Pop The Hood: How The Camaro ZL1 Burns Rubber

Welcome to Pop The Hood, a weekly autoMedia.com feature that examines the industry’s latest innovations and what makes them tick. Recently, we’ve poked around inside the BMW 335i, Hyundai Veloster Turbo, Ford Shelby GT500 and many others (full list below). Today, let’s poke around inside a true American muscle car: The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

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Plenty of cars make enough power to blast you into outer space; the ZL1 is all about managing and controlling that power. And though it's heavier and less powerful than the GT500, one ZL1 engineer claimed, in an unveiled attack on the Shelby, that the Camaro may be better suited for the track. How could that be? Here are five reasons he may be right.

• Engine: Let’s start with the steak. Everything about the ZL1 revolves around its powerplant; an all-aluminum, small block LSA 6.2L bolstered with an Eaton supercharger and 1.9L Roots-style blower. Power is all about bringing air into the engine, so the ZL1 uses a unique induction system with a low-restriction air filter and dual inlet paths to enhance airflow into the supercharger. All together, the package produces a walloping 580 horsepower and 556 lb.-ft of torque. It takes a lot to transfer that power to the ground without turning your chassis into rotini. Here’s how Chevrolet does it…

• Drivetrain Strength: The ZL1 is built to handle massive amounts of power. Chevrolet strengthened the driveshaft and rear axle, and fitted a differential that, frankly, deserves its own article. A heavy-duty limited-slip differential lives inside a massive 9.9” cast iron housing, and has its own cooler that reduces temperature by more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. When you get excited and plant your right foot, these are the features that keep your new ZL1 from crumpling into a pile of metal shavings.

• Torsional Stiffness: Ok, so you’ve got the power and mammoth drivetrain to handle acceleration. So what happens when you steam into the twisties? This is where the half-shafts kick in: An asymmetrical setup, with a 60mm hollow shaft on the right and a 33mm solid shaft on the left, keeps the car planted under acceleration. To control body roll, Chevrolet fitted a rear sway bar and moved the drop links outside the control arms – allowing the ZL1 to respond more quickly to your commands. Body roll is a thing of the past, and in a 4,100-pound car, that’s something to celebrate.

• Smart Suspension: Here, the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 uses the same Magnetic Ride Control celebrated in recent Cadillacs like the ATS we reviewed in a Pop The Hood, here, a few weeks ago. Ferrari has famously adopted this technology as well, which uses magnetic fluid to adjust handling as necessary within five milliseconds. Performance Traction Management is also standard (with launch control if your ZL1 is a manual), which offers Tour or Sport mode and it’s probably safe to say I know which one you’ll be using most often. Well, Franchitti, PTM will keep you on solid ground with traction control and electronic stability control.

• Transmission: Again, we see how Chevrolet outfitted the ZL1 more like a construction site pickup than a sports car: The six-speed 6L90 automatic transmission is also used in their heavy-duty trucks. Hey, do you want to blow your tranny on one launch? Of course not, so your options are to choose the very heavy 6L90 or shift gears yourself. Should you choose what’s behind Door No. 2, the ZL1 packs a Tremec manual built to handle 30-percent more torque than the SS.

The Camaro ZL1 is a massive engine surrounded by enough protective systems to guard a medieval fortress. At a $54,095 MSRP, is the ZL1 enough to grapple with the cheaper, lighter and more powerful Shelby GT500? Debate that all you like, but the fact is that Chevrolet is stoking the fires of a new muscle car era, and for that, they deserve a medal.

Come back next week for another inside look at a cutting-edge car!

Pop The Hood Archive

• Ford Focus ST
• SRT Viper
• Audi R8 e-tron
• Cadillac ATS
• 24 Hours of Le Mans Edition
• Hyundai Veloster Turbo
• Infiniti M35h
• Chrysler Pentastar Engine
• Audi S6
• Buick Regal GS
• BMW 335i
• Ford Shelby GT500
• Scion FR-S

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What's the most impressive feature in the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1? Let us know in the Comments below.

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