2018 Camaro

The most track-capable Camaro

On the ZL1 1LE Extreme Track Package, a carbon-fiber rear wing, extra air deflectors and dive planes on the front fascia made about 300 pounds of downforce. Its forged wheels were an inch wider than the ZL1's at each end, 19 x 11 in front and 19 x 12 at the rear, and wore Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar 3R tires. Brembo brakes had six-piston calipers in front and four at the rear. Racing-derived Multimatic DSSV dampers, adjustable front ride height, camber plates and adjustable stabilizer bars let owners change the setup at the track and put it back for the drive home. In Chevrolet's preliminary testing it was three seconds a lap faster than a standard ZL1 around GM's Milford road course, and in June 2017 Chevrolet announced a 7:16.04 lap of the Nürburgring's Nordschleife, driven by Camaro engineer Bill Wise. The June 22 release, read through a CamaroSocial reproduction, called it the fastest Camaro at that date and specified track-adjusted suspension with production tires. It is a manufacturer-published test, not a current GM-wide record.

The standard ZL1 was already the fastest Camaro yet. In February 2017 Chevrolet ran a 10-speed automatic ZL1 coupe at the Papenburg proving ground in Germany, where it averaged 198 mph. The same car did 0–60 mph in 3.5 seconds and the quarter mile in 11.4 seconds.

Three kinds of 1LE

Chevrolet reminded buyers that it had created the 1LE in 1988 to make the Camaro competitive in SCCA Showroom Stock racing, and that only a handful were built then. For 2018 there were three versions, all marked by a satin-black hood, a front splitter and a three-piece rear blade spoiler. The V6 1LE borrowed the SS's FE3 suspension parts: dampers, rear cradle mounts, ball-jointed rear toe links and stabilizer bars. It added four-piston Brembo front calipers, a limited-slip differential, a track cooling package, a dual-mode exhaust and lightweight forged 20-inch wheels. Chevrolet estimated 0.97 g of cornering grip. The SS 1LE used the FE4 chassis with Magnetic Ride Control, an electronic limited-slip differential, six-piston Brembo front brakes and Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar tires, and exceeded 1 g.

The 2.0-liter turbo four was rated at 31 mpg on the highway, and the SS reached 60 mph in four seconds. Car and Driver had put the Camaro back on its 10Best list for 2017. The Redline Edition added a blacked-out grille and bowties, black wheels with red accents and black hash marks over the front wheels.

Preparing a Camaro for the track

Chevrolet's 2018 track guide covers the SS Coupe, V6 and V8 1LE, ZL1 Coupe and ZL1 1LE for sanctioned events, and refers owners to the full manuals for details. It prohibits track events during the first 1,500 miles; the first 500 include avoiding engine speeds above 4,000 rpm, full-throttle starts and cruise control, with an oil change recommended at 500 miles. The brake-burnishing sequence has four stages: 25 medium applications from 60 to 30 mph at 0.4 g; repeated hard applications from 60 to 15 mph at 0.8 g without activating ABS; about six miles of cooling at 60 mph without braking; then another 25 medium applications from 60 to 30 mph at 0.4 g. The guide specifies at least 0.6 mile between brake applications and ends the hard stage when pedal travel starts to increase, expected within 25 applications. This is an overview of the complete period procedure, PDF pages 1–2, including its model limits and notes. The deflector and front brake splash-shield change is for the SS Coupe only. The guide limits track load to a driver and one passenger with no cargo and notes that competitive driving may affect warranty coverage.