New TA owner. Questions

[Gusboomer]

Hello..
I just got a 2000 tA. I have heard that the rear ends have a problem with bearings? And Im looking for a good muffler but I dont want it to be loud. Is the stock one stuffy??

[tuske427]

I don't think that the rear ends have a problem with bearings (not a manufacturing flaw)- they have a problem with all the torque applied from the engine during hard launches. This can cause any number of issues with the rear end. you could ruin the bearings, you could ruin the differential itself, you could also snap the driveshaft.

as long as you stick with road tires (not drag radial or slicks) and aren't dumping the clutch at high rpm's or neutral drops, you should be Ok. the spinning of the tires eases the burden on the rear end.

The rear axles in these cars are really inadequate for the power of the engines. this has been a problem since 1982 when they started to use the 7.5" rear end (7.625" for the 4th gen cars) Supposedly it was based on the Vega rear end. Not good.

as for muffler- you need to hear some examples of what others have on their cars. it's the only way. everyone's opinions will differ. what someone else might consider loud or quiet may not be what you consider loud or quiet. Go to an F-body gathering, local car show, or try listening to some sound clips of peoples cars online and get a taste for what you like

-BV

[Rmbodie]

I agree with this . I have 2000 TA since new . 6 speed . Still happy with stock exhaust (i'm getting old). Third set of tires last month at 50000 miles. I have a friend that races a road circuit with a Z28 that had the rear end replaced after a couple of races but she is a very aggressive driver . It may depend on the driver . Crawl under it and see how tough it looks from bottom side . Rob

[Gusboomer]

hey very good. Ill be doing that