Hi everyone.. I bought a Black 1991 Firebird Formula back in 1999.. It has a 350 TPI,, Auto,, 4 wheel disc brakes,, 16 inch wheels,, pb, pdl, ps, tilt, air, pw,,, cassette am fm radio,, Light gray cloth interior,, Less than 100,000 miles on it.. As far as I can tell it came with factory dual cats.... On the dash over on the passenger side it says Performance Suspension,, it has the original alloy wheels. and the center wheel caps says WS6... Can anybody tell me what I have as far as production numbers,, is it a limited production car, slightly rare?, or very common??????... What does "WS6" mean,, and what does "Performance Suspension" mean,???????..... Does it have posi-trac rear end?????????. Does anyone know what Horse Power the stock 1991 350 tpi is,????????....Basicly, I'm just trying to determine what I have here... Please,, any info will be greatly appreciated..

 

A is always a good idea (I typed in WS6 and suspension and got 5+ pages of info). This was the third link listed:

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/susp...WS6+suspension

JamesC

 

You need to find your RPO codes and your Vin number. I am a Camaro guy so I am not sure but on the Camaro's they are in the glove box in the rear or the arm rest in the console. Run the RPO codes to see what you have or was suspose to have. Also look for your build sheet under the front seat. The Vin number will give you more clues but not as mant as the RPO and build sheets.

I am pretty sure the Firebird crew can give you more precise info. You have had that car a long time to not know what you have. Good Luck!

 

Hey, thanks 86NiteRider;;,, One of The reason I don't know much about this car is I only drove the car about a year after I bought it, back in 1999, and I have only put about 4 miles on the car in the last five years... Back when I first bought the car I just did'nt try to find out much about it then ,, here lately,, I have talked to whoever I can, and so far everyone around where I live don't seem to know anything much about these third gen. cars... I am from the old school, I know a lot about the first gen cars, I have a 1969 400 firebird convertable, and a 1968 firebird coup, 455 / 4speed.. and a 1968 SS/RS 396 4 speed... So you see, I have had my problems with these newer style cars with all this electronic on it... I love this body style, but I would love to strip all this electonic computorized crap off the car and go back to the basic high compression/ true high performance screamer I know this engine could be.... BUT,, I am a purest, and I would like to keep this car pretty much original,,, I have yet had anybody tell me "WHY" this modern stuff is so much better than the "OLD" stuff... I KNOW what the old style engines sound like and I know how they performed, and the way they would "pop" a wheelie when you tacked them up and dropped the clutch,, yee haw.. slam your donkey into the seat when you really got on it!!!!!!!....... The true outrageous sound of a radical cam.... AND, the one thing I don't hear anybody talk about anymore with these newer style engines is foot lbs. "Torque"... I beg someone to tell me WHY I have to have all this electronic, computorized bull crap to achieve the same thing as the old style, basic carborated high compression engines did.. at a whole lot less price for parts and matienance,, The electronic/ignitions distributors, I can see are a plus, but,, the computor crap, give me a break... please someone tell me why,WHY, this new stuff is better, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, WHY should I have to spend all this money to keep this car on the road??????... Please, Please,, Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to be a donkey about this whole thing, please, just tell me why this new stuff is better than the old ........I want to understand,,, I guess I am ignorant and just don't know or understand.... so Please, help me out here...

 

Emissons and fuel economy my friend, plain and simple. Even the carbs for these cars were computer controlled.

 

"Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to be a donkey about this whole thing, please, just tell me why this new stuff is better than the old"

In the ever constant march of technology, our cars are the beginning of what today are 400-hp, 400 CID V8s and the like. The improvements in electronics and emissions control have allowed today's cars to be faster and more efficient than the muscle cars from the 60s-70s. The Third Gens were really one of the first steps toward what we have today in regards to engine control technology.

I guess one could argue that if its speed and power you're looking for, you need to swap out what's under your hood for something older and low-tech, or something newer. LS1 swaps seem popular, as well as 455s.

 

Thanks for the replies, ask and you shall recieve... I appreciate the input, thats all I am asking is to get educated about the good and bad about this new technology... If I can understand what I'm looking at it's easier to work with...

 

One of the best advantages of technology is the fact that, besides changing the oil regularly, you don't have to open the hood for a long time. You start the car, put it in gear, and drive. Nothing to constantly be tuning, no points to burn out, no advance system to stick or go bad, plugs lasting 100,000 miles, engines that go 200,000 miles+ without a rebuild compared to getting 50,000 miles out of a '60's era block. A whole lot less out of pocket expensives on a weekly basis. With the new machining processes, a lot less oil leaks. I could go on and on, but seeing you have "old" cars, I'm sure you get the picture.

 

You've got yourself a Trans AM GTA there. 5.7 TPI rated at 245 hp stock, and @ 345 lbs ft torque. The WS6 is the suspension package.

The '91 is one of the rarer birds. I know, I had one.

PM me your VIN# and I can give you a list of your RPO codes and descriptions it came with from the factory.
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Oops, sorry, just noticed you said it was a Formula.

 

Computer controlled cars are awesome. It's the only thing you can make 400hp at the wheels, run mid 12's in the 1/4 and still get 20+ MPG on the highway, driving it to and from the dragstrip. Carb cars, the more HP you make, the worse the milage imho.

 

Hey freestylzz,, With my car being a Formula, is it still kind of a rare bird????... Do you have any idea how many Formula's they made in 1991,??????...And is the horse power rating the same as the GTA,?????..

 

1991 & 1992 Firebirds are rather unusual... Unfortunately I do not have production figures for the 350 engine for 1991.

I would think its "Uncommon" There were 5497 Formulas made in 1991
Of ALL firebirds made in 1991:
50,247 TOTAL production all lines.
92.9% - Power Door locks & Windows
60.7% - Cruise
60.5% - Rear Defog
72.1% Power Mirrors
54.6% T-tops
44% AM/FM radio W/Cassette
3.9% - CD Player

WS6 means Perfromance Suspension, see my web site 3rdgenfromula.com. ALL formulas have the option: WS6 includes (from 87-92)
36mm front sway bars
24mm rear sway bars
quick ratio steering box
gas filled shocks and struts
16"x8 Rims & 245/50R16 tires, your car came with ZR rated tires IIRC
The little "Performace suspension" decal was also included on the standard suspension on the Trans AM, WS6 was an option on the TA. STANDARD on the GTA and Formula.

YES!, with a Formula 350 starting in mid/early 1989 ALL formula 350s came with Dual Cats, you will have a 3.23 Posi (ltd slip) axel, it was STANDARD on the Formula and the GTA with a 350.
IIRC 235 hp, without looking it up... might be 240bhp.

Does that help?

John

 

Yeah, what he said I completely agree. I refuse to buy a car with a carb...I've seen too many people have problems with carbs, and I have no interest in one. I'd love an '80s MC SS, but they're all carbed. The only way I'd get one is if I swaped a TPI onto it

Between the MPG, throttle response and HP improvements computers have added, I'll take my LO3 over an L69, and my LT1 over its early '70s LT-1 counterpart any day

 

there's nothing wrong with a carb'd car really. It's cheaper to build and simpler. However computer controlled cars are extremely easy to precisely tune and generally give a much more streetable experience (gas mileage wise, not dying when coming to a hard stop/turn, easier to start, etc.).

Torque is often talked about on these boards, it was your engine's redeeming quality - 345 ft-lbs stock. And that's modern numbers, in late 60s numbers thats about 400.