New 2001 T/A vert owner
08-01-2012, 07:15 AM
#1
Teching In
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New 2001 T/A vert owner Hi everybody. This is a great board and there is a ton of info on here. I recently traded my 85 Corvette in on a 2001 Trans Am convertible. The car is red with a black top, an automatic, and 80,000 miles . I found this site and have been doing a lot of reading the last 2 weeks. My plans for the car will concentrate on refinement and mods that increase the gas mileage. The car has plenty of power but leaves something to be desired in the handling department (at least after driving a Vette for 2 years). The doors have the convertible rattle when going over railroad tracks but is pretty quiet the rest of the time. I really like that I can go down the interstate at 80 with the top down and not have to have one hand on my ball cap.
I'm retired so I have to spend my money wisely and need to come up with a 1 step at a time plan. I will be asking a lot of questions and doing many searches. Any help that is offered will be appreciated.
I moved to Cincinnati Ohio in March of this year from the Syracuse NY area. I moved into an apartment, so for the first time in a long time will be paying people to work on my car.
Well, I guess that's enough of an intro. Now on to the fun part.
Moon
I'm retired so I have to spend my money wisely and need to come up with a 1 step at a time plan. I will be asking a lot of questions and doing many searches. Any help that is offered will be appreciated.
I moved to Cincinnati Ohio in March of this year from the Syracuse NY area. I moved into an apartment, so for the first time in a long time will be paying people to work on my car.
Well, I guess that's enough of an intro. Now on to the fun part.
Moon
08-01-2012, 07:43 AM
#2
Welcome to the site!
As a fellow vert. owner I would highly recommend subframe connectors. They really stiffen up the handling. There are mixed opinions on the shock tower brace ( I have one, and for $100, figured it couldn't hurt).
Good luck and have fun
As a fellow vert. owner I would highly recommend subframe connectors. They really stiffen up the handling. There are mixed opinions on the shock tower brace ( I have one, and for $100, figured it couldn't hurt).
Good luck and have fun
08-01-2012, 07:57 AM
#3
Launching!
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Subframe connectors will definitely tighten up the car and will keep it from flexing. Stiffer shocks would also let you cut corners much better, and with less body roll. What about the handeling do you not like? If its understeer, I would say upgrade your tires
08-01-2012, 08:14 AM
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The subframe connectors are on the list. The best way to describe the handling is it feels heavy. When I traded the Vette in, part of the deal was putting the Torque Thrust II's from the vette on the T/A. The tires are General UHP's
275/40/17. These worked very well on the vette but that car is at least 800 lbs lighter. I also need to get a front end alignment because the tires that came off were wearing a little on the inside edges. If I get the alignment now will putting the subframe connectors on later throw the alignment off? Also I need to find a good alignment shop that knows what they are doing and doesn't rip people off. I don't mind paying a little extra for top quality work.
Moon
275/40/17. These worked very well on the vette but that car is at least 800 lbs lighter. I also need to get a front end alignment because the tires that came off were wearing a little on the inside edges. If I get the alignment now will putting the subframe connectors on later throw the alignment off? Also I need to find a good alignment shop that knows what they are doing and doesn't rip people off. I don't mind paying a little extra for top quality work.
Moon
08-01-2012, 04:46 PM
#6
TECH Fanatic
Hey Moon, check out the Trans Am Nationals in Dayton on August 24-26. It's a great car show with about 400 Firebirds.
08-01-2012, 05:44 PM
#7
TECH Senior Member
The subframe connectors are on the list. The best way to describe the handling is it feels heavy. When I traded the Vette in, part of the deal was putting the Torque Thrust II's from the vette on the T/A. The tires are General UHP's
275/40/17. These worked very well on the vette but that car is at least 800 lbs lighter. I also need to get a front end alignment because the tires that came off were wearing a little on the inside edges. If I get the alignment now will putting the subframe connectors on later throw the alignment off? Also I need to find a good alignment shop that knows what they are doing and doesn't rip people off. I don't mind paying a little extra for top quality work.
Moon
275/40/17. These worked very well on the vette but that car is at least 800 lbs lighter. I also need to get a front end alignment because the tires that came off were wearing a little on the inside edges. If I get the alignment now will putting the subframe connectors on later throw the alignment off? Also I need to find a good alignment shop that knows what they are doing and doesn't rip people off. I don't mind paying a little extra for top quality work.
Moon
The car will definitely feel heavier if you are on the stock suspension, especially the stock shocks (orange/black decarbon brand). Notoriously bad for handling and ride, swap those out with some bilstiens or Koni SA's and you will have a totally different machine.
SFC's will not throw off anything. For a more handling focused alignment make sure to run -1 camber (factory setting is around 0, but the out side of your tires may wear with that).
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08-01-2012, 09:00 PM
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Thanks for the heads up about the Firebird show in Dayton. I will definitely be there. Is there an area for cars that don't want to be judged?
I haven't looked at the front or rear yet but it rides like it's on 80,000 mile shocks. Actually the first thing I should do is put new front struts and rear shocks on. Then get the car aligned. Then put the subframe connectors in. I've got to find a reputable garage or speed shop that works with customers.
Moon
I haven't looked at the front or rear yet but it rides like it's on 80,000 mile shocks. Actually the first thing I should do is put new front struts and rear shocks on. Then get the car aligned. Then put the subframe connectors in. I've got to find a reputable garage or speed shop that works with customers.
Moon
08-06-2012, 12:00 PM
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I have the bilstien hd's on mine and it rides well and feels tight from the moment i begin to turn the wheel. Shocks are an easy to install and fairly cheap way to get the tightness you want. Your suspension may have worn causing the tires to wear like that. But it could also be your ball joints. I would check those before you get an alignment because you dont want to get it aligned on balljoints with play in them.
I hate letting people touch my car too, but i finally broke down when I needed an alignment and took it to the goodyear near my house. I was super specific about not letting anyone drive it and making sure it was in good hands. Turned out the boss there was an old drag racing guy so it was somewhat comforting. I wouldnt just drop it off either, I stood and watched the whole process to make sure my car was being handeled with respect. Only thing they wouldnt let me do is drive onto the rack, but its really hard to find a shop that will due to insurance reasons. But it ended up that I didnt need an alignment, my driver side suspension "settled" a little bit and caused -.7* camber on that side, causing my inner driver front tire to wear faster. Been fine since i got the camber adjusted
I hate letting people touch my car too, but i finally broke down when I needed an alignment and took it to the goodyear near my house. I was super specific about not letting anyone drive it and making sure it was in good hands. Turned out the boss there was an old drag racing guy so it was somewhat comforting. I wouldnt just drop it off either, I stood and watched the whole process to make sure my car was being handeled with respect. Only thing they wouldnt let me do is drive onto the rack, but its really hard to find a shop that will due to insurance reasons. But it ended up that I didnt need an alignment, my driver side suspension "settled" a little bit and caused -.7* camber on that side, causing my inner driver front tire to wear faster. Been fine since i got the camber adjusted
