General Motors has highlighted the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro‘s lighter chassis, which helps improve both handling and performance across the entire range.
The redesigned muscle car is up to 390 pounds lighter than its predecessor, but with a stiffer chassis. The sometimes conflicting attributes were achieved thanks to the latest computer modeling technology, requiring approximately nine million hours of computational time to develop an optimized architecture for all of the Camaro’s body styles.
Engineers created 12 different modular components to help refine stiffness throughout the range. Some of the pieces, including an underbody ‘x’ brace and rear ‘y’ brace, are geared for the basic convertible and the open-top SS package. Other components are shared with the convertible packages and the SS coupe, providing an even stiffer chassis than the entry-level hardtop coupe.
“Every Camaro model offers exceptional chassis strength and rigidity, but the modular design made the architecture more adaptable and mass-efficient, because we didn’t have to compensate for the unique demands of, say, the SS convertible when building a 2.0L Turbo coupe,” said Camaro chief engineer Al Oppenheiser. “The result was an elegant engineering solution: 12 chassis components that could be combined to meet the structural requirements of each specific model, without adding unnecessary mass to other models.”
GM claims the 2.0-liter Camaro with an automatic transmission is capable of reaching 60 mph from a standstill in 5.5 seconds, cornering at up to 0.85 g and braking from 60 mph back to nil in 129 feet. Stepping up to the RS package, powered by a 3.6-liter V6 with Goodyear Eagle F1 tires, brings the sprint time down to 5.1 seconds, with cornering bumped to 0.89 g and stopping in 124 feet. The SS package, meanwhile, can hit 60 mph in four seconds flat, get back down to a halt in 117 feet, and whip around corners at up to 0.97 g.
The company points out that the new 2.0-liter model offers the same horsepower rating and better acceleration than the Camaro Z28 from 1993-1995, which was powered by a 5.7-liter V8 mill.
Live images by Brian Williams.
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