[MarkSS]

In a separate post, I shared my impressions of the new Impala SS and concluded that though it is a nice car, it was not enough to get me to trade our 2002 Impala LS.

I lied. Just took delivery of one. Rebates plus the fact that I had a buyer for my car sealed the deal. It is an SC package. It does everything the 02 did except better. More power, much better handling feel, good ride, no fake wood on the dash, and better speakers are all plusses to the new SS.

I had a 95 "real" SS and this car does not excite me as much, but as I said it is a good stop gap to 06 or whenever the next V8 Impala is due. By then I will be ready to trade again for a real "gotta have." For now, this is the best Chevrolet sedan there is and it is a great car.

Maybe an SLP pulley for the supercharger is in order....

 

[69nova]

I am happy for you. The SC version does lend itself to the Impala line. And it is not just another look alike. Sit by a stop light and watch the Cavaliers, Saturns, Toyotas, Hondas.... wedge after wedge.
The Impala sits well.
I looked at the Impala but found their choices of interior (gray or tan) and exterior (black only) a little restrictive. But other than that it is a fine car.
The Impala and Monte Carlos got me excited when I read the new features. The other cars (like Toyota Camrys and Honda Accords) gave me a "ho-hum, I must buy a car so this is it" feeling.


Keep us informed of its reliability and performance.

 

[demonspeed]

Originally posted by MarkSS@Oct 22 2003, 07:50 PM
Maybe an SLP pulley for the supercharger is in order....

In reletively short order, you *could* have the 04 running circles around the 95.

 

[Ghrankenstein]

I lied. Just took delivery of one. Rebates plus the fact that I had a buyer for my car sealed the deal. It is an SC package. It does everything the 02 did except better. More power, much better handling feel, good ride, no fake wood on the dash, and better speakers are all plusses to the new SS.

Bigtime congratulations.

"Real" or not, I love this car, enough that my big eyes want one, though I couldn't bring myself to trade my lovely girl in on one. The biggest geek-factor to me was the handling, which, as I posted before, really puts my Z-28 to shame. I also dug the new center-stitched leather seats, especially compared with the leather seats in the '03 Impalas, which made me feel kind of hunched over.

Say what you want about the Impala, I also think styling is on the plus-side for the SS. The GTP is pretty, but I really like the more traditional profile that the big black sedan cuts, especially in the face of all the "pretty-eyed" wedges.

SLP gets 270 hp out of the Regal GS. I'd love to hear about your Acura-munchings in a 270+ hp Impala SS.

As always, I hope that the service you got was worthy of your business, and if it was, I hope that you'll continue to advocate and support your salesperson.

Ghrankenstein

 

[Ghrankenstein]

Oh yeah: Mark, does your SS have the XM Radio???

Ghrank :frankie:

 

[MarkSS]

No, as you may recall, my brother bought one of the first ones available at the end of July and his has xm radio, but no onstar. My car has Onstar, but no xm radio, otherwise they are identical (first time in 15 years of cars that we have the same thing). My wife drives it more than I do and she loves the personal calling feature, so I had to reup for an Onstar equipped car. I like it more each time I drive it and recently drove my brother's car again (with 3000 miles) and it is definitely faster than mine is with less than 500 miles. Passing power (50-90mph) is very good in this car. I am going to wait at least until spring to do any upgrades. Thanks for your comments.

 

[demonspeed]

Originally posted by Ghrankenstein@Oct 25 2003, 10:19 AM
"Real" or not, I love this car, enough that my big eyes want one, though I couldn't bring myself to trade my lovely girl in on one. The biggest geek-factor to me was the handling, which, as I posted before, really puts my Z-28 to shame.

Ghrank...

I'm confused. Where/Why/How do you believe the Impala will run circles around the Z28 in the handling department?

 

[MarkSS]

My other car is a 99 SS Camaro and it definitely outhandles the Impala SS in every way. The Impala strikes a great balance between ride and handling for a front drive sedan and is fun to pour into a corner or on-ramp but is not really tunded for racetrack type handling. So, I guess I have the same question for Ghrank.

 

[Ghrankenstein]

My '02 stock Z-28 is undersprung, and undertired, and it doesn't have the SSs' (Camaro or Impala) wheels or tires. Nor does have an SS Camaro suspension. I'm wondering if part of that is the extra sidewall vs. the 17" circles on the SS cars. The Impala actually felt firmer than my Z-28, and my car does have a published cornering limit of 0.84 g, not all that great and likely lower than what the Impala SS can do.

The Camaro -does- have much quicker steering, and its feel is quite good, but I also enjoy the fwd's feedback through the steering column.

I'll have to drive the SS Impala again, to see if my first impressions were correct.

Ghrankenstein

 

[MarkSS]

Ghrank, what tires are on your car?? The standard all season 16 inchers are definitely not up to the job. I had a 96 Z-28 before my SS, but I ordered 17 inch SS wheels for it right away and BFGs, so I barely remember what it handled like stock and I never autocrossed it stock. Maybe you should burn them off and get something else??

 

[Ghrankenstein]

They're 245/50ZR Eagle RS-A's. As for burning them off, Z-28 tires are too expensive for that. I'll get something better when they need to be replaced. Dunno if I'll go to 17s or not though. My stock 16" chrome rims are not only sharp, they were pricey.

Ghrankenstein

 

[MarkSS]

Well, my original Goodyears went 25000 miles (with several drag races and autocrosses thrown in) and I replaced them with BFG G Forces. A spendy tire, but much better for handling with a side benefit of being quieter. I am sure they make them in 16 inch sizes.

 

[demonspeed]

Those Goodyears should perform well enough to not be outhandled by an Impala.

Hell, just buy some drag radials once the RSA's are gone. Sure, the price for tires is expensive, but if you want to run a car like this, you gotta pay to play.

 

[Ghrankenstein]

Those Goodyears should perform well enough to not be outhandled by an Impala.

Hell, just buy some drag radials once the RSA's are gone. Sure, the price for tires is expensive, but if you want to run a car like this, you gotta pay to play.

Until we can see an actual road test, with slalom and lateral acceleration numbers, we're really making comparisons at a subjective level. As it is, I still think that the quicker steering, is the only advantage that my Camaro has over the Impala SS. The Impala just has a newer, stiffer chassis. Don't get me wrong, as you guys have repeatedly heard, I love my F-Bod, it just shows its age.

Ghrankenstein

 

[demonspeed]

I'd be surprised if the Impala could actually pull .90

 

[Ghrankenstein]

Not 0.9 G... I'm thinking 0.86-0.87, versus the 0.84 that my Z28 pulls.

Btw, one other factor [of handling] that might be playing in is the fact that the Impala SS (and the Supercharged Monte that I drove the other day) hit their "equilibrium" at 55-65 mph, whereas my Z-28 settles in around 85. It's remarkable how planted and stable the Camaro feels at higher-than-legal speeds, even if it isn't a curve-straightener.

Ghrankenstein

 

[chev454ls]

Originally posted by demonspeed+Oct 24 2003, 09:39 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (demonspeed @ Oct 24 2003, 09:39 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-MarkSS@Oct 22 2003, 07:50 PM
Maybe an SLP pulley for the supercharger is in order....

In reletively short order, you *could* have the 04 running circles around the 95. [/b][/quote]
Definitely. Just get a 3.4 inch pulley for the SC and a cold air intake (and maybe exhaust), and it would walk all over a '95 Impala SS.

 

[demonspeed]

Originally posted by Ghrankenstein@Nov 13 2003, 06:13 PM
Not 0.9 G... I'm thinking 0.86-0.87, versus the 0.84 that my Z28 pulls.

Btw, one other factor [of handling] that might be playing in is the fact that the Impala SS (and the Supercharged Monte that I drove the other day) hit their "equilibrium" at 55-65 mph, whereas my Z-28 settles in around 85. It's remarkable how planted and stable the Camaro feels at higher-than-legal speeds, even if it isn't a curve-straightener.

Ghrankenstein

Mine feels just as comfortable at 130 as it does at 30.

The 3rd gens were hitting .89 g's. They don't out handle the 4th gens.