Want stiffer performacne, what to do?

[99firebirdconv.]

I want my car to handle a little better around corners, and not have so much body role. What is the best way and cheaper way of achieving this? I dont want to lower the car though!
:D

[Dominic]

Shocks and Swaybars are your answer.

[99firebirdconv.]

what kind, model should i go with??

[Dominic]

How much do you want to spend (little as possible or the sky is the limit...), what suspension mods have you done so far, and what are your intended goals (AutoX, Roadrace, just better roadfeel)?

[99firebirdconv.]

i just want a little better road feel. :D

[Arctc Wolf]

swaybars, stb, sfc's. swaybars reduce body roll by tying the left anf right springs/shocks 2gether and resists 1 side moving up more than the other. stb just stiffens the engine bay up and ties the 2 shock towers 2gether, basically "boxing" the front end. sfc's tie the front and rear chassis components 2gether across the floorpan. both the stb and sfc's r recommended on convertible and t-tops cars, since they're not as stiff as a hardtop.

[strobhen]

some nice bilsteins, conservative sway bars, and perhaps 1le lca & panhard (am assuming your not up for much racing, as far as aftermarket lca & panhard go, 1le are the most streetable. I do not reccommend getting any LCA in which both ends have poly bushings)

If your still not satisfied, perhaps some 1le springs (just a tad stiffer, no lower) would bring you closer to your goal.

Shock Tower Brace (we do not have struts) does little for the car unles if you are running racing tires & doing some autoX. Sub fram connectors will stiffen the car up a little -- rougher ride but perhaps a more solid feel.

[Dominic]

Since you run a 99, do you plan on lowering this car or not?

I can already recommend the 1LE Swaybars and a good set of performance tires, plus a cheap performance alignment. Those 3 things right there are cheap and will give you a much better road feel.

The next step past that is of course shocks - but depending on what springs you are using (stock or otherwise) depends on what shock you outta get. If you want to stick with stock shocks the Bilsten HDs are a great choice ;)

[V6Bob]

99 firebirdconvertible says "I want my car to handle a little better around corners" and "i just want a little better road feel", and the recommendation is 1LE swaybars? That's way too extreme a mod.

Strobhen has a more responsive answer. If you're going to do swaybars, conservative swaybars, especially on the rear. The front reduces roll way more.

Personally I think the 1LE springs and a decent set of shocks would be a much better idea (and safer) for someone who wants to tighten up their car a little.

Look at the posting on the free lowering mod where people get bent out of shape about removing a rubber spacer because "GM put it in for a reason", and yet people are willing to do a mod which will totally change the handling balance of the car designed in by GM. I just don't get it. I guarantee you GM engineers would be horrified at the thought of mixing 1LE bars and 99 V6 springs. This is one of the most unbalanced combinations possible.

Actually my recommendation is a set of subframe connectors first. On a convert, the difference in how tight the car feels is amazing. The flexible chassis of a stock convertible is not a good platform for stiffening the suspension.