http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/..._shelby_gt500/

Not surprising, the Camaro received universal praise for its suspension -- namely its IRS and magnetic shocks. The Shelby obliterates the Camaro at the dragstrip and turned a faster initial (read: "one") lap on the 2.2-mile circuit. However, after one lap, the Shelby's brakes overheated so badly that it fell further and further behind to the ZL1 after each, successive lap.

 

The shelby has 14inch brembos doesnt it? how is it possible they are so terrible

 

Insufficient cooling?

 

As one commenter on the article pointed out, the Shelby's slowest recorded lap was only .12 seconds slower than the Camaro's FASTEST lap, since the Camaro's times never deviated by more than .2 seconds. IOW, the Camaro's slowest lap was probably 1:39.38. So obviously, the Shelby still beats it on repeated laps, despite the brake fade. Since the Shelby absolutely destroys it at the strip, it's obvious which is the better PERFORMANCE car.

 

you want to laugh? read car and drivers comparo...the gt500 obliterates the zl1 at pretty much everything and still loses...they even give the camaro the edge in amenities...yea right...all the mags are a joke.

 

Come on guys stop the useless fanboy bull****. This is how the game works. We win some, then the Chevy guys win some. Its always been like that. We all expected this result I think with the Camaro having more efficient cooling, rear suspension geometry and aerodynamics.
At the end of the day the thing that matters the most is to have respect between each other as muscle car fans, and most importantly to appreciate the fact that right now America is building some of the most fun, powerful, affordable and exciting cars at only a fraction the price of what other foreign companies are making. We are living in a real "America **** yeah!" moment for automotive history, so lets enjoy the heck out of it and show love for each other as car guys, muscle car enthusiasts, and Americans!

Cheers

 

 

Surprised about the brakes.....

 

Didnt SVT improve the brakes for the 13 model year?

 

What he says.

 

Actually, I think the 2013 GT500's brakes are 15-inches in diameter. The 2012 GT500's brakes were 14-inches, as are the Boss and GT Brembo Package brakes.

 

In the motor trend test the Shelby beat the ZL1 2 out of three times at the Laguna Seca track. Add to that it bests the ZL1 in every category except the figure 8 by the numbers shown below and I am at a loss. How much of an improvement front brake duct cooling would have I do not know.

ACCELERATION TO MPH 0-30 1.6 sec 1.7 sec 0-40 2.2 2.3 0-50 2.9 2.8 0-60 3.8 3.5 0-70 4.8 4.4 0-80 6.0 5.3 0-90 7.3 6.3 0-100 8.7 7.7 PASSING, 45-65 MPH 1.7 1.6 QUARTER MILE 12.1 sec @ 117.4 mph 11.6 sec @ 125.7 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 108 ft 101 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 1.00 g (avg) 0.98 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 23.9 sec @ 0.83 g (avg) 24.2 sec @ 0.80 g (avg) 2.2-MI ROAD COURSE LAP 1 min: 39.18 sec 1 min: 38.68 sec TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH 1700 rpm 1300 rpm

Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...#ixzz1z36K72BY

 

I agree that the camaro should be the better handling and the GT500 the faster one. The one thing i'm surprised with is that they feel that the camaro is the better car on the street. Unlike the camaro, the driver of the GT500 can actually see outside of the vehicle. I also feel that the build quality of the GT500 is superior to the camaro...shouldn't that play into it being a driver's favorite?

 

As alluded to above, this is just how these things work. What's new on the '500 (in the eyes of the reviewer)? An aftermarket supercharger - big whoop. All the other improvements are minor and the suspension is essentially the same as previous years - adjustable Bilstein's - once again - big deal.

The ZL1 is the new kid on the block and the new kid has super cool magnetic suspension that actually works. Of course the reviewer is going to be more impressed by something he hasn't experienced before. It's the new shiny object, and we shouldn't be all that surprised at the result.

 

Yup, read Motortrend's review of the 2010 Camaro (RS and SS). It was the second coming of ponycars and absolutely destroyed the Mustang. Flash forward one year and the all new 5.0 destroys the (barely a year old) "cartoonish" Camaro. The SS was picked dead last in a comparison with the 5.0 and SRT, even though it outperformed the SRT. Sound familiar?

 

Absolutely stupid.
Daily driving comparison is basically subjective, it's really just personal opinion. Victory is given to the ZL1.
Drag strip- GT500 roasts the ZL1 and is given a close victory.
Laguna Seca track- GT500 beats the ZL1 on the Hot Lap but not happy with the results they keep lapping the cars until they find fault with the GT500 brakes and then give the victory to the ZL1. When have successive laps ever been done in these comparisons? It's always been the Hot Lap time that determines the winner.

The best analogy I can come up with is Boxer vs. Slugger. Boxing writers usually hate sluggers. These writers of the "sweet science" prefer the skillful boxer. Writers always believe in "the pen is mightier than the sword"; and "brains over brawn". And with the ZL1 vs. the GT500 we have the same thing happening.

It's the crude (live rear axle), brutish (660hp) slugger (GT500) vs. the scientific (magnetic suspension), refined (easy to drive) boxer (ZL1). The car magazine writers WANT the boxer to win and they downplay anything the slugger does. They make subjective, opinion based comparisons and praise the boxer. Then it's fight night (drag strip and test track) and the two fighters stand toe to toe. The slugger pounds the boxer with crude right and left hooks, swinging for the fences, awkward and unrefined. The boxer remains poised and balanced.

The fight ends with the boxer being overwhelmed by the power of the slugger, his only victory coming from showing more style and class. Savage power has overcome science and the writer's world has been turned upside down and they just cannot accept what they have just witnessed. Had the fight been longer, they speculate, surely the slugger would've punched himself out and the boxer would've been victorious. Thus they award the championship to the boxer....it doesn't matter to them that the slugger left the ring wearing the Championship Belt, in their eyes the boxer won.

 

Yep. That about sums it up.

 

Ultimately it's up to what you want as a driver. For me I prefer a more dynamic driving experience over brute power. It's pretty obvious the GT500 has the power advantage, but it's also less precise than the ZL1 through corners, bumps, etc. I don't see why people are getting upset about it. GM did the ZL1's suspension right and they deserve credit for that.

Ford did what they could do with the S197/IRS and they should also be commended.

The next generation of Mustang will be a better comparison as, suspension wise, Mustang and Camaro will be on more of a level playing field. I'm sure the next GT500 will be far more dynamic than current. And that's a good thing.

ZL1 is keeping Ford honest.

 

Judging from the advantages the suspension gives the camaro, I would expect the "brutish" GT500 to have been washed away in the turns. That simply didn't take place, and it proves to me what I have assumed all along: the GT500 is not that far off in terms of handling than the camaro. The SRA out back has been dismissed by everyone using IRS in their cars, and Ford just showed with a less technically advanced rear end and suspension that they can still beat the best Camaro around the track. Brake fade? That's not that difficult to fix. I'd take the GT500, any day of the week and twice on Sunday, on looks alone. The fact that it is the better of the two in terms of performance is now verifiable with the numbers, and that just makes it that much more desirable as a vehicle over its primary competitor.

In the end, this will be a competition between about 5-6k Shelby owners and 5-6k ZL1 owners who will, with the exception of approximately 1-2% of these owners, never face off against each other on any kind of road course or drag strip. Bragging rights only.

 

I don't totally dismiss the comparison, it does give you the pros and cons of both cars. The thing that does bug me is how inconsistent they are between articles. In one article the wheel and shifter suck in the camaro, now it is better than the mustang. Same with the seating position. Read the gt vs SS comparisons from a couple years ago and see how inconsistent it is with this one. I don't agree with their conclusion. Yes the camaro is the easier car to drive at the limit but the gt500 with its superior power to weight ratio was able to overcome it.