1999 Trans-Am Misl Questions and problems

[99TRANSBOY]

Hello fellow F-body members!!

I have a couple of general questions to ask. It really is a great time of the year! I am finding myself with a little bit of holiday money and chances to upgrade things over the winter.

I had questions about the following upgrades. If I remove the stock wing will there be any holes or anything I need to fill? I am looking to get an aftermarket wing just for a different look. Here is the wing I was looking at.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...AQ:MOTORS:1123

I just wanted some advice in putting a different wing on. Also if anyone knows of a better wing that looks good please let me know.

Question two...

This car rides horrible, hitting bumps creates tons of noise and vibration. What suspension parts can I replace to fix this problem? I was thinking of getting new shocks and struts, any suggestions for what brand?

Next lol..

I have C6 Vette rims on this car, however they seem to hit on the inside of the fender under heavy acceleration or cornering. Any suggestions about wheel adapaters or spacers? I only have to extend these rims out a little bit, just wondering about the best way to do that.

Last question guys I promise. Like the idiot I can sometimes be, I have alot of extra accessories that are obviously using to much power. An 1800watt Class D amp, undercar neons, and 4 strobe lights are obviously putting stress on my electrical system. At night when I touch the throttle a little bit I have the dreaded GM flicker in all the lights. I have the amp and strobes running off the fuse relay, the neons running off the battery itself. When the bass hits hard of course it dims the lights. So the question is...

Is there a high power alternator that I can purchase? Will a compacitor for the amp help fix the problem? Any other suggestions for getting more power? I realize that running this much stuff is going to create issues, however I can't imagine life without my sub woofers and amp lol!

One other problem... odometer sometimes is off, sometimes on. Sometimes the numbers on it are distorted? Not a big deal correct? But annoying....

Ok guys thanks so much for listening to all my questions and issues. I am still a rather new F-body owner and I am learning more with each question I ask and each project I take on. Thanks again for all the help.

[SeanC]

Please dont get that wing......

[Joe 1320]

Please dont get that wing......

I was thinking that same thing. If you remove the factory wing, you'll have a bit of bodywork needed. I've seen the result of the removal of the factory wing, it makes the shape of the rear of the car look odd. Kinda looks more like a fat Pontiac Sunfire. The shopping cart spoiler won't help the look. it will also be right smack in the middle of your view when you look into the rear view mirror.

[98 'Bird]

Please dont get that wing......

Yeah. I think this will be unanimous.

[SeanC]

To be honest with you, I think your car looks amazing. The C6 rims are really an eye catcher, and your car is amazingly clean. If your wanting to change the looks a little, maybe look into a Ram air hood? They have a much more agressive look to them.

As far as your other questions regarding suspension and wheels, i'll leave that to someone more knowledgable...everything I have done to my suspension performance wise has made it ride rougher

[99TRANSBOY]

Crap Wing lol

Yeah guys your right, I looked at the car and tried to imagine it without the factory wing, wow bad idea. Then I tried to imagine my car without the factory wing and that crappy wing on it... not happening!! lol

Ok solved the horrible idea of the wing. Any other answers on the suspension and electrical system would be appreciated. Thanks again guys for keeping me from making a huge mistake! lol

[sneitzel]

Is there a high power alternator that I can purchase? Will a compacitor for the amp help fix the problem?

Not sure about the alternator but a capacitor will help with the dimming lights etc when the subs hit hard.
I do not have near the amount of add-ons that you have, but I still run a 5 farad active capacitor made by AlumaPro.
LINK
It's nice, but they are not cheap....
They do make larger ones as well, so do other companies.
You'll need to do some research and make sure you get one big enough to handle all that equipment.

[Injuneer]

Need exact details on the C6 wheels - are they "factory" or repro? If factory, I have the dimensions, including the offset. If "repro", need the diameter, width and offset in order to tell you what is causing the rubbing. Also need the exact tire size. When you say it is rubbing on the inside of the fender, do you mean on the inside of the fender lip against the outer sidewall of the tire, or on the inner fender liner liner against the inside sidewall of the tire?

Appears the car may have been lowered? Has it? If so, what springs and shocks did you use? Wrong choices can produce a horrible ride.

Large diameter wheels and low profile tires increase the harshness of the ride. Excessive tire pressures can cause a harsh ride - what pressure do ytou run in your tires? Worn shocks will allow the chassis to bottom out on the jounce bumpers in the front and back. Too stiff shocks will cause a rough ride. Minor point, but there are no "struts" on a 4th Gen F-Body. There are "shocks" on all 4 corners, with the front shocks being in a "coil over" configuration.

Giant wings, strobes and neons.....

[99TRANSBOY]

The C6 rims are repo. They are rubbing on the inner fender liner against the inside sidewall of the tire. Here is the only information I have on the rear wheels and tires.

Rear Wheels
Style: C6
Size: 18X10.5
Finish: CHROME

Rear Tires
Brand: SUMITOMO
Style: HTRZ II
Size: 275 40 18

I have never lowered this car. I purchased the car about 8months ago, it appeared to sit pretty low and I am almost sure the previous owner did this. The tires I run anywhere from 25-40 psi. Right now they are at 40psi and have been for a while. Even at lower pressure it rides rough. When I hit bumps I hear something in the front suspension, it's like it's bottoming out on something, I think you are right about the jounce bumpers. I hope that replacing the shocks helps alot.


About the wing, I am not getting it lol, horrible idea. The strobes are not as bad as you think, they are in the openings of the hood and actually look pretty sweet when its parked just chillin. I have noticed the negative tone about neons and big stereo systems on this forum. I guess I must be a different generation F-Body owner lol. I realize most everyone on here is geared towards performance, and honestly so am I. I just did appearance mods before I started to build the engine. Trust me, I have plans to do plenty of performance mods. I just don't understand what is so wrong with appearance mods and lights also lol. Please feel free to fill me in on your view, maybe I'm just some young punk with neon lights... i guess lol.

[Joe 1320]

Please feel free to fill me in on your view, maybe I'm just some young punk with neon lights... i guess lol.

Nothing really wrong with them. The hard core power nuts aren't going to have them on their rides, same thing for a stereo, insulation, back seats, etc..... everything is ditched for weight loss. Those items are replaced by roll cages, coilover shock setups, brake upgrades and tons of modifications that make it go faster.


for the custom catagory, high dollar tunes, lights and whatever else makes it stand out is just fine. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

A pair of lower control arm relocation brackets will help reduce the rubbing of the tires under acceleration especially if the car has been lowered.

An adjustable rear pan hard bar with urethane bushings will help center and reduce the amount the rear end moves left to right when cornering to reduce the tire rub.

A 1 farad capacitor will reduce the voltage/current drop when the sub hits. On my old Mustang I put the cap on the sub which fixed the sub from making the lights flicker but I ended up moving it and put it by the alternator right off the alternator and it stopped anything from making it flicker.

1 piece of advice, I am 45 now and my ears ring constantly (tinnitus) from the loud music and from running live sound P/A. I know right now you think your invincible but if you don't take of your ears they will start ringing and there is no cure. Take a look at people in bands on stage and notice how many of them wear ear plugs.

[Injuneer]

Why would you run 40psi in the tires? Why don't you follow the recommended pressure on the label on your door? 40psi would explain the harsh ride, and is problably wearing out the center of the tread faster than the sides. 25psi would also be a poor choice, unless you're running on a drag strip. That tire size is also not correct, being 1/2" to 1" larger than the tires that came on the car from the factory. Also seem a bit on the narrow side for a 10.5" wide wheel, although most tire manufacturers will accept that combination.

We'll assume you have repro (reproduction) wheels, not repo (repossessed) .....

The real Corvette C06 wheels in 18x10.5" have a 58mm offset. That results in an ~8.0" backspace, and that puts the inner sidewall of the tire into the inner fender liner. Whether your repro's are the same offset is impossible to tell from the limited info you have.

You may need to do the same thing I had to do with my 315/35-17's on 17x11 wheels:

-cut projecting edge off jounce bumper bracket
-hammer inner fender liner
-make sure body is correctly centered over rear axle

If the car has been lowered, it moves the body to one side, relative to the rear axle. Do the tires rub more on one side than on the other? If so, you need to recenter the body over the rear axle, using an adjustable panhard rod.

I don't know why LCA relo brackets would limit rubbing. They improve the ability of the suspension to force the tires into the pavement during hard acceleration, but don't affect the body's side-to-side or rolling motion.

I have seen a 4th Gen with the front sway bar removed have problems with the inner fender liners hitting the tires on hard cornering as the body rolls. Check your sway bars to make sure you don't have worn bushings that are allowing excessive body roll.

To me, neons and strobes shout "ricer".... and serve no useful purpose. But that's just my opinon... its your car - do whatever you want to it. PS - I didn't say anything about the "bif stereo".

[Jeff_in_Atl]

I don't know why LCA relo brackets would limit rubbing. They improve the ability of the suspension to force the tires into the pavement during hard acceleration, but don't affect the body's side-to-side or rolling motion.

Because they reduce the squating of the rear of the car. (If the rear of the car squats it moves the inner fenders closer to the tires) Forcing the tires into the pavement is the result of the rear end pushing away from the body. This is my experience with the BMR relocation brackets.