Dont say im painfully new, i know some about cars espeasiclly for a 15 year old, and my question is, will suspension help my driving around the street alot? or is it not worth the money.

 

scotts right... woa, did i actually say that? wow, im beside myself..

anyway, i knew the basics when i bought my camaro, now adays i consider myself better than average, but damn good for NO formal teaching, yet still lacking a lot of knowledge and skills. spend time in here, look around, ask questions, work on anything you fell comfortable working on. 3 years ago i wouldnt have wanted to touch an engine for anything more than basic maintence. but just last month i pulled the top end off my Grand AM ( the dreaded LIM gasket leak) with no help and put it back on with NO problems at all.aside from a few parts that i had to replace from getting angry.. lol

but as far as what makes a better street car.. it really depends what your wanting out of the car. Are you wanting to corner well or do the lines quickly? i think you said you had a 3.08 in your rear. thats a decent all round rear end. Why dont you just keep it and work the suspension a bit? then a few years down the road, if you still feel like it. pull the rear end out and rebuild it with all new parts and seals. dont blow your money if you dont have to man, i made that mistake and now im stuck in the middle of a project with just a shell of what use to be my most favorite toy.

either way, do your research on everything you do. Dont be afraid to ask questions. youll get the jerks who think its a stupid question to ask period, and youll get the people who actually do want to help. go to my first post, im sure i would be suprised what i didnt even know back then.

 

OK C4, lemme be blunt. Your cars suspension is probably whooped. New struts and shocks WILL improve general driveability. You will notice a difference. But NO MATTER how hard you try, its stil a big heavy American car thats NOT gonna be as nimble as an import.

As far as the rear end, your 3.08 is sufficient. Yeah, 3.73's will make a big difference but it sounds like more work than you are ready to undertake just yet. If I were you, Id start with the basics, shocks, struts, brakes, etc.....

Make a list and prioritize. And your gonna need a good job, cause this stuff adds up quick. [&:]

 

Ya i know. Thanks for the info guys. And ill go for shocks and struts. But ifi did get373gears in the future, Does that mean then when im in top end range on the highway, i will have ****ty responce and top end speed?

 

oh no youll have plenty of responce, but with the lower gears your loose top speed. ALSO gas mileage at those speeds. If thats not a concern for you then your golden. Mileage will drop across the board though, not just at highway speeds. Dont forget to chance your speedo gears in the tranny when you change the rear gears or your speedo will be off a fair amount. It will get worse the higher in speed you get. Say your actually moving 10mph, your speedo could read 15 ( just an example not a math problem here) but at 60 your speedo could be off so much it could be showing 100 ( again..) And the speed limiter kicks in at 115ish on throttle body cars. i dont remember your intake setup so i appologize if thats not what you have.

 

My off the line response is great, but my midrange response is UNREAL! Its because the engine is spinning much higher and working right in its power zone. I have an old th350 Tranny with NO overdrive, so I rev pretty high on the highway and Im limited to about 105-110 MPH. Not having overdrive really sucks with those lower gears, but Im not gonna replace the tranny any time soon.

SO, to answer your question.....yes, you will loose some top end speed. Who cares, you shouldnt be driving faster than 100 MPH anyways!

Yes, you will loose a little gas mileage, but your not driving this car for fuel economy.

NO, you will not loose 'responsiveness' at higher speeds.

Like 350 said, your speedo will be a little off. ( I dont know how much off, my speedo doesnt work and Im sick of trying to fix it....8>(......I just drive with a GPS in the car if Im going to an area where I expect lots of cops. Other than that I just guess.....

 

a GPS? why? does it show you your speed somehow?

 

Yah it does show the speed, i got one in my camaro, its pretty cool. And i shouldent have to worry too much about mpg because i am getting a suzuki sidekick 4 1.6L for 500 bucks soon, and i will use that for my main driving car, and just get day liscenses on my camaro for the weekends and sunny days. I dont wanna crash my camaro, i have big plans in the future when i get more $$$ lol.
Thanks for the help again. Its GREATLY!! appreciated.

 

Yeah, most GPS systems have a built in speedo. My driving gear in my tranny housing has busted twice since Ive owned the car and Im tired of pucking around with it. No matter how high you get that Z28 on jack stands, theres never enough room to work on that tranny area.