JIM5.0

I don't doubt it. Just like you said, the SS , RS, and base Camaro IRS sucks, and they have every reason to revert to solid rear axle, especially for what they want to do: straight-line drag acceleration on the strip and on weekends, the streets.

The IRS on the SS, RS and base Camaros are not up to the job because they were not executed as good as the ZL1 IRS.
If they had the ZL1 IRS and launch controls, they might sing a different tune though.
But the question then becomes: can the MRC ZL1 IRS shock and suspension system be adapted for Camaro engines of differing outputs? Can it even be retro-fitted on non-ZL1 trims?

If not, the only option is to really stout shocks on the rear or very simply, rip it all out and go solid rear axle.
And actually, I am not certain why those guys would settle for only the 8.8in housing. The Ford 9in housing is legendary for being the stoutest diff housing for taking crazy amounts of engine power.
I remember everyone modding their cars, Chevys, Mopars, to mount the 9in housings because the GM and Chrysler ones were not up to the task.

bakerjd

I might be late to this thread and I'm not about to read the entire thing but this is my opinion...could have been stated already...

That article made me sick. I wonder how much Chevy paid them to compare a NA boss with a Blown Camaro. If the Boss was blown too, fair deal but the power comparison is ridiculous. The fact that the difference is only .3 of a sec in the quarter and 2 seconds on the track with Chevy's miracle suspension supplemented by 130+ more HP, 180+ft-lbs(!!!!) more power pretty much ****'s all over Chevy as well as Motor Trend's credibility in comparison testing in my opinion. Chevy's making it too easy for Ford to make them look bad. I appreciate the competition as it will only supplement our hobby aka Mustangs but it's almost laughable.

eolson

jdmcbride, after living in LA for 24 years before I moved to MI, I drove every type of BMW, Mercedes, many Porsches, ect... Also a lot of Luxury cars.

Beamers are a nice image car, but they are no longer more of a drivers car than many much more fun cars, Erik

Norm Peterson

You'd have to go a bit deeper in than that. Quite a bit of handling "goodness" comes from what you do with bushing compliances (which in an IRS affect camber and toe as well as resistance to wheel hop).


The 8.8" is a little more efficient, never mind that the 9" has been out of production for 20 years or so . . .


Norm

JIM5.0

I know, I was being very simplistic in my post here as I was assuming rigid bushings. I was probably being too simplistic in that post.
And I am sure that what you are talking about is one of the reasons why the New Edge Termi IRS sucked. It was engineered for NVH and the compromise to hit that goal was it was not as good as solid rear axle to put power to the pavement.

Another assumption I am making since you brought this up is that the ZL1 does have stiffer bushings to dial out more of those suspension errors when its IRS is under various loading conditions. But I don't know what they are using. I am curious to know actually.
Does this mean that the ZL1 might have more NVH? Probably, but those Camaro guys are claiming that the DD ride is seamless. I guess there is no way to tell until I myself actually sit in one and feel the ride.

mph07alloy

You are right on with the quality of the BMW. A friend has a 8 year old BMW with 90000 miles, the fit and finish is better than my '11 Ford, the paint shines better than my new Ford, the BMW doesn't rattle and and make all the other various annoying sounds that my car makes. It's just hands down a better built car. Worth all that money though? No, not to me. But I have been considering looking for a good used M3 when I get ready to trade my Mustang.

mph07alloy

Now if you remember, MT did the same unfair comparison with a $50k GT500 Vs $35k Camaro SS a couple years ago and I doubt Ford paid MT to do that comparison. Title reads "GT500 Crushes Camaro" Well fu¢k yes it crushed the Camaro, it's got 150 more HP and fu¢k yes the ZL1 crushes the Boss, it's got 100+ more HP. The only even fight will be the '13 GT500 Vs the ZL1.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C9zanLcpXY

bakerjd

I was kidding with the comment of "paying MT off" for the article. Both of those articles prove my point the MT has no credibility when it comes to comparison tests.

mph07alloy

Yep, the youtube vids of folks at the drag strip will be a better comparison.

pascal

You'd be surprised though...
The grudge is with the Brits actually, lol.
That's where we get the "Frog" name and all.

Frenches and Germans are actually good friends and it's been that way for a while.
After WW2, Germany did a very good job to dissociate from the crazy ***** and kept that until today (despite the few skinheads @ssholes etc...).
In modern times, the best alliance France ever had is with Germany as Sarkozy and Merkel continue to show that.

The fact that I stated that German cars are overpriced and not reliable anymore (mostly BMW and Benz) is simply true, not me having a grudge against that Nation.
I'm also aware that they were the most reliable with the Japmobiles up until the 90s...
It went downhill after that and now Mercedes is ranked bellow GM!! LOL. It's a shame actually.

Lastly, if it looks like I was an *** towards you, it wasn't my intention so I apologize...
The "ultimate driving machine" statement made me laugh.
The Americans (to no fault of their own) only know about Bimmers and Mercedes mostly, when it comes to European cars but I can think of plenty of other Euro brands (not sold here) that can handle as good or better than zee Bimmer and for cheaper as well.
Starting with Alpha Romeo, Lancia, Renault, Peugeot etc...