Vortech Supercharged Camaro SS Impresses The Smoking Tire
It doesn’t take much to make a Camaro come alive, and a Vortech Supercharger sure does it.
Ever since Zack Klapman took over the One Take reigns from Matt Farah for The Smoking Tire, he’s been able to drive a lot of awesome cars. But it’s this particular Camaro SS that makes him wax poetical about GM’s Alpha platform. Before we get to that, lets check out some of the things on this SS that make caught TST’s attention.
To start, it is supercharged with a Vortech supercharger and has 100 more horsepower to the wheels than a ZL1. Running a relatively low boost of 7psi, there was no need to mess with meth injection or tune for E85, in fact, this one runs on 91 octane fuel. For an engine like this, it keeps things fun, but leaves it relatively un-stressed. The Supercharger has almost always been on the car too, having been added just after 3,200 miles when the break-in period ended.
Klapman loves how the car handles the power boost, describing it as linear and not-peaky. That’s due to the peak horsepower coming in at 6,500 rpm, and the low boost allowing power across the whole rev range. But on top of that, the sound it emits is truly brutal. Klapman says “It sounds like we are being chased by Hell, and scaring away all wildlife several states away!”
To back up the engine, one must have a good chassis, and that’s exactly what the Alpha platform provides. Suspension changes consisted of a simple spring swap, of which Klapman says, “GM’s chassis engineers are some of the best in the world, considering they are working with front-engine, rear-wheel drive sports cars…for now.” That’s obviously in reference to the coming mid-engine Corvette, but right now, the Camaro is giving Klapman an epiphany. He recommends, “regardless of what kind of car you like, you need to drive a Camaro with this platform. Even though this car has only springs added, it feels so tight and precise.
If you think you’ve seen this ride before, you likely have. The owner states, “It was at SEMA last year, it’ll be at SEMA this year but it’ll look different.” So keep an eye out for what this car in the future.
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