Got traction?

[TA^Guy]

Damn. The Grand Am of the month at PFYC.com (http://www.pfyc.com/store/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=PFYC&Category_Code=GA) reminds me when Chad would drive this guys Rabbit GTI around a exit ramp lifting the right rear tire. :Lol:

[Artic]

I seen that the other day that is some heavy turning :)

[RocketFast321]

how fast you think he was going?

[Artic]

Ummm I am saying on the verge of too fast :)

[antirice]

reminds me of that monster truck announcer Army Armstrong, "LEEEEEEEEAN INTO IT!!"

[Night Wolf]

lol, I wish someone could tape my car going around turns at high speed.... omg..... I can feel and see the body roll, I can just imagine how it would be from the outside... lol

still pretty cool....

[ccarr8705]

did that with a donut tire once.

[JoeyK]

Originally posted by RocketFast321
how fast you think he was going?

I took mine through the cones @ around 35 mph the rear wheel began to lift. we were playing around in the parking lot after work one sat. & My buddies kinda freaked out, I thought it felt like it but was unsure untill I pulled up to them,... So I hadda go do it again. Although it is kinda scarry, it feels like your gonna roll the car when it does it.:) /We didn't have the cones real tight, not sure of the distance between them since we were just playing around. I also found that if you nudge the parking brake a bit at the same time it'll come around quite nicely:D

[tenspeed]

Originally posted by RocketFast321
how fast you think he was going?

The tighter the turn, the lesser the speed needed to raise a wheel.

He was probably in the 30 - 40 MPH range.

[GrandAm95]

haha the three wheel trick scary but fun, fells like ur goin to blow out the front tire sometimes but thank god it never happend yet :nervous:

[JoeyK]

... lol ya, but it definately isn't good on things, that's for sure! Especially the front tire that's taking on the extra weight.

[ramairgt1]

that pic just shows how shitty the grand am suspension is

[JoeyK]

Kinda wondering how much a 1.5" drop & bigger diameter sway bars w/ urethane bushings would help. that & a pair of strut tower braces. The 1st time the car did it for me it kinda freaked me out but it doesn't do it unless your going to the extreme. I don't thnk the GA suspension is sh*tty. It's great for a car of it's type, mines a GT & the only way you get wheel lift is if you push it to where your on the brink of taking it shiney side down if ya know what I mean.

[99GrandAMSE]

Originally posted by Ramairgt1
that pic just shows how shitty the grand am suspension is

That wasn't really fair John :wink4: ... in all fairness though to the Grand AM, with the right driver behind the wheel (more specifically, Jason) I have seen a Grand AM out due, or at the very least, stay with various Hondas, Fieros and a Mustang or two :D

http://www.gaownersclub.com/forum/attachment.php?postid=207593

[99GrandAMSE]

... I love this shot!! :D

http://www.gaownersclub.com/forum/attachment.php?postid=207596

[PGsGT]

^^ Thats an SE though - it wouldn't fair as well as the GT's.

Originally posted by 99grandamse
That wasn't really fair John :wink4: ... in all fairness though to the Grand AM, with the right driver behind the wheel (more specifically, Jason) I have seen a Grand AM out due, or at the very least, stay with various Hondas, Fieros and a Mustang or two :D


It should stay up there with the Mustangs. The Grand Am pulls only a small amount less than the current Mustangs. I believe they pull a .84G and the GA will pull around a .82G. So with minor suspension modifications, it should do better;)

[99GrandAMSE]

Originally posted by PGsGT
^^ Thats an SE though - it wouldn't fair as well as the GT's. ...

I don't understand your comment as pre-99 SE and GT suspensions were the same AFAIK (if I remember correctly the only differences were cosmetic) but as far as post-99 SE and GT suspensions go, there are certainly differences but my point remains true that I don't believe Johns comment of the Grand AMs suspension being 'shitty' was fair since they work quite well when you put an capable driver behind the wheel :)

[PGsGT]

Originally posted by 99grandamse
I don't understand your comment as pre-99 SE and GT suspensions were the same AFAIK (if I remember correctly the only differences were cosmetic) but as far as post-99 SE and GT suspensions go, there are certainly differences but my point remains true that I don't believe Johns comment of the Grand AMs suspension being 'shitty' was fair since they work quite well when you put an capable driver behind the wheel :)

I don't think the suspensions are shitty either. But, the SE and GT's have different suspensions from 92-98. I know that for a fact, the springs are different and so are the struts/shocks. Wheel bearings are different too;)

[99GrandAMSE]

Originally posted by PGsGT
I don't think the suspensions are shitty either. But, the SE and GT's have different suspensions from 92-98. I know that for a fact, the springs are different and so are the struts/shocks. Wheel bearings are different too;)

Really? OK ... my bad, I could have sworn they were the same in the earlier years but no matter, I have been wrong before :)

[PGsGT]

Originally posted by 99grandamse
Really? OK ... my bad, I could have sworn they were the same in the earlier years but no matter, I have been wrong before :)

meh, if I didn't have one, I wouldn't know to as much about them either:lol: Or, if I didn't have to fix it all the time rather:P

[TA^Guy]

Originally posted by Ramairgt1
that pic just shows how shitty the grand am suspension is
Actually it's doesn't show that at all.

What it shows is a car with great cornering ability.

Goto some SCCA events that are set up in the same manner and you'll see the cars that stick the corners will often lift a wheel.

Like I said in the inital, a guy Chad and I know used to own a GTi Rabbit that had alot of suspension and motor tweaks. Not only auto crossing but he was also one of the better contenders out on the ice.

I'm sure Jason will come around and help us out on this manner as this is his field. :)

[Night Wolf]

AFA the supsension thing, the '89-'91 GA had it differnt too....back then it was base/LE/SE and the SE had more tigher suspension then the LE.... not sure on the '85-'88's although probally the same.....

I don't think I ever rose a wheel (4 wheel independent suspenion) but I have taken turns hard, where the excessive amount of body roll was obviously noticable, all 4 tires were squeeling, it was as dry as coudl be,a nd my steering wheel started to give me feedback (front wheels were skipping) almost all my weight was agaisnt the driver side door, and the back end seemed like it was ready to go..... yeah, that's as far as I pushed it, but I never got a wheel off the round.... I swear though, a picture of the car at that point would really be great....when me and my friend were messing around, we had my Motorola Talkabouts, and he was behind me, so I took a turn fast (right turn) and he was like, dude, the right side of your car is almost touching the ground and the left side looks like it's a lifted truck.... that wasn't as bad as the one I was describing though.... hmmm, I guess handeling really wasn't on the list when Cadillac was making the car, although it does well, I guess the active suspension helps too....

.....just for fun, next year I want to find a '92 or '93 Touring Sedan at a junk yard (good luck) as they had thinker sway bars and tighter suspension..... probally not go as far as taking the coil springs, but maybe the front swat bar, and rear (my car dosn't have one, ut I am pretty sure the Touring Sedan does....

..... still, I like to see regualr cars race far more then super cars.... as I just think it is soo coll to see a car lean deep like that, then a super car to hardly lean at all when making a turn....

[jayhawk]

Every once in a while I autcross the Grand Am...less push in the corners than some cars! You just got to know how to set up tire pressures...

[Artic]

I think that the 98 to 95 ga's would be an awsome autocross car

[RocketFast321]

This one thing i wonder why is the suspension is tighter in my mother's milabu, i can hit turns with no body roll. But GA feels like it going to flip. I too lazy too look it up on the net.

[dearim]

Originally posted by Ramairgt1
that pic just shows how shitty the grand am suspension is

Oh, really? About every small VW for the past 20 years has done the exact same thing... in fact, most small cars will do it, and even some midsize.

All it proves is that the GA doesn't have that much extra travel in the rear suspension.

[jayhawk]

Originally posted by PGsGT
I don't think the suspensions are shitty either. But, the SE and GT's have different suspensions from 92-98. I know that for a fact, the springs are different and so are the struts/shocks. Wheel bearings are different too;)

After doing research at my store, I have verfied that GTs and SEs are set up the same in brakes, suspension, and wheel bearings.

[HomeDog]

i thought the only difference in pre 99 GA's was a body kit and engine options.

[Street-racer]

Originally posted by 99grandamse
... I love this shot!! :D

http://www.gaownersclub.com/forum/attachment.php?postid=207596

Heh I dont think you get points for killing cones.

Before a GA I had a very small japanese car with like this really weak suspention, took one turn around 90+ the car ended up driving on 2 left wheels for like a block long and also scraping the entire left side of the car since the right side was all the way up, but luckely not high enough to start rolling.

[PGsGT]

Originally posted by jayhawk
After doing research at my store, I have verfied that GTs and SEs are set up the same in brakes, suspension, and wheel bearings.

Where do you work? Maybe not all GT's came with the FE3 suspension.

[VanishingImage]

I just know my SE has great cornering at high speeds(lets just say around 35mph) and ever since i got the new springs its been hugging the corners.....I did however race a kid from school in his black 96-98 GT and me in my 97(both 2 door) still stock in suspension at the time.I took him through curves and stuff,you can bring in the fact i was prolly a better driver but looking in my rear view mirror it seemed the GT had just the same amount of roll and lifting as mine felt and from what he said my car was doing,and if you had things to be fixed in the suspension id say they are all the same(96-98 SE and GT)

[jayhawk]

Originally posted by PGsGT
Where do you work? Maybe not all GT's came with the FE3 suspension.

I work for an AFTERMARKET parts store for 10 years now. I found no such mention in any books regarding the difference between SE and GT in 1992-1998. Maybe at a DEALERSHIP they sell parts that are different, but MOOG, Wagner, and BCA Bearings found or have no need to differenciate.

[99GrandAMSE]

Originally posted by PGsGT
Where do you work? Maybe not all GT's came with the FE3 suspension.

... I have only ever seen an option for the FE3 on a Oldsmobile (hell, without searching, I don't remember what was included in the FE3 option other than I believe it was for a suspension upgrade :shrug: :D)

[PGsGT]

^Z24's also have the FE3 suspension I think.

Well, I thought I remembered specifying that I needed GT bearings at Autozone. But, other than that, the only difference that I could find in a quick search is that I have a 30mm stabilizer bar, the SEs came with a 22 or a 24 I think. Also the axel shafts are different between GT and SE.