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Uh-oh
Automotive News
reported some weeks ago that the fifth-generation Camaro
Convertible, originally due to go on sale in the Winter
of 2010/2011 as a 2011 model, would probably be delayed
and end-up a 2012.
GM's spokesperson on
things Camaro, Vince Muniga, told the Camaro Homepage
that the introduction of the Convertible has, indeed
been delayed. Muniga stated further that the plan now is
to produce a limited number of 2011 Camaro Convertibles
in the late Winter and early Spring of '11. These will
go on sale in Q2 that year.
Why the delay?
Only those who've spent
the last couple of years in a galaxy far, far away are
unaware that General Motors–most of the auto industry,
for that matter–is having a tough time. Struggling to
raise cash, retooling to make more Cobalts, improving
fuel economy of existing powertrains, an incredible
amount of engineering resources and capital investment
going into the Chevy Volt, cost cutting and head-count
reductions are the main goals right now.
For the Camaro
Convertible development, resources to get the job done
in time to make the original introduction date were just
not available. So, convertible fans, take a deep breath,
it'll be just a little longer. On the upside, those
lucky enough to buy an 2011 Convertible will have a
pretty rare car.
Six not Four
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We hear
vicious rumors about a four-cylinder engine
for the Camaro. The obvious candidate is the
"LNF", a 260-hp, turbocharged,
direct-injected, 2-liter Ecotec used in the
Saturn Sky and Pontiac Solstice roadsters,
in the Cobalt SS and the HHR SS. The
knee-jerk reaction to this idea by those
wanting a Camaro capable of better fuel
economy than even the already-announced base
V6 might be, "Well...260 horsepower is ok as
long as it gets great mileage." |
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Beware knee-jerk
reactions.
According to a
statement Vince Muniga gave us, "There are no plans to
offer a four cylinder engine in the new Camaro. Our
engine choices remain a V6 and a V8."
There are some good
reasons for that. Currently, all the cars which use the
LNF are at least 460 pounds and as much as 770 pounds
lighter than the lightest 2010 base model.
A turbocharged four,
even one with 260 hp and 260 lbs/ft from 2000-5250 rpm,
is going to work hard in a car that weighs 3740 lbs.
Even the most conservative of drivers in all but part
throttle cruising at modest speeds on level ground is
going to be "into the turbo" a lot of the time and will
negate any fuel economy advantage over the base V6
already announced.
Bottom line: no
four-banger in a Camaro.
Thank you Lord!
LS3 vs L99: The
Major Differences
Some who have read our
article on the LS3 V8 (click here to read that article)
have wondered about the major differences between the
LS3, to be used in six-speed manual SSes, and the L99,
to be used in six-speed automatic SSes, besides slightly
less power (400hp vs 422) and torque (395 lbs/ft vs 408)
and the addition of GM's cylinder deactivation system,
Active Fuel Management (AFM).
We put that question to
GM Powertrain's hard-working Communications rep., Tom
Read. He told us that the L99 camshaft is different
having a little less duration and a little less lift,
both of which give the engine a smoother idle.
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The L99 V8, a slightly
detuned version of the manual trans LS3,
has a "cam phaser", the device on the
front of this Gen 4 camshaft. It's
controlled by the engine computer and
changes the phasing of the valve events
to the movement of the piston. Changing
the valve opening and closing in
relation to piston movement can improve
fuel economy at light loads.
Image: GM Powertrain. |
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The cam phaser is located
inside the front cover, ahead of the
timing chain and slightly increases the
overall length of the engine. Image: GM
Powertrain. |
Read told us the L99,
also, has a cam phaser and, to get the additional
piston-to-valve clearance required when cam phasing
changes, the pistons are different parts having valve
reliefs machined into their tops. The reliefs lower the
compression ratio to 10.4:1. Lastly, the L99 PCV system
is different having its oil separators in the valve
covers rather than down in the valley like the LS3.
What Happened to the
Blower?
A while back there was
talk about the Camaro SS having an optional,
supercharged engine. The candidate was to have been a
slightly different version of the 550-hp LSA used in the
'09 Cadillac CTS-V which, in turn, is a somewhat less
aggressive brother of the 632-hp LS9 in the '09 Corvette
ZR1.
Sadly, skyrocketing gas
prices and GM's financial struggles left an LSA Camaro
SS DOA. Chevrolet weighed the advantages and
disadvantages of a 550-hp Camaro which would also have a
"gas guzzler" tax surcharge on an MSRP already inflated
by the supercharged engine, decided discretion was the
better part of valor and killed the LSA Camaro project.
The fact that by the car's projected on-sale date later
this Winter, the nation will be smack dab in the middle
of a recession will, no doubt, lend additional
credibility to that decision.
As for the few buyers
who can afford a 500+hp supercharged engine? Can you say
"aftermarket"?
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