Nice review on the SS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL4j4...ayer_embedded#

 

yeah good stuff. Good review.
Looks like the SS is the one to have.. for now.

 

It looks like the real test will be when the '11 Mustang,'11 Camaro and '11 Challenger are all out and see if Chevy or Dodge tweak their cars at all. If the Mustang is what they say it will be and the other 2 stay stable i can not see the other 2 beating out the Mustang as IRS will be their only advantage and better looking *** ends. My problem with the IRS on these 2 cars its too much like driving a sedan to me and it loses the muscle car feel. The V6 Camaro is like driving the Impala.

 

a malibu with 300hp?

 

Sorry meant Impala.

 

I don't think either Chevy or Dodge will, nor can afford to, sit on their hands for 2011.

Chevy has a whole raft of more powerful motors to pop into the Camaro and could readily do a bit of tuning on the suspension to tighten it up a touch.

The Challenger will reportedly be getting a 6.4 Hemi, in the pricey SRT8 undoubtedly, with some 500hp. Perhaps then the current 6.1 could become the standard R/T motor and with a bit of suspension tuning itself, could be a competitive plus-sized pony car for those of ample girth.

Not sure about your IRS comment, especially given that the distinguishing aspect of muscle car handling feel and performance was that they were generally awful. Does that then mean that the ride and handling of the Camaro and Challenger don't suck enough to be muscle cars? Perhaps that's why they would better be considered as pony cars -- the original of which, the Mustang, was a distinct retort to the big, overpowered but woefully undercomposed muscle cars of its day.

Granted the overall suspension tuning of these two cars, totally apart from having IRSs, is a bit soft, and they are substantially heavier than the light and lithe Stang, but I think retrograding to live axles would only further degrade their ride and handling feel and capabilities, not enhance them.

Better, IMHO, to take these basically excellent suspension designs and further improve them by making them a bit tauter and more communicative yet, while still retaining excellent ride and rough road performance capabilities. Otherwise, we'll be arguing for drum brakes because they stop too well for muscle cars too not to mention ditching the rack and pinion steering to rid them of their unbecoming steering sharpness and accuracy.

In any case, I think this is all an excellent testament as to how fortunate we are to have three pony cars going tooth and nail at each other, a textbook example of competition improving the breeds and us the enthusiasts being the ultimate benefactors in the end. I think the pace of change and development for the Mustang's next five years will, out of necessity, far surpass the modest pace of the previous five.

 

I agree with you. Im sure its caused more with the size and weight of the cars than the IRS itself.
Even though i just can not get myself to like the rear of the '10 im sure of the 3 cars with the new power trains it will be hard to beat as the all around pony car and will be in my corral next spring.

 

I highly doubt you will see much if any change in power over the next year or two for the SS or SRT8.

 

They are saying the STR8 will get the Hemi 6.4 in '11 and rate 500+ HP. The R/T may get the 6.1. Things can be getting real interesting. Buying an American Muscle car just got complicated.

 

Manageable Heft

 

I'm don't know much about what's in the challenger stable but as far as GM is concerned SLP covered them on that http://slpcamaro.com/. Available through dealerships BTW. The LS3 should be due for its first power boost anytime now anyway if future LS models are any comparison.

 

And, like DarkCandy stated, Dodge has a 6.4L "Hemi" on the way.

http://www.ontariostreetcar.com/2009...lly-a-reality/

 

I stand corrected, it looks like it has been confirmed if this is reliable. The Challenger boys were very pessimistic on the 6.4 making it into production.

 

I can see GM working with the suspension and steering, but big hp bumps for the bread and butter cars not so much.

I wonder if GM might take a different approach with maybe only an incremental increase in power and bigger gains in effciency so that the cars get better mileage?

I know it sonds crazy, especially when your looking at it through the lens of P/W ratio, but there is the psychological aspect of offering an SS F5 with 475 or 500hp. I'm sure insurance companies would get nervous (as I found out when I upgraded from my GT) and some people might be scared away from something with that level of power (I Iknow I wouldn't give a kid of mine anything more than than the V6 car if I either had a kid or was in the position to do so).