I am pretty impressed with the it. The first tank I got 16.25 the second tank we are at 17.47.

What do you guys average on your stock cars?

What kind of driving did that include, city/highway-wise? How you liking the car compared to your 2nd Gen?

Dallas all city driving, mixed tollway blast for 12 miles stretchs at 70-80mph in general just city.

The 2nd gen was much smoother ride, but the 2nd gen was way too soft. Lots of room in the 2nd gen. But the 3rd is laid out much better.

2nd gen felt HEAVY! 3rd gen feel like a feather and extremely fast.
My 80 had 3:42 gears also on 225 70 15. ran out of breath by 4200 rpm.
85 literally rips to 5500rpm and feels like more is there. GM did a great job getting the most out of a 305.

my 80 would chirp 2nd gear shifts, 85 spins the tires and slide sideways shifting into second on new Goodyear HP's.

2nd gen was much quieter inside, 3rd gen has lots of road noise.

2nd gen feels like a cow around corners, 3rd gen feels like a slot car.

my 80 was never wrecked and had original paint, fit and finish sucked!
85 fit and finish is 200% better and feels rock solid.

last night while replacing the tranny mount I could have eaten off the bottom. uncluttered and everything looked like it had its place.

80 I felt like i was riding on it, the 85 i feel like I am part of it.

I am the original owner of my 305 TPI, 5 speed car. I did not keep records over the first 10 years but I have averaged 17 MPG for the last 10. This dipped to a low point about a year ago when my fuel injectors were dying. After I replaced them, the car came right back to the 17 MPG mark. On long trips (300-500 miles and mostly interstate roads) I get 24-25 MPG.

With similar driving, my 86 305 TPI TA gets about 1 MPG better with lousy 2.77 gears. My 350 88 IROC gets a little over 20 MPG per tank, and my 5 speed TPI 88 TA has gotten as high as 24 MPG with more open road driving (but not solid highway)...

Excellent review! Seems inline with other comparisons I've heard. Many people don't realize how good these cars are until they actually own one.

Just imagine if we were running real gas instead of the oxygenated junk. Florida is trying to repeal the requirements for ethanol. I saw a 2mpg drop with my truck using this garbage and the Camaro ran so much better before the requirement. My best was 22 with the IROC-Z. During the Hot Rod Power Tour, I was lucky to get 19/20 highway at 70. Granted the windows were down the entire trip putting drag on the car, but I believe the issue is more related to the gas!

18.56 my best so far, mostly highway miles between NY and NJ

Quoted because its sooooo true. As fun as my 2011 Charger RT demo is every time I nail the gas, I still find myself having a blast with my third gens. The dynamics of them are really quite good, and they don't suffer from the visabilty/tank-like feeling of today's cars.

Bottom line is, when I drive my 86, it doesn't FEEL anywhere near 25 years old. I honestly think the non-t-top cars hold up better over time, and feel better when compared to a new car, than the t-top cars. There is no way in hell that today ANY OEM would allow cars out the door that squeaked and rattled like t-top third gens do. It really dates the feel of them.

I agree about the T-Tops. While they look great and have a function, the hardtop cars feel tighter and don't make as much noise. Third Gens might not look and feel like modern cars, but they have a simple and focused intimacy about them that you just don't seem to get with cars today.

from what I was driving my 3rd gen seems like a computer rather than the abacus I was driving. LOL

Haha. You know, I really like 1st Gens. I've driven and been in a few, but wow, do they feel like the simplest, lowest tech thing ever LOL. They seem downright dangerous to be driving fast. A Third compared to that feels like it was developed in a different century and made strictly for performance. It's really just the progression that happens with each passing Gen of the car obviously, but Thirds are like right in the middle, not too high tech and not too low tech. There are many things about them that were definitely ahead of their time in the 80s though.

I agree that is an excellent comparison between the 2nd and 3rd Gens. I had a '79 W72/WS6 T/A I bought in the mid '80s. She had low mileage and I could kick myself today for trading her in the early '90s. But from what I remember my '83 Z28 has a tighter feel than my T/A. The t-top 2nd Gens weren't exactly rattle free but they didn't have that huge hatch that lessens body rigidity. The 400/4 speed would walk over the LU5/700R4 but that doesn't lessen how much I enjoy my Z.

I was getting 25 highway over the summer with my stock E4ME carb and 305. Now that it's winter I'm getting 19-22

thats interesting! I wonder why? what are your thoughts?
I would think that cooler weather would create better air. Are all your emissions items working?

I would assume winter gasoline mix as well as my choke being non functional until this morning when I adjusted it. Hopefully it'll go back up next spring.

Most cars get worse gas mileage in the cold because warm up time is longer so if it has a carb the choke is on longer or if its fuel injection the mixture is richer longer.

Winter mix is also a part of it. I can tell they already switched cause my DD gas mileage fell a good amount as did my sisters.

I wish these forums had a "like" button!

I get around 17.2 with mixed city/highway driving. And by highway driving, I mean cruising at 80 - 90. Not too bad for a 23 year old car.

my 84 2.8 camaro gets 17 lol

I often wonder what fuel mileage advantage you gain by a lower gear ratio. sure the engine is going slower, but you are still pushing the same car. I used to try driving in 3rd gear instead of overdrive to see what difference in mileage I got, but I never did a whole tank so I don't know the outcome.

Lots of the newer feeling of these compared to 1st gen is the tire technology. When I was in high school, my daily driver was a 67 goat, with 14" redline bias ply and rallye 1 wheels. you could turn the wheel to take an exit, and the front wheels would slide rather than allow the car to get off the road. Just for fun, I put a set of gaudy gold Ronal R9 wheels with Pirelli P Zero tires on that car. The wheels looked ridiculous. But they made that car handle so well it was incredible. Now, they gripped so much that they wouldn't let go. the car rolled over so steep that it felt like it would tip over like a sailboat. But, it didn't slide anymore. You could place that car anywhere on the road at any speed. it took getting used to about the pitching and rolling though, and it was hard to stay on the seat. But, my point is that the tires were what was keeping that car from handling. I went way overboard on tires of course. Probably 14" radials would have been better for that old suspension. But it was interesting to see what happens when the tires outgun the car by such a huge margin.

L98 averages 17.5-18 MPG depending on my driving thats mixed with highway and just town driving.

'84 L69/Auto here. I'm getting 12 to 13 mpg mostly city driving. The magic number seems to be only 177 miles on a tank. I think I have a carb problem.

City Driving I think you benefit from from 342 to 411 gear as it take less throttle and pump shot to get going. On highways gears it takes lots of initial tip in and pump shot to get going. vice verso and highway but you relate to RPM rather than tip in or pump shot.

What do you get straight hwy?

YIKES, what gears?

My '89 FI 2.8 Camaro got that too...frankly, my 2.8 got the worst mileage of the 6 third gens I've owned. All of my V8 cars have routinely recorded higher mileage than that car got when it was my DD 10 years ago. The BEST tank I ever got was 23 MPG, doing nothing but highway driving. Otherwise, it was always in the 16-18 range.

Went up again in the wet and rainy weather we had. Beats me, why?

EDIT as my statement answered the my question. Wet rainy weather keep me of the loud pedal.


By scotiapilot at 2011-12-16

I'd say that, plus the colder, denser air allowing for a cleaner, more efficient burn. My

I ran my second bottle of Techron too

Yeah, that'll do it too!

While decent when rolling, I think thats because the 2.8 is so slow from a stop and they take alot of gas to get them going. Merging onto busy roads can be a difficult, almost dangerous task in one LOL.

Its funny you mention that. I remember back 12 years or so ago, I used to date a girl that lived a couple hours from me. As part of the route to visit her, I had to enter a road with a 65 speed limit from a dead stop. It was a crowded, busy highway.

I swear, I wound the living **** outta that little 2.8 and prayed all 135 mighty HP would keep me alive. Needless to say, those 11-12 seconds going 0-60+ were the longest of my week, every week.

As much as I loved that car, I honestly do not miss it much at all. It was just too, too slow...

WHat happened to her? Was it worth it?

Lord no...we dated for a little while, but I was 20 years old and crazy...she was just crazy

Interestingly, while I far prefer third gens, its a fourth gen that's been with me for nearly 11 years. 2 failed relationships, 1 good one, 4 jobs, 4 different addresses...its followed me everywhere, and been a damn good car

I doubt it will ever leave my garage, however, if it leaves I have room for another third gen Black t-top Formula 350, or hunter green GTA 5 speed, anyone??

Its funny that while I loved IROCs and ignored TAs growing up, now its the Firebirds I covet more...

That's because you've had alot of Camaros and now have the actual one you always wanted, you're just gravitating to other things.

I definitely hear you on the 2.8 LOL. Goodness, they're so slow from a stop, it's just unbelieveable because you have to really plan your move out onto a busy street with one haha.

If I do all highway I can average between 27-29mpg. Thats with 5.0 TBI, auto, 2.73 rear end and doing about 75.

I've thought about that very idea...you may be 100% correct. There is absolutely nothing about my IROC I'd change, save for a 3.27 gear. I don't even need the power mirrors or seat, and if I had the Bose I would eventually replace it anyway (the only modification planned, ever, is a better stereo).

Conversely, it would be nice if my 86 had some more guts to it, and if my 88 TA was a GTA I probably wouldn't complain, even though I prefer my black wheels to GTA's gold ones However, for what I have them for (88 for a trailer queen that's a blast to drive, and the 86 for a 3-5k mile a year weekend driver thats nice and comfy with the base suspension and no t-tops rattling away), they're perfect.

The red TA may get replaced ultimately for a GTA 5 speed or Formula 350, but at this point I doubt it. The 86 is just perfect for what I do with it, so I don't foresee ever getting rid of it, really...

roughly 24 on hwy ive never got worse than 23. its a good traveling car on gas for what it is.

Thats great mileage, My SRT8 get 15 city and 22-23 hwy

i get a consistent 18 mpg average. on the interstate i get 22mpg with the cruise set at 65