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**FRMLAV8** · 06-17-2003, 08:49 AM

Welcome to the board! Are you still in Ohio? Which part? I am in Cincinnati.

#1 - BMR makes great stuff for good prices. There Subframe conectors are supposed to be really nice. They tuck up under the car so you don't lose ground clearance!

#2- If your going to go with rims go 17". They ride really well on these cars. As far as tires: Cooper Zeon's are what I use. Alot of guys like the Firestone Firehawks or the BFGoodrich T/A KDW's. The Cooper's are cheaper and have awesome traction all year round. Both of my cars are daily drivers in Ohio, and I haven't had any trouble with these tires.

#3 - As far as headers go - Hooker longtubes are awesome! I don't know anything about thrush exhaust, but the SLP loudmouth is the best flowing exhaust I have seen for the Fbodies. And it sounds awesome, if you like loud and rumbly!! Other mods - have you done the free mod www.installuniversity.com has details.

#4 - Suspension - BMR and Spohn make great suspension stuff.

**Jeff_in_Atl** · 06-17-2003, 09:25 AM

Opinions are like, well you know so everybody has one and here is mine.

I have a 95 Z-28 and it is a daily driver. So I am not interested in make it a race car either. Been there done that. I just enjoy driving so I want it to handle good and be able to pull out in heavy traffic. I don't want a loud exhaust. From what I read and hear, cat back exhaust are not worth much in horsepower and they give me a headache on a long drive. So here is my plan.

1. Suspension. I think I am going to get the BMR Trak Pak� to eliminate the possibility of breaking the trans mount and because of that, I decided on the BMR box frame because it has more ground clearance than others and you can not use X shaped sub frame connectors with the Trak Pak�. I am going to get the BMR tubular lower control arms, CONTROL ARM RELOCATION BRACKETS, and panhard rod and the reasons for this is 1, it has grease fitting (I used some that didn't in the past and the suspension starts to squeak after about 2 weeks) and 2, I want to stay with 1 manufacturer so I only have 1 contact to go back to if I have a problem. Then strut tower brace, tunnel brace, and front and rear sway bars. I'm not lowering the car. That can cause bumpstear problems that are correctable with offset tie rod ends but I don't want the ground clearance problems plus I like the space between the tires and the wheel wells to be even all the way around the tire. I'll probably go with the QA1(HAL) SHOCKS.

2. Rims and tires. There is no option here to me. Single piece aluminum wheel. 2 and 3 piece rims usually have steal rims where the tire mounts and it's not a question of "if" but "when" it will get bent from a pot hole or something. Second, I saw a test where they took a 15", 16", 17", and 18" wheel and tire combination in a similar size tire diameter. There was a significant gain in handling going from 15" to 16" and 16" to 17" but not from 17" to 18". Their comment was the best choice was 17" because their was no handling difference in going to 18" wheels and they were more susceptible to rim damage because of the road to rim clearance was so little.an others and you can not use X shaped sub frame connectors with the Trak Pak�. I am going to get the BMR tubular lower control arms, CONTROL ARM RELOCATION BRACKETS, and panhard rod and the reasons for this is 1, it has grease fitting (I used some that didn't in the past and the suspension starts to squeak after about 2 weeks) and 2, I want to stay with 1 manufacturer so I only have 1 contact to go back to if I have a problem. Then strut tower brace, tunnel brace, and front and rear sway bars. I'm not lowering the car. That can cause bumpstear problems that are correctable with offset tie rod ends but I don't want the ground clearance problems plus I like the space between the tires and the wheel wells to be even all the way around the tire. I'll probably go with the QA1(HAL) SHOCKS.

2. Rims and tires. There is no option here to me. Single piece aluminum wheel. 2 and 3 piece rims usually have steal rims where the tire mounts and it's not a question of "if" but "when" it will get bent from a pot hole or something. Second, I saw a test where they took a 15", 16", 17", and 18" wheel and tire combination in a similar size tire diameter. There was a significant gain in handling going from 15" to 16" and 16" to 17" but not from 17" to 18". Their comment was the best choice was 17" because their was no handling difference in going to 18" wheels and they were more susceptible to rim damage because of the road to rim clearance was so little. I have run just about every Z rated tire made in the last 15 years and by far the best is the Firestone Firehawk SZ50 with the Bridgestone RE750 being a close second but I have to admit, the Goodyear GS-Cs that I am running now are impressing me with it's traction in wet and dry weather. However, the largest tire size available in Firestone and Bridgestone tires are 275-40-17 which drives the wheel size to a 17 X 9 wheel. The GS-C is made in a 285-40-17 so It can be used with a 17 X 9.5 rim. Anything wider really narrows the available tires available. I went with the Camaro SS wheel in 17 X 9.

3. I don't want to do anything that decreases my gas mileage. There are lots of things that can be done without killing that but in general, going faster requires more fuel which decreases gas mileage. I would love a centrifugal supercharger.

4.Brakes. I haven't gotten that far but I am not impressed with the brakes on my car. Some of the problem is the torque converter doesn't seam to "let go" under deceleration so the motor keeps pulling the car and making the brakes feel worse. Putting the car in neutral helps a little so I know the brakes are the biggest cause. The brake pistons and pads are really small compared to what I had on my Mustang with the SVO brakes. Like I said, I haven't gotten that far.

I've done the wheels and tires and the suspension/chassis is next.

**Injuneer** · 06-17-2003, 09:38 AM

Originally posted by Mixedpuppy
#1 What are the basic chassis supports that I need to prevent the additional torque from messing up the frame? Subframe connectors ect. Recommendations? Hotchkis, BMR?

In addition to the BMR's look at the SLP SFC's. They are very similar to the Kenny Brown Double Diamonds, but weigh less. Also consider a shock tower brace.

#2 What are the better or best rims and tires to buy for everyday street driving but wanting performance at the same time, what are also compatible sizes? 17" vs 18", the WS6 17" Rims, Simmons, Zrated tires vs Y rated, Nittos?

Agree.... 17x9.5 is the way to go in aftermarket wheels. 18's IMHO are strictly for "looks"... they will offer poorer straight line traction, harsher ride, more expnsive tires, no (or limited choice) drag radials. In a 17x9.5" wheel, you need an offset in the range of 45-55mm to keep the wheel/tire properly located in the wheel well. 275/40-17's in the front, those or a 285/40-17 in the back. I like the BFG g-force KDW's.

Check Tire Rack for lots of high perf. tires at good prices.

An alternative in the back is a 17x11 50mm offset wheel, with a 315/35-17 tire. Some alterations insdie the wheel well required.

#4 What would be the best suspension for my vehicle and brakes? Hotchkis?, SLP? Baer Brakes?

Funny.... all the LT1 guys upgrade to LS1 brakes because they are so good. I'll leave the brake to someone else. On suspension components, be sure to look over the parts available from Spohn Performance. Excellent quality at reasonable prices.

11.8@116 on motor,
10.8@126mph on nitrous:

**Injuneer** · 06-17-2003, 09:40 AM

What's wrong with the "EDIT" feature???? No matter what I tried to correct, it kept adding the new/revised text to the old message, instead of replacing it?????

#3 What are other recommendations for increasing horse power in a vehicle like this and recommendations? Headers (hooker, SLP), LS6 manifold, better exhaust than what I have (Borla, Flowmaster, SLP).

There is a new book out on the LS1/LS6 family of engines by Chris Endres, who writes for a lot of the popular F-Body performance magazines... real dyno data and feedback on a lot of the performance options, including some insight into which bolt-ons work and which ones don't. A great investment for an LS1 owner. I can add the title/ISBN number to this post when I get home, later.

If you want to go all out, look over the mod's
on the car in this link (shown below).

**markd79ta** · 06-17-2003, 11:08 AM

I don't know what kind of road conditions you have, but if you deal with a lot of rain and sometimes snow then you may want to go with a set of BFG KDWSs or, the Brigestone. I have Chrome ZR1 wheels on the my '79. The fronts are 17x9.5 and the back are 17x11. However, I think I would do 17x9.5s all of the way around the car if it was a daily driver. If I am driving the car to work or around town, I put on my factory wheels with the KDWS tires. I have the SLP subframe connectors and I LOVE them. I am also putting on the SLP Level 1 suspension. It won't have BMR, but it will be a REALLY nice handling car when I am done. The catbacks are nice, but don't do a loud one if you are driving the car daily. I have a fairly loud one on my Blazer, and I get a headache from it. There are some good ones out there that aren't so harsh; do your homework

**Joe 1320** · 06-17-2003, 11:22 AM

I run 17x9.5 on all four corners with SZ50 285/40/17s all around. They don't rub, fill the fenders nicely, stick like glue. Even as good as they are, the tubular control arms, relocation brackets and double adjustable panhard rod made a huge difference in how well the rear end stayed planted. The breakaway point is more progressive. the SZ50s are really great in the rain.

I've gone through countless sets of performance tires in the last 20 years and these Firehawk SZ-50 are the best overall performance tire I've ever owned.

**wolfdogs** · 06-17-2003, 01:29 PM

welocme to the board. i see the "boys" took care of ya..

hey Fred.. i dont know whats going on. i cant seem to get jr. to come over here.....

ill go to chirp3rd and page em......

ken

**gunter96ws6** · 06-17-2003, 04:19 PM

if your looking for a set of wheels ill sell you a setof 17 inch ws6 wheels, great shape, make an offer~gunter

**markd79ta** · 06-17-2003, 04:33 PM

Darn it! I would have bought those instead of my ZR1s! Oh Well!!! I like the ones that I have.

**gunter96ws6** · 06-17-2003, 04:40 PM

if anyone wants them there for sale i have pics, thanks~gunter

**Mixedpuppy** · 06-17-2003, 11:57 PM

Thanks Guys!

I love this site. Great free advice from experienced people. I bought my T/A 1 year old as a 1998 standard Trans Am with a Ram Air Hood and Thrush CVX Exhaust. That was it. I was born and Raised in Kettering, Ohio around Dayton, bought the car when I was stationed in Ft. Gordon, GA. I was stationed in Korea for over two years and let me parents keep it garaged at there place for a while. I took it out when I was back on leave and changed the Eagle GTs because I was worried about snow in Ohio. I got T rated 15" Good Year Aqua Tred 3s. But now I'm stationed at Ft. Hood, Texas. So I don't mind getting faster tires. I definitely need to get subframe connectors and I would like to get better tires and rims. I eventually would like to get headers and a better less restrictive exhaust. I like the sound of the Thrush CVX because it is a very low but powerful rumble that can blare when the gas is hit. I'm seriously thinking about getting the BMR products and maybe WS6 rims (the Simmons rims are real expensive) I may get SLP headers with a Borla exhaust (If my pocket book can handle it). When my vehicle is finally paid off I'd like to invest in another primary vehicle and make this one used for the track. But who knows. God forbid I get married and have kids. That could all easily disappear

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