I don't decide on a car because of weight. CAMARO > mustang

 

I don't either - but it is certainly a major consideration for me.

3400lb 400 HP vehicle > 3900lb 400 HP vehicle.

 

Guys, it's not like a Chevy engineer is sitting in a dark back room with an evil grin on his face figuring out new places he can hide additional weight in the car. Crash safety guidelines have tightened up, and that's a big part of what's adding weight to modern cars. Welcome to the modern age, where the government is your mother.

 

Hopefully it will have a much bigger impact on the weight than the "smaller" Challenger did coming from the Charger.

 

Not that a Camaro will be near 4,000lbs, but the GT500 weighs in @ 3900+ and still manages respectable Lightning Lap times, according to Car & Driver, compared to much lighter cars.

So, how much worse would a hundred or so odd pounds affect performance??

GT500=3.05 sec.

Z51 Vette=3.03 sec.
ZO6=2.58 sec.
GT3=3.01 sec.
911turbo=3.05 sec.
GTi=3.25 sec.
MX5=3.29 sec.
CivicSi=3.26 sec.
Mini Coop=3.22 sec.

 

The way you wrote that makes it look like all of those cars are doing laps in approximately three seconds.

Also, being two seconds behind a car with 80% of your horsepower is pretty bad, especially when the course has lots of high-speed sections and only one low-speed technical turn (speaking of the GT500 vs the Z51).

 

Seeing how I ran 9.17 ET on and 1/8th mile track in my stock TBSS compared to the 9.3's that a GT was running with exhaust, I'll stick w/GM.

If a bone stock LS2 can make an unweildy over 2 ton SUV run like the TBSS does, I can only imagine what an LS3 will do in a more performance engineered platform with a better trans.

I'm not too impressed with Ford's engineering. Their modular engines were supposed to be "better" and then the newer design was supposed to be "better" too but have been relatively lackluster IMO. At least in NA form.

 

3750+ is a dealbreaker for me. Over that I`m buying a 01-02 4th gen and going crazy w/ the extra cash I will have. I have 30k saved up for this car now.

 

After seeing what the 3900lb G8 can do a with an L67 and an auto I don't care if an LS3 Camaro weighs the same. It'll still go faster and handle better than my T/A.

 

Now that would be a "Lightning Lap" huh...!

The Vette has a better Chassis and weight distribution as well as way better drag coefficient, oh, and lighter ofcourse.

But is the weight the major difference or the other things I listed???
I know weight plays a part, but I think sometimes it gets too big a part...

 

It's an L76 in the G8 GTs. L67 was the Series II 3800 supercharged motor. And a 3900 lb Camaro won't handle better than my Formula I bet.

 

Along with tires, weight is the single biggest contributer to total vehicle dynamics. It negatively impacts turning, braking, and accelerating.

It's easy to add more horsepower. Removing weight is costly and difficult.

I'd prefer a smaller, 3200 pound car with 300 horsepower to a 3700+ pound one with 500. You can make 300 into 500 easily. You can't easily shed 500 pounds.

Here's hoping that the new camaro comes in under 3700 and has an awesome suspension set-up and spot on steering feel. I'd still get it if it met those things. And once the 6th gen comes around, having been designed from the ground up to meet the new requirements, it'll likely be the smaller ~3200 pound small-displacement V-8 (or tubro 6...i'd be up for that too) that I think I'd be even more interested in.

All the same...the new camaro is going to be a great car, and I WILL be looking at getting one. It's gonna get a test drive.

 

If the Z/28 is a supercharged 550hp car that weighs 4000lbs it will be going up against the GT500 that weighs 3920 lbs. These cars will be pretty evenly matched.

Now the iron 5.4 DOHC is a significantly heavier engine than the aluminum 4.6 SOHC, not even taking into acount the supercharger, intercooler, etc.

But the LS family are all relatively the same weight. They're all aluminum. Plus you're expecting the same HD tranny in the base V8, the TR-6060. Ford throws a lightweight 5spd behind the current GT 4.6

So you're not going to see the same 420lb drop from a SCed car to the NA V8. More like 200-250lbs.

If a SCed Camaro weighs 4000, the base V8 will be 3750+. And the LS3 Camaro will be equal(or worse) hp/weight as the 3500lb 400hp Mustang GT.

The comparison should have been a 3500lb 400hp GT vs a 3750lb 430hp Camaro. I don't know which one I would choose. I like IRS, though.

 

Oh, I see you're actually thinking an NA LS3 Camaro could weigh 4000lbs because the L76 G8 weighs about 4000lbs.


Eeewww.. that would be bad.

I'd take the Ford, hands down.

 

If GM supercharges the LX? from the factory, will they still use the aluminum block? I hope so, but I wouldn't be sure of it.