LS1LT1

iTrader: (16)

Anything is possible.

http://youtu.be/RhLHAKoK35w

NicolasKL

Something like a moon landing is inherently important/relevant, for reasons I hopefully don't have to outline.

A 1/4 mile time is only really relevant if it reflects real world performance, and is therefore able to be duplicated. If I'm shopping for ZL1s, does it matter if GM pulled a 1.69 once (due to INSANE track prep and conditions so perfect that they'll never be duplicated) if everyone else on the planet is pulling 1.9s or worse?

There are great times, and then there are "great times".

At one end of the great time spectrum, you've got a night with great air (say, -800 DA) and great track prep and a car will turn great times and those absolutely count/matter.

At the other end of this spectrum (the bullshit end of the spectrum), say you enclosed the entire dragstrip, pressurized it with 0 degree air to a density of -5,000', and then installed radiant heat under the asphalt so the car would hook like crazy. A ZL1 might be able to turn a 10.99 under those conditions. Would that "count"? Hell no. It's bogus. It's cheating.

Now, obviously that scenario is crazy hyperbole, but it's just to illustrate that there's amazing conditions, and then there's conditions that are intentionally engineered to be so perfect that they become completely bogus.

And in my opinion a 1.69 60' in a ZL1, if it actually happened, is past the "good" or "great" or "amazing" level, and is into the "bogus" territory.

That said, I don't think it'll really end up mattering. I think someone this fall that's a great driver in negative DA with great track prep will probably turn a legitimate 11.9xx in a stock ZL1. But they sure as hell won't do it with a 1.69 60'.

I think GM was hoping for a corrected 11.9x (which in the real world = probably a 12.5 or 12.6, but most of the shlubs that read Motortrend don't know DA from cunnilingus) from one of the auto rags at Inde, and they didn't get it. Not only did they not get it, then tuners like John H and private owners started popping up with even worse slips (12.5 or thereabouts) and GM got REALLY insecure.

So rather than wait for a Ranger or some other forum hotshoe to run their hero times, they went out and rented a track for an entire day and did it themselves, through insane amounts of VHT and hundreds of pounds of ice, or, maybe, drag radials (though I'd hope not).

I think they took average conditions (from what I recall it wasn't likely that it was a great DA day when they were running these times) and essentially forced them into becoming amazing conditions through completely unreasonable amounts of prep.

Really, it's either that, or they just lied (or made a "mistake") and the times were on DRs.

So that's why I say if no one else duplicates it, it's bogus. If someone else runs an 11.9xx this fall (regardless of 60'), it just means GM created their own hero times. Kind of weak sauce, but not really shady or slimy.

If no one ever managed to duplicate it, it means they engineered conditions so far beyond the norm that they're into that bogus territory I took far too long to describe earlier, in which case IMO the time doesn't count.

LS1LT1

iTrader: (16)

I suppose we'll all just have to wait until more private owners run them in various weather conditions at different tracks while still in stock trim to get a better sampling or 'average'.

But remember, if we're not going to accept those 'all out best' or 'hero' ETs/MPHs as 'the norm' for the ZL1s....then we also can't accept the ones generated for the GT500 either.
Meaning, if come November an Evan Smith or Bob Cosby type happens to pull a 10.9 or even an 11.1 out of a bone stock 2013 GT500 at a sea level track it can't be quoted as 'actual' or 'pure' (in your eyes at least).
It's gotta go both ways ya know.

firebird99

iTrader: (2)

^^^^

evolve

There was a track event in which a ZL1 and GT500 were present. The Z had REALLY bad heat soak issues. I wont say whos Z it was, but it happens to be a shop car WITH an aftermarket HE.

LS1LT1

iTrader: (16)

I don't doubt it, I'm betting that on a hot enough day after multiple passes (drag strip or road course) both cars will have their share of heat soak issues. It's one of the things I dislike about Eaton or Magnuson ('top mount') style blowers. But I suppose that the ZL1 could be even worse.

Z Fury

iTrader: (1)

Why would the ZL1 be worse - it has the smaller blower and is generating a lower boost PSI in stock trim than the GT500?

1ltcap

i wonder if any of those "unbiased" magazine writers experienced this problem, and "forgot" to include it in their article.

1ltcap

perhaps ford did their homework?

88blackgt

Have you not seen how much time and engineering Ford put into keeping the car cool so that it could do 200?

1ltcap

there's a video out there somewhere where jamaal hameedi talks about just that.

ss1129

iTrader: (16)