Hello everyone,

I am loving my 1992 RS I bought for 500 dollars! It was smokin real bad but I popped of the valve covers and took out all the gunk that was trapping the oil drain and it stopped smoking!!YAY!! Anyways....i was wondering whats the difference between the RS model and the Z-28 model. Any info would help...


Thanks,
Rodrigo

 

well the major difference are the engine options but really there are actually tons of things to distinguish an RS from a Z28

Engine options being the biggest...you could get a 5.0L TPI(base engine for Z28) or a 5.7L TPI with the Z28

On a RS the engine options were a 3.1L V6 or a 5.0L TBI V8

Also the RS you could get a 5 speed with either engine choices on a Z28 a 5 spd was only available on the 5.0L not the 5.7L

badging was different as well as the appearance...the 1991-1992 both RS and Z28 had same ground effects but the Z28 gets a hood with 2 blisters and a high rise rear spoiler...The RS had a flat hood and no high rise spoiler

Wheels were the same both 16"

You might want to do a search to find out more about the differences but i beilive i covered the main differences

 

steves got it all except, the wheels on the RS were 15" wheels previously used on RS's and Z28s (82-87) But the 16" wheel was optional, and was the same as the Z28 16" wheel. The Z28 got the 16" wheel as a standard option.

 

Im not a bif fan of TBI injection but I guess it was worth it for $500!! Right? Im almost done prepping it for paint. Me and my bro are thinking of painting it the blue that came in the first gen trans am! What do you guys think?

 

A nice dark blue color on a camaro looks great, go for it.

 

if its a later model one that looks the same as the Z28s, and you're planing on modding it, the only diff is insurance cost.

 

What about suspension? The Z28 got a much better suspension too... heavier swaybars, wonderbar (?), better springs (?) too. Some people say the 91-92 Z28s got a wonderbar, some say not, so i dunno.

 

mine 91 Z28 dosen't have the wonder bar. One things I've noticed about the V-6 RS's and V-8 RS's is that all the V-6's got the 15 inch body colored wheels...where as the V-8 (305) RS's got the 16 inch wheels.

 

Didn't Z28's have differant rear-end gears?
Was posi even an option for the RS?
Was 1LE even an option for the RS?

$500 was a great deal, i'm still kicking myself for not picking up a 91 I found for $500, needed a front fender 6cyl auto hardtop though, no power options.

 

one major difference, like mentioned above, would be the engine since 5.0 TPI and 5.7 TPI were not avail on RS

the 5.0 TBI was the base Z28 engine (according to some sources) and the best avail RS engine.

RS could have F41 suspension (like Z28) but opt upgraded FE2 Z28 suspension wasn't avail on RS

RS could not get Rear disks

RS could be had with same style Z28 wheels
and unless the Z28 came with the 245 tires, they also could share the same tires -235/55 Goodyear Eagle GA

RS could not get "performance axle ratio"

RS could not get fog lights, spoiler, hood humps, bumper engine badge, or bow-tie grill

So, the RS 'could' share the wheels, suspension and engine as Z28s provided the Z28 wasn't equipped with any of the upgrade options which most Z28s were TPI.

*this of course excludes the B4C RSs*

 

someone must have ordered my Z28 without te rear disk brake option....because mine has drum brakes on the rear (5.7 TPI) and also....my rear gears are 3.23's (performance rear axle)....but...everyone's car is different and has it's own story...

 

Kinda stinks they ran out of rear disk brakes in '91. I'd be mad to have the mighty L98 and look out back only to find drum brakes.

 

Never heard of that, atleast in 91.

 

i've never herad of that either....I've NEVER seen any 91 or 92 Z28's that were carbed...I thought there were never any produced.

 

in 87 they switched the base V8 to TBI and from then on, didnt make any more carbed Fbodys.

 

that's what I thought too....

 

never seen one, but based on some literature, just as the TBI 5.0 (EFI, not carbed) was the base Formula engine, it was also the base Z28 engine. Of course there is a lot of incorrect published info out there...

 

The available engines changed through the years, for example the T/A was available with any v8 from 82-88, but either 89 or 90 that changed, you could only get a TPI T/A, the LO3 was not available. I think it was similar with the Z28, in the later years of gen 3.

John

 

1987 was the LAST year for the 4BBL LG4, 1988 was the first year for the TBI LO3 in our cars. The LO3 replaced the LG4 as the base V8

John

 

IN 87... as in the year... not the model year... poor wording on my part. sorry for the confusion.

 

Technically speaking a Drum brake setup will stop better than a disk brake setup with the same diameter brakes. The down side to Drum brakes is they fade when they get hot, so racing is not a great idea. Fortunately during the shortage they subsituted Aluminum drum brakes and from a driving standpoint no one would probably ever know the difference unless they did some serious autocross racing.

John

 

true. I liked the idea of factory four wheel discs and it just took me a long time to finally get one. I guess it's a mental thing but it just seems a real performance car doesn't come with drum brakes. but you are right, when used for street use drums are perfectly fine.

 

maybe if your thinkin of just our cars...but I plenty of people with the old 60's muscle cars (with drum) that would smoke our asses...lol

 

so, was the LO3 (5.0 TBI) not the base engine (at least on paper) for Formula and Z28 in '91/92 whether or not they actually were installed in any cars? I know I have literature that says they were but as I said before there are incorrect publications.

I NEVER said that you could get a carbed engine in '91/92.everyone knows they were long since dropped.


as far as brakes, yes I was talking about modern performance cars only.

 

The Formula yes, the LO3 was the base engine, not sure on the Z28, never seen a 90-92 Z with the LO3 tho, my guess would be no, but there are some unusual cars out there...

John