I am driving a 96 v6 firebird I've had since high school, it is time for a new vehicle and I had planned for a long time to get an LS1 Camaro SS.. but I recently got interested in Lightnings and have been reading up on them, have a few q's

one of the reasons I am considering a lightning is the possibility of getting it insured as just a 4x2 ford pickup, f150.. and not a high performance vehicle. being 20, I was looking at paying out the *** for insurance on an SS Camaro. how possible is it to get insured as an "f150" ? anyone doing this? what insurance company are you using? anyone about 20 paying insurance on a L?


from reading it looks like the basic suggested mods are chip and filter.. easy enough, how about exhaust? I dont want headers and all but a very aggressive tone, how's the stock sound? we dont have many lightnings around here and I haven't heard one very well


whats a good condition 99 L going for these days? I was looking on autotrader but you can't seperate L's from regular trucks and there were only a couple 00 L's on ebay

about the chip.. saw on a Lightning performace parts online store a chip that apparently supports having 2 seperate programs. this interests me. I would like to have a chip to get rid of the 4cyl-shift thing, and a shift kit to make the shifts firm, but would like to be able to disable either on the fly if possible. is that what you can do with this chip? are there shift kits that you can adjust while driving?


1/4 time on a 99 L w/ chip and filter, on avg?

thanks a lot!

 

Hey from one 20 yr old to another, I was faced with the EXACT same problem as you, except I had a 99 V-6 Camaro.... I obviously picked the Lightning, and haven't looked back, except to see a few SS's try to stay up.

Both are very nice, and comparing a 99 L, to a used SS, I'm willing to bet you can get a good price on either. With the 02 L's coming out, most dealers are trying to move last years models and used models that have be traded in. And with the SS's dying this year along with all other F-bodys, it's possible to find a good deal on them.

My truck is insured at a regular F-150 PU under Mercury Insurance. And if I remember correctly, the payment isn't bad at all for a 20 yr. old with 1 accident(the Camaro) and a few tickets.

The stock exhaust is kinda wimpy IMO. I have straight pipes, but they aren't for everyone. Magnaflows are a little bit more throaty, and is a good piece. Bassani is a great sound, but lots of $$$. And I haven't heard the Borla or Flowmaster, so I can't tell you about those.

You can find a good 99 from anywhere between $24K-up just depends who is selling it.

Chips are a wonderful thing if programed right. They can be set up anyway you like. You can have a Single program chip, or a Flip chip with 2 or 4 seperate programs that can switched almost whenever.

As for an adjustable shift kit, I know the chips can raise the line pressure, but have heard that it's not suggested. But there are great shift kits being sold by the big 4 [in no order of favorites] (JL, PSP, JDM, LightningPerformance)

And here are their websites along with a few others to check out.

http://johnnylightningperf.com/home.asp
http://www.teamjdm.com/
http://powersurgeperformance.net/index.asp
http://www.lightningforceperformance.com/
http://www.swansonperformance.com/
http://www.jjssvt.com/

 

As far as the insurance is concerned it must depend on the insurance company. I have State Farm and when I gave them the serial number they knew it was a Lightning!! It was the most expensive F150 to insure on his list. Check before you buy.

 

Where is "around here"?

 

well I'm in west texas... san angelo. there are a few lightnings in town but I dont know anyone with one and I haven't really gotten to examine one other than just driving by it. one guy lit 'em up for me when I gave him a rev or two in my firebird, which was nice

so would you suggest I get a VIN # from a L for sale, say on ebay or something and "shop around" insurance and give them that vin# and see what comes up?


btw what kind of 1/4 mile times are we talking on a 99 L w/ chip and high flow filter?

 

I bought my 99 about 3 months ago with 13k miles on it then, I paid $24,500, dealer was asking $25,995. Prices to vary greatly depending on the truck obviously. From everything I have heard, the mods you listed, chip, pullies, etc are OK, but modding the exhaust doesn't do all that much unless you do the full catback system. Adding mufflers or headers will give you a minimal increase, if any at all.
Mine came with Bassani headers already on it. The sound is just a little deeper than stock, they sound good period!!!!!
Insurance varies greatly, do your home work before you buy one. Also, make sure check the VIN's history through Carfax. I have had a few friend's that got thier butt saved by that.
I like the SS/WS1 cars. But, the Lightning is the best of both worlds. You have a kick butt performance vehicle AND you still can use for other stuff, like trips to Home Depot and towing. I wanted a Cobra, but couldn't part with my boat, so I went for the next best thing.....

 

Im 21, and bought a new 2001 lightning earlier this year, and the my insurance barely increased over my 99 mustang. I am with state farm and was paying 2400 a year, and now pay 2500 a year, which is nothing considering i ran a 13.7 stock...and am in the hunt for 12s

 

I have my insurance through Shelter and they insure a Lightning as a regular F150. My L insurance is actually cheaper than my7yo Mustang.

Andy G