Twenty-eight improvements on the 2014 Camaro Z/28

The 2014 Chevy Camaro Z/28 doesn't arrive until spring, but the company is priming our pumps now, so we'll be ready to spend that $75,000 when the time comes. On Tuesday, the company laid out 28 reasons why the Z/28 “rules the road course.”

Before we get to the reasons, Chevy let us in on the three keys during development.

First, it increased grip. Chevy says the Z/28 can pull 1.08 g in the corners, due to chassis changes.

The second area was braking. The Z/28 has Brembo ceramics, which are capable of 1.5 gs of retina detaching stopping force.

Finally, it reduced the curb weight 300 pounds from the tubby ZL1 by using thinner glass and lightweight wheels, among other things.

Now, here are 28 features that helped the Z/28 lap the 'Ring 4 seconds faster than the ZL1.

Chevy
The wickerbill adds downforce at speed.

1. Rear spoiler with wickerbill -- To meet downforce goals, Chevy added a small vertical tab at the edge of the spoiler that helps reduce lift.

2. Unique front fascia -- The fog lights, air dam and upper-base grille are replaced with lighter items, while a modified fascia allows for better brake cooling.

3. Front splitter -- The Z/28's front splitter provides downforce at the nose, enhancing corner stability.

4. Hood extractor -- As with the ZL1, the hood extractor allows hot air to escape, keeping things cooler.

5. Rocker moldings and wheel flare moldings -- Moldings add style, but also increase downforce.

6. Front wheelhouse liners -- Wheelhouse liners with closeouts work with underbody pans to direct airflow.

7. Belly pan -- The Z/28's belly pan was developed using computational fluid dynamics and helps reduce front lift while providing extra cooling.

8. Thinner rear window glass -- Special glass saved 400 grams. Doesn't seem like much, but it all adds up.

9. Lightweight rear seat -- Not that you should be doing a ton of carpooling with this vehicle, but the new seats saved about 10 pounds.

10. Lightweight wheels and tires -- The Z/28's 19-inch wheels and tires reduce mass and spin inertia to the tune of 29 pounds.

11. Carbon ceramic rotors -- The brake rotors also reduce unsprung weight, saving about 20 pounds.

12. No AC -- Since the Z/28 is designed with track times in mind, power-robbing AC compressors are also deleted.

13. LS7 with dry-sump oiling -- The 7.0-liter from the Corvette Z06 uses a forged-steel crankshaft, lightweight connecting rods, high-flow cylinders and titanium intake vales. Tighter tolerances with better materials make for more power and less loss.

14. Air intake system -- The Z/28 uses an open air box intake system with a K&N filter.

15. Track-capable fuel system -- The LS7's fuel system keeps the primary fuel pump reservoir full under hard cornering to maximize the amount of fuel available.

16. Active dual-mode exhaust system and high-flow converter assembly -- With the valves in the dual-mode exhaust open, the system produces less back pressure and more power.

17. Tremec six-speed manual -- The Tremec has double- and triple-cone synchronizers on all gears for ease of shifting.

18. 5.1-ratio short-throw shifter -- The short throw shifter, also used on the ZL1, offers more precise gear changes.

19. Strut tower brace -- The brace provides extra chassis stiffness, transmitting the load during cornering to reduce flex in the chassis.

20. Zero-preload limited-slip differential -- The differential has a concentric helical gear and allows continuous torque biasing between drive wheels.

21. Differential cooler -- The Z/28's cooler incorporates a heat exchanger, eliminating the need for an external pump, wiring, relays, temperature sensor and fan. It can reduce temps by more than 100-degrees F.

22. Uprated lower control arm ride link “travel limiter” bushing -- The bushing offers 50 percent more stiffness than the standard part, improving steering feel and brake force deflection steer.

23. Uprated rear upper control are bushing and lower trailing link bushings -- The P-bracket bushing improves lateral stiffness during hard cornering.

24. Higher-rate coil springs and smaller diameter stabilizer bars -- The springs on the Z/28 are stiffer in front by 85 percent and in the rear by 65 percent. This all reduces body movement under load.

25. DSSV damper technology -- The Z/28 uses Dynamic Suspensions Spool Valve dampers from Multimatic that rely on spool valves to control the fluid rather than deflected discs. They provide almost double the damper stiffness of the 1LE.

26. Performance traction management -- PTM uses the traction control system for “optimal road-course performance.” It allows the driver to basically floor it at the end of corners and let the car sort out how much power to give.

27. Nineteen-inch wheels and Pirelli tires -- The wheel/tire combination measures 11.5 inches wide in the rear and 11 inches wide in front. Forged wheels are lighter and stiffer than the SS units.

28. Brembo carbon ceramic brakes -- Brembos save about 20 pounds from the stock brakes, and move stopping distance from 60 mph to 120 feet. Calipers measure more than 15 inches a piece.

Check out the ZL1 versus the Z/28 in a video here, and see how it stacks up against the Ford Mustang Laguna Seca here.

By Jake Lingeman