Whats the best way to get the car to feel as nimble as possbile without totally gutting the thing to where comfort is compromised, or is it hopeless on a chassis this old and this heavy?And is there any way to fix the heavy/numb steering in our cars?
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I don't find it heavy or numb. But I have a performance
alignment and a lightweight K-member, good sway bars
and shocks as well as lowered (which lowers CoG and
hence body roll, sway bars aside).
First get good shocks. Then get some good tires, along with an aggressive street alignment. Then add a set of matched swaybars, and remove as much unnecessary weight as you can (rear seats and seatbelts if you don't use them, etc...) and your car should feel much nimbler.
Actually, I also find the F-body steering to be nicely weighted and think it provides decent feedback.
__________________ 1998 Z28 A4 - bone stock
1997 Z28 M6 30th Ann. Ed. - not stock
1994 Z28 A4 - not stock
I don't find it heavy or numb. But I have a performance
alignment and a lightweight K-member, good sway bars
and shocks as well as lowered (which lowers CoG and
hence body roll, sway bars aside).
jimmy- all the talk about the lightweight k-members being prone to failure doesnt trouble you?
__________________ And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. -Romans 5:3-4
jimmy- all the talk about the lightweight k-members being prone to failure doesnt trouble you?
Just to play devil's advocate - on MythBusters (rerun) last night, they talked to an electrician that had heard about melted phones (from lightning hits), but never saw one or held the pieces in his hands. Someone here has had a challenge out for some time, for anyone to get and post (or even email) pics of Porsche brake molds, because "everyone talks about" them being molded with holes, not drilled after the fact.
I'm not saying they don't break, but I wonder just how often they really do, and under what conditions.
That said, it looks like UMI has finally cracked that nut anyway. (here's hoping at least lol)
A good performance front end alignment will go a long ways in at least making the steering feel more responsive and less numb. The primary factor in how it feels is the Toe. Toe-in gives the car more of a tendency to track straight, and can result in that numb feeling, where the car doesn't really want to turn when you turn the steering wheel. Toe-out will make the car easier to turn, but can result in twitchy steering at higher speeds. A little bit of Toe-out is usually what's needed to give a good steering response feeling. No more than about 1/16" though, 1/32" is probably best for a vehicle that sees mostly street driving, or you'll get that twitchiness at higher speeds (and abnormal tire wear as well)
Camber and Caster can usually be maxed out on an otherwise stock vehicle. Even lowered vehicles aren't going to be able to go much more than about -1.5º Camber or about 5º of Caster. Those settings aren't going to cause any noticably abnormal tire wear, and if you drive even moderately aggressive, these settings will be ideal. Up to -1.0º of Camber is still going to be fine for a car that's driven fairly easily (though if you're driving easily, why the concern over handling anyways?)
I'm running around on -0.9º Camber (most I could evenly get on my car), and I still see too much wear on the outside of the tires. Lowering springs should get me a bit more Camber, but I don't know if it's still going to be enough. I'm a pretty aggressive driver though.
Whats the best way to get the car to feel as nimble as possbile without totally gutting the thing to where comfort is compromised, or is it hopeless on a chassis this old and this heavy?And is there any way to fix the heavy/numb steering in our cars?
A little less than two months ago I swapped out the stock shocks and springs for Koni SA shocks and an Eibach Pro-Kit. I would highly recommend Koni shocks if you want your car to handle (be more nimble and responsive), they are simply the best. You can keep the stock springs w/ Koni's or if you want a drop you can look into different spring manufacturers because each manufacturer offers a different ride height. After I did the spring/shock swap I noticed immediately that the car feels way more responsive and much more nimble, almost like it's dancing on tip toes like a balerina now I haven't got to the sway bars yet, but will when I get the $$. Just my $.02.
__________________ 1999 Trans Am WS6 (Black)
Mods: Pro 5.0 Shifter, CAGS, Borla Exhaust, Direct-Flo Lid, K&N Air Filter, Fast Toys Ram Air Kit, BMR STB, BMR Adjustable PHB, BMR Boxed & Welded SFC's, Metco LCA's w/ Relocation Brackets, Metco Driveshaft Safety Loop, Koni SA Shocks, Eibach Pro-Kit.
My 01 Z felt good both on the street and while I was Auto Xing. I had different shocks, sways, DD SFC, STD, LCA's, Adj PHR, Adj Tq Arm, and a good set of sticky tires. Believe it or not, one of the things that is forgotten the most that I feel is very important is tires. A good set of tires alone will make your car feel different.
__________________ Tony
Past cars:
02 MY Z06
02 QS Z06
03 Cobra
01 Z28
98 Z28
Whats the best way to get the car to feel as nimble as possbile without totally gutting the thing to where comfort is compromised, or is it hopeless on a chassis this old and this heavy?And is there any way to fix the heavy/numb steering in our cars?
Call teh Strano.
__________________ 2001 Trans AM
lid, catback, headers, koni's, phb, stb, sfc's, stiff ground controls, big bars, yea it corners!
Good call on the tires Z O SICK and you can't go wrong with JohnTre's suggestion either. I would definitely call Sam Strano and talk to him about your setup and what you want to get out of it.
__________________ 1999 Trans Am WS6 (Black)
Mods: Pro 5.0 Shifter, CAGS, Borla Exhaust, Direct-Flo Lid, K&N Air Filter, Fast Toys Ram Air Kit, BMR STB, BMR Adjustable PHB, BMR Boxed & Welded SFC's, Metco LCA's w/ Relocation Brackets, Metco Driveshaft Safety Loop, Koni SA Shocks, Eibach Pro-Kit.
Yeah, but it went in before all the bad news had
started coming out. Too hard to mess with it now,
unless I see it starting to crack.
personally, i wouldnt worry. just keep an eye on it once and a while i guess
__________________ And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. -Romans 5:3-4
I noticed a good difference in responsiveness on my car when after getting Michelin PS2's. Although a tad pricey they are worth the money. Excellent tires.
How do you go about getting this "performance alignment"? You cant just walk in Dobbs and ask for one so how do you guys do this? I ask because I am possibily getting Koni SA shocks and lowering springs.
best way to nimbleness on an F body 
