Just bought a 2000 Z28!
06-17-2004, 08:41 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2004
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Just bought a 2000 Z28! Quick rundown of what i have. I recently switched over from the Ford Mustang camp and bought three days ago a 2000 Z-28 M6 with 16,900 miles on it that is bone stock from paper filter to suspension to everything. I spent three months looking for the exact combination that i wanted (not t-top, m6, cloth seats, cd radio, low mileage) and am super happy with the purchase!
Its a steep learning curve figuring these cars out so I hope you don't mind if i ask apparently novice questions
My intentions with this car is to have a fun street car with good power. But before I get to the power (i'm trying to choose between Cartek, Rapid Motorsports and TT Performance for a 400+rwhp head and cam package that will pass the sniffer test in NY state, this alone is a headache to research!) I want to get the suspension buttoned down. Even in stock form as i have been driving it, it feels soft, a tad floaty and the panhard rod is not planting it as solidly as i would expect. Can only imagine how it will feel with an extra 100 horses or so!
Now what I'm trying to do is remove that floating feeling, wiggling of the rear axle and tipping when cornering (both steady state cornering and transition corners/s-curves). My problem is that there are so many choices out there that after having researched this forum and several other forums i feel even more confused then before.
I was looking into such kits as the SLP level one package advertised on rapidmotorsports page and i would add on top of that SFC and possible STB (i'm noticing the same chassis flex in this car as i did in the mustang before i threw on sfc on that car). It only lowers the car by at most an inch, has bilstein shocks and comes with thicker sway bars and LCA's with a higher durometer rated rubber bushings (don't like what i have been reading about the poly/poly binding).
So this question is to everybody willing to reply, what do you guys think of this suspension package for a daily driver or am i wasting my time? I did a serach on this pacakge and did not find that much information (though i could be daft and simply have missed it!). I also have read during my searches that a good and effective upgrade would be simply to upgrade the panhard rod, torque arm, LCA's and SFC from such sources as Spohn....unfortunately I just don't know since i have no experience, what do you guys think? Then there are others who say keep the stock springs and put in koni SA's
Okay now to the head and cam package. Since I live in Rye, NY (22miles east of NYC) I searched for performance shops which seemed to have good reputations in this forum and it came down to three, Rapid Motorsport, Cartek and TT performance.
What I'm trying to do withthis car is have a well engineered complete power package that will pass NY state emissions and be normally aspirated. My goal is to hit over 400rwhp with MAXIMUM AREA UNDER THE CURVE (I am not interested in peak numbers as that will not be useful if its too high on the street) while keeping as docile cam/tuning as possible (read easy to use as a daily driver with good startup characteristics, traffic manners etc, obviously a mild lope comes with the territory and I have no problems with that.) and all this while keeing the stock ls1 block. Further, I'd like to have a reliable pacakge that is not high maintanance (ie no solid rollers etc) and is engineered as a complete and complimentary kit, meaning all supporting mods such as headers, y-pipe, throttle body, cat back etc are tuned for the package (not sure if i will need to upgrade from my stock ls1 intake...please advise on this). I hope my goals sound remotely feasible...what do you guys think?
I would love to hear from guys experiences with these shops on top of what i have already searched in the archives. 
I hope you guys don't mind my newbie like post here i'm just trying to get a grip on this car as quickly as possible and spend my money wisely on good combinations!!!! I have to admit that the basics of this car totally kicks butt!
thanks guys!!!
Raul
Its a steep learning curve figuring these cars out so I hope you don't mind if i ask apparently novice questions
My intentions with this car is to have a fun street car with good power. But before I get to the power (i'm trying to choose between Cartek, Rapid Motorsports and TT Performance for a 400+rwhp head and cam package that will pass the sniffer test in NY state, this alone is a headache to research!) I want to get the suspension buttoned down. Even in stock form as i have been driving it, it feels soft, a tad floaty and the panhard rod is not planting it as solidly as i would expect. Can only imagine how it will feel with an extra 100 horses or so!
Now what I'm trying to do is remove that floating feeling, wiggling of the rear axle and tipping when cornering (both steady state cornering and transition corners/s-curves). My problem is that there are so many choices out there that after having researched this forum and several other forums i feel even more confused then before.
I was looking into such kits as the SLP level one package advertised on rapidmotorsports page and i would add on top of that SFC and possible STB (i'm noticing the same chassis flex in this car as i did in the mustang before i threw on sfc on that car). It only lowers the car by at most an inch, has bilstein shocks and comes with thicker sway bars and LCA's with a higher durometer rated rubber bushings (don't like what i have been reading about the poly/poly binding).
So this question is to everybody willing to reply, what do you guys think of this suspension package for a daily driver or am i wasting my time? I did a serach on this pacakge and did not find that much information (though i could be daft and simply have missed it!). I also have read during my searches that a good and effective upgrade would be simply to upgrade the panhard rod, torque arm, LCA's and SFC from such sources as Spohn....unfortunately I just don't know since i have no experience, what do you guys think? Then there are others who say keep the stock springs and put in koni SA's
Okay now to the head and cam package. Since I live in Rye, NY (22miles east of NYC) I searched for performance shops which seemed to have good reputations in this forum and it came down to three, Rapid Motorsport, Cartek and TT performance.
What I'm trying to do withthis car is have a well engineered complete power package that will pass NY state emissions and be normally aspirated. My goal is to hit over 400rwhp with MAXIMUM AREA UNDER THE CURVE (I am not interested in peak numbers as that will not be useful if its too high on the street) while keeping as docile cam/tuning as possible (read easy to use as a daily driver with good startup characteristics, traffic manners etc, obviously a mild lope comes with the territory and I have no problems with that.) and all this while keeing the stock ls1 block. Further, I'd like to have a reliable pacakge that is not high maintanance (ie no solid rollers etc) and is engineered as a complete and complimentary kit, meaning all supporting mods such as headers, y-pipe, throttle body, cat back etc are tuned for the package (not sure if i will need to upgrade from my stock ls1 intake...please advise on this). I hope my goals sound remotely feasible...what do you guys think?
I would love to hear from guys experiences with these shops on top of what i have already searched in the archives. I hope you guys don't mind my newbie like post here i'm just trying to get a grip on this car as quickly as possible and spend my money wisely on good combinations!!!! I have to admit that the basics of this car totally kicks butt!
thanks guys!!!
Raul
06-18-2004, 08:40 AM
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I'm about to go the Koni SA front Bilstien rear + stock springs route, (in the next week or so) So I'll let you know how that compares to my current setup of dead stock 111,000 mile components.
You're relatively close to Sam Strano, I'd give him a call for some suspension advice. He's spent hours answering all my f-body suspension questions.
As far as the head and cam package goes, search in the "internal engine" forum. But you should be able to reach your goal of 400 rwhp with lots of torque and maximum area under the curve while still passing emissions. A cam like a Thunder Racing 220/220/114 (or maybe a little bigger) plus a good set of heads, an LS6 or LSX intake and LS1 edit tuning would get you there or close.
You're relatively close to Sam Strano, I'd give him a call for some suspension advice. He's spent hours answering all my f-body suspension questions.
As far as the head and cam package goes, search in the "internal engine" forum. But you should be able to reach your goal of 400 rwhp with lots of torque and maximum area under the curve while still passing emissions. A cam like a Thunder Racing 220/220/114 (or maybe a little bigger) plus a good set of heads, an LS6 or LSX intake and LS1 edit tuning would get you there or close.
