ok before I get into spending alot of money on suspension, let me ask this question; I've heard all F cars have a vibration at high speeds. My 87 does it at around 70+ my friends bird, the same. Is there anyway to stop that vibration at high speeds? I'm looking into getting a full suspension system for the car, but want to know if I can expect that problem to go away. I've heard some people tell me that if you own an F car you just have to live with it.

 

You don't have to live with it. High speed vibrations are caused by instability or an unbalanced condition. You stock steel driveshaft is usually the cauprit. They are unbalanced to begin with and as speed increases so does the instabilty. Any 1LE, or LS1 aluminum driveshaft will cure this. The other thing to look at is your tires. 9 times out of 10 this is the problem at only 70 mph. Even with my crappy steel driveshaft my car was smooth as silk at 120 with performance tires.

 

I changed the tires and rims so those are all checked and balanced. If it's the driveshaft, will an LS1 driveshaft just bolt up or does that require some mods?

 

If it comes from an automatic ls1, it will bolt right up and you'll even notice a little bit more throttle response because you're cutting away some of the rotating mass with the aluminum d.shaft.

 

Automatic or manual, it doesn't matter. They all work.

 

The difference between aluminum and steel is really not worth the time and expense, IMHO, but these guys are 100% on the money about the unbalanced driveshafts. You can also just unplug your current driveshaft and take it to someone local to have it balanced for about $50.00 All GTA's after '87 that I have seen have had the balanced aluminum driveshafts stock, so that is also a resource.

Check you phone book for someone who specializes in driveshafts or drivelines in your area, and ask what they get to balance a driveshaft.

Troy
So Cal

 

That sounds cheaper than buying a used one. I'll have to ask around, to see who can do it. Thanks guys.


Chris

 

You can get an used LS1 aluminum shaft for 100 bucks. This is such a quick and easy upgrade with almost unlimited performance potential.