spacejunkiehsv

Have any of you driven a 98-02 fbody that has anything near the steering feel (feedback) that a stock 03 WRX has? If so, what suspension mods did that fbody have? I asked the same question on a WRX forum too.

I'm thinking of getting back into an LS1 car for $10,000 or less. I had an 04 GTO and really miss that engine, the sound, the torque, and the power. So, I am considering buying a Trans Am or WS6. I suppose the best buy for me would be a Trans Am with a stock looking ram air hood. I will be using this car as a weekend driver and driving on road courses 2-3 times a year on regular old summer tires.

therealcreeper

iTrader: (37)

a good set of springs, great shocks, and a balanced set of swaybars makes a world of a difference. a good set of tires with a stiff sidewall also helps feel quite a bit.

JD_AMG

You probably wont be able to get the exact feel of a WRX's steering in a car that is not a WRX, there are just too many variables. Vehicle weight, AWD, wheel/tire size, suspension setup etc etc.
That being said you can improve your steering/chassis feel of these cars pretty easily. My good buddy has an 02 WRX and the steering feel IMO isn't much, if any better at all than my car. But I don't know if the 03 or newer cars got any revisions that would improve the steering.

99ls1fbody

from what i have gathered on this site a really nice f/body set up is
strano springs
koni "yellows"
strano hollow sway bars
and some good tires
and maybe panhard rod, relocation brackets...i have never driven a wrx but im sure someone will chime in and help!!

Evil 'Bird

WRX's suck.... LOL,J/K ..... u want feedback try my Prelude...haha

but no really , springs/struts/sway bars and tires and an F-body handles like its on rails...

base T/A FTW!!! WS6 is overrated and they still pull more $$$

spacejunkiehsv

I don't think there were any significant suspension changes between the 02 and 06 models. I believe the 07 is where they went from 2.0L to 2.5L engines. Subaru probably made some changes that year.

TheBlueKnight

iTrader: (4)

I think there is a difference between "steering feel" and "handling". My 2007 Civic Si has incredible steering feel. The steering wheel can be turned with one finger and feels extremly nimble compared to my WS.6. The WS.6 steering feel is pretty heavy and numb. But for actual handling, I can take corners faster in the trans am.

99ls1fbody

agree^^ and i bet the "feel" also has something to do with how heavy the gas pedal is.

kc533

iTrader: (1)

Yeah you're comparing apples to oranges (RWD vs AWD). I realize what you're trying to accomplish though. Polyurethane bushings, in addition to everything that's been mentioned already, would be a good upgrade as well.

z28bryan

iTrader: (7)

As stated above, you can improve it with swaybars, springs, and shocks. You may also want to dial out any positive camber if the car has it and put the toe even at least. You might even be able to make the Camaro feel better than some WRX's.. the 09 I have is nothing spectatular in the steering response department. Maybe the 02-03 was better. The 08 WRX became really soft in the suspension. The 09 they improved it a bit, but it's still a tad soft for autoxing.

My camaro does tend to have a bit of steering wheel play before it feels like it does anything.. not sure if a lot of camaros get the same thing. I've driven many cars like BMWs that don't have that dead spot.

KTK Z28

iTrader: (6)

I think many in this thread are getting confused with handling as opposed to steering feel. I personally for some strange reason happen to be close buddies with a handful of STI owners and this "feel" that you speak of is likely going to be difficult to reproduce in an F-body. I've never driven the regular WRX but i've driven quite a few STI's (05,06,07) and they have a very tight, direct, quick steering feel. Likely the best you can do with an F-body is be sure all your ball joints, tie rod ends, bushings, etc. are all in good shape and aren't worn. Obviously just as others have said previously before me it isn't going to be exactly like an Impreza but by keeping the front end components in check at least the steering won't be lazy and sloppy feeling.

Good luck.

spacejunkiehsv

Lazy and sloppy feeling is what I felt when I drove my brother-in-law's 2001 C5 once. I didn't drive on curves or anything, but the steering was kind of numb feeling. I assume that the same numb feeling is what will exist in an Fbody.

You probably know some STI owners, because those cars are fun cars too. They aren't as fast (dollar for dollar), but the Subarus are fun cars. It is nice not to have to worry about traction all the time when you're driving hard. I almost got an STI back when I bought my 04 GTO. It was just WAY too loud on the interstate, and it would've been my daily driver and only car. I'm halfway considering getting another GTO. They're fairly cheap now, $11k and up.

Brakemotive

iTrader: (73)

Wow, never heard any C5 described as lazy and sloppy feeling. The C5 has dyna-steer, adaptive steering control. In a parking lot the wheel loosens up for easy maneuvering, at speed it tightens considerably. You should ask your bro in law if you can take it back out on the highway

To the OP, agreed you'll never get the same driving characteristics out of the F-Body. There are a lot of good suggestions here on how to tighten it up though.

spacejunkiehsv

He has a C6 Z06 now, with some Lingenfelter engine package on it that he has since installed a twin turbo kit on. I keep asking, but he won't let me take it out!