Hi guys, i have been looking to get back into a trans am or Camaro. I am currently driving a 2001 Ford Lightning. I found a 99 Trans Am for a good deal, only thing is its an auto, but i have owned plenty of auto fbodys in the past and were pleased with them. Anyways, i was curious how this TA will compare to the lightning, will the power be there? I have never driven any Fbody with an LS1. What is the stock horsepower on these? Thanks

 

You'll love the LS1. In a race, that T/A would win all day long, unless the driver decided to not take off at the starting line

Factory ratings on these cars means nothing. A lot of them put to the ground what GM said it has at the flywheel, quite a bit of them suprassing the factory rating, with only a few here and there that were slugs and didn't put down as much

So it's hard to say what kind of RWHP that one is putting down, but since it's a '99 auto, I would have to say high 200s, probably 290 or a little more. What really matters though, is your E/T. An auto '99 should be able to get mid 13s all day on decent street radials, maybe lower 13s with a great 60'

In the end, if you are planning on modding it, stock figures won't mean much to you

*edit* One last thing. PLEASE don't let anyone tell you "oh its only a trans am it sucks only buy a WS6" and you beleive them. An LS1 is an LS1. Stock for stock it's a driver's race on which car is faster

 

the trans-am is a great car to own youll love how it handles around corners and stuff compared to the lightning,as for you owning auto f-bods in races i hope your lightning wasnts stock, cause if its a stock lightning then those other f-bod owners dont know what the hell they are doing.For horsepower ratting gm listed the 99 ta at 305 hp,its more like 350 hp at the flywheel, so when it boils down to it, its anywhere between 290-315 hp being the most common dyno # ive seen for the stock moddels.

 

LS1 will feel much better uptop

 

I love my LS1. I often times wish I had a 6-speed, but the auto is way more consistant at the track. I have literally gotten times and speeds within hundredths or thousandths of each other!

*Timeslip Verified*:
- 13.021
- 13.060
- 13.083
- 13.086 (twice!)
- 13.089
...and, all on the same day:
- 105.80
- 105.82
- 105.83

I've run against Lightnings before, and seen times from 13.8 - 14.2 from them. I'd prefer a T/A over one of them.

 

You will defiently like the top end on these car compared to your lightning.

 

LS1 cars are faster then lightnings . I have 2 friends who learned this the hard way at the track after going to the local hang out and talking smack..LOL
The Auto's arent as fast as the six speeds though . Im not sure if you like manuals , but if you do , Find a six speed . Mine ran a 13.2 stock on street tires with horrible sixties And its a 99 TA
You should love the TA . Have fun and good luck .

 

Agreed.

The WS-6 is slightly quicker than the standard, but it's an insignificant amount-- nothing that you can't fix with a few minor mods. Of course, it also has better handling, which you might want to be concerned about if you enjoy the twisties...

A WS6 and a non-WS6 would both have no problems dusting most Fords

 

Depends on the Lightning. I work with a guy that ran a 12.3X ET on street tires with basic bolt ons in his Lightning. I also have a friend that had a Lightning that would leave most LS1's behind. Don't expect them all to be slower.

False. A4's run every bit as fast at the track stock vs stock. They seem to be the dogs of the LS1s at low 14 ETS (I have yet to hear of a M6 car running this slow), but many are fully capable of very low 13 1/4 times, but mid 13's is still the norm which is the same for the M6. They can leave harder on street tires without spinning as bad as us M6's. The fastest M6 is still slower than the fastest A4 LS1 car. A loose converter REALLY wakes them up. From a roll, stock vs stock is where the M6 shows it has better gears and less parasitic loss, but good luck finding many stock ones that would race.

I had an auto in my 70 SS and always got a laugh at guys that thought it was slow because of it.

 

I have the A4 in my Z28, and trust me, I'm a firm believer in "a driver's race" between 2 stock, or equally modded F-bodies, regardless of transmission.

...BUT, AFAIK, the "record" for 100% bone stock F-bodies was still set by an '01 or '02 Z28 M6 that did 12.89 @ 109 (I think it was 109? ). I think others have since repeated this, but that was one of the published magazine records. As well, if you read around on this site, more often it's the M6 cars that are breaking into the 12's before the A4 cars, unless the A4 has a stall...at which point the M6 guy has to really know how to drive.

Point being, the only time the A4 is faster against the M6 is when guy driving the 6-speed isn't the most accomplished driver. Since the auto soaks up more power to run than the standard does, it only stands to reason that M6's will dyno more (at the wheels) and run faster, all other things being equal.

Now I DO realize that the majority of "average" drivers may not be able to run their M6's faster than comparible A4's, but that's not the cars' fault.

 

FALSE......
Think about it
the stick is
1:geared better
2: weighs less
3:has less HP loss
It is common knowledge unless the guy in the six speed cant drive mod for mod the six speed will win . I have owned both and driven many .
In my stock 6 speed I outran 5 auto LS1's , 2 of wich where geared and 1 being geared with a Lid , at the track . I had no problem what so ever outrunning these cars .
Not to mention my auto LT1 was NOTHING compared to my stick . Felt like 2 completely different cars so say what you want ..I know what I know . 6 speeds are faster .
they trap higher " more power to the ground " Not to mention you can pull a 2.3 sixty in a manual and still have a chance of beating that auto that pulled a 2.0
As far as the fastest f-bod being an auto...hmmm...let me think about that..Well when your starting to get to the low 10's it gets damn hard to shift the gears . Thats a whole other ball game when you car is trapping 138+MPH . when you get that far your starting to get to the point to where you need an auto fro the simple fact people cant shift fast enough to keep up with that type of speeds .
at a 9 second run your shifting every 2 seconds and there is no room for error .
ANd as far as the lightning goes . I talking about a stock F-bod VS a lightning ..Who said anything about bolt ons ? I didnt !

 

Couldnt have said it better pete

 

Just look at the times most people post. M6's are usually in the mid to low 13 range, but I've seen a lot of A4 guys and girls getting lower 13's with 3.23's and even 2.73's. I've actually seen more A4 people post faster times. Ya, its usually the driver, but the car can't drive it's self. I've beat A4's at the track and on the street, but I've also been beaten by them. I agree with your statements in theory. I've been a few lengths behind from the line and made them up and put the same lengths on an A4 car at the track, but just because it's an A4, I don't automatically think I'll walk them.

Sometimes less power/gearing and a little more weight makes for a better track set up. (Especially on radials and a non-prepped surface) I've raced many BBC cars that going by your more gear/power/torque and less weight concept should have raped my SBC 70 SS, but I'd win or run right with them.

Race an A4 with the same mods as you and a converter and then tell me how you do. I've seen them gain up to .6 with a converter alone.

Sorry, but I've seen fewer stock Lightnings than I've seen stock LS1 f-bodies. Most people don't buy them to leave them stock. I live in the real world not theoretical. If most are modded and running fast then thats your competition, not the stocker garage queens that may see 1000 miles a year.