Camaro SS 1LE Sweeps Mustang GT Performance Pack 2 on the Track
From the quarter-mile to the hot lap, there was no contest in this classic Chevy vs. Ford battle up in the Canadian north.
Chevy vs. Ford. It’s a never-ending war over who’s better. Power, performance, styling, marketing, branding, no matter what the Bow Tie throws against the Blue Oval, it’s all in the name of winning the hearts and minds of the populace.
And it’s not about to stop now. James Engelsman and Thomas Holland (a.k.a. YouTube channel Throttle House) found themselves on a test track with a pair of pony cars to settle who’s better: the Camaro SS 1LE or the Mustang GT Performance Pack 2.
“You asked, and we answered,” said Engelsman. “We have the Camaro SS 1LE and the Mustang GT Performance Pack 2. This is a strange comparison for us because it makes sense.”
Holland adds that the duo had road-tested the two pony cars before, but have decided to track them not on their street tires, but on Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s, “one of the best performance tires available.” The purpose of using the the Michelins? “To see what exactly what these two cars can do side by side on the same tire.”
The Mustang may have things like its Coyote V8 and magnetic-ride suspension, but as Engelsman notes, the Camaro SS has its 6.2-liter V8, the 1LE package (including magnetic-ride, six-piston Brembos, and track-focused suspension), and a prettier face, as it’s the 2018 model.
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First off, it’s a quarter-mile down a section of the track, designed to simulate a stoplight drag. Engelsman says the affair should be interesting, as the Mustang has 460 horses to use, while the Camaro SS only has 455. However, he also has more torque and less weight to work with.
After the Camaro SS decimates the Mustang in the quarter-mile, the duo take a few laps around the track in their respective cars. Holland is enamored with the orange pony, especially its big 5.0-liter V8, but Engelsman is equally, if not more, enamored with his blue Camaro.
“Things you need to know: this has magnetic damping,” said Engelsman. “So does the Mustang, but this had it first. It also has a really clever differential and all of the cooling systems you need to run this on the track for tons of laps. It also has a very stiff chassis. I can feel what each of the tires are doing. The feedback through the steering wheel is magnificent.”
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Not only is the Camaro SS flying around the corners with no body roll, the car also has a heads-up display to help Engelsman shift at the right time, plus a camera at the front to record the performance and the in-cabin audio “so you can watch how your laps were on the screen and hear yourself scream.”
And speaking of screams, Holland takes the ponies out for a hot lap around the track. Specifically, three of them following a warm-up lap, then a cool-down. Holland adds that “all driving aids [were] turned off, and climate control [was] off in both cars,” ensuring all the power goes to the asphalt, and all the control goes to the driver.
“I just want to say, first of all, the Mustang felt more planted than [the Camaro] did,” Holland says at the end of the runs. “[The Camaro] felt stiffer, the chassis was stiffer, the suspension was stiffer, so it would kind of get upset over the bumps. The steering was a little bit better to work out.”
While he may be a fan of the orange Mustang, the blue Camaro SS killed it again, pulling an average lap time of 1:11.50 to the pony’s 1:12.77. Chevy wins again.
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