Exhaust, Wheel/Rims, and Lowering.

[AddyZ28]

Ok,

I am coming back from a deployment from Iraq and getting back into the seat of my Z28 2002. It's Black with the new (when i got them) rims from the z06 solid black (10 spoke i believe/ 17/10 (i think)) with a machine silver lip finish. I have tinted windows and a tan leather interior. I have an upgraded system (MTX) stereo. So now i am looking to upgrade.

1st, The wheels i have are round on the actual rim. When i had the stock 16" they looked HUGE as far as the widness goes and now that i have put these 17's on there they look skinny. 2ndly now i am ridding too high for my liking on these rims and was looking to lower the vehicle (which is my 2nd issue). I was wondering if going to a "square tire" would be the way to go and what i should get. Im not really into drag racing so no real need for nydo's but id like a decent tire. What do you guys recommend. Give me some prices too so that way i know what to expect.

2ndly, Lowering... well when i first got the car i cut the rear springs to make the car look more plained instead of the gradual incline that the car gives off. Now that i have put different tires on it i just dont like how it rides (too high), but at the same time i dont want to car not be able to go over speed bumps. So for all you guru's out there. How much high does it raise me from going to a 16" to a 17". Im also trying to accomplish the look that i ride closer to the tire so that i fill up some of that wheel well space. That way it just looks like the car flows better.

3rdly, Im also looking to change the exhaust setup i currently have. What i did was take out the cats on the Z. I got a Y pipe and bullet (to cut down on the back pressure gargaling when i let off the gas). Then bought a Dynamix (check spelling) muffler. Now, when i first got the car i was happy with what i had, it was cheap and worked. Now, that i have a little bit more money im looking to fix this issue. The main problem that i have had with it is that it simply sounds too high. It doesnt have a low sound to it. When i hit the gas on the car it sounds like a nascar going down (sounds great when i want the car to move) but, when idling... sounds like nothing has actually been done to the car. So im looking to get more of a lower sound. Ive been thinking about going with a cam, but i just want to put that kinda money into the vehicle considering i wont be the one working on the car, it will all be done out of shops. Also, Ive been thinking about going with some headers but i dont know what i would be getting myself into. My knowledge on pipes are very limited. I had a buddy that was just getting into exhaust setup that fed me information and what to get. But, my location has changed and i am no longer around him for car information so i resort to internet usage.

So what im looking for is some knowledge in what to look for. I dont want to just rush into something and get it. Then find out that the parts i buy are crappy. So let me know what you guys think i should do. If you have any questions about anything ive typed please let me know so i can answer and hopefully resolve my issues. Thanks for your time.

Addy

[Rhino21149]

Good luck and congrats on coming home.

If you have real take-off ZO6 wheels rather than just ZO6 look alike wheels, then you have 17x9s on the front and 18x10s on the rear. We have the same set up: the wheels we took off my 02 ZO6 when we put on Fikses are now on our 98 Camaro. These will carry a 305 wide tire at the rear (not sure whether you want a 40, 35, 0r 30 section to get the right diameter), or, if you pound in the wheel wells, grind away a couple of excess bolt lengths, a 315/30 (we run 315 section BFG drag radials - they are square and look good but remember you can't use they AT ALL in the rain.) We run a 275 section tire in the front-BFG G-force. Nice tire.

Lowering - well it looks good. We did it for a while, but then werised it back-- while it looks good it rides like a truck and we got tired of it and it gave a bit more clearance for the 315s, which were tight when lowered. Plus, the car is now a street/strip car so we actually raised the back end 1 inch with really soft springs so we get a big squat when we launch.

Exhaust: its really best to go to the track or a show and find a car that sounds the way you want yours to -- manufacturers can try to tell you what the sound is and even play clips over the internet, but you really can't tell. What I do know is that sounds vary a lot, as do preferences.

Remember, headers help get you a really great sound, in addition to making more power, too.

[AddyZ28]

As for the tires, im really looking not to change the rim but just to make the tires appear to be wider then they really are right now. When i had the stock tires on they seemed HUGE compaired to what i got on now. Now im just looking to replace them with something that has a more meaty look to it.

Exhaust - ive been thinking about buying hooker headers and getting borla cat back exhaust. Thats gonna cost about 1.3k right there. But, oh well....

Now for suspension, im still totally lost. My friends are telling me to get adjustables for 1/2 inch to 1 and 1/2 so that way i have some room to play with. But i cant find any kits around.

[02z28ls1]

They do make an air suspension if you wanted something wild-low when you want and raise it back up when you have to. Air Ride Technologies makes it-look in Jeg's catalog.