I Can't Believe How Close It Is! 1999 Chevy Corvette vs 1998 Chevy Camaro Z28 Drag Race 

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For those of us old enough, we knew this 24 years ago.

I'm sure the convertible version weighs a good bit more than the coupe, so now I'm wondering how the z28 coupe would do. Pretty cool comparison.

Considering the significant weight disadvantage with the Z28 being a convertible it’s honestly impressive it kept up as well as it did.

Remembering from my street racing days, upon dyno comparisons the Z28 and Vette dyno number suggests the Z28 was def underrated. Loved this video.

That was the slowest drag race in LS1 history, altitude must have been near Mount Everest🤔

As the comment section reveals, this brings back great memories!!! I previously owned a 98 LS1 6-speed Z28 convertible. As a diehard Camaro fan, I’ll never forget being in college (while owning a 1990 Iroc-Z 5.7 TPI,my childhood dream car). One of my buddies owned a 2001 WS6 6-speed w/full exhaust-which was brand new at the time. He let me drive it…😮..In that moment, the Iroc-Z with 700r4 became the dream car I was ready to sell😢…THAT LS1 GOT ME!!

Reminds me of my friends 2000 Trans Am in high school. It was black on black and had T-tops and a 6 speed manual. It was so awesome!

I’m a Corvette Dude, but this is my fav generation of the Camaro! I loved the 4th Gen when I was younger coming up!

The Catfish 4th gens are great, performance-wise, but I'll always prefer the '93-'97; especially the '96/'97 SS. They looked so much better, and the LT1 is such an underappreciated engine.

It’s funny remembering how the auto transmissions were back then compared to now. Huge difference between the gears and super long. The gears on Today’s 8 speeds and 10 speeds are so tight together. I was in high school when these cars came out. I loved the z28s and Trans AMs.

What a great video. The corvette is such a good looking car. That would be the decider for me between the two. These drag races sure are fun to watch. Especially when they're so close. Thanks guys

Crazy how being so high above sea level affects those 1/4 mile times and HP. I owned a 02 camaro and here in Maryland that car is running 13.5-13.9 the vette 13.2-13.5 in the quarter.

A few issues I noticed was the fact that the Z28 was not stock. It visibly had an SLP air lid which was good for 8-10 RWHP gains on these cars. Not a big deal since the Z28 was a convertible and that air lid likely did little more than negate the loss from the extra weight a vert had over the coupe, which I believe was 200lbs give or take. The other thing I noticed were those awful 1/4 mile times in the 15's. Both of those cars should be mid 13's. I'm assuming they were at a high elevation to get those slow times. Still a very good video.

I love how these drag races feel like a lifetime! The horsepower kicks in + the weight difference takes the cake! Now let's see a figure 8 times 😂

Nice . . . good to see the Camaro getting some love,

I also had a ‘99 z28 w/ t-tops. First and only car I have ever bought new in my life. That LS1 engine was the absolute truth. Great video guys!!

I had a 99 Corvette and I remember running low 13's. I frowned at your mid 15's until I remembered you are a mile high up in the clouds. ;) What a difference!

Awesome video. I have a C5 and always wanted to know how close these two are. Love seeing the C5 content.

I daily drive a 99 Z28 6 spd convertible. Amazing car! Rock solid reliable. Extremely low maintenance. Fun car to take to the track, or drop the top on a beautiful day, load up my wife & 2 kids, and go for a drive through the mountains.

I owned both a 2000 Camaro LS1 4-speed Auto with the 323 rear end and then a 2002 Corvette 6-speed. Both were Factory stock with absolutely no modification. At 1,000 ft elevation my Camaro consistently ran about a 14.5 at 98 mph. The Corvette would consistently run about 13.8 at 103. Where you really saw the difference in acceleration and speed was once you got north of about 130 mph, from there the Camaro was pretty slow whereas the Corvette would pull pretty hard all the way to about 160 before the speedometer with start crawling. And when it comes to handling the Camaro did respectable as long as the pavement was really smooth but any kind of expansion joint or bumps in the pavement would really upset that rare solid axle. Also when it comes to braking the Camaro did fine with Factory rotors and pads for brisk driving but you would quickly feel some brake fade after a few miles on twisty Roads. On the Corvette if I was coming down from speeds over 140 a few times I would feel brake fade and my rotors would start to Blue but generally speaking I could go twice the distance on a twisty Road in the Corvette before feeling fade like I would in the Camaro. And surprising to most people both of them are very practical cars thanks to the hatchback and they both get pretty good fuel mileage if you drive it normal. For example I took a road trip from Kansas City to Los Angeles up to San Francisco and back to Kansas City in the summer with the air conditioning on averaging about 90 mph and still doing a bunch of burnouts in Vegas and spirited driving along the Pacific Coastal Highway and I still managed 24.5 miles per gallon for the whole trip in the Camaro. I loved the Corvette especially with the Targa Top down and cruising on the Vegas Strip or running the coastal highways on the Atlantic seaboard but overall I like the rear seats in the Camaro oh, I like the fabric seats better in the Camaro then the leather seats in the Corvette and overall I just like the Camaro over the Corvette because of practicality and with some performance brakes and some good tires it was still 90% of what the Corvette was.

Love these videos and the comparisons between the two you should do current V6 cars like Camaro and Mustang against the older V8 cars just to see if they could still hang with the newer Tech

the F-Bodys did have a litle less WHP because of the restrictive Y pipe and single exhust system. but cars with that SLP lid did get a significant bump in power.

My '98 Z28 ran 12.7. Nitto drag radials, slp air box, 3.23 gears stock, auto, and the frame was braced.

Drag racing in Colorado is hilarious… they are soo weeazy.. I’d love to run a turbo shop up there. Tossing tiny turbos on everything.

I've had SEVERAL of both LS1 F-bodies and C5 Corvettes and YES a 3.23 geared F-body is just as quick as a 2.73 C5 at low speeds I was going to say that was the reason before I watched the rest of the video ....BOTH can run mid-low 13's at sea level btw..BONE stock

Instant like for the Camaro! Love that gen and I do own a european version of it here in Germany with the 5.7l. Stock exhaust sucks balls, sounds like nothing. Put a custom exhaust on it and it's probably the best sounding engine short of a Carrera GT. Cold start almost blows the garage away, such a deep rumble, revving up makes it sound like a race car. It's car orgasm. I wonder why they gave the car this off road look though, it sits so unbelievably high above the road. I lowered the car a lot with different springs and it sits just right with symmetrical wheel arches all around. Doesn't even look like it's modified. Build quality and so on is of course nothing to write home about, everywhere there is some rattling going on and these bubble knobs really look ancient. I like the instrument cluster a lot though, very classy. Milage is alright, 20mpg or so, good for 250miles. Milage is 46k on the car, so like 2k miles per year, being a 99model. Very comfy to drive and if the road is flat it handles awesome, if you believe it or not. Put new dampers in though, Bilstein monotube. The original ones were completely dead, they made the car feel like a boat, waving up and down. Scary. The brakes also are scary, especially on the german Autobahn. They almost don't work. Had to brake once really hard from 100mph and in the beginning the car almost didn't slow down. Afterwards there was smell of brake pads like hell, so the brakes did their job but yeah, nothing compared to a new car. The targa roof is awesome although it's leaking. Accelerating to 150mph with the t-tops of is feeling like a jet fighter taking off, it's just incredible with the wind noise and the screaming exhaust behind you, it's absolutely insane. I love it!

I had a 86 Iroc . Then I got a 95 z28 then a 2001 z28 . Loved them

You guys just keep cranking out gold. Great content.

In Alabama ( Close to sea level) My stock 4th gen Z28 with 3.42 gears and a 6 speed manual will easily do mid to low 13s in the quarter, that's about a 2 second difference due to the altitude.

Another great video! Keep them coming!

With ~15.5 sec quarter mile times at 94-98 mph, that's got to be at high altitude. Both those cars are well documented to be able to run mid 13's at 103-106-ish mph near sea level in stock form. Some of the more freakish ones will do low-13's at 107-108. I remember in the late-90's-to-early-00's (when those cars were new), it was well established that the Camaro/Firebird LS1 was essentially the same HP/TQ as the C5 Vettes...even though they do have different cams and programming.

One of the best testaments you can give the LS1 is that when I got my 2002 Z28 in 05 I put Koni's on it, an SLP lid, magnaflow catback, ported throttle body and ran a 13.5 with 2.73 gears on the stock tune. 18 years and 140,000 miles later (170,000 total) I replaced all the suspension with new stock parts, and added Strano sways and a STB and ran an identical 13.5 on a 90 degree day with the original stock 2.73's and the valve covers have never even been off, replaced the trans with another 4l60e and the fuel pump at 100K. Runs like the day I got it and I've always driven it like I stole it. Just an incredible job by GM on that motor and even the car IMO. Still love driving it, I actually like driving it better than my dad's 2019 Z06. That thing hurts my back is hard to see out the back, and makes me feel like I'm gonna die if I put my foot down more than half way, or at least go to jail. The Z28 I can turn off the traction control and just hammer it around corners and go sideways and just beat the hell of it and it's just a blast to drive still. Best 14K I ever spent and I can sell it for real close to that tomorrow if I wanted to.

Years ago GM high-tech performance magazine dynoed a LS1 from a Corvette and a LS1 from an f-body, they both made 347 flywheel horsepower...

My 01 SS with a mild cam, headers and cold air intake will spank a C5 all day long in a straight line, on a track the Vette is miles ahead.

In 1999 I bought a 1999 Cameron SS instead of a 1999 Corvette because I couldn’t afford a Corvette. The SS had 330 hp and the Corvette had 345 hp. I miss that car.

"We're not scientists. We're guys with trucks" (and cars) Great quote from Case.

z28 is a convertible making it even heavier by 200-300 pounds. a coupe would have smoked the vetter

I love these comparisons.

Love these comparisons, and only TFL does them! 😀😀

little story for ya here, just before I changed the motor my 1983 firebird lg4 5 speed. My uncle had a 1982 corvette with the crossfire auto. both cars were sub 60K anyway we wanted to see how they stacked up. and the firebird beat the snot out of the corvette. granted there were some variables. but right after my uncle wanted to see how his 1996 4door long bed 2wd duelly big block chevy 3500 auto would do, and it beat it too. man those late 70s vettes were some dogs but theyre damn sexy.

I think someone switched the intake on the Camaro. There isn't an EGR valve.

What a awesome race! Both beautiful cars. More American classic content, please, especially more GM cars. Great video, Tommy and crew.

This was an amazing video. I have owned a 98 M6 SS and a 00 automatic and have driven a c4 corvette. This is a real competition and they are both the same brand.

Now this is the kinda content I love to see 🤙

my first car 16 years ago was 95 z28. I now have a 97 c5 for my weekend/project car. People never believed me how similar in proformace these two cars are. Looking for a manual mystic teal catfish with t-tops, so I can relieve my highschool year. Even the LT in the earlier catfishes held up

Nice race and comparison, I believe the slp package is performance focused and add some extra power as well. That's why was closer than we thought!

I love to see regular every day cars racing please keep them coming

Good and fun video guys. I had a C5 Corvette and the rear end gearing will make a significant difference in the way the car comes out of the hole.

107 feet stopping is great!

last time i went drag racing in little river tx, my a4 00 ws6 with street tires and long tubes ran 12.92 at the last two passes, started with a 13.09, adjusting launch etc.

Bought my ‘98 Z28 new and took it to the dyno about a year later and there was a ‘98 Corvette there the same day. My Z28 LS1 put down 304 RWHP, C5 Corvette LS1 put down 297 RWHP…

So glad to see the Camaro getting some attention I’ve got a 01 z28 A4 t-top. I will say your 98 Camaro looks to be rocking the ls6 intake. It was a popular mod among the Camaro guys as it got rid of the tube that ran right through the mouth of the intake behind the throttle body good for a hp bump.

I had a friend I college with a 98 Z28- it was an 4 speed auto too. It’s “305 hp” put 307 down at the rear wheels on the dyno bone stock… so yeah it was way underrated! A non convertible Camaro would’ve been even closer!

There isn’t a gap in the rolling race the Z28 just didn’t shift down into 1st gear. I’ve owned multiple 2002 Camaros (SS and Z28) and also 2003 Z06 and a 2004 base model corvette. The automatic Z28 kicking into first from 30 MPH will absolutely keep up with the corvette however sometimes they are finicky and don’t want to do it.

I love this channel. I don’t know why I only discovered it recently

I would have loved to see a race with manual gearboxes just to see how much faster they can be.

It's kinda ricockulous how the HEAVIER convertible is able to keep up. Honestly, I'm quite shocked over the outcome of this match-up. Great video!

Great Video! Love my 4thGen Z28, simply awesome.

I actually put c5 brakes on my 98 Z28 back in the day. Also had 17inch zr1 wheels 275 40 17 front 315 35 17 rear.

i use to own a 1999 A4 camaro SS SLP (yes, actual SLP 1 of 4000 for 1999 yr) 3:23gears and i beat many camaro z28 (98-02) i guess the better free flow exhaust and intake help freeup power on the SLP cars, the camaros stock dyno was around 300+whp

Whenever you test these classics, you have to tuck your T-shirt into your shorts and wear white socks with white New Balance leather tennis shoes.

My second car ever was a 96 Z28 Camaro silver t-tops I love that car it was so fast to me considering I used to have a cavalier before that

i test drove a 98 Camaro SS once upon a time and before even driving it i asked the salesman what was the difference between the Camaro and a Corvette.... Their response was, " a back seat." Obviously there are more differences than than, but its basically true.

I'd like to see the Z51 C5 with the 3.15 gears be reviewed

Yeah u remember the main reason in 2002 GM discontinued the camaro and firebird. Because their WS6 and SS versions were as fast and sometimes faster for a fraction of the price.

I love these videos of my favorite GM era of the past. A 4th gen Camaro vs a C5 Vette. I enjoyed this so much. 😎👍🏽 Im currently restoring my 2000 Camaro. My first car since 2003.

I bought a 99 Camaro SS with $135k miles for $7k bone stock other than an SLP exhaust. Pulls super hard and it has a T56.

It would be cool to see y’all build these car on a budget and see what they can do 🏁

The Camaro is a convertible meaning that extra bracing was added to keep the chassis from twisting. The Corvette is significantly lighter due to the fiberglass body.

Back in the Heyday of these machines I was on a scca team that raced Firebirds. One of the things we used to do was put the Corvette OEM cam in to the LS that was in the firebird. Essentially that made it pretty much the same because the cam was the only real difference between these two. And it wasn't that significant at that either. It was really mostly gearing. It also didn't break any rules in scca because it was an oem part.

Tommy, did the Corvette have traction control disengaged?

Anyone know the name of this color? 0:59

I love these type of drag races :) so close!!

I had a 99 Hugger Orange Super Sport with the 4l60E Automatic. My first pass ever with just 800 miles on the clock got me a 13.46@ like 104mph. I finished that day with a best of 13.23. Drag radial and the "Free mods" would get me to a 12.99 in the weeks following.

Well , the Camaro has the SLP intake so it isn't stock. Its the performance package putting the Camaro at roughly 327HP not 305hp. True stock to stock the vette is faster, always has been. 305hp (327hp with SLP pack) for the Camaro and 345hp for the vette. Camaro 3450lbs and vette is 3200lbs roughly. (30 year old GM product. Little shot, must be a ford guy) Bro needed to be honest about the SLP and under the hood and automatic gear options were 3:23 and 2:73 on the Camaro. Vette running the worse gears known to man. Its options was 2:73 and 3:15 with 3:45 for the manual.

To make this test more realistic; you should've found a couple of men in their 70s to do the driving

Oh man! This vid brings back memories. That camaro is actually very rare, 1 of 63 Bright Green Metallic Z28 Convertibles for 1998. I had a Bright Green Z28 convertible also but mine had dark gray interior and black top. Loved that car. As for bang for buck, hard to beat a later LT1 or LT4 C4. I started looking for 4th Gens recently and realized a nice 4th gen is more than a nice C4. I ended up buying a 1996 LT4 C4 instead. Does everything better than an fbody and cheaper, Cant beat that.

Having spent plenty of seat time in both C5s and LS1 Camaros over the years, this isn't surprising in the least. If anything the Z28s felt faster due to being slightly more analog than the 'vettes were becoming at the time.

I would have loved to race my 96' LT1 Vette with the 3:08 gear. It was pretty quick compared to the 2:56 my 95' LT1 Vette. I never lost to a Z28 or a SS, but they were close as well. Great video.

My 2000 SS 6 speed was no joke I miss that car!

You should have raced a SS Camaro hardtop against the Vette. The Camaro convertible weighs 3550 against the Vettes 3300. 250 pounds different. The SS Camaro would tie or beat the Vette. I know because I had a 2002 SS Camaro and beat many Vettes of the same years. You should race an automatic LS Camaro, Vette or Trans Am against the same car with a 6 speed. Great show guys!!

I've been noticing more love for the 4th gen Camaros as time goes on, and I'm all for it.

Would’ve been even closer if the Z28 was a hard top!

Okay. As the owner of a 200 Z28 bought new and a 2004 Z16 C5, I luv this video. My stripper Z28 gave some C5s heartburn back in the day. Of course once modding starts, it comes down to who has the bigger wallet. My Z28 ended up with a 382 that made 460rwhp NA and 650rwhp on a wet 150shot of nitrous. my C5Z made 355rwhp stock and 420rwhp with a cam and supporting bolt-ons.

Holy moly, those 1/4 times & trap speeds are so low.

My 02 Trans Am 6 speed ran 13.4 @ 105 stock Put down right under 300 whp stock It was average for the LS1 Fbody

4th gen’s are underrated

Driving a Camaro requires a mullet. This comes down to gears. Didn't the Vette have like 2.73's? Assuming the Z is in the 3.31 range. Big advantage off the line.

I had one of these z28s with a 6 speed. Triple black with t tops. That thing would move!

That convertible weighs like 500 lbs more than the standard 98 Z28

A few mild mods and the Z28 is a street car terror.

I have a mint 2001 triple black 6 speed SS very. 82K original miles. Only mods are Texas Speed long tube headers and swapped out for a 4.10 rear. 2001 and 2002 were best years for Camaro SS. Z06 heads, intake, and clutch. Functional ram air hood.

Gearing. A 3.15 equipped auto C5 is a LOT quicker then a 2.73 equipped out of the hole. My 2K came with 3.15's, I thought about 3.42's however I do a lot of highway driving and with a few mods and a tune with the 3.15's it surprises quite a few people.

I had a 98 z28 as my first car. Good times.

When these were new, I remember Car & Driver devoting paragraphs upon paragraphs worth of flowery words to how great the LS1 engine was - particularly in the Camaro, where they felt it was at least somewhat underrated. If I'm remembering correctly, their testing showed basically the same result we see here.

I still have my 02 camaro z28 drop top....and I still look back at it while walking away

What device you guys using to measure performance numbers?

Both cars actually produce the same exact HP, however the Corvette is rated at the crank, and the Camaro is rated at the rear wheels. This is why acceleration was so even through the pull. Slight gearing differences and transmission tuning are what gives the C5 the edge.

This was a good video. But just something to think about.. On a 88°f day my brother and I drag raced our Impalas at Virginia Motorsports Park. We both ran a 15.353 at 93 mph. Stock 3.6L V6 on E85 and jet performance mass air flow sensor. I have the time slip to prove it. I had a 2013 Impala and my brother had his 15 Impala. I also have gotten a 9.24 in the 8th mile.