Just a thought...
Just a thought... Why did GM only change the hood, lid, wheels, and badge and call it a performance package? I have a WS6 keep in mind but why have a regular TA and a WS6? Unless you were going to make a substantial change. 15hp is not substantial. Why did't they put the LS6 motor in the WS6 or something. Take for instance you have a vette and a Zo6. Base model 430hp, Z06 different motor and 505 HP now thats a performance package. I know the price increase but lets say they bumped to 385 or 405HP depending on years and add a few grand more for the motor and plus the price for the WS6 package. Say hypothetically $6000 for a WS6 upgrade. Just a thought...
WS6 is a handling package..not a power package. Your car also has a P/S Cooler and bigger sway bars over a regular T/A. F-Bodys always played second fiddle to the Vette. Top Vett always had to have more HP than top F-Body.
On the WS6 badge its says performance package. But again why make a trans am with smaller sway bars, why make two cars that are identical except for minor things. Why didn't they make all T/A's a WS6. we have the formula that is a sleeping badass. Just a thought...
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Why even make a TA, its the same thing as a Camaro...
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The list could go on and on...
By the way GM didn't make the WS6, they just sent a TA to ASC to make the changes (just like SLP with the Firehawk's and SS's). That would be a lot more work (and therefore cost) for ASC to swap out the engine. SLP did this to 100 1997 SS's and 29 1997 Firehawk's with the LT4.
Why have a Corvette, Z51, ZO6, and ZR1?
Why have a Solstice and a Saturn Sky?
Why have an Eclipse and a Talon?
The list could go on and on...
By the way GM didn't make the WS6, they just sent a TA to ASC to make the changes (just like SLP with the Firehawk's and SS's). That would be a lot more work (and therefore cost) for ASC to swap out the engine. SLP did this to 100 1997 SS's and 29 1997 Firehawk's with the LT4.
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TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 5,798
Likes: 16
From: St.Charles MO
Why did GM only change the hood, lid, wheels, and badge and call it a performance package? I have a WS6 keep in mind but why have a regular TA and a WS6? Unless you were going to make a substantial change. 15hp is not substantial. Why did't they put the LS6 motor in the WS6 or something. Take for instance you have a vette and a Zo6. Base model 430hp, Z06 different motor and 505 HP now thats a performance package. I know the price increase but lets say they bumped to 385 or 405HP depending on years and add a few grand more for the motor and plus the price for the WS6 package. Say hypothetically $6000 for a WS6 upgrade. Just a thought...
The hood is lighter than the stock one, you get a bigger front swaybar, taller, wider wheels/tires, power steering cooler, and revalved decarbon shocks (still **** though).
They don't actually make any more power than a regular TransAm, and even if they did it would be miniscule. By the time the LS1 was out GM already knew the 4th gen platform was done by '02, so they probably didn't want to bother spending any more money on them then needed.
If you want a real factory performance package look into a 1LE car, those are worth a damn.
It's all about the corvette and marketing when it comes to performance with GM. With the small exception of the GNX and Grand National in the mid 80's, NO GM brand has had a car that has higher HP numbers than a Vette. At the time, in the early 2k's the Camaro wasn't much slower stock than the Vette before the Z06. If you had an LS6 Camaro/WS6 why would a Vette customer spend the extra 20K+ to buy a Vette? Answer, few people would. Currently look at the GM offerings available now the ZR1 is the top dog of the GM range with 638hp and the ZL1 is second w/ 580hp. OP, Your same question could apply here! Both machines are amazing cars, but marketing to different buyers. The ZL1 owner is only looking to spend 60-70k where as the ZR1 (and Z06 buyers) are looking to spend well over 100K to get there rides. There are exceptions to this rule, but look across just about all auto manufactures product ranges and you will find this to be true.
It comes down to marketing.
Just my $.02
It comes down to marketing.
Just my $.02
TECH Junkie
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 3,919
Likes: 676
From: Western North Carolina
I agree with the above marketing is the key here.
I guess this is why GMMG made the blackbirds.
It's all about the corvette and marketing when it comes to performance with GM. With the small exception of the GNX and Grand National in the mid 80's, NO GM brand has had a car that has higher HP numbers than a Vette. At the time, in the early 2k's the Camaro wasn't much slower stock than the Vette before the Z06. If you had an LS6 Camaro/WS6 why would a Vette customer spend the extra 20K+ to buy a Vette? Answer, few people would. Currently look at the GM offerings available now the ZR1 is the top dog of the GM range with 638hp and the ZL1 is second w/ 580hp. OP, Your same question could apply here! Both machines are amazing cars, but marketing to different buyers. The ZL1 owner is only looking to spend 60-70k where as the ZR1 (and Z06 buyers) are looking to spend well over 100K to get there rides. There are exceptions to this rule, but look across just about all auto manufactures product ranges and you will find this to be true.
It comes down to marketing.
Just my $.02
It comes down to marketing.
Just my $.02
A third exception is the '89 TTA which was rated @ 250 hp versus the '89 Vette which was rated @ 245, but, as we all know it used the Buick engine. Since the ZR1 (with LT5 engine) wasn't publicly available until 1990 it cannot be counted.
OP- you need to remember that GM is in business to make money. As mentioned, they market different products to different buyers to attract as many customers as possible. It's most profitable for them to do this when they can invest less and charge more. The trick is to still offer an apparent value to the consumer. Things like different wheels, graphics and a few external bolt on parts visually change the car and the larger masses of customers can literally see this. (Incidentally, this is why I believe you see so many late model cars with external graphics packages offered. They can make the car appear different, claim a low production volume and charge significantly more.)
When you start offering different engines, drivertrains, etc these tend to be more costly, and they can affect other development costs like safety and Emissions certifications, etc. All that adds costs, and reduces profit.
This is also why the days of getting a huge check list of individual options to order a car are gone. It's not nearly as profitable for the MFG to do this as it is for them to offer "packages" which have a predetermined amount of options that they can control and offer in larger volumes to recoup their development costs.
