-eight, if you count some of the maniacal creations that have been built out of every generation of the muscle car. But now, for the first time, Chevrolet has created a factory-based Drag Race Development Program specifically for testing and building out production sixth-generation Camaro SS models, with its sights set on the 10-second mark. And this camouflaged racer is Chevy’s test car.
Although you soon will be able to buy a massively powerful Camaro ZL1 from a dealer or, if you’re lucky, one of the 69 just-announced 2017 COPO Camaros, Chevrolet knows that many of the cars that line up at the tarmac start out as regular production models like the SS. They are crafted into tire-shredding monsters by owners who love the do-it-yourself spirit of the sport. It’s one thing to buy a car that’s fast; it’s another to buy a car and make it fast. Members of the latter group are the people Chevy is aiming at with its Drag Race Development Program.
With this SS, which starts with a 455-hp LT1 V-8, Chevy tried to follow the same progression line a normal racing enthusiast would take. Some of the initial modifications included swapping out the rear differential for one with a higher ratio and adding a cam-and-heads package. The team also added Chevrolet Performance air induction and exhaust systems and fitted smaller brakes, which allowed for smaller, 16-inch wheels, which allowed for bigger slicks.
After more testing, Chevrolet switched to a higher-stall torque converter, stating that this upped the stall speed to 4200 rpm, 30 percent faster than stock. With power up to about 530 horsepower, or 600 with what Chevy vaguely calls a “power adder,” the next modifications were half-shafts and the prop shaft from the sixth-gen ZL1, plus a 250-millimeter, 3.73-geared rear axle from the fifth-gen ZL1.
To date, Chevrolet said it has done more than 100 quarter-mile passes with the test car. The claimed fastest time for the SS-based dragster is 10.685 seconds at 125.73 mph. That is definitely improved from the 12.3-second time we recorded for a stock SS, but Chevrolet is going to have to do better if it really wants to raise some eyebrows.
“The Camaro SS Drag Race Development concept is a work in progress, but Chevrolet is serious about developing parts and packages tailored for drag racers,” said Mark Dickens, the division’s director of performance variants, parts, and motorsports engineering. “As we continue to develop the car, we’ll be listening intently to customers’ reactions to it and what they believe would help them the most on the drag strip. This is only the beginning.”
from Car and Driver BlogCar and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/2eaebxu
via IFTTT
0 comments:
Post a Comment