C+D lightning lap 2014 is out...

[halik]

Properly pretty terrible in the snow as well. They should rerun all the tests in the snow to get worst case scenario since anyone spending $75k on a track focused car will only be able to afford that one car, so lap times in the rain and snow are far more important than dry conditions...

Was there another C&D shootout that you were reading, seeing as all the cars tested are road cars? I drove my awd 911 in the snow, maybe we should compare how it does compared to a 911 cup. Ya know, to have a meaningful comparison of the chassis performance.

 

[halik]

Yep the Viper was also "cheating" in that sense and explains why both those cars totally whipped on their competition -- if the other cars in their HP/weight bracket had the same tires it might be a different story. Can you imagine the GTR on slicks??

I've always thought it was smart for OEMs to include super sticky tires as the original equipment on top tier sports cars. Most people won't drive them 15k miles/year so it's OK typically that the tires will only last 1/3 as long as the other performance cars. It makes a massive difference in braking/G/lap times when you are running slicks versus street tires and makes the car look a lot better on paper than a competitor running a more sensible street tire.

GTR is pretty damn heavy (nose heavy esp), I don't think it would make as much of a showing on R comps as you think. Same thing for the R8.

 

[TridenT]

ROFL. Sure it was. Spend 76.1k instead of 75k, and the z28 is equipped like a normal Camaro; not stripped at all. If you think the difference between a 35k 1le package that you can't afford, and a 75k z28 package that you really can't afford, is "sticky tires".....then just go buy a Hyundai Tiberion and enjoy your new ride.

This is an interesting track comparison between the z/28 and GTR track pack. Randy Pobst drives both, and has great insight each car. Skip to 9:15 to start.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqkyWhVBSKU

It gives some good feedback but it's not an apt comparison. They talk about the tires of the Z/28 being really good. It tells me that they're not using the same tires on both cars. I think that will have very significant differences in terms of performance in all marks.

 

[Pariah]

Was there another C&D shootout that you were reading, seeing as all the cars tested are road cars? I drove my awd 911 in the snow, maybe we should compare how it does compared to a 911 cup. Ya know, to have a meaningful comparison of the chassis performance.

So you're disputing that the Z/28 is a track focused car? I'm assuming that's why you chose to bold it. Chevrolet seems to disagree with you. The 2 sentence description of the car on their front page:

"The Z/28 is back. With a powerful 505 horsepower V8 engine and sculpted aerodynamic body, the reinvented Z/28 is the ultimate track car."

The longer description on the car's page:

"Lightweight, nimble and incredibly powerful, the original Z/28 was built to rule the road racing circuit. The 2015 Camaro Z/28 track car carries the same racing credentials, incorporating a performance-first design philosophy that takes advantage of state-of-the-art, race-proven technology. Put simply, the Z/28 is designed to dominate the track, lap after lap."

The last line pretty much sums it up. NONE of the modifications made to the Z/28 were intended to make it a better road car, though it is still street legal. The ZL1 is for people who want a high HP Camaro for everyday use.

As for you driving a Porsche in the snow. Someone did this with a Suzuki Sidekick. Though the results were pretty impressive, that doesn't mean it was a good idea.

 

[halik]

No, the other part - that this isn't a C&D shoot out of unregulated track cars, but rather comparison of sports cars.

If you enter something like Lotus 2-11 on hoosiers on the mix, the results you get are not meaningful. That is, not meaningful in a sense that if you take a z-28 camaro to an r-comp event, you'll be shocked that 911 turbo for sure and likely the Stingray will tear you a new one.

 

[_Rick_]

I still don't see the issue. You're more than welcome to get all of those cars together and perform any test you wish and publish the results. It's from a magazine that wants to sell magazines, this isn't a court case or even some sort of actual competition.

The issue is: This test is stupid, don't but the magazine