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Putting 13's on the front will make the rear brakes look silly too imo..
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I think it makes it look tight. It looks like a racecar


So... Which ones faster? The Z or the M3?

 

Although not a drag racer, M3 is definitely a faster car. Especially high speed starts (70-80 mph). Seem like it has endless power. I drove mine upto 175+ mph and it was still accelerating.. I scared myself and stayed around 160 mph. Car has no problems going at those speeds few hours. Sticks to the road and confident. Underneath the car is very aerodynamic and purpose built..

Z28, on the other hand, feels light (I have Eibach ProKit and Bilstein HD shocks on every corner) after 150 mph. But still tons of fun to drive..

 

ditch the Bilstein HD's.

Go to Koni SA's up front and have Sam Strato revalve your rear Bilsteins. At high speeds any shock gets a good workout, but with lowering springs your HD's are already on the edge of their dampening range.

Fbodies are not inherently worse than M3's at those speeds... just takes some suspension adjustments (not that the stock DeCarbons are even decent to start with ). Plenty of 4th gens run Open Road Racing events (like the Silver State Classic in Nevada) without suspension problems... at 140mph to 210mph. :-O

Just set it up right and you'll be blowing past M3's in no time. (they're not THAT fast, lets keep this in perspective).

 

No Camaro should be at those speeds without major suspension and chassis modifications.

All I know is, both cars being immensely different. M3 is very confident at very high speeds while Camaro is not. Sure, I can improve upon Camaro's suspension. I can also improve upon M3's suspension. Camaro is lacking the chassis stiffness of the M3 big time. Unless I weld a 10 point cage..
I drive them both every day. Camaro costs half as much as M3 and it shows.. But still fun car to have. :-)



see the Z28 and M3 here

 

Just because the M3 is confience inspiring, doesn't mean it should be driven at those speeds. ANY car running above 140 should have AT LEAST a 10-pt cage.

As for the Fbody speeds I think you're missing out. Most 4th gens that do open road racing weld in a cage, weld on SFC's and slap on some Konis. I personally don't see that as "major" suspension or chasis modifications.

We're not talking tube-framed bodies, modified suspension pick-up points or suspension design changes. 4th gens already have coil-over fronts, and torque-arm rears that do very well at speed. I don't know how you could improve on a suspension other than going to IRS and even that would be debateable.

For your F-body, you may want to weld on SFC's, I know my convertible found an night and day difference the instant we finished my KBDD. No comparison. Many people also comment on how much a 4-pt/6-pt roll bar improves chasis response as well (of course there you not only have bracing of the rear fenders and body, put an additional 80lbs or so over the rear wheels... making the F/R balance a bit better).

Once I get some of this driveline work done I'll be installing a 6-pt bar with swingouts. Now wether it'll be NHRA or SCCA style I have yet to decide (or both, but I think the double cross-bars may be a bit excessive for a convertible that won't probably see more road racing than a lapping day or two)

 

Sam only revalves front Bilsteins. The rears are fine as they sit. That's exactly what I have on my car.

 

You are absolutely correct. And I rather be in M3 than the Z28 if I have to break for emergency. :-)
I do have KBDD weld-in SFCs.. Not a major improvement.
I have KBDD SFCs. Not a major improvement on my Z28 with T-Tops. Maybe different on a convertible. And I also relocated battery to the rear passenger side wheel well for better weight distribution. I visited the Auto_bar in San Diego about 5 years ago. They produce SCCA legal roll-bars for F-bodies. According to them, 6 (or 8) point ties front to rear. They are not sure about 4 point being any improvement other than roll-over protection. 4 point roll bar does not provide any chassis bracing.

 

My car is a non t-top and I feel no chassis problems with it...

 

Hard-top cars are somewhat lighter and stiffer than t-top cars.

 

Are they really? Aren't the internals of a hardtop and t-top car the same? the hardtops just have a solid piece of plastic covering the top?

 

Its not plastic its a sheet of metal and it does wonders... My car is so much stiffer than t-tops!!!

 

Sheet metal covers the top. You are kind of correct by saying internals being same! Yes, but (and most importantly) the outer edges are welded steel profiles on hardtop cars. Which provides significant resistance to twisting. But fbody still has weak chassis (in comparison to: say--> Corvette hardtops and E46 BMW coupes). Initially I was looking to get a Corvette Z06 in Germany but they (GM Military Sales) didn't give me as good deal as BMW (BMW Military Sales) was giving on the M3. I compared them both for a while and choose the M3 (8K less and rear seats!!!) And I am glad :-)

 

Honestly I dont know why you say the chassis is weak...

Maybe its my car that is a bit different.. and I've driven T-tops and yes they flex.. but my car feels very solid even with the worn out shocks.

 

Ah okay.. I'll buy that..


Must be nice to be able to have to choose between a Z06 and M3.. are there any major differences between the US and German ver?

 

Hmm, I'd have to disagree with that after driving my car home from a local cage builder last November. He put in a 4 pt. rollbar with a diagonal brace on the main hoop and it most certainly felt different over bumps, and on steering input, etc. Just put SFCs on a couple of weeks ago and felt no real difference. Even though a rollbar doesn't connect your subframes together, it can most certainly influence chassis torsional stiffness.

I'll turn the 4 pt. into a 6 pt. by the end of the summer, but for now I'm just enjoying the improvement.