What Makes It An Ss?

[SS Silv]

To me the SS is an appearance package. It's pretty much a Denali...

 

I'm embarrassed to say it only has a 6.0, but at the same time I don't give a rip, because I like the truck.

[brobradh77]

Lol, I wasn't calling you sad dude, I was agreeing with you. I'm not going to lie, I've seen some badass clones that I know are faster than mine, but It's sad that some people thing that SS's are just plain Silverados with badges.

 

 

[ImpoSStor SS]

To me, the Chevrolet SS badge represents a 50 year heritage of performance.

A Silverado SS is not just an engine, a suspension or an interior trim package.

It's all that and much more! There have been faster trucks than the SS but none

have the style and heritage that the Silverado SS has. Anyone can go on ebay

or to a dealer and purchase a pair of emblems and put them on their vehicle. If it

makes them feel better about their ride, more power to them. But we all know

they're just an imitation of the real thing and they say imitation is the sincerest

form of flattery.

 

No, not everyone can own an SS. If they did they wouldn't be so special.

 

Yes I do own a regular Silverado with SS emblems stuck on it but I also own a real

SS and that makes me a part of the proud fraternity of SS owners.

 

Below is what Chevrolet said when the Silverado SS was first introduced:

 

SS HERITAGE PROVIDES CHEVROLET A FOUNDATION OF SPEED, POWER AND PERFORMANCE

 

It's among the most storied designations in automotive history - SS. It represents the utmost in Chevrolet performance. And it came about quite simply.

 

Zora Arkus-Duntov, father of the Chevy Corvette and its chief engineer from 1953-73, was once asked if a special racing Corvette with an SS moniker was a sports car, and he replied, "No, it's a Super Sports car."

 

And so the Chevy SS (Super Sport) badge was born, making its production debut on the 1961 Impala Super Sport. The two-letter combination has been raising the pulse rates of auto enthusiasts ever since.

 

"Chevrolet has sold more than 1 million SS models in its history," says Chevrolet general manager Kurt Ritter. "The vast majority of those have gone to enthusiastic customers who want 'more go than show' in their vehicles. It's that kind of enthusiast who is going to help us build on this great heritage and take the SS badge to new heights."

 

Long history of top performance at Chevy

By the time the 1961 Impala SS and its legendary 409 V8 debuted, Chevrolet had already established itself as a name synonymous with great performance.

 

The introduction of the Chevy small-block V8 in 1955 helped see to that. The '61 Impala SS ushered in a new era of Chevy performance. The 360-horsepower 409 was one of five engine choices, and the car featured extra enhancements like power brakes and steering, sintered metallic brake linings, heavy duty shocks and springs, a 7000-rpm tachometer and special SS trim and badging. Chevy sold 450 SS versions that model year, and the race was on.

 

From there, the SS badge worked its way across Chevy's lineup. The Nova SS debuted a year later, followed by the Chevelle SS and Malibu SS in 1964. The legendary Camaro SS arrived in 1967, and was followed a few years later by the equally formidable Monte Carlo SS.

 

In addition to V8 engines, all of the SS models shared performance enhancements such as beefed-up suspensions and speed-rated tires, special exhaust tips, unique wheels and grilles, tachometers and other special instrumentation as well as unique interior and exterior trim.

 

The oil crises, recessions, emissions requirements and a more energy-conscious public all contributed to the SS models' slow demise in the 1970s. The Monte Carlo SS was briefly resurrected in the mid-1980s, and then appeared again with the newest iteration of Monte Carlo in 2000. The Impala SS of the mid-1990s, based on the Caprice, was extremely popular with SS enthusiasts. Also, the Camaro SS was reborn in 1996.

 

As market conditions evolved in the '90s, the SS badge inevitably found itself in emblazoned on new territory: trucks. The SS 454 Pickup, based on the CK Series, sold well for Chevy Trucks from 1990 to 1994, and, later that decade, the S-10 SS redefined performance in the compact pickup segment.

 

SS to lead a new performance revolution

With a new century underway, there is a renewed emphasis on performance at all of General Motors, and SS is poised for rebirth to fly the performance flag again at Chevrolet.

 

The 2003 Silverado SS will officially begin the SS revival. Additional cars and trucks bearing the SS name will follow, as Chevrolet moves to reclaim its rightful place in the automotive performance pantheon.

 

"Although SS models had virtually disappeared, enthusiasts have not," says Ritter. "The automotive market is awash in emotionless commodity cars. In SS, we have the perfect name with which to re-ignite the flames of passion and performance in the marketplace for Chevrolet. We intend to do just that."

[nixsupersport]

Imposster..........that syas it all

[wody]

mine has wings

[SS Silv]

mine has wings

 

Dammit, I got ripped off.

[joeyg]

I've had a '99 5.3 ext cab, '01 reg cab step-side 5.3 supercharged, '03 reg cab 5.3 supercharged (same blower), and I ALWAYS would've rather had an SSS.

NONE of the other trucks even come close in comparision to the TOTAL ride experience.

Now I finally stopped settling and got my '03 AWD SSS and soon the supercharger goes on. No one believes me when I tell them it's an '03 either. They hold their look so well.

The only regret I have is not getting one sooner, hell I'd of had it paid off too!

I never put SS badges on any of my other ones. Didn't really wanna.

[misterp]

...NONE of the other trucks even come close in comparision to the TOTAL ride experience. ...

Yup, it's the whole package. Asking "what makes it an SS" is like asking, What makes it a Ferrari or What makes it a Lambo... the person is just questioning (or judging) your values.

 

I don't think the 2003 SSS gets enough credit (yet) as a landmark vehicle in the truck segment.

 

I have grown up in and around trucks all my life - my father was a rodeo contestant and every weekend we were on the road somewhere to attend a rodeo where everyone else we knew owned a TRUCK; these folks despised cars, because to them cars were useless because you could not tow a horsetrailer with them lol. I have seen the progression/history of trucks from 1970 firsthand as well as fixed-up all kinds of 50's and 60's iron. Prior to the 2003 SSS there have been stylish trucks (mid-50's Ford/Chevy, 1969 Chevy) but they seriously fell short in the power department and luxury was basically an FM radio. And there have been fast trucks, my prior truck was a 1973 454 Cheyene Super C10 and it was no slouch. And in the past there have been "nice" trucks, my grandfather owned a stereotypical 1978 "gentleman Jim" GMC which was loaded like a Cadillac on the inside but looked just like every other truck on the outside. And there have always been "practical" trucks, like the old Dodge Power Wagons and Ford crewcabs but those were real work trucks and no luxury at all, although they did have either towing or off-road performance. And there have been "on-road" trucks (as opposed to "off-road") like the El Camino and Ranchero but they definitely had some practicality tradeoffs, like towing and no cargo weight capacity. But the 2003 SSS is the first real offering by any maker to have it all - distinctive exterior styling, luxury interior, legendary engine, on-road performance, all-wheel drive which is a luxury for a truck, and the practicality of an extended cab and useable bed and trailer hitch.

 

When I was shopping for my truck I looked at the Denali, the Lightning, the SRT-10, and the SS; and in the end I judged the SS to be a little bit better in every way as a platform to customize into my dream truck. To me, the Denali didn't have enough exterior styling; and driving the Lightning was like driving inside a cheap beer can, the interior was chincy; the SRT-10 had good on-road performance but drove like a cement truck and wasn't at all practical from both a daily driver as well as future modification viewpoint (imagine the costs of modding a Viper V10). To me, all these offerings were just repeats of 'trucks of the past'. But the SSS could do it all, it could haul the kids, and my stuff, and tow, and drive me anywhere I wanted to go at an instants notice no matter what the weather (AWD), and haul ass on the freeway, and look great doing it. Most importantly the SSS was just better in every way as a starting point for me to craft my dream truck. Except the transmission and brakes.

 

Over the last 6-years I have had a few incidents of "what makes an SS" and each time it was definitely from a hater trying to make me justify my owning the SSS. Sad but true. I got this crap right away when I originally bought my truck - my dad's wife gave me a ride to the dealer to pick it up, and as we drove into the lot she blurted out "That? You want THAT truck? What makes that truck so special, it's JUST a truck!" And there was an idiot at a charity car show, I don't know exactly what his problem was but his attitude was like "what makes you think you're so special as to park on the same lawn with us" Whatever. And I've gotten this 'what makes it so special' attitude from a Hemi owner when I lived in Stephenville. And I've been aksed this once at a track from another racer who drove a mid-90s beater Silverado with a cammed 408.... So I'm kinda jaded now, because each time anyone has questioned my owning the truck it's been negative. Haters, gotta love 'em.

 

Mr. P.

[SuperStock]

I do not own an SS but I sure would love to, people are retarted and just don't understand what makes it so special. The sleek lines, the top notch suspension, the motor which hauls a@@ I could go on all day and I don't even own one. I mean my truck is fast for what it is, but it just does not have the ability to take turns like a corvette like the ss does. There is so much to the ss. Maybe it's a good thing that no one knows how nice it is. I hate when I see people buy them and don't appericate what they have. Just my 2 cents.

[ssspringer]

I love mine...been a Chevy guy all my life..so has my dad. Dad had a 61 Impala SS, the year i was born and traded it for a brand new 64 GTO. I actually remember those cars for some reason....probably for the performance. I've had several 2ed gen Z/28's and a Firebird,a few Vettes,other Chevys and my SSS. It may not be as fast as a SRT 10 or a Lighting,but it's a Chevy,it's special and it's mine! I love the fact that i RARELY see another one like mine or any other color for that matter!!

[Badkarma]

another thing that makes an SS, an SS. Pride in ownership. If your like me, and I know a good portion of you are, you bleed chevy orange. In 03, when the SSS came out and I saw one at the orange county internation auto show at my work in Anaheim, I knew then and there that I had to have one. I already had a 72 camaro, but the SSS just called out to me. 3 years later, I was at the dealer getting handed the keys to my new 06. This trucks kick ass, haul ass, and do it in style. an SS is a peice of a traditon of performance and style that others often attempt to copy. and often fail.

[onebluess]

I agree with eveything eveyone is saying. With the pride and the SS heritage. Same goes for the 80's monte carlo SS, 90's Impala SS and 90's SSS . They were limited production and had all the goodies we are accustomed to seeing in an SS. But what is up with the seemingly unlimited number of late model Impala's Colbolt's and monte carlo SS's you see now. I try to overlook it but I can't help but think that Chevy is taking some pride away from the SS name by producing so many of these and it's usually only a V-8 or small supercharger and badges.

[desrtrat]

 

[Fireman31]