i'm thinking of buying an ss.. how does it ride?

[ckinninger]

hello,

 

like i say... i don't have an ss yet. i live in guadalajara, mexico. i have a z28 and a jaguar s-type r. both are getting killed by potholes. with heavy rain season coming quickly i want to get a truck with balls but i don't want to squinting everytime i see what may or may not be a pothole. how do you guys characterize a stock ss suspension when a bump comes along the road? the usa roads are pretty damn smooth (i'm from l.a. originally)... i'd say perfect more like. if you can help me out i'd appreciate it.

 

thanks,

 

ckinninger

[Dylan06SS]

SS stock suspension isn't bad, but given the conditions of the roads where you're at (I've been there) I'd get something like a Z71 or a HD crewcab and throw a lift and some 35's under it... the roads in guadalajara aren't really roads so much as mine fields!

[ckinninger]

hey thanks a lot!

 

there's some holes here that you have no idea are there once the summer rains start and they fill with water. you can litterally get stuck. they can go down so deep that a kid could stand in there and you wouldn't see them....

 

anyways... the tires on the ss look good. 20" and they're not low low profile.

 

i've been considering though a z71 with 6" lift and i think the tires are 36". i know that would do the trick and look cool. however, i'm worried about power loss vs the ss. can i get something almost as powerful in the z71? also the thing would be so high up to get in and out.

 

what i want is a cushioned enough ride where a speed bump won't be bad at 20 mph... that's an example. i guess the ss is out huh? you'd be pissed if you didn't see that bump in your ss?

 

thanks a lot again.

[misterp]

DVK is right - if you want to take a speed bump at 20mph the SS is not for you.

 

Mr. P.

[ckinninger]

thanks again for the input. i didn't know how else to explain it. no matter how much i concentrate on the topography of the roads i always miss something. being from l.a. or usa i swear we don't learn to watch the ground like the drivers here. my girlfriend sees it all. i suck.

 

you guys have a very cool hang out here. i'm might hang around a little more even though it seems i'm doomed on the ss until i get back to the states or replace a sports car with an ss.

 

the engine in the ss is a LQ4 6.0?

 

late..

[vtodd82]

no its the lq9 6.0. higher compression than the lq4

[dcairns]

I have never driven in Guadalajara, (my wife's family always drives us around). But as I recall, the roads in the urban part of Guadalajara were just rough and potholed. Once and a while there would be a pretty bad one. I do remember going to the outskirts of Guadalajara once, and the roads got really bad, and only partially paved. I would think the SS could handle most of it, if you were willing to slow down for the conditions. I have taken my SS on dirt roads in the mountains here in SoCal, and the SS does fine with ground clearance. Probably the biggest worry would be hitting a sharp enough pot hole that would pinch the tire. Ideally, you want lots of tire, and smaller (steel) rims. Somewhat the opposite of the SS's 20's.

To me, the potholes would not be my biggest concern about having an SS in Guadalajara. I would be more worried about the way people drive down there. I am not sure how long the plastic bumpers on the SS would hold up. Some steel bumpers that can be replaced easily would probably be best. And keeping the SS from being stolen or vandalized would be another challenge. Seems like almost everyone there drives beat up old cars, and even those get stolen!

 

You might want to consider the Silverado VHO option on the regular Silverado that gets you the same engine as the SS.

 

By the way, what's up with all the SS stickers on trucks down there? I know there is a actual 350SS produced for the Mexican market, but these SS stickers are on everything, even this Ford pickup!