What did I just buy?

[LS1 TA]

I just purchased some sort of firebird on this past monday. It's a 1999 and it has trans am decals in blue letters on the doors. It has a ram air hood, 6 speed hurst shifter, the raised spoiler, 16" rims, WS-6 written on the back end of the car driver side(same style writting as they did on the formulas), centered fog lamps, and pretty much every option inside but the disc changer.

[TraceZ]

Unless you got a convertible, a WS6 should have 17" rims.

Have you looked at the build sticker in the door jamb? Why did you start another thread about this same issue?

[Joe 1320]

Well, a true WS6 would have a metal badge on the right rear bumper just under the tail light, it would have 17" and not 16" wheels, it would have WS6 as an option code on the option sticker, it would have a 32 mm front swaybar as opposed to a 30mm for a regular TransAm. My guess is that the previous owner added a ram air hood and decals.

[LS1 TA]

I was looking around on the net and it said that every TA has WS9 or Formula RPO code. From what I've read they all start off as such. I started a new thread because it's no longer a VIN question, it's an I am confused question. So I probably just have a Regular TA then?

[Steel2686]

Probably. As Tracy and Joe stated, you would have 17" rims with at least 275/40 meats on them. Again, check the build tag for the WS6 option. I hope you didn't pay a WS6 price for it...

[LS1 TA]

Nope I don't think so. I got it for $11,000 in perfect condition with 69K on it. There's no WS6 on the door jam, just WS9. Did the Hurst 6 speed come from the factory with all 1999 TA's?

[LS1 TA]

Here is a pic of the car, what do you guys think?

http://www.fototime.com/4A872C553203B75/standard.jpg

[Joe 1320]

There's no WS6 on the door jam, just WS9.

Then you have a regular TransAm. Still....by adding a functional ram air hood, you're still going to be a great performer. I highly advise stepping up to 17" wheels and tires. The stock 16" combo just doesn't hold the road well at all. I don't think GM should have sold the V8 cars with 16" wheels..... I felt they were unsafe. Traction was fair right up to the limit and when you hit that limit of adhesion, there was no warning... no notice...... just a tendency for the car to immediatly snap it's rear end around for a little sideways line dance down the road (if you were fortunate enough to keep it on that said road.) 17x9" wheels with 275/40/17 tires should make a huge improvement in the stability of the car.

[LS1 TA]

Thanks Joe! What is the best brand tire to put on the car?

[TraceZ]

Then you have a regular TransAm. Still....by adding a functional ram air hood, you're still going to be a great performer. I highly advise stepping up to 17" wheels and tires. The stock 16" combo just doesn't hold the road well at all. I don't think GM should have sold the V8 cars with 16" wheels..... I felt they were unsafe. Traction was fair right up to the limit and when you hit that limit of adhesion, there was no warning... no notice...... just a tendency for the car to immediatly snap it's rear end around for a little sideways line dance down the road (if you were fortunate enough to keep it on that said road.) 17x9" wheels with 275/40/17 tires should make a huge improvement in the stability of the car.

The 16" Eagle GSC tires were really junk. Talk about no warning at all.... In 1996 I totalled a 1995 Z28 with 9,000 miles on it when the rear end simply snapped loose. It went way around, then back the other way and I was in a ditch. All because it let loose in a 1-2 shift. Bye-Bye camaro!

The 17" Firestone Firehawks I run on my current car are way more predictable.

[LS1 TA]

The 16" Eagle GSC tires were really junk. Talk about no warning at all.... In 1996 I totalled a 1995 Z28 with 9,000 miles on it when the rear end simply snapped loose. It went way around, then back the other way and I was in a ditch. All because it let loose in a 1-2 shift. Bye-Bye camaro!

The 17" Firestone Firehawks I run on my current car are way more predictable.

I noticed that my car has been breaking traction at akward times too with the wal mart tires it has on there now. It'll break them loose right into second, stop for a while, then at about 4K its all over the place again. I'll definately be looking into the bigger rims and better tires!

[Steel2686]

As far as a solid performance to cost ratio, the BFGoodrich G-Force series is a nice tire. Several people on these boards swear by them, and I'll be putting them on as replacements later this year.

[AJ52486]

I just got a set of Cooper Zeon 2xs tires, 275/40R17. They have great traction, both wet or dry. If I ease into the trottle at 30, and get it floored by 40, the tires don't spin at all in the rain. They are really soft tires, so I'm sure they won't last too long, but the traction is worth it in my opinion.

[Joe 1320]

There are lots of options for tires. how much do you want to spend?
My pics are............

The budget catagory: Pep Boys Futura Ultra Zs (Made by Cooper) or Cooper Name Brand. A Great tire for the dough. I Managed 40K miles on a set of Pep Boy's Coopers when funds were tight. They had good grip right down top the last third of the tread.

The Higher dollar catagory: BFG KWD, BFG KD, Goodyear F-1 GSD3, Firestone Firehawks (if you can find them) and I'm sure a few others can chime in.