taws6

iTrader: (2)

Cheers for the advise JD

I'll tweek the konis again and try them out. They really did make the car feel a whole lot better when I first put them on.

They're 4/4 SA

My tire pressure's about right (30-35), Cooper Zeons, although they have plenty of tread, I hear they aren't the best.

Recently installed new front rotors and Hawk HPS pads (Got rid of the damn break fade!)

I done the hose mod and saw the LCA sloped slightly down to the front of the car, and herd they should be level, or slightly down to the back of the car. So I installed the re-location brackets, plus my tires loved to spin, and it helped that too a bit I guess.

Trying to blag a ride in a Z06, and I'll get some pics side by side

Nice driving BTW JD

eseibel67

iTrader: (10)

I would doubt that Z06's are plentiful in England.

taws6

iTrader: (2)

Nope, Z06's are fairly rare, although Chevy do have dealers over here, and the Vette was sold in show rooms.

The WS6 however was never imported and sold here, and is a Biatch to make UK road legal, hence why there are so few. So the WS6 is even rarer

bene

iTrader: (16)

I hope you get it all sorted out mate. I lust for a Z06 but it'll be awhile til I get one. I don't blame you about the A4 though. It's one of the reason I had my tranny swap from A4 to M6. Your WS.6 is well capable of making turns about as good as the Z06 just do some suspension mods.

I have done some venturing out and about here in England with my Camaro. It's a blast w/ the suspension mods I have. I love hearing my LS1 exhaust echoing through the fields. I especially like the look of the people when they see and hear it.

JD_AMG

I haven't heard any feedback on cooper tires, so I don't know what to tell you there. You may want to search/ask around to the auto-x and road race guys on a good street tire. I know nitto makes some good ones.

Ah, thats it. For handling its better that the LCA's "slope down" rather than are strait. The relocation brackets are really more of a drag mod, and may raise your rear roll center. If they are bolt on I would suggest taking them off and go from there.

Thats not me.

BobDoLe

iTrader: (11)

whats keeping you from taking those corners faster? inexperience, or is there something(s) specific the car could do better? with the stiff rear shock settings, i'm guessing you're probably getting oversteer and you're trying to keep the back end in check?
like JD_AMG was saying, your shock settings do not sound optimal for what you're taking on. most people keep their rear shocks on full soft. i'm on 4th gen koni rears and even one full turn (2.5 turns total on 4th gen rears) was not as beneficial as when i backed it down to 1/2 to 3/4.

before giving up on the WS6, you should give a call (or email/pm given your location) to sam strano and try everything he recommends.

i've driven on some of your roads there (in a focus zx3) and i can imagine how ungainly all that size/weight must feel. i'd probably just get a pontiac solstice (2,860lb weight with 4cyl engine) and swap an LS1 into that.

if you could, i would recommend adding the z06 to your garage. it is a real performance car that you will love on those corners. after pushing a z06 around a "track" at a gm event i can see how it would be a much better car for the job. however, i would also have a hard time getting rid of that rare ws6 in england.

lol...

UKFormula

Sell the WS6 cheaply...to me!


Seriously, I live in England and the best looking car I've ever seen on our roads is my mate's trans am...and he hasn't even got a ramair hood!
There are plenty (relatively speaking) of vettes about but nothing is as mean lookin as a ws6!
I'm looking to send some money to Mr Strano to set my car up for handling, for the same reasons as you say.

sslateron

So your saying your car can hang with STIs?

Optimus_Prime

iTrader: (4)

If you really into twisties get one of these...

BobDoLe

iTrader: (11)

miata.net actually has a faq about the gayness of miatas... http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=357614 (stumbled upon after trying to figure out how much a neighbor's supercharged miata could be putting out).

JD_AMG

Thats not my car, but I have almost that same setup. The video speaks for itself, it doesn't take much at all to make these cars turn, you just need the right parts.

taws6

iTrader: (2)

I'm wondering, my alignment is likely way messed up, how much difference could a proper one make?

Can I get a 4 wheel alignment since I have non adjustable (standard) LCA and phr?

Thanks for the advise

Pro_built7

iTrader: (9)

My .02-

obviously the vette is the superior performance machine (factory). It's funny how similar your situation is to mine. Last year I was in stuck in between buying an ls1 m6 f body or a c5 vette.

I chose the f body-

here's why. It's much easier to modify the f bodies, not to mention the insanely large aftermarket available for the cars. Personally I'm into the "hot rod" or "old school" sound and feel-Just seems more nostalgic. I felt that the ls1 car's are the perfect blend of a v8/stick shift/ rear end based sports car blended with alot of modern qualities such as the ls1 and 6 speed trans.

I have Koni's strano springs and 35/22mm sway bars. If you're running only the koni's, you should deffinitely upgrade to strano's bars and springs which he has designed to work in conjunction with each other. After that upgrade I could not believe how my car felt. I'm sure you would be much happier with the CORRECT setup. These cars are heavy, and not that nimble from the factory, but you'd be very very surprised what the right parts can do.

If you're dead set on the vette then by all means go for it, but personally I think you will regret it. After driving numerous vette's (Including my GF's dads 2008 Z06 LS7) I don't think the vette's have the same soul as my car. Just something about the big cam sound/ correct suspension/ nostalgic feel of it.

But hey.. thats just me.

good luck on whatever you decide. !

$750 L98

iTrader: (7)

I'll give my honest opinion, I have one of each and they are totally different categories, and with that comes two totally different souls.

My 1989 Formula 350 has been with me for a long time (it's made of more 4th gen than 3rd gen now). It's a brute in straight lines, and even on the fairly stock suspension handles decently in turns, well as well as a solid axle car with a locker can. Can this car handle well with the right mods? Certainly, my old 1988 felt like it rode on rails, I have no idea what the previous owner did to the car - but it felt great and there was never a winding turn I felt nervous in.

If you want brutish muscle that owns the straight lines and still has enough nimbleness to make guys with AWD sweat - stick with the WS6 and mod it to your hearts content. There is a mod that will allow you to do anything with that car, so if you like the WS6 platform, keep it.

Now onto the Corvette, mine is a 1995 C4 so I'm sure that the C5 handles better and has a different feel, but they are much the same beast. The C4 even in stock form feels like a fighter jet without wings. The dash wraps around the driver, with minimal but useful controls, you really feel like you are part of the car sitting in the driver's seat. Not to mention on the C4 you climb down into the car (sitting in-between the frame rails), center of gravity is low and always feels very well planted.

Driving it, the ride feels a bit more harsh than the F-body, but always well planted and ready to attack turns. The Corvette is still RWD, if you get aggressive with the throttle it will sling the tail around which can be a curse or talent depending on how you learn to use it. Despite that you can get away with a lot more in the Corvette than you can in the F-body. Light part throttle and coasting through turns at moderate/high speeds can result in feeling like your guts are going to bust laterally through your ribcage (that's what they make the "cinch" button for right?). The one thing the Corvette lacks to me though, is the brutal untamed soul the F-body has, Corvettes are quick and just as powerful mod for mod - but they just don't have that "feeling".

Anyway, it all comes down to platform, both can handle and more than likely both will exceed your needs depending on how you mod them. The vette will be the least expensive for the best handling, and has that awesome asphalt "jetfighter" style, like a precision weapon built for automotive war. The soul of the corvette has a feel like well... America, a platform built to compete with the world's best sports cars. It's clean, sleek, a wedge built to run down asphalt like a hot knife through butter, and a razor through the wind.

The Firebird - brutal, raw, feels like a demon that generates a lot of personality and soul, like a familiar, a mechanical creation with a soul that grows with you. It doesn't care if it's not the best at any one thing because it's not concerned with besting a Le Mans racer, it just wants to consume asphalt with a vacuous hunger and watch the grin on your face. It's the guardian that watches over you, and the devil that whispers in your ear pushing you faster as the both of you grow hungrier for more power.

I'm sure some one can give more technical advice lol, but I've always been the kind of car guy that loves a car with soul and as such the soul that got me hooked on cars was the Firebird. I know it has mechanical limits and won't be the best in some areas, but I'm ok with that, I'm not a competitive racer and the car more than offers enough potential to suit me just fine.

NDFORSPD

Thats kinda funny, I drove from Norwich to London in the same RHD stick, kinda fun but all main roads accept in Norwich(mainly country and fun driving). I took a drive up in the highland when I was in Scotland with my cousin and some of the roads are VERY thin, to the extent of 2 cars passing at 15-20mph in good conditions. The whole time I was there tho all I could think of was pounding on the throttle in my WS6 in the turns. I only saw 3 fbodies while I was in europe, one in Amsterdam(NBM TA with decent rims, red camaro conv in paris, and another Black TA somewhere in Eng. Some great roads there. The drivers are FAR more competant than those found in NA, I never once was like wtf is this guy doing while driving?!

OP- Maybe your trans is also holding you back? An M6 would be far more beneficial as well as a few well done susp/brake mods mentioned above. Altho a C5 is much better in the twisties overall, however i would keep the Fbod and try and import a C5

taws6

iTrader: (2)

All this talk about keeping the WS6 and buying a Z06 makes me wanna do it, but I just can't justify spending my hard earned on two cars I hardly use

As much as I'd love to, it's got to be one or the other, I really need to get a drive in a C5 / Z06 and go from there.

Could my alignment issues be causing my 'disconected' cautious approach in the WS6???????????????????

I know a watts and sways would help hugely, but I'd still be in an A4...

As I said before, AWD cars can't lose me, but I can't shake them off either

Love the analegy $750 L98