Okay folks... I've had a new Z28 coming in for weeks, and it's been making me nuts so, rather than wait, I went and bought a new Pewter M6 Trans Am with WS6 package w/ Hurst shifter and traction control. I pick it up on Tuesday! :-)

In any case, I've got some simple newbie questions. I've been looking for the answers for all these questions, but I keep finding conflicting info.

1) What exactly is the Hurst shifter option? Is there a different linkage or is it just a shorter stick and nifty H ****? In other words, if I get a Lou's short stick or the like, would the end result on the Hurst optioned car be different than if I put it on a non-Hurst M6?

2) Does SLP have anything to do with the WS6 for 2002?

3) Is the suspension of a particular brand (ie, Bilstein, Koni, etc)?

4) Unless I'm doing some serious racing (autoX, drag), would it be worth changing out any suspension parts or should I concentrate on things like strut tower braces and SFC instead?

5) Is it worth swapping out the stock exhaust for performance or will I mostly gain sound? I'm considering a Zed-style cutout instead.

6) Will stock 16" Firebird wheels fit on my car (are the brakes the same size?)? I'm looking for something in the winter months' snow tires.

7) Will it be possible to swap out the air box lid and/or add cold air induction even tho I have factory "ram air"? I know that it's not really doing much straight from the factory, but I have to figure that it's at least adding a little cold air to the engine and engine bay so I'd like to keep it functional, too.

8) How are the stock Goodyear F1-GS tires on there? How long will they last me if I'm mostly sane? ;-)

Thanks for sticking with my lengthy post and for all your help!

Steve

 

1) The Hurst is a whole new shifter. It will have a little shorter throw, and it feels a lot better than the stock shifter. I think the lou's stick is available for the hurst, and will shorten the throws even more.

2) SLP does not do the WS6

3) I am pretty sure the suspension is exactly the same as a regular Trans Am

4) SFC's are always a good thing. You may also want to get some new LCA's if you are having any problems with wheel hop. If you want to make your car feel tighter, they yes it is worth upgrading the suspension. If you think it feels good enough, then it may not be worth it to you.

5) The factory exhaust is pretty good on a WS6, and I would just stick with the cut out

6) Yes the stock 16's will fit and the brakes are exactly the same

7) You will want to get a new lid just like the regular T/A's. Some people also get the BG ram air, and some people get the FTRA even on a WS6

8) Not sure, I have never used those tires

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'02 Formula M6
Tri Flo Exhaust, B&M Shifter, Whisper Lid, !CAGS, FRA
My old 97 Formula

"I'm not speeding, I'm qualifying."

 

put some pictures up when you can

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1994 Black 6-speed Trans-Am

• 18 inch Z06 chrome rims with 265/35zr/18 up front and 285/35zr/18 out back
• BMR adjustable panhard bar, G2 front/rear sway bars, Blistein HD shocks and struts, eibach prokit in my garage, BMR LCA's and brackets
• U.S. Exotics Warbird Hood shipping August 9th

 

You bet... I'm going to be quite proud of my new baby!

Steve

 

Congrats on the new ride. I've got a 2001 T/A WS6 which can be seen here:

http://www.t1productions.com/ws6/

As for your questions, I think they have been answered by other posts.

There is one mod that I haven't seen listed anywhere, but I did on my T/A. The ram-air "nostrils" bring the air in. They then hit a baffle that turns the air down. There they hit another baffle that turns the air back up. Then it gets to the back of the "nostrils" and turns down one more time and into the air box.

I removed the 2nd baffle. Now my air comes straight in the nostrils, turns down and into the airbox. (under a MTI Lid .. $99 on GP)

I drove in some very heavy rain the other day and had zero problems. When I got home and into the garage, I checked the filter ... normal.

To do the mod, take a drill and very gently drill the heads of the rivets holding the baffle in place. About 1/8th of a turn will snap the heads off. Push the baffle up into the nostrils and work with it until you get it to slide out. Takes about 30 seconds to pop the rivets, but took me about 10 minutes to get the thing turned where it would come out.

Another quick mod that doesn't do anything for performance, but makes it look better, is to remove the plastic honeycomb grills from the nostrils and paint them gloss black. It makes them look like metal instead of plastic. I haven't done this yet, but it's going to be done in about 2 weeks. I'm having a body shop guy do it for me ... same paint as the body and then a shot of clearcoat.

I saw this on a Firehawk and comparing hers to mine, side by side, the painted honeycomb looks a lot better.

Congrats on the new ride. Enjoy it.

Oh ... I've got the Hurst shifter and I'm installing a Spectacle Solutions short stick this week. I'll post in here how I like it. I'm also adding a STB and double diamond SFC's from Spectacle Solutions. Everything is scheduled to be installed Wednesday night. Again, I'll post in here how the ride changes.


Enjoy it !

Roger



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2001 TransAm WS6, M6 3.42
HPP, TBB, 160* t-stat, MTI Lid, Holley PowerShot, Flowmaster 80, Port/Polish MAF

2001 Z28
-- R.I.P. - 06/25/02