Max lift and tire size on a GM W-Body

Asking for a friend: is there a way to add a bit of height and if so/not, what tire size and type would help the most if one we're looking to get to fishin' holes and back?

2000-ish Grand Prix W platform.

at least this much

Plastic transverse leaf in the rear, so lift has to be done with air shocks or similar. Front struts are weird- you change shock inserts with a special socket, leaving the spring and strut in the car.

In reply to Streetwiseguy:

Definitely not a transverse leaf in the rear and I've never heard of that front strut setup. Are you sure your thinking of a 2000ish w-body? I owned a 99 and an 05 and they were both standard struts in the front and rear.

kill it with fire

Streetwiseguy wrote: Plastic transverse leaf in the rear, so lift has to be done with air shocks or similar. Front struts are weird- you change shock inserts with a special socket, leaving the spring and strut in the car.

the early 90's cars were like that, but they phased that out when they started coming out with the next gen cars starting with the 95 Lumina/Monte Carlo.. in fact, i don't think all W bodies had the "Corvette inspired" leaf spring setup, either, since my brother's old 92ish Regal had regular struts in the rear..

Kill it with fire?

Aren't these the cockroaches of the auto industry?

Not a very inspiring platform but they just keep on living?

mndsn has it correct. I would look at donk lift kits. No clue as to a GRM/parts from car X/junkyard swap solution.

9c1 springs from an 00-05 'w' Impala are about 1" higher than stock. Ended up with them on my '00 Impala when an ebay order sent me the wrong ones. Should fit on any other late 'W'. It was nice since I didn't scrape the nose on driveways after that.

I think there's a 9c1 skidplate too. That'll help in the woods.

Look at the springs that came with the V8 car. I'd assume the V8 was heavier than the Supercharged V6?

The 93 Cutlass Supreme in my driveway has a transverse leaf spring and it's fiberglass, not plastic. That setup didn't last long, from my research.

In reply to chrispy:

I had a '94 4 door Grand Prix with the fiberglass transverse rear leaf. It cracked/broke, the rear of the car sagged badly, and the car was then named "The Squatmobile." I eventually replaced the spring, had to cut the "dual" exhaust off to replace it, open exhaust on a 3100 doesn't sound as terrible as you might think. I was often asked by yokels, "what ya got in that thing?" Open exhaust was replaced with a pair of the cheapest Thrushes Summit had available, still didn't sound terrible.

I think there's a "you might be a redneck if..." joke in that little story somewhere.

• Lee

I guess I was thinking of the older ones. Its part of the problems of aging- time starts to compress...

You'd be surprised how far a typical 90s FWD car will go offroad dead stock on cheap street tires, I happen to know from personal experience a 96 Sunfire can ford at least 10" of water. You can get some ghetto limited slip diff action by working the brake with your left foot. Just put in in 1st gear and take it slow, think ahead, know where the tires are.

I'd probably go with cheap rubber coil spacers, like these http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/SPR4/181901/N1716.oap?ck=Search_coil+spacer_N1716_-1_3325&keyword=coil+spacer&pt=N1716&ppt=C0361, and 205/75r15 general grabbers.

mndsm wrote: at least this much

Came in for donks. Was not disappointed.

Do not use donk lift kits. They're pretty stiff and not fishin' hole approved.

I would think coil spacers and/or air shocks?

In reply to Kenny_McCormic:

Were you to mention the word "Catruck" to any of my high school cronies, I guarantee they will all instantly remember my first car, '90 4 door Grand Prix. While they all had fourwheelers and trucks, I had a Grand Prix. There's not many places their trucks, and yes even fourwheelers went that my Grand Prix didn't go too. It may, or may not, have had a roof mounted light bar with 4 6" Daylighter knock offs mounted to it, Armadillos are nocturnal you know.

• Lee

In reply to bigdaddylee82:

Is be lying if I said I didn't LOVE the green convertible Mustang replica that Fast and Loud built!

Brings back mamories of my friends 5.0 '83 Capri we used as a truck going fishing and having fires in Plymouth Ma.

1997 to 1998 was the transition away from the transverse leaf & struts with inserts. Really an entirely different chassis. I agree with suggest of looking towards the big-wheel hoopty side of the enthusiast spectrum for parts and "engineering".

As far as a tire, this is available in what was stock size for my Olds Intrigue, so I think it'd be find for a Grand Prix; Firestone Winterforce Highway manners aren't supposed to be all that great though.

Wanderer wrote:

mndsm wrote: at least this much

Came in for donks. Was not disappointed. Do not use donk lift kits. They're pretty stiff and not fishin' hole approved. I would think coil spacers and/or air shocks?

I couldn't help it. W body anything is hood approved, and if it's hood approved, it gets stupid wheels on it. The progression was natural from there.

Actually I'd probably just look for some kind of spring spacer that will add 1" of lift. Unless you want to go with some kind of strut that has added extension, I don't think there's a lot of available lift available in the stock strut. Add an inch + some decent tires and I say good enough.

The bilstien struts off of the later GXP is reported to raise an earlier a little more than an inch, they were very pricy five years ago and I'm sure they are even more so today...if you can even find them. Took some trickery to make it work iirc.

edit; Now that I think about it it raised a car with lowering springs an inch. Not sure it would effect one at stock ride height.

How effective any car is off road is inversely proportional to the amount of give-a-E36 M3 that the driver possesses. There is a multiplier for skill.

snailmont5oh wrote: How effective any car is off road is inversely proportional to the amount of give-a-E36 M3 that the driver possesses. There is a multiplier for skill.

I can attest to this. Very far have I taken a neon off road. I almost want another one, but a SOHC Coupe with some SRT4 springs to give it a lift and cheap small off road tires. Sidewall is your friend.

Had a 97 gtp 2dr with grand am steelies and 215 70 15 snowtrakkers. Race car spring rubbers and fresh coils lifted her quite a bit