im running stock tires and rims... 15" rims and 215/65 tires..

 

Some of you have a lot to complain about! Lol keep em comin.

 

i dont like that mine ran fine for the first year and a half i ha dit now its takin a huge dump on me

 

mine isnt really much about the car but more towards the stereotypes. and im about to knock out one of my buddies if i hear him call my car a "turd gen" again. lol but true!

 

take him for a ride and scare the **** outta him!!!. i did that with my dad who kept saying my car was junk. all it took was for me to break that rear end loose sitting on the interstate one day xD

 

dont think thatll happen. hes a 410hp 4th gen T/A owner that things hes got the best thing in the world. at least i own my car and the bank still owns his.

 

lets see.. its automatic,no t tops i have no passanger side window and its not on the road yet..

 

Some of what I dislike can be easily changed. And I'll define easily as "bolt-on" and $2000 or less.
But, I dislike that GM gave us the struts, rather than the same IFS as the S-10, and I agree with Atilla about the front overhang being way too long, go look at the RX7 FD, and look at the photochop of BlueZee28s Camaro that he did. Awesome! I dislike the gas tank being so high and inaccessible, we shoulda got it like the Taurus, under the rear passenger seats. And I dislike how our cars weren't built to tow a decent trailer. Also, I dislike how GM thought that the 7.5" was an okay replacement for the 8.5". I dislike the designers trying to prevent true dual exhaust. Lastly, I dislike how GM designed the wheelwells around the 225/70R15 tires used on the pre-'82s, rather than sizing them like the '79-up Mustang.
Of the easily changed things, I dislike how I have to remove the rear seat foams, both butt and back, for adults to fit comfortably in the back. I dislike how the '82-up Trans Ams didn't get the '79-'81 8" turbo-dish wheels. And how GM thought 10.5" front rotors would be adequate. Lastly, why not lighter rack-and-pinion steering?
Edit: sometimes I dislike that AWD is not a realistic possibility.

 

Or get a tighter torque converter

 

Rebuild your suspension. New bushings, balljoints, shocks and struts, et cetera. Then it might be a fair comparison.

 

Depends on your engine and your axle ratio. With 2.73:1 gears, this is good advise. With 3.73:1 gears behind a V8, this is stupid bad wrong advise.

 

Sez who? You?
GM gave these cars a rating for how much they can tow, and Curt makes a hitch: http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitc...cleid=19848023

 

My car has 17k miles and all the parts you mentioned are straight. The car is tight and handles beautifully on new Firestone Wide Ovals. It's a blast to drive.

I have owned the following sports cars prior to my thirdgen: 2005 Corvette, 2008 Corvette Z06. I have driven the following sports cars: 2003 Corvette Z06, 1996 Dodge Viper GTS, 2006 Porsche 911S, 2003 BMW M3, 2009 Cadillac CTS-V. They all easily outhandle any stock thirdgen; suggesting otherwise is ridiculous. Furthermore, all of them except the Viper (ha) had a more compliant and comfortable ride.

This is what 20-30 years of technological advancements will get you, and it is in no way a sleight at the thirdgens.

 

You should use the multi-quote feature, rather than making a new post for each reply.

Just because they say you can, doesn't mean you should. It's not wise to use something with such a low center of gravity to tow something else.

IMO it sounds like you're looking at an F-body to do things a family sedan was designed to do.

 

That's just stupid. The improved stability is a good thing.
Did you grow up in a world where towing is for pickups? Probably. Why? Because full frame RWD V8 cars are mostly gone. Back up a couple of generations, most light duty towing was done with full frame V8 RWD cars.
Ya know what's dangerous? Towing with a jacked up pickup, on stock wheels, with tires that require wider wheels. But you see it every day. They get away with it.

 

Showoff. You kids and your dang electronic technology. My cellphone has 40 features I can't use. I just like the one feature, and it serves me. Same here.
It's not okay to condemn others for doing things differently than you, when their way doesn't hurt anyone.

 

What, the back seat and the towing? Why not? GM could have gave us a more useful, better-performing performance car for the same money. More like a Porsche 911, but with a V8 in the correct location. And I happen to know that my '86 IRoC-Z will haul home a new Lazy-Boy recliner, but a 911 won't. However, I can fit in the stock back seats of a 911, or an R34 Skyline GT-R
The fuel tank belongs in the exact center of the vehicle, like in a Fiero, so that handling when empty is the same as when full. And it's a more protected location, too. Much safer.
And the IFS: Struts are NOT the hot ticket for ultimate handling. 'vettes never had 'em, never will. The 4th gens didn't keep 'em, either. The struts should have gone on the S-10.

 

Basic physics says otherwise. If the trailer has a higher center of gravity than the car and you are pulling a lot of weight, if that trailer starts to fishtail, it can flip the car because the trailer has the higher center of gravity and will take the car with it. Seen it happen.

It's besides the point though. If you wanted to tow something, why did you buy an F-body?

No, I grew up with parents who bought a new '94 Tbird LX with the V8 and towed a 16.5 foot Glastron boat with it. Doesn't mean it was smart, or defied the laws of physics. I'd say they happened to get lucky the trailer never fishtailed.

 

So on one hand, you say you want a more useful car with better backseats (a 911, how much better can they be? That's a true sports car, lol), but at the same time you turn around and say you can haul a Lazy-Boy with your IROC but not with a 911?

Want a "more useful, better-performing performance car for the same money"? For the money you spend on an F-body today, you could buy any number of boring cars or minivans that will outperform our F-Bodies and be infinitely more useful.

Just buy a minivan and be done with it. I don't think you understand the purpose of an F-body. Towing trailers and hauling Lazy-Boys? Sorry, but you bought the wrong car. Don't blame GM for what seems to be your poor choice in choosing a vehicle to fit your needs. Lord, how did you ever get past the lack of cupholders??

 

Puma just wants to argue and try to make people agree with his ideas, so I'm not gonna take the bait.

I just searched all threads started by devianb, and not one of those 103 results matched this claim, so maybe the moderators locked or moved or deleted it. Whatever, doesn't matter to me.
I was thinking about this, and here's what I like about my third gens:
Cheap RWD V8, aftermarket support, SBC isn't too far forward relative to front axle centerline like the '79-up Mustangs are, decent aero, low and wide, good safety unless cut fuel pump access panel, easy to fit decent tires, great driver ergonomics once install 4th gen seats, single 3" exhaust flows better and is lighter than 2.25" dual, BBC V8 fits easily, nothing like modern ricers, umm...guess that's most of it

 

I don't like how the license plate light lenses on the early Z28/RS tails are designed to look like there are two bulbs on each side, when there is actually only one. All it does is make it look like two of your bulbs are burnt out when that's not the case.

Always hated that, from the day I bought my car and opened them up to replace the bulbs to find that there are no bulbs in the lower part of the housings.

 

The fact that I cannot drive them in the snow or ice. I wind up missing my babies tooooo much. Eff Chicago winters

 

ohio winters are a pita too, but i made it up and down my hill (mountain) in mine, threw about 200lbs in the trunk and drove carefully, and man these cars are fun in big empty parking lots with ice and snow

and not to instigate a conflict, but i also do not believe these cars were made to tow anything, i mean call me crazy but anything that has alot of "performance options" probably isn't a utilitarian vehicle, and another thing that bugs me, is plastic bumbers, never really seen a truck with plastic bumbers, except for some s-10s i'll give you that, but then again you dont go hauling a load of lumber to a job site with an s-10 either so i guess its all perspective, sure you could, but you'd probably overload it and put alot of strain on the drivetrain, its a sport truck (hence the s in s-10) and if our cars had the suspension from an s-10 as (idk his name ronn or something) said then well it would handle like an s-10 and wouldn't really be taken seriously as a sport-muscle-pony car, but as a backwards *** light truck car with bad hauling capacity

 

No glove box, rear drum brakes, needlessly restrictive and powerless engine and exhaust, boring gauge cluster (which was cool but they decided to go boring for their 25th aniv. addition), should have better rear end gears.

 

lack of cupholders, it floods too easily, the wheels are too small. but man i have never driven a more fun v6 car

 

That when it was stock it was a slow turd! The good thing is, it's not slow anymore...

 

I love my '89 RS V8.... But I wish it was a Manual instead of auto.. And I wish the trunk hatch motor didn't go out the day after I bought it...

 

One other thing I don't care for is the weak cooling system these cars came with. The cooling system and brakes, insufficient for the cars from the factory.

Really don't like that the fan doesn't come on until 228 degrees...no ill effects, but that just seems way too high to me.

 

that can be fixed i think, cant remeber how exactly but you get a new fan switch so that it comes on at like 180-200 my dad said we should do it to my firebird but we never did

 

Really? My 155K mile 1988 Toyota MR2 pulls .91 g's on the skidpad, and it's factory stock with Barum Bravuris 2 P185/60/R14 tires. Of course, a Lotus tuned suspension from the factory, 49/51 weight distribution and a 1700 lb curb weight will do that for you.

But my '83 327 TPI powered Z28 is fun, too

 

my dash is flawless, is cracking a big issue on these?

 

9 years later and this thread is still going. I have to say there is not much for me to complain about anymore, especially after not driving for 6 years.

 

During very cold winters when when you turn up the heat. If it does crack, usually starts in the middle.

 

THAT THERE IS NO ****IN' CUPHOLDERS!

 

The 18 second time slip.

 

Then drive a minivan ffs.

 

The fact that I have had to change just about every thing t5 to th400 305 to 350 to 383 10 bolt rear to 12 bolt adding frame ties and hours of re working all the wiring for a carburetor msd box electric fans and the exhaust is a whole nother rant but the feeling you get when everything's finally dialed in and you begin to smash the compition and knowing you did the work makes every bloody knuckle, late night, argument with the wife over spending worth it !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

.

 

nah guy I'm all set. My engine will blow everyones engine outta here. I'm all set with a 2.8 Mini-can.

 

I hate the fact it is a unibody.I wish it had a full frame,That is all.Everything else is golden.Also I wish the speedo said more than 80,Anyone know what could be swapped in to fix this.Other than aftermarket stuff?

 

a factory 120-140 speedo, from another camaro/firebird, i'd say go camaro cuz its a mechanicle speedo and wouldn't be as hard to do also do a

 

Everyone always suggests the search...I tried.Still can't find anything/What the **** year car can I get a higher number speedo out of and have it be a direct swap"?

 

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/inte...eedo-swap.html

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/inte...eedometer.html


https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/inte...eedo-swap.html

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/inte...45-speedo.html

idk if they'll help but i hope they do

 

hahahahaha honestly I dont even think they do lol i dont go faster than 90 anyways. lol but my top speed in my bird is 400

 

know what you mean, swapped in the 140 speedo just for show,

 

i hate that the nose is so long in front of the wheels that every time it gets painted it scrapes and spiderwebs the whole front bumper

 

I put mine in for looks too, but if you fix the tranny for full throttle 4th gear, you will be surprised at just how fast they can go...The day after I put mine in, a buddy, and I broke the cable on the 89 at about 140.......Should have put a new cable in when I changed the cluster....

 

people love to bitch at eachother over forums..its funny really..anyway..
couple gripes from me:

lacking power even with the 5.7

small brakes

small wheels

weak rear ends

weak trans


dont mind not having cupholders..i dont let people drink in my car anyways

 

Yeeep. I got that too.

 

You got your RS up to 140?