A stock 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 gets a good workout on the rollers.
This week’s Dyno Blast video features a 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 making a stock run on the rollers. We don’t get any details on this Camaro, but based on the lack of a shift during the full pull, it is likely that this supercharged Chevy muscle car is fitted with the standard manual transmission.
In the video, we watch in silence as the Camaro ZL1 backs onto the dyno, but once the run begins, there is sound to the video. When the footage showing the pull begins, the car is already in the gear in which it makes the hard pull, so we don’t get to hear any shifts, but we do get to hear the blown LT4 roar as it climbs up through the revs.
Notice that on the wall in the background, the dyno readout screen is projected for everyone to see, so we can watch the vehicle speed, the engine RPM and the other parameters of the new Camaro ZL1 while the car is in action. Under the large air-to-fuel ratio gauge on the right, you can see the torque and horsepower figures, so you can see exactly where in the powerband the supercharged LT4 makes its power.
In the video, it looks like the horsepower number tops out at 588WHP after hitting a peak torque number of 547lb-ft of rear wheel torque earlier in the run, but the video includes a grainy shot of the wall with the figure of 606 horsepower. Maybe that is from another run or that is a corrected number, but in any case, we get to watch as the LT4 makes at least 588WHP in the new Camaro ZL1.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
