4th gen Performance and Problems...

Well guys, I think I am just going to throw the towel in on the 3rd gen and finally get myself a 4th gen... Before I do though, I wanted to get some opinions and experiences from all the 4th gen owners out there.

First of all, do you guys run into many overall problems with this generation? I need something reliable for a while and I plan on keeping mine stock until my Talon is finished. Once its done then I will upgrade a few things depending on which model I end up with.

Fuel mileage... Is it really that horrible with the v8's or is it just about as well as the v6's get? As stock? As modified?

Snow drivers... Horrible in the snow? I know I always threw a few salt bags in the back of my Firebird for extra weight and never had any problems in the winter.

The infamous t-top leaks... Just recently my t-tops started leaking some along the corners but not too bad. I know this was a major problem with most others from the 3rd generation and older. Was this setup improved with the 4th gens or are they just as much of a problem as most older t-tops?

Do the trannys take a pretty good beating or are they weaker? I'm still undecided between an auto and standard... I like both but the standard is so much more fun...

Time for the performance opinions... Ok, I have always wanted to finally have a v8. But, with gas prices and the price difference between v6/v8 models I'm almost leaning towards getting a v6 again. Another reason for the v6 would be the fact that theres plenty of room under the hood if I ever want to turbocharge it... But, with the v8 I could have all that power and then some right off the bat. I'm still not sure which I will go with as I'm trying to weigh out my options here and what will best fit my needs for now...

All thoughts, opinions and comments are welcome. :)

My a4 v6 gets anywhere from 19-23 mpg, not that great. I'm not satisfied with a v6's power, but for the price it isn't too bad.

te LS1's get 25mpg on highway or better. And pack over 300hp. i think that is pretty good. if you don't have that much snow, there is not anything to worry about, some sandbag will do fine. And t-top leaks are only on the 3rd gens that i know of. All the 4th gens i see are fine. And the v8's get the same or better mpg as the v6's with ALOT more power. Both the A4's and M6's are good. The M6 can probly handel a little more power than the A4. But if you want to drag i say get the A4, but if you are street/strip, get a M6. Or which ever you run across is the cheepest.

LT1 or LS1 or V6?

Go with a LS1 for shure. They get way better gas milage, and make more power and also have a high compression, so they love NOS and boost.

Well... I would really like to go with an LS1. But I will just have to see what good deal I can dig up. I am more so considering a v6 because of the cheapness of it. Of course I'm browsing in a price range of 5,000-10,000ish and I would like to get something with 50k miles or less... If I could find an LS1 within that price range and decent miles then I would probably go for that. But so far my searches in Northeast Ohio hasn't turned up too many decent deals. :(

BTW what is the compression on the LS1 97cavalier?

i know it is high, it is like 10 to1 or 11. i forgot the actual number. luos can tell ya.

Oh Mr. Luos... :biggrin: lol

The LS1 is 10.1:1 stock. Good for nitrous, but not much boost.
10.1:1 isn't really that high with the aluminum heads.

They mod VERY well. My 1999 made 320 RWHP with a lid and catback on a dynojet.
6-speed cars can see 30+ MPG on the highway. My best was 31 MPG.
Average around town was 23 MPG if I stayed out of it.

Yeah, not so great for boost but I'm sure its not the worst. I think Lingenfelter Vettes run a 10.1:1 compression IIRC... Whatever I do get, I will definetly be boosting it sometime in the future. :)

I am not sure what my gas mileage will be with boost but I was getting high 20's with my near 500 horse 383 LT1. The rears are major weak point and the tranny's can only take so much. Although with a good rebuild with all the right parts they can be made to run well right into the single digits.

If your planning to get a V6 cause of gas mileage, think again cause the feedback I have been getting the V8's might even be more efficient.

All highway with 3.08's I could get ~27 mpg. I'm not sure with 3.42's though, never tried. I would average anywhere from 19-23 though with a 3.8l a4 and 3.08 gears. I would never buy another v6, except for looks.

If your planning to get a V6 cause of gas mileage, think again cause the feedback I have been getting the V8's might even be more efficient.

correct, due to power vs. weight ratio

I'd say scope out LS1tech and FullThrottleV6 to see a good amount of what people are doing to each engine

First of all, do you guys run into many overall problems with this generation?
Fuel mileage... Is it really that horrible with the v8's or is it just about as well as the v6's get? As stock? As modified?
Snow drivers... Horrible in the snow?
The infamous t-top leaks...
Do the trannys take a pretty good beating or are they weaker?
Time for the performance opinions... Ok, I have always wanted to finally have a v8. But, with gas prices and the price difference between v6/v8 models I'm almost leaning towards getting a v6 again. Another reason for the v6 would be the fact that theres plenty of room under the hood if I ever want to turbocharge it... But, with the v8 I could have all that power and then some right off the bat. I'm still not sure which I will go with as I'm trying to weigh out my options here and what will best fit my needs for now...

All thoughts, opinions and comments are welcome. :)

Ok my car only has 29,000 miles on it.. I have not had any problems with it at all.
Gas mileage I have an M6 (manual) On the highway I get 32 average 33 best. In the city I can't keep my foot of the gas with the cutout so I usually get 16ish. I have a DD that gets 30+ in the city so I don't drive the SS too much.
Never driven it in the snow so I couldn't tell you. I hear as long as you have snow tires and sand/salt in the trunk your good.
My t-tops leaked untill I got subframe connectors then they stopped. Tranny is pretty stout on the cars as long as you don't do some 5K launches. If you get a v6 and do alot of work to it your gas mileage will be worse that the LS1 in my opinion. If you want the HP get the v8. You'll probably save on insurance but with all the money you dump into a v6 you won't get much past the 320hp mark. Ls1 come with that stock. If you want the hp and gas mileage there's nothing that compares to the Ls1. If you look for the LS1 watch the sail panel bewteen the year 2001-2002 there is a bulletine out on that the clear seperates from the paint due to the glue used to glue that piece on. If you live next to a cool dealer they will replace it for free but you gotta go through a lot of shit. I lucked out I had to drive 300miles round trip to get my sail panel fixed for free.:2cents:

Nate

I have a 99 formula ram air .My problem is this.I have a hyper tec programmer.I keep hitting the rev limiter.How high can I go with it without hurting my engine?Can anyone help? TRICK

Leave it stock.

I have a 99 formula ram air .My problem is this.I have a hyper tec programmer.I keep hitting the rev limiter.How high can I go with it without hurting my engine?Can anyone help? TRICK
6200 RPM's if you are running the stock valvesprings.

So I'm still undecided what to do here... I gotta get some stuff figured out before I go and pick one. I wish life was easier to do this sort of stuff. lol

When it comes to the LS1....feel free to ask me anything.
I have most likely been there.

Ok guys, here are a few Trans Ams I have found that interest me...

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=173959156&dealer_id=55568696&car_year=1998&model=TRANSAM&num_records=25&make2=&start_year=1998&keywordsrep=&keywordsfyc=&engine=&certified=&body_code=0&fuel=&search_type=both&distance=100&color3=&color2=&make=PONT&color=&min_price=&drive=&default_sort=priceDESC&max_mileage=&style_flag=1&sort_type=priceDESC&address=44625&advanced=&end_year=2007&doors=&transmission=&max_price=15000&cardist=49

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=210008012&dealer_id=56597722&car_year=2000&model=TRANSAM&num_records=25&make2=&start_year=1998&keywordsrep=&keywordsfyc=&engine=&certified=&body_code=0&fuel=&search_type=both&distance=100&color3=&color2=&make=PONT&;

The first one I really like because of the extremely low miles but its an automatic and a 98. The LS1 ran in all 98's correct? Because I saw one ad that said LT1 and it kinda made me second guess my f-body knowledge.

The second one has a bit more mileage on it but its also a 6 speed, a 2000 and I have personally inspected it already... :biggrin:

I'm really not sure which one would be the better deal here. They each have good and bad's about em. Opinions?

All factory V8's came with a LS1 but alot of people do custom things so I am sure there are a few 98's out there with LT1's under the hood.

Also, I personally like the second one better but the first one is practically a new car with those miles.

Hmmm Maybe I should just consider getting one a little bit older. Are the LS1's really that much better than the LT1's?

In stock form, yes. They are 35- 45 horse more powerfull at the wheels. They are newer, so by average vehicle to vehicle they are more dependable at this point. However, alot of the parts used on a stock LT1 are restrictive and meant to detune it. So adding on the ponys is very simple and with things like headers, a catback and cold air intake. Your right there with LS1's. When I first got my car it had a catback and a cold air intake. I just swapped the gears for some 3.73's and tuned the PCM and I was taking out stock LS1's without a issue.

Well, I've been looking around still here and I happened to run across this recent Trans Am... I know its not near as new as the other two I posted but its damn cheap for what it is I think.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=212220135&dealer_id=58860449&car_year=1995&search_type=both&num_records=25&keywordsfyc=&make=PONT&transmission=&model=TRANSAM&distance=100&make2=&address=44625&default_sort=priceDESC&advanced=&certified=&max_mileag

It kind of poked my interest with a pricetag like that. :)

Think its junk?

Looks awesome but you gotta drive it to see if there is anything wrong with it. That pay off thing scares me a little. I hope it aint a repo cause those are usually always not collected in the best of shape or conditions.

Looks awesome but you gotta drive it to see if there is anything wrong with it. That pay off thing scares me a little. I hope it aint a repo cause those are usually always not collected in the best of shape or conditions.
I know, thats what I was thinkin... Then again, my buddy got his old 96 z28 from a repo and it was absolutly in mint condition. So who knows... All I know is I'm gettin sick of the 3rd gen being an old beater. lol

I like it, my step brother had the same thing. same color and year and he had 70,000 on it. Good car. But all you have to do is drive it and check for leaks and crap.

Well, its been an interesting day. Some stuff has come up and I will be holding off on buying any car for a while here...

Thanks for all your input guys.