O K heres where I'm confused, and if this is somewhere else in the forum, i apologize, i couldn't find anything. so heres the questions, without going into specifics.

1 - do the firebird and the trans am have the same body or is the firebird a lighter construction?

2 - if the firebird is a lighter construction, isn't the formula a firebird body with a trans engine? (hence faster cuz bigger engine and lighter body?)


now i know theres different engines lt ls and ws, I"m just looking for general. i have a 98 formula and a kid a work with has an 00 or 01 trans and we get into this argument all the time, and I'm pretty sure neither one of us is positive about our side of the argument, so I'm turning to the experts. any help is appreciated,

thanks

The general overall body style is the same for all the 4th gens, 1993-2002. The exceptions to that really are the nose clip (different between the V6 Birds/Formulas and the T/As), the rear hatch (low rise spoiler on the V6 Birds/Formulas, high rise spoiler on the T/A) and the lower ground effects that are on the T/A's but not on the V6 Birds/Formulas.

There is though a slight weight difference between the Formulas and the T/As though cause of those different items along with the fact that the T/A's have some more interior options that weren't available on the Formulas. But still the weight difference between them is on is much. In 1998 a stock Formula (non WS6) weighs 3.455 lbs, a 2000/2001 T/A weighs in at 3.397 lbs stock. With the weight difference between the basic V6 Firebird and the Formula, since they have the same basic body style setup, comes from the difference in the weight of the V6 engine vs the V8 engine. Oh and the weight difference between a 1998 V6 Bird and a 1998 Formula is only 115 lbs.

Also there were only 3 engine options, just depends on the year - V6 on the basic Firebird; LT1 on the 1993-1997 Formulas/Trans Ams and the LS1 on the 1998 Formulas/Trans Ams. WS6 isn't an engine but rather an option that you could get on the Formulas and Trans Ams on certain years.

I hope that clears up some of your questions.

that acutally kinda answers a question I was too afraid to ask. The difference between a firebird and a firebird formula

Glad I could answer your "unasked" question along with your other question. If you've got anything else you'd like to ask don't be afraid to ask. We're here to help each other out.

Is there anything else that you're not sure about with the differences between the different cars?