WS6-PERFORMANCE PACKAGE SPECIAL
I know for sure that the performance suspension and performance sound make it part of the WS6 package,but is there anything else? I pictured half of my options as just the normal stock Trans Am. Like the vented hood and fenders. The t Tops,and the triple black option. Can someone clarify this for me? I think i know but im not 100% Thanks

-DylanN

I really don't know the birds as well, but It probably entails something like bigger swaybars, one on the rear(some base models don't have a rear swaybar, my maro doesn't), probably the 16" crosslace rims or some such, might mean disc brakes in the back, though I know IROC-Zs don't have rear discs standard so probably not. Might have stiffer shocks/springs, thats pretty much what it would entail, oh and maybe better gears/posi.

Ah that makes sense. I do have a rear sway bar,and yes the 16' Black crosslace rims,disc brakes in the front,not back. And yeah it has very stiff shocks and springs on it. And i have 3.23's stock

Yeah, idk offhand which of those items it would have, but those are the items that are typically upgraded on a car with a factory suspension package. I'm almost positive the swaybars are bigger though.

It's a suspension package. It's cool to have, but it's really no big deal.

I disagree... From 82-92 WS6 was a suspension package, that part is correct, but to dismiss it as no big deal is silly. No one is going around saying that an Iroc is an insignificant upgrade over a Z28, but WS6 vs non-WS6 is often just as significant. True it didn't trigger any significant cosmetic changes but it made a difference in handling performance.

Depending on the year, WS6 meant upgraded wheels/tires, sway bars, steering, bushings, and shocks/struts. The improvement is significant if you drive a WS6 and non-WS6 Firebird back to back. It's something you can feel from the drivers seat.

I'd even argue that a Firebird without WS6 is just another boring Firebird. The only Firebird with any real performance that was offered without the WS6 option was the Trans Am. The GTA and Formulas all came with it standard. A Trans Am without WS6 would have narrow tires, potentially smaller wheels, soft bushings, soft shocks/struts, small sway bars, etc. In most cases it's going to mean a 305 auto. It's basically a nicely equipped Firebird with the cosmetics of a T/A but without the performance, i.e. boring.

It probably doesn't matter much to someone looking for a car to modify, or to Camaro owners that don't appreciate the difference. But it's a performance option, and options that increase performance are one of the few things that really do matter. It's one of those things, like G92, that you actually look for if you want a high performance thirdgen.

In certain years, like 86, it also meant rear discs and posi.

My 86 has rear discs and posi, and also has larger 235 tires. In terms of ride quality, I like it better than my 88 WS6...much smoother ride. Given a choice, though? I'd take WS6 over non, any day.

I guess that's what I was getting at; since it was standard on the higher trim models, a lower trim with it as an option isn't really a big deal, since it was standard elsewhere and should thus be considered the bare minimum a car should have.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's better to have it than to not, of course, but I think it gets overhyped thanks to the 4th gen WS6 package; e.g., you don't see anyone talking about how awesome F41/FE2 is on the Camaro as you do WS6 on the 'birds.

So what you're saying is that it really matters if it's not there, but it doesn't matter if it does? If it matters one way, it matters the other. The WS6 suspension is what separates a base model Trans Am from an upper trim level car. It's what makes the upper level car stand out above the lesser car.

I don't see any hype over WS6. What I see most often is people that have no idea what it means. There's plenty of hype about Camaros that carry FE2. Aside from cosmetic details, the difference between a Z28 and an Iroc is the FE2 suspension. FE2 is a significant part of the G92 package that gets hype all the time, and it's the suspension in the 1LE package. It gets hype, just not directly tied to the code because GM didn't market FE2 like they did WS6.

Drew,

I thought a base Trans Am had a better suspension than a "regular" Firebird, no? I thought Y99 was the standard TA suspension, or "Level II" in their brochures. Then, Level III was WS6.

I thought there was some tweaking between a base Firebird and, say, my non-WS6 '86 TA. Doesn't really matter to me either way...I like the car being set up the way it is, for what I will use it for.

Thanks for all the help guys. And Jason,i think youre right because ive heard the same Thing.
Oh well, only thing that matters is that i love my car and i think its pretty bad *** (: Haha. Ride quality wise,it feels much stiffer and smoother than the other Thirdgens ive been in IMO. Ive been in a base 92 Formula,an 84 Berlinetta,and a 86 Z28. My car stock seemed to have been much smoother and more stable. Oh well, may not be no G92 Package but its still somethin.

I've covered it before and I hate to constantly repeat the same stuff I've posted before, but I'll go through it again...

For most purposes, from 82-92 you've got three levels of suspension. Level I is your BASE suspension. It varies from year to year, but universally it's the minimally stiff suspension offered. Level I compromises handling performance for comfort, and cost savings. Usually Level I carries RPO FE1.

Level II is slightly stiffer. It starts to compromise comfort for performance, and the price goes up. Depending on the year, it could be had on V6 cars, like Sport Coupes, etc. It was standard on the Z28 and Trans Am, optional on the late RS (it triggered 16" wheels in 91-92 on the RS). It added stiffer springs, larger sway bars, sometimes the performance steering gear, etc. Level II generally carries the RPO code F41.

Level III is stiffer yet. The cost was higher, and comfort was a lower priority than handling. For the modern Thirdgens, it included 16" wheels, wider tires, hard bushings, big sway bars, etc. Level III was almost always reserved for the upper tier cars. The RPO code used on level III cars is FE2. Most WS6 Firebirds carry both the WS6 code and the FE2 code.

In general, the entry level Trans Am is going to be a level II car, and a fully loaded base Firebird is going to be level I, but compared to a level III car both are boring. That's what I was getting at, not that they're both the same suspension.

Comfort vs performance are relative terms used here to explain the goal of each package. In reality, with the age of these cars, you can have an FE1 car that drives like a lumber wagon, and a FE2 car that feels like you're floating on a cloud or vice versa just due to condition. When the car is in nice shape and still solid, a WS6 T/A with 245/50ZR16's can be a really comfortable car.

Also, in this thread we're talking about Firebirds, but generally speaking, the FE2/WS6 suspension in the Firebird shares the majority of the parts with the FE2 suspension in an Irocz or Z28.

There are so many variations its hard to tell. Take my car for instance.......
1985 Trans am ,
Black and gold ground effects
15" cross lace wheels
9 bolt 3.71 rear with disc brakes
5 speed
305 H.O with dual snorkle intake
Huge sway bars
Factory Recaro seats tan and gray