![]() On V-6 models, Pontiac stiffened the front springs and used smaller diameter stabilizer bars to make the ride less stiff. It means smoother ride and more precise handling. It helped that Pontiac revalved the shocks on V-8 models for ’98 and beefed up engine mounts to reduce engine vibration and bounce, which lessens vertical movement under the hood so the coupe doesn’t gyrate each time the engine does. The driver had control over the course the course didn’t dictate to the driver. No fighting the wheel.Įngine/suspension/steering/brakes were in harmony. No lean, sway or riding on the sidewalls. The Trans Am sat flat while scooting through the course on its speed-rated, p245/50ZR, 16-inch, all-weather radials. Pontiac borrowed the blueprint to come up with a more civilized Trans Am for 1998.Īt a media preview at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway here, a special serpentine course was set up with a series of sharp turns and one modest straightaway to test the coupe’s ride and handling. When Chevy brought out its re-engineered Corvette for ’97,it revised its age-old philosophy about how to treat sports-car buffs. Past Firebirds put occupants through a ritual initiation of getting bounced around, beaten and bruised so they could say they traveled fast in a sports coupe. And you won’t have to fight the wheel to keep control. Performance means you can accelerate into and out of those bends in the road without having to slow down and tiptoe to keep the body from leaning or swaying. It takes a more road worthy suspension that keeps the car sitting flat on the pavement. At 115 m.p.h., Pontiac boasts you won’t hear much transmission noise filtering into the cabin–as if you could hear trans noise over your heartbeat at 115 m.p.h.īut it takes more than a potent V-8 to make a performance coupe. Pontiac also revised the automatic transmission to handle the power more quietly. The camel mode was adopted from the Cadillac Northstar V-8. The engine will shut down four cylinders while using the other four to pump air to cool the engine. The new V-8 also has a so-called camel mode, meaning if it starts to overheat, you can limp home for help even if you lose the coolant. V-8.That means quicker movement off the line. in the ‘Vette and 325 foot-pounds of torque at 4,500 r.p.m. versus 350 foot-pounds of torque at 4,400 r.p.m. V-8 delivers 335 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 r.p.m. The major change is that the base coupe and convertible offer a 3.8-liter V-6 as standard, but the uplevel Formula and Trans Am sport a 305-horsepower version of Corvette’s 5.7-liter, 345-h.p., LS1 V-8 engine to replace the 5.7-liter, 285-h.p. Nothing major: a new hood, facia, fenders, popup headlamps and novel honeycomb taillights but attractive. The lesson learned from the Chevrolet Corvette has been passed down to the Pontiac Firebird.įor 1998, Pontiac has redesigned its Firebird sport coupe.
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