firebird, trans am, what's the deal

[99camaroSS]

I was just wondering how the firebirds ranked from least to greatest. For example i know the camaro's go sport coupe v6 to rs v6 to z28 v8 to ss.
but there are so many different levels of firebirds i was wondering if any body put there could fill me in. THANKS!

[BlkCamaroSS]

In trim level, it's Firebird (V6), Formula (Firebird accessories with a V8), Trans Am, WS6 TA or Firehawk. I'd consider the last two almost interchangeable, with the edge to the Firehawk on styling...

[BadAzz240]

yea...Firebird(v6), Firebird Formula(V8), then Formula w/ Firehawk Package would be next....as for the TA, its just TA(v8) or Trans Am with a WS6 Package.

[BlkCamaroSS]

The Firehawk was converted from both Formulas and Trans Ams. Easiest way to tell the difference is to look at the spoilers, they each retained their original spoiler...

[99camaroSS]

If that is so then why do some trans ams look so dull and have no ram air when some formuls have ram air and look better than the non ram air TA i dont understand why its an option on both. is a trans am with ram air any better than a formula with ram air. and thank you for our input

[BlkCamaroSS]

It just depended on what was ordered with each car at the time. If you ordered a WS6 TA, you got the WS6 Ram Air hood, which looks tons meaner than the regular flat TA hood. The regular TA and Formula share the same hood. If a Formula has a ram air hood, it's most likely an aftermarket mod...

This is what a 98-02 Formula body should look like...

[DVS LT1]

Man, what a beautiful car! '98+ is when that new Firebird style began looking better to me than the T/A - too much stuff going on in the front of those cars. But back from '93-'97 the Firebird's looked hurting compared to the T/A.



btw, that car probably looks better without the ram air...

[nmn54]

This is kind of off topic but not really but what is a Camaro Ultra Z I saw someone driving one at my school that has every car you can think of and it had like double dual exhaust in the back centered.

[BlkCamaroSS]

It was also done by SLP. This is their test car...

http://www.slponline.com/projcar.asp

The Ultra Z parts can be bought through SLP. It's essentially another hood and spoiler option for your Camaro. The exhaust you saw was a CME (center-mounted exhaust), also available from SLP. There were also a few red, white, and blue examples that came straight from SLP, but if you see any vehicles like that, it's been modified from what it came from the factory like...

[koeb$]

doesnt a firehawk have differnt intake pieces for the ram air then a normal ws6 or formula

[BlkCamaroSS]

Not that I know of, factory replacement hood...

[FormulaLT1]

Both the WS6 and The Firehawk have the Same intake except for 1997 when the Firehawk was actually using the LT4 engine (Corvette Grand Sport engine). But a Firehawk is a actual model like Firebird or Trans Am , where as WS6 is a option that could be taken on either the Formula or the Trans Am and by the way 90 % of WS6's are Formula's. Also most Formula's came with FE2 handling package, which is the Trans Am Suspension , So the only difference basically between the Formula and Trans Am is the Front Bumper and Rear spoiler in 93-97 Models and slightly different front body panels in 98-2002 models

[BlkCamaroSS]

The Firehawk is an option, because it was performed on both Formula's and Trans Am's. There are both Formula and TA-derived Firehawks, their spoilers give them away because they retain their original spoiler. They could be either ordered by a customer or by a dealer just the way they wanted it. It was another option that was available on the purchase of any Pontiac V8 F-body, most never knew about it...

[DVS LT1]

Actually, Koeb is correct - the Firehawks of '02 and possibly earlier did in fact come with slightly different intake nostrils on the hood. The Firehawk's looked similiar to the "Raptor" aftermarket hood although not as bulged along the top. The Firehawk hood also had heat extractor vents at the top corners closest to the windshield.



The WS-6 hoods are almost identical but can be distinguished by the hood divider through the middle of the nostrils. Take a look at the non-functional "half" nostrils in the pic BlackSS posted, and image a functional setup/bulge being dropped right on top of that hood. That is basically what the WS-6 hood is. The top two "half" nostrils are functional while the lower two "half" nostrils are not and are identical to the ones in the red Firebird pic.

[BlkCamaroSS]

If you're talking about the simple style changes in the hood, then yes you're right. The Firehawk hood is different than the WS6 hood in design, more badass looking too IMO. As for the design itself, it still flows air into the hood in the same manner that the other hoods do, through the same route. That's what I meant by it being a direct factory replacement hood.

It also occurs to me that we may be saying the same thing, just in a different way, lol...