I got to wondering the other day, what would be faster: my '89 LE, or say a '93 NA?

I know that in '92 the 3800 got a new intake and 5 more HP. On the other hand, my stripped down '89 is going to be somewhat lighter than the newer, plastic-clad, bonnies, right?

I'm thinking that the weight difference would make my '89 LE the quickest (stock, NA) bonnie until the series II 3800'* came out. Does anyone know one way or the other?

hmmmm, I'd like to give you a good go there JMFC...I wonder if ours are faster then a 92 or 93 NA, I think ours are lighter...oh baby once that ADTR intake goes in with my new exhaust....hee hee...zoom zoom zoom...(sorry for the crappy Mazda reference)

I did some checking, and our '87-'91 bonnies are indeed 140+ lb. lighter than the '92-'99'* (info was from msn used car section). The weight varried by year, and of course by how loaded they were. Some newer ones were over 200 lb. heavier. Seems like quite a bit to overcome with a mere 5 hp. increase. I'll bet we're faster.

And since the '87-91 bonnie is the lightest, wouldn't that give us the most potential? Swap in a SC series II, and it should be a tick faster than a stock '99 SSEi.

And... an '89 bonnie LE is also lighter than a '97 GTP - about 100 lb. (again, if you trust MSN). Seems like with the same engine, it would be faster.

Not that I have the cash to do so, but it is fun to think about.

nope sorry.. it'* all about the gear ratios. the Bonneville/LeSabre 86-91 either had a 2.53, or a 2.73 gear ratio. The 92+ Bonneville'* usually had a 3.06 gear ratio. I drive both my LeSabre, and my bro'* 92 Bonneville SE, and the Bonneville is much quicker.

Hmmm, yes. Hadn't considered the tranny factor. :?

Still, I wonder what the actual numbers were. Like from magazine tests, etc. I don't have any motor trend'* that old, or i'd check.

Also, what engine do you have in your '88 "88"? H-bodies came with both the 165 hp version and the 150 hp version that year. If it'* the 150 hp 3.8, that would make a big difference too.

actually the 87-91 bonny'* had 2.84 gearing

where can i get an aftermarket tranny with lower gears. I need better acceleration

Or better yet, can we just swap a tranny out of a newer Bonneville that already has the lower gears. Besides the tranny'* in the 89-91 were kinda weak anyways so this would put that problem to rest

So yeah, maybe I was mistaken about my '89 being faster than a '92. But please at least give me the satisfaction that I've got a weight advantage over the newer cars, and could whip on them given the same engine/tranny combo.

If you take that away, i'll have nothing left.

Not that easy. The 87-91 weren't electronically controlled. The 92-present are. Your PCM wouldn't be able to tell the tranny what to do.

The "E" in 4T60E or 4T65E means "Electronic". The "HD" in the SSEi or SC versions of the SE, SLE, and SSE means Heavy Duty.

If you go to the Bonneville Timeline on my website, the powertrain data is all confirmed correct.