HHR vs. Camaro IROC
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 07-26-2006
Posts: 903
From: Soon to be Longview, Texas
HHR vs. Camaro IROC
Proof positive that, in a traffic-signal drag race, your car and engine make no difference: it's all about the driver.
Last week, coming home from work, I found myself getting challenged at the last light before the street my house is on, by someone driving a late 80's-early 90's Camaro IROC, with some kind of loud exhaust on it, so I'm assuming he'd done some work on it (in pretty good shape for it to be a redneck Corvette). He has a half-length head start on me at the signal, and he's revving up, like he wants to go.
Light turns green. From the signal line to my turn, he never caught up.
Just goes to show, reaction time is a big part of dragging. He was sluggish off the line, and couldn't get that car to catch up to me, no matter what he did.
Last week, coming home from work, I found myself getting challenged at the last light before the street my house is on, by someone driving a late 80's-early 90's Camaro IROC, with some kind of loud exhaust on it, so I'm assuming he'd done some work on it (in pretty good shape for it to be a redneck Corvette). He has a half-length head start on me at the signal, and he's revving up, like he wants to go.
Light turns green. From the signal line to my turn, he never caught up.
Just goes to show, reaction time is a big part of dragging. He was sluggish off the line, and couldn't get that car to catch up to me, no matter what he did.
Senior Member
Joined: 02-10-2007
Posts: 2,727
From: LBC Ohio
lol if i was my 89 IROC Z i could of given you a 7 second start and still smoked u. my camaro had a 350 with a 5 speed theres no way in heck a lil hhr would of taken me. It is about the launch off the line but if you know how to drive a car that helps too. i love my HHR but its slow i didnt buy if for speed and i know its slow. i do miss the speed of my past cars though, but i had a baby and those days are on hold FOR NOW. anyway im not bashing on you though dude i bet that guy was feeling salty getting burned by an HHR.
Senior Member
Joined: 01-13-2006
Posts: 1,059
From: Tucson, AZ
Actually this isn't all the un-common. At the drag strip a friend and I were swapping back and forth driving my HHR. Wasted some v6 stangs and so on. So my friend races a guy with an IROC that had a HUGE cowl over the engine. We were at a drag strip so there's no excuse not to push the car. By the end of the quater mile my HHR was several car lengths ahead. I've had an older IROC but they are 20 year old cars now. And a stock rated 235 horse from the old TPI motors in a 3500 lbs car really doesnt add up to a tarmac terror. This red Camaro had a 5spd AND the v8. The only real powerful camaros made recently are the LT and LS powered ones. The 80's camaros just dont have the guts (i blame reganomics) that the older or newer ones do. You CAN build them but still.. not great outta the box.
Banned
Joined: 10-14-2005
Posts: 9,121
From: Rochester,N.Y.
None taken. 
Nothing like a stereotype that holds some truth. 
My dad used to have one back in the 80s along with the leather jacket, shirt half undone sporting the gorilla chest, like 50 gold chains around his neck including the big cross, dark sun glasses with gold frames, and semi long hair flapping in the wind. 
Nothing like a stereotype that holds some truth. My dad used to have one back in the 80s along with the leather jacket, shirt half undone sporting the gorilla chest, like 50 gold chains around his neck including the big cross, dark sun glasses with gold frames, and semi long hair flapping in the wind.
Senior Member
Joined: 10-02-2005
Posts: 1,245
From: VA
None taken. Nothing like a stereotype that holds some truth. My dad used to have one back in the 80s along with the leather jacket, shirt half undone sporting the gorilla chest, like 50 gold chains around his neck including the big cross, dark sun glasses with gold frames, and semi long hair flapping in the wind.
Nothing like a stereotype that holds some truth. My dad used to have one back in the 80s along with the leather jacket, shirt half undone sporting the gorilla chest, like 50 gold chains around his neck including the big cross, dark sun glasses with gold frames, and semi long hair flapping in the wind. Now we've got CH cruisin' in his HHR wearing a Speedo and a mask!
Senior Member
Joined: 07-17-2006
Posts: 6,053
From: Dallas, GA
1986, 190HP 5.0 (this was the 215 previous motor with a new cam, good swap
) or a rare(50) 220HP 5.7 1LE model (stripped)1987, 195HP 5.0, 225HP 5.7
1988, 195HP 5.0, 225HP 5.7
1989, 230HP 5.0, (only if ordered with duals) 240HP 5.7
1990, 245HP 5.7 1LE
Ironically the 1988 model came stock with 15" wheels, verses the 16" wheels stock on the rest. These varies greatly from year to year. These are what gave perfromance and Chevy a bad name in the 1980's. The Mustang usually kicked the Camaro's (or Firebirds) butt each year. They were finally getting it right at the end.