2010 SLP ZL575 Chevrolet Camaro SS Full Test and Video

Yes, we have enjoyed a steady stream of modified 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS tuner cars. It's been a regular Camarogasm 'round these parts. Some have performed, others never showed up, and one that made at least 700 horsepower ate its clutch.

First, we tested an HPE550 Camaro from Hennessey. Then we tested one from Vortech Engineering. Then we borrowed the Hennessey HPE700 LS9 Camaro. This year's SEMA show even provided a tasteless Camaro Hall of Shame.

Yeah, we've seen an eyeful of Camaros, but the much-anticipated Camaro Z28 remains an on-again, off-again supposition. It sure would be nice for GM to have a weapon as lethal as the 540-hp Ford Shelby GT500.

Maybe the 2010 SLP ZL575 Chevy Camaro SS is it.

SLP: Not Just a Blowhard
What we have yet to experience until now is an aftermarket-enhanced Camaro with the kind of complete performance and image enhancements with seamless integration, rock-steady performance, 50-state certification, and trustworthy warranty like SLP's ZL575 package for the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS.

That's right. According to Street Legal Performance (SLP) in Tom's River, New Jersey, this supercharged 575-hp LS3 V8 for the 2010 Camaro SS not only makes the feds happy but also carries a 3-year/36,000-mile warranty covering all the company-installed modifications, and everything else on the car remains covered by a GM warranty. To maintain those warranties, you must order the ZL575 package through any Chevrolet dealer in the U.S. and Canada at the time you purchase a new Camaro SS. Orders outside the dealership network and installed by any outfit other than SLP carry a lesser warranty.

Besides the 575-hp hardware, the ZL575 package ($22,995) includes a long list of dress-up items, including 1-inch-lower springs, 20-inch wheels and a high-rise hood, plus a long list of interior and exterior style items. SLP first made its name with the then little-known but now highly sought-after 1991 SLP Firehawk, a freer-breathing third-generation Pontiac Firebird. SLP has come a long way from there, though.

We've tested several Camaro 2SS coupes with six-speed manual transmissions, and most have hovered around 5.0 seconds to 60 mph with 13.0-second quarter-miles at 110 mph. That's a good start, but shouldn't an SS be at least a little scary?

Enter the 2010 SLP ZL575 Chevy Camaro SS, running to 60 mph from a standstill consistently in 4.2 seconds (3.9 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip) and shredding the quarter-mile in 12.2 seconds at 116.9 mph. Now that's more like it — and a little scary the way an SS (or Z28) should be. These runs came with Nitto 555R Extreme Drag rear tires (275/40R20 inflated to 24 psi), but the same-size Pirelli P Zero street tires were only 0.1 second slower, although far more difficult to launch consistently.

What's the Diff?
Nevertheless, the 2010 SLP ZL575 Chevy Camaro SS could've been quicker still. After running the quarter-mile course several times, we noticed that it was necessary to grab 4th gear before the finish line when usually a Camaro SS does it in 3rd. Our telemetry proved that the shift points for the first three gears came sooner during the run as well.

We scooted under the car and found a genuine GM limited-slip differential, but its part number indicated it had a 3.70:1 final-drive ratio rather than the 3.45:1 ratio inside the SS's stock pumpkin. Turns out it's from the 2009 Pontiac GXP, and the ring-and-pinion gears are shot-peened and phosphate-coated for enhanced wear and durability. SLP tells us that it was unaware of this when GM handed over the Camaro SS to be modified for the SEMA show.

If it is robust enough to handle the ZL575's enhanced output, we suspect the stock LSD would've actually served better, though. Seeing as how the ZL575 certainly is not lacking torque with more than 500 pound-feet at the wheels, it has no trouble turning the tires over at the launch, and it'd have no trouble whatsoever pushing the taller, stock gearing to negate the time-consuming extra shift. There's a quarter-mile run of 12-flat or better in this car, especially running on gasoline with higher octane than what's commonly available here in California.

Bolt-ons
The ZL575's additional 149 hp over the output of the stock LS3 V8 comes from an SLP-designed cold-air induction system, an SLP-branded Magnuson/Eaton TVS 2300 Roots-type supercharger (with a little electronic massage from a Diablosport Predator U7194 reflash), and SLP's own axle-back stainless-steel exhaust with a 4-inch diameter. The hardware integrates in such a sanitary fashion that the ZL575's engine bay looks like a factory-installed supercharging option.

Though it sits atop an LS3 rather than an LS9 V8, the ZL575's forced-induction system is nearly identical to that found on the top-dog Corvette ZR1. This means the four-lobe rotor features a high-twist 160-degree helix that improves efficiency (less power to operate), offers cooler discharge temperatures and operates quietly, adding only 1 decibel to measured interior sound levels at idle, wide-open throttle and 70-mph cruise. Rest assured, however, the exhaust system is louder and sharper from behind the car.

The ZL575 Camaro has this kind of yesteryear thrill-and-danger chromosome bred into it.

We tested the output of the ZL575 package on MD Automotive's Dynojet. Engineering Editor Jason Kavanagh noted, "No fuss, very little variation, just clean and consistent pulls. The SLP just goes about kicking ass in a nonchalant, matter-of-fact way. And the shape of the stock torque curve remains remarkably intact, just lifted way, way up. When you consider drivetrain loss, the ZL575 is easily generating more than its 575-hp claim. SLP has been here, done this before."

Even on 91-octane pump gas, the 2010 SLP ZL575 Chevy Camaro SS showed a solid 558 hp at 6,450 rpm and 513 lb-ft of torque at 4,200 rpm at the tires. It means the ZL575 upgrade is making somewhere in the range of 620-650 hp at the crankshaft.

Brembo Spoken Here
A stock Camaro SS stops from 60 mph in just 110 feet, though not 15 times in a row like the ZL575 did with its optional Brembo GT package ($5,495). The six-piston calipers squeeze two-piece cross-drilled vented 15-inch rotors up front, and four-piston rear calipers clamp similar rotors in the rear. The result is almost racecar levels of fade resistance and a vastly improved pedal feel. As an added little spiff, this brake package also means SLP will raise the car's speed limiter from 155 mph to 190 mph. But it's all big money.

There's big money also in SLP's adjustable antiroll bar package ($795). Supplied by Eibach, there are a three-way adjustable front bar (29mm rather than the stock 23mm) and a two-way adjustable rear bar (no size change). We like the SL575's increased roll control and flatter cornering style, but they don't add up to improved performance in the slalom or on the skid pad, as we've clocked the stock Camaro SS at the same or better speed.

Of course, when we were asked to do a few stunts, the SLP's chassis setup came into its own. It turns out the ZL575 has so much torque available at such a low engine speed that any corner becomes driftable. The only problem arrives when you run out of revs, as the engine will wind up with ease until it bangs off the rpm limiter.

Road Time
Two things come to mind when you drive the 2010 SLP ZL575 Chevy Camaro SS on the open road.

First, the car feels like a factory-built hot rod that someone sneaked out the backdoor of the GM Tech Center. From the almost silent supercharger to absolutely ping-free roll-on acceleration in 6th gear, this car is as well-sorted as a German library. It sure looks, drives and sounds like the oft-rumored Chevy Camaro Z28, though an SLP spokesman denied it. No doubt there's been some give-and-take between SLP and GM on this "001 Pilot Car," which is right there for all to read on the dashboard and inside the trunk lid. The fact that it carries a mysterious (and durable) rear end is a clue, and we have to say that we've never driven an aftermarket offering as fundamentally sound as this one.

The other trait the ZL575 possesses can be summed up in two words: Holy crap! Unlike the stock 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS, this car has just enough power on tap — in any gear and at any speed — to scare the bejiggers out of even the most seasoned muscle-car enthusiast. The SLP ZL575 recalls a time before steel-belted radials, seatbelts, ABS and stability control, when muscle cars were terrifying.

Back in the day, 1960s muscle cars had far more power than poise. The rear end would twitch and squirm with each WOT upshift. The ZL575 has this kind of yesteryear thrill-and-danger chromosome bred into it. And it looks right. The badging and even the wheels somehow give it a genuine GM parts kind of look, too.

Civil Disobedience
The 2010 SLP ZL575 Chevy Camaro is civil enough to drive every day, subtle enough (minus the stripes) to maintain your neighborhood reputation, and earned 15 mpg during the 850-mile flogging we gave it. (Truth be told, our Editor in Chief Oldham managed a 9.9-mpg overnight average all by himself, so it ain't frugal if you drive like he does.) Sure, there's more power available from other tuners, but this amount (620-650 hp) seems to be a sweet spot, and you keep your warranty.

A 12-flat quarter-mile is nothing to sneeze at, and it'll cost you $22,995 over the cost of a bone-stock Camaro SS, which in this case was a 2SS model that starts at $34,595, for a total of $57,590. Yes, our car also had the non-stock 3.70 limited-slip differential ($2,000 estimate) and the whole SEMA show catalog poured into it to the tune of $10 grand. So, our car's as-tested price of $67,105 is completely mental for a Camaro, even one as good as this one. But sticking to the bits that make the ZL575 what it is gets you that bonkers buzz that only a true muscle car can provide.

Can't wait for the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Z28, assuming there will be one? Then go to your nearest Chevy dealer and order a 2010 SLP ZL575 Chevy Camaro and consider it an act of civil disobedience.

The manufacturer provided Edmunds with this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.