New 2004 MC SS owner
#1
05-31-2013, 08:28 PM
New 2004 MC SS owner
Been browsing this site for about a week now and it looks to be full of info on these cars so I decided to sign up.
I just recently purchased a 2004 SS (non-SC) with 86k miles on it. I got it to replace my 99 Chevy Caviler Z24 that has taken me back and forth to work for the past 7 years with very little problems. AT 265k miles the motor finally went so now I picked up the MC as my new daily driver.
The car drives great and it's nice to have a larger 2 door car. I'm no stranger to larger 2 door cars as my fiancé and I have a pair of 1994 Ford Thunderbird SC's with the 3.8L SC motors so it's funny that I get a car much like them with another 3.8L motor.
The MC will not be getting the crazy mods that the Tbirds got that cause them to consume mass quanties of 93 octane.
My daily commute to work is 160 miles round trip so I want to try and get the best gas mileage I can out of the MC. Best so far is 27mpg. And the one thing that bugs me about the MC is the body roll. Going around a sweeping turn at 40mph such as a highway off or on ramp makes it feel like the car just wants to roll over on it's side. I've installed a nice addco rear sway bar on my bird that helped with some of it's body roll and I'm wondering what a good size one would be for the MC. I've found some but I can't seem to find what the factory size is that's installed already and don't want to order something that is what I already have. Any tips are much appreciated.
Thanks and it's nice to own my first car that was built after 2000. LOL
Oh if you wonder what I've done to the Tbird lets just say it's enough to put 370hp and 416 ft/pounds of torque to the wheels according to the last dyno pull.
I just recently purchased a 2004 SS (non-SC) with 86k miles on it. I got it to replace my 99 Chevy Caviler Z24 that has taken me back and forth to work for the past 7 years with very little problems. AT 265k miles the motor finally went so now I picked up the MC as my new daily driver.
The car drives great and it's nice to have a larger 2 door car. I'm no stranger to larger 2 door cars as my fiancé and I have a pair of 1994 Ford Thunderbird SC's with the 3.8L SC motors so it's funny that I get a car much like them with another 3.8L motor.
The MC will not be getting the crazy mods that the Tbirds got that cause them to consume mass quanties of 93 octane.
My daily commute to work is 160 miles round trip so I want to try and get the best gas mileage I can out of the MC. Best so far is 27mpg. And the one thing that bugs me about the MC is the body roll. Going around a sweeping turn at 40mph such as a highway off or on ramp makes it feel like the car just wants to roll over on it's side. I've installed a nice addco rear sway bar on my bird that helped with some of it's body roll and I'm wondering what a good size one would be for the MC. I've found some but I can't seem to find what the factory size is that's installed already and don't want to order something that is what I already have. Any tips are much appreciated.
Thanks and it's nice to own my first car that was built after 2000. LOL
Oh if you wonder what I've done to the Tbird lets just say it's enough to put 370hp and 416 ft/pounds of torque to the wheels according to the last dyno pull.
#2
05-31-2013, 09:11 PM
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Southeast PA
Posts: 25,136
Google don Rome brackets. If you add front and rear strut tower braces you can stop some of that roll
#5
05-31-2013, 11:18 PM
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Mentor, Ohio
Posts: 12,156
Welcome!
FYI - You can do plenty of performance mods to your Monte and still run 87 Octane (I do).
As for the roll, I'll tell ya, this year more then ever, I appreciate how well mine tracks going high speed around curves. But I cannot say what I think made the most different (I'll put a * next to what I think was the biggest enhancements):
- UMI Performance rear trailing arms with poly bushings
*- ZZP front and Rear Strut Tower Braces (our 2004 SS Montes did not have a factory front, like previous years)
- Energy Suspension front sway end links
- Energy Suspension front sway bushings (holds to the subframe)
*- Moda MD8 18" wheels with Kumho tires (a little wider tire, lower profile side wall to help keep close to the same diameter wheel from tread-to-tread)
- Moog rear sway end links (the connecting rood is a bit thicker then stock)
If you're interested in my mods, check my Monte's web page here (I have a lot of info):
2004 Chevy Monte Carlo SS
FYI - You can do plenty of performance mods to your Monte and still run 87 Octane (I do).
As for the roll, I'll tell ya, this year more then ever, I appreciate how well mine tracks going high speed around curves. But I cannot say what I think made the most different (I'll put a * next to what I think was the biggest enhancements):
- UMI Performance rear trailing arms with poly bushings
*- ZZP front and Rear Strut Tower Braces (our 2004 SS Montes did not have a factory front, like previous years)
- Energy Suspension front sway end links
- Energy Suspension front sway bushings (holds to the subframe)
*- Moda MD8 18" wheels with Kumho tires (a little wider tire, lower profile side wall to help keep close to the same diameter wheel from tread-to-tread)
- Moog rear sway end links (the connecting rood is a bit thicker then stock)
If you're interested in my mods, check my Monte's web page here (I have a lot of info):
2004 Chevy Monte Carlo SS
#6
06-01-2013, 01:01 AM
Monte Of The Month -- November 2012
Monte Of The Month -- June 2014
Monte Of The Month -- July 2016
#7
06-01-2013, 09:18 AM
Thanks for all the feedback. I'm sure the 18" wheels help with the cornering some but I'm not sure how much that would help the body roll.
What is the bolt pattern for the wheels? I'd really laugh if it's the same as my bird as I'd not have a problem putting the bird wheels on it for a day and see what happens. I could use the 17x9's off my car or pull the 18x9's off my girls car and see what happens.
I previously had installed a front STB on my bird and on that car it made no difference no matter how hard I pushed it in the corner. However upgrading just the rear sway bar made it handle like a completely different car.
Not looking to spent much in mods on the SS but I would like to make it corner just a little better. Is there any cars that came with the STB that I could go hunting for in a junk yard?
Besides the cornering bit I love how it rolls down the highway. My 160 mile commute is much better now than when I was driving the Cavlier. Esp since the AC quit working in that car 4 years ago. LOL
Edit:
Found the info about being able to get the GM STB for front and rear for $26. I think I'll give that a try.
What is the bolt pattern for the wheels? I'd really laugh if it's the same as my bird as I'd not have a problem putting the bird wheels on it for a day and see what happens. I could use the 17x9's off my car or pull the 18x9's off my girls car and see what happens.
I previously had installed a front STB on my bird and on that car it made no difference no matter how hard I pushed it in the corner. However upgrading just the rear sway bar made it handle like a completely different car.
Not looking to spent much in mods on the SS but I would like to make it corner just a little better. Is there any cars that came with the STB that I could go hunting for in a junk yard?
Besides the cornering bit I love how it rolls down the highway. My 160 mile commute is much better now than when I was driving the Cavlier. Esp since the AC quit working in that car 4 years ago. LOL
Edit:
Found the info about being able to get the GM STB for front and rear for $26. I think I'll give that a try.
Last edited by mrjaysc; 06-01-2013 at 12:56 PM.
#10
06-01-2013, 05:54 PM
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Mentor, Ohio
Posts: 12,156
First u can't compare an stb on a tbird to a wbody monte. 2 different types of cars.
Fyi - I would not get the factory stbs unless u get the don rome brackets. Don't drill holes in the towers, get an stb that holds the struts. Zzp is the cheapest u can get. If u wait for black friday, zzp puts them on sale usually.
Fyi - I would not get the factory stbs unless u get the don rome brackets. Don't drill holes in the towers, get an stb that holds the struts. Zzp is the cheapest u can get. If u wait for black friday, zzp puts them on sale usually.