As the Z/28 program manager and pro-touring expert Mark Stielow claims on the next edition of the 2014 Camaro Z/28 we be able to witness the greatest factory open track car ever built. He also explains how the engineers got a handle on wheel slip.
The team was asked to build a fast car, no explanations given. They were aware on Day One that they need to hire some of the best suppliers onboard in order to realize what they were asked to.
It’s a perfect mixture of a race-bred, completely independent suspension with Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tires and Brembo carbon-ceramic brake rotors, and you have the ability to decelerate with 1.5 g of force. But just like a drag car with boatloads of traction, the tire was spinning on the wheel – not just with the wheel. How did they determine that? As was expected from GM, they used some extremely high-tech methods. They drew a chalk line on the tire at the beginning of the lap By the end it had rotated a full 360-degrees or more. The engineers considered, and tried, many ways like using an abrasive paint along the bead of the wheel. However, media blasting, used an air gun to shoot a gritty material at the surface, was the most useful when it came to feature enough texture to prevent slippage.
An immensely aggressive grit on the rim was created, which finally got the tire to hold together.
The Z/28’s rubber must also take the brunt of the LS7’s 505hp and 481 lb-ft of torque, that is transmitted by a helical-gear limited-slip differential. So stay tuned for more surprises coming this spring!
Camaro Engineering - 2014 Camaro Z/28 | Chevrolet
