I have a 97 Z that Ive modded with a cc305 cam, pcmforless tuning, vavlesprings, and all the other usual bolt ons. Even when the car was stock it had problems hooking up so I put lakewood action traction bars and adj. panhard rod on. They helped a little and kept it staighter when it did smoke the tires. Now with all the things ive done im back at square one with no traction on take off. I think my car has 3.73 gears now (i think , how can I tell) and wanted to know if the 4.10s will help me out on the launch. Also has anyone tried the nitto 555r drag radials and will they help and how long will they last on the highway. and would you recomend the 245/50/16 nittos or should i spend the extra money for a set of 315/35/17 rims and tire package. thanks for the help.

 

4.10s will make it HARDER to get traction off the line. As to what gears you have, where they changed at some point? 3.73 is not a stock option, 3.42 was the only gear ratio available to manual cars from 94-02, and autos could have 2.73 or 3.23. If they were changed, the only way to really tell is to use a gear calculator like this one:
http://www.f-body.org/gears/
for example:
M6 3.42s: 60MPH@2000rpm in 5th
M6 3.73s: 55MPH@2000rpm in 5th
M6 4.10s: 50MPH@2000rpm in 5th

As for the Nitto 555Rs, depending on how much track use you put them through, they will normall last 10-15K useable street miles (meaning until they hae 1-2/32nds tread left and shouldn't be used in the rain). They are much stickier than a normal street tire, but aren't up to the stickiness of the BFG DR or a true slick. However, they can be driven on the street without any problem (and many people use them this way). I currently run the 555R II as a street tire (roadcourse version) and am very happy with them. I've also run the 555Rs as a street tire and the performance is almost exactly the same. As to size, I'd step up to the 315 as it'll give you a much larger contact patch, which is important with the Nitto since they don't have a lot of sidewall flex (thus the good street characteristics).

 

Everything I have ever read about the "Lakewood Traction Action" bars on a 4th Gen indicates they don't work. I believe several people have had them tear themselves apart, which makes sense, since they appear to place the suspension in bind, fighting the torque arm swing radius.

The fastest 4th Gens I've ever seen (1.31 60-ft, on a 30th SS making over 1,000rwHP, and running 8.6@160+MPH) use the stock "style" suspension components, upgraded to the beefier models from people like Spohn.

The perfect launch:

http://cjcfo.fbody.com/members/injun...B/IMG_0710.jpg

 

thankks for the info and please if anyone wants to add anything please do so. thanks again

 

yea, 4.10s will make it harder to hook like everyone else said

here's a quote for you though that i heard a couple of weeks ago...

1) do power mods til you can't get any traction
2) do traction mods til you can't break the tires loose
3) repeat

 

Yeah the 4.10s will make it harder to get traction. I suggest some suspension mods such as a Torque Arm, relocation brackets and of course a stickier tire.
I pull 1.9 sixty foot times with a BMR TA, relo brackets and an Eibach drag launch kit and I have yet to really give it hell launching it.

 

Tires will make a world of difference. Also, for drag racing purposes, stick with 16" rims so you can run higher profile tires (50-series vs. 40-series) because more sidewall is better for straight-line traction. Also, on radial tires, less pressure isn't always best.....keep them pumped up to at least 30 - 32 psi, and even try ~35 psi. Only when you start running true drag tires should you drop them to ~20 psi or less.

BTW, is your car an auto or 6-speed?

 

I think these guys covered the suspension part of that question well. As for your gears, check the codes on door, that says everything about your car, you could have the stock 3.42
A GU2=2.73
A GU5=3.42
Hopefully you have the 3.42 which will give you the best all around freeway/street performance if you have an A4. If you have an M6, go for the 3.73, and perhaps look into the SLP chunk to strengthen up your posi unit since you will be in there.

 

All fixed!

 

You know i sat here and thaught about those codes for like 5 minutes before i posted cuz i didnt want to make myself look dumb, but i shouldve double checked anyway, I was wrong, you were right. Im tired and the brain has stopped working for me Anyway here is a list of the rpo codes, you can check everything your car has in it stock.

http://www.projectcamaro.com/history4-2.htm

 

I think that V6 cars actually use 3.42's as an option, and M5's use 3.23's, IIRC? 3.08's are also used in V6's.....I can't remember 100% for sure though, so you maybe weren't all wrong.

 

Get some 15 x 10 rims and a pair of ET Streets if you want to hook up.