heya all,
i have an 87 T/A...
just looking into some magazines and catalogs and the net.
i'm just looking to get some decent traction for my rear end.
my problem is so far is that when i corner sometimes and it's not even hard cornering my rear wants to spin out...it gets even worse when i drive it thru water, even at light acceleration in the turns the car really wants to spin out and i have done some numberous over correcting the wheel....
as of right now....i have stock trailing arms, stock springs, stock panhard rod, and a stock stablizer bar...and of couse the torque arm is even stock.
what i replaced was the rear shocks with monroe sensatrac, and
moog stablizer link kits...and all my tires have been replaced with Goodyear Eagles..
i just wanna get some opinions from anyone who reads this post
as to what would be some suggestions from what i have listed.
i'm not planning on going overboard on spending for expensive aftermarket parts...
but a decent range...
right now i'm looking into the lower control arms from spohn
and also the rear panhard rod from them as well....they seem very reasonable with price...now just curious if anyone have installed them and how they act on the road...or any other brand name would seem better then the other...
probably getting some rear stablizer rear bushing would help to..
i noticed that they're pretty loose and not holding the bar as they should....they're not dry rotted, they're just more opened up then being wrapped around the bar...
i have an 87 T/A...
just looking into some magazines and catalogs and the net.
i'm just looking to get some decent traction for my rear end.
my problem is so far is that when i corner sometimes and it's not even hard cornering my rear wants to spin out...it gets even worse when i drive it thru water, even at light acceleration in the turns the car really wants to spin out and i have done some numberous over correcting the wheel....
as of right now....i have stock trailing arms, stock springs, stock panhard rod, and a stock stablizer bar...and of couse the torque arm is even stock.
what i replaced was the rear shocks with monroe sensatrac, and
moog stablizer link kits...and all my tires have been replaced with Goodyear Eagles..
i just wanna get some opinions from anyone who reads this post
as to what would be some suggestions from what i have listed.
i'm not planning on going overboard on spending for expensive aftermarket parts...
but a decent range...
right now i'm looking into the lower control arms from spohn
and also the rear panhard rod from them as well....they seem very reasonable with price...now just curious if anyone have installed them and how they act on the road...or any other brand name would seem better then the other...
probably getting some rear stablizer rear bushing would help to..
i noticed that they're pretty loose and not holding the bar as they should....they're not dry rotted, they're just more opened up then being wrapped around the bar...
Supreme Member
Are you looking for a solution to a specific handling problem you're having or do you just want an overall idea of where to go? I've been involved with both grip racing (where you dont want to loose traction) and drifting (where you do want to loose traction) so I've been at both ends of the spectrum. Generally to increase traction you want to increase the contact patch (wider tires), lower the center of gravity (drop springs/spindles), and reduce bodyroll as much as possible (swaybars). Do the opposite to get less traction ..... thats why its so much fun to drift my stock RS (pic in sig) .... with a tuned suspension I would have more control (still be able to slide but would need higher speed). With the stock suspension it is very easy to get the car to slide at a lower speed.
Senior Member
I think we do need a little more information. First of all, the Thirdgens are notoriously nose heavy, leading to poor traction in the rear.
Do you run it with the tank full, or empty? if you stay in the lower half of the tank, you loose a significant amount of weight on the rear axle. On street cars, weight pretty much equals traction.
In the rain, any car will get less traction, and rear wheel drive cars are more affected than front-drivers.
What size tires and wheels do you have? Cars with 16" wheels should be running a 245/50-16 tire. If you have 15" wheels, your tires will most likely be narrower. These narrower tires will provide less grip than a wider one.
Goodyear Eagle covers a wide range of tires. Which ones do you have? RS-A's are marginal for performance driving. The old ZR-50's aren't bad on dry pavement. The GS-C is the best stock replacement, in fact, they're whats fitted on the new Camaros.
What Tire pressures are you running? if they're too low, your sidewalls will roll over and create that slippery feeling. Too high, and they will be hard and skittery. For 245/50-16's you should be running around 32-35 psi. i run around 32 because the pavement here is really bad.
You said your swaybar bushings looked shot-out. Replace them with Polyurethane bushings from Energy Suspension, or simillar. Less than $20 and pretty easy to do. Having a loose swaybar will make the back of your car feel like it's on rollerskates.
I'd try that before going to aftermarket suspension components. if there's a serious handling flaw in your car, all that stuff isn't going to make it better, it may even make it worse.
Not to criticize your driving, but if you've got a heavy foot and skinny tires, you are going to be burning a lot of rubber. if you've got any ThirdGen buddies, maybe see if you can swich cars with them, to see if it's just your car.
Check all the stuff I said, and pop in the new swaybar bushings. Then get back to us.
Do you run it with the tank full, or empty? if you stay in the lower half of the tank, you loose a significant amount of weight on the rear axle. On street cars, weight pretty much equals traction.
In the rain, any car will get less traction, and rear wheel drive cars are more affected than front-drivers.
What size tires and wheels do you have? Cars with 16" wheels should be running a 245/50-16 tire. If you have 15" wheels, your tires will most likely be narrower. These narrower tires will provide less grip than a wider one.
Goodyear Eagle covers a wide range of tires. Which ones do you have? RS-A's are marginal for performance driving. The old ZR-50's aren't bad on dry pavement. The GS-C is the best stock replacement, in fact, they're whats fitted on the new Camaros.
What Tire pressures are you running? if they're too low, your sidewalls will roll over and create that slippery feeling. Too high, and they will be hard and skittery. For 245/50-16's you should be running around 32-35 psi. i run around 32 because the pavement here is really bad.
You said your swaybar bushings looked shot-out. Replace them with Polyurethane bushings from Energy Suspension, or simillar. Less than $20 and pretty easy to do. Having a loose swaybar will make the back of your car feel like it's on rollerskates.
I'd try that before going to aftermarket suspension components. if there's a serious handling flaw in your car, all that stuff isn't going to make it better, it may even make it worse.
Not to criticize your driving, but if you've got a heavy foot and skinny tires, you are going to be burning a lot of rubber. if you've got any ThirdGen buddies, maybe see if you can swich cars with them, to see if it's just your car.
Check all the stuff I said, and pop in the new swaybar bushings. Then get back to us.
okay how bout if i respond now..
as for the weight in the rear whether i run a full tank to a near empty tank the rear still ends up loosens up....again i repeat this occurs mostly in wet weather, and yes i do understand the physics of a car that has rear wheel drive would loose more grip then front wheel drive.....
to compensate for lost traction i have a tool box that have some tools in the rear of the car and it helps slightly but not signifcantly...although it does help when i'm driving in the snow...
as for my driving style...i'm not real agressive unless i'm doing defensive driving on the highway..not on the road...
so i'm not a lead foot driver...i maintain my gas milage regularly.
the goodyear tires i'm running are the 245 50/R 16's...and they're with the GTA rims...the tire type is the Eagle HP tires...Temprature: A, Traction: A.....at a $125.00 each tire it better have both the best traction and temp. acceptance...
my tire pressure i usually run at 35 psi..
i'm looking to fix the problem that i have of lost traction when cornering....and/or accelating straight...
...and if using aftermarket products will help any..
yeah the bushings would sound good...but i don't think that would be the only thing that would fix the loose condition/lost traction problem..
thanks so far for the input...
as for the weight in the rear whether i run a full tank to a near empty tank the rear still ends up loosens up....again i repeat this occurs mostly in wet weather, and yes i do understand the physics of a car that has rear wheel drive would loose more grip then front wheel drive.....
to compensate for lost traction i have a tool box that have some tools in the rear of the car and it helps slightly but not signifcantly...although it does help when i'm driving in the snow...
as for my driving style...i'm not real agressive unless i'm doing defensive driving on the highway..not on the road...
so i'm not a lead foot driver...i maintain my gas milage regularly.
the goodyear tires i'm running are the 245 50/R 16's...and they're with the GTA rims...the tire type is the Eagle HP tires...Temprature: A, Traction: A.....at a $125.00 each tire it better have both the best traction and temp. acceptance...
my tire pressure i usually run at 35 psi..
i'm looking to fix the problem that i have of lost traction when cornering....and/or accelating straight...
...and if using aftermarket products will help any..
yeah the bushings would sound good...but i don't think that would be the only thing that would fix the loose condition/lost traction problem..
thanks so far for the input...
Senior Member
Okey dokey, here we go.....
I just noticed that you've been around here as long as I have, so you obviously know your way around the ThirdGen's handling traits. I also was under the impression that the car was loose all the time, not just primarily in wet weather. I think the reccomendation I hear most around here for better wet weather handling is to park the 'bird and get a truck. Well, we must be the only two guys who drive our T/As in the snow.
I realise now that you and I are in the same handling boat. Certianly look at new, adjustable control arms, as well as control arm relocation brackets. An adjustable panhard bar will help keep everyone lined up straight. Finally, a torque arm like Spohn's will help in fine tuning the rear end. It's not a cheap undertaking, but lots of us have done it.
Check out this post for some ideas on how to set up your suspension:https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...threadid=56954
I just noticed that you've been around here as long as I have, so you obviously know your way around the ThirdGen's handling traits. I also was under the impression that the car was loose all the time, not just primarily in wet weather. I think the reccomendation I hear most around here for better wet weather handling is to park the 'bird and get a truck. Well, we must be the only two guys who drive our T/As in the snow.
I realise now that you and I are in the same handling boat. Certianly look at new, adjustable control arms, as well as control arm relocation brackets. An adjustable panhard bar will help keep everyone lined up straight. Finally, a torque arm like Spohn's will help in fine tuning the rear end. It's not a cheap undertaking, but lots of us have done it.
Check out this post for some ideas on how to set up your suspension:https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...threadid=56954
yeah thanks for the input there,
and yeah i do drive the car in the snow...
it's the only car i have anywayz, ....so i have to deal with it..
but the car has been thur thick and thin with me and i love this car to death...and i have brougth this car back from the dead not too long ago....all the maintence i've done so far, explains how much i care for it....and if i had to sell this car, i'd buy another T/A
only next time itwill have the TPI 350 with t-tops..like a GTA...which i do have a ex coworker who's planning on selling his...and it's already got the
works and mods that i would of done...
thanks again for the input..
and the link..
and yeah i do drive the car in the snow...
it's the only car i have anywayz, ....so i have to deal with it..
but the car has been thur thick and thin with me and i love this car to death...and i have brougth this car back from the dead not too long ago....all the maintence i've done so far, explains how much i care for it....and if i had to sell this car, i'd buy another T/A
only next time itwill have the TPI 350 with t-tops..like a GTA...which i do have a ex coworker who's planning on selling his...and it's already got the
works and mods that i would of done...
thanks again for the input..
and the link..