hey guys, i have two main vehicles, my baby in the sig pic and avatar, a 1992 anniversary RS 305 700 r4 2.73's wit posi, And my truck, 1991 nissan hardbody, 2.4 liter 5 speed manual 3.54 open diff stock suspension, torsion bar front sus with leaf spring rear.

this is the deal, i thought my camaro handled like it was on rails which compared to my dads charger, it does, but when i got my truck i was surprised to find that it handled just as well with tires half as wide!

this is the thing, the truck feels very direct, i cant describe it but you can really feel the truck moving and how the tires are slipping and the body roll, all of it. i have no power steering or anything in the truck and i have yet to find the point where she breaks free even with massive body roll and a much higher CG (mind you this is with my summer tires, 225,50,16's).
The camaro feels sloppy, even with less body roll everything you feel is like, muted, dunno if this making sense. I think a good way to put it is that in the truck when you turn you feel the g's immediately whether its braking accerlerating or turning, in the camaro its delayed and softer, makes it alott harder to feel whats happening in the car.

is this because of body flex, worn suspension parts or what? can i expect the car to feel more with it after my planned upgrades? or is this a symptom of camaro's and where you sit in them? It literally feels like my car is in lala land compared to the truck which i know is not a stiff suspension at all. If i were to turn in the truck it's like the thing knows and is like "we're turning right,h*ll yes we are!" in the camaro its like "You turned? give me a minute,,,,uhh,yes we're turning i think, look a cloud!" Makes me angry!! my stupid commuter truck should not out handle my beastly sports car ARGGHH!

 

Replace all the work and squishy rubber bushings with either new rubber ones or get some poly, or Del whatevers, and there is one more that i cant remember. but anyways if you replace the bushings it will totaly change how it feels. I have a stock 85 SC with only the small front sway bar and it feels and will handle as well as if not better than my bros 84 Z28 with the stock bushings. he starts to slide WAY before i do. oh and your truck is most likely not out handleing you car its just that the cars suspention is setup to where the same corner that feels hairy in the truck is just a walkin the park for the car. try the same turn at 2X the speed and see the difference. LOL. im just rattling on now but i think ya get my point.

 

the difference between the two, the truck and car is that in the truck i can tell when im losing traction whearas in the camaro its just like WHOOP there goes the oversteer. i have confidence in the same corner in the truck because the limits are easy to feel and controll, especially with the open diff, one tire always stays stable and the it doesnt have enough power to light up the other so its well balanced. in the camaro the response is SOOO crappy that its difficult to tell when im on the edge because the weight hasnt transfered quickly enough to tell, think i just answered my own question...

yea as far as bushings go im looking at nylon for the controll arms and some of the front suspension, and new rubbers for the rest, poly bushings squeek and restrict twisting motion.

 

The two things that made the biggest difference on my GTA were tires and SFCs - in that order. I'd guess that you probably don't need to get top-of-the-line R-compound tires to get a noticeable improvement (although if the bucks are there, go for it!).

The difference made by the SFCs is hard to describe, but after they were on, it felt for the first time like the front & rear suspensions were (for the first time) working together.

Finally, how old are the suspension components on your car? It's quite possible that degraded or worn-out pieces are contributing significantly to the "lazy" or "numb" feeling you're describing.



Replace the worn-out stuff, add good tires & SFCs, & you'll be surprised at how well your car will stick - this last summer a bunch of the guys in our local F-body group were taking 180* curves up here in the Rockies at 50-60+ mph...

 

I agree with V8 rumble that SFC's are a must in our cars and that would be my starting point. They will minimize alot of body flex and they reduced rattles in my interior. Replace all the original wornout parts in the front suspension. I used MOOG parts. There is a good sticky on part #'s at the top of this forum on that. I also added a steering box brace(wonderbar) from TDS who is one of our sponsors. I replaced the front springs(moog) and struts(kyb) and added a corvette brake kit while I had it all torn apart. I am very happy with the way it rides now. There is still a little more play in the steering wheel than I'd like so I will at some point replace the steering box and rag joint. Good luck with your car.

 

thanks for the replies, ive got some damn good tires right now, goodyear eagle GSC's iirc, 245 50 16 all the way around, brand new zr rated. before i had the truck and knew better i thought those made the car handle insanely well. Don't get me wrong, she sticks to a high degree but traction loss is very sudden and unforseen, and violent which im thinkin is because without a good response i cant feel the car like i can the truck. cannot wait till spring when its upgrade time. SFCs for sure, and a wondeer bar also, other things im not sire on yet but prob shocks springs and sway bars.