Performance Package Question??????

[shopman1]

Can anyone explaine the ride you will get with the Z51 Performance Paackage - Larger stabilizer bars, larger cross drilled brake rotors, engine oil, power steering and transmission coolers, high grip tires, on an on - does this option ride so hard that it will jar you teath??

Or if the F55 Magnetic Selective Ride Control the hot tip.

I like all the options that the Z51 offers however dont want a ride like a 911 Porche, and thats kind of like a go-kart, you feel every bump.

Any inside information from GM? If so, lets have it.

 

[Rob]

I'm going to move this out of the C6 forum and into the C5 forum where I think it has a better chance of being answered...

 

[shopman1]

Thanks Rob.

 

[cavettefan]

It all depends on what you are looking for in the way of suspension performance. If you want to autocross the car, then go for the Z51 (you will have to deal with a harsher ride as a result). If you want everyday livability, the F55 can't be beat. With the F55, you have a Sport setting that is probably a mid-point between the base suspension and the Z51. The other setting (Comfort) on the F55, lets the car ride like a Lexus (my opinion is that the ride is better than a Lexus, but that is a separate debate...). You can also switch between the Comfort and Sport settings while driving the car (no need to stop, turn off the engine, or any other nonsense). Literally, reach over to the switch and turn it. Also, there is no replacement of shock absorbers since there are no shock absorbers with the F55 system. Hib Halverson had posted a thread on the F55 suspension option that did a better job of describing the benefits. Rob, is Hib's post accessible from the archive? As you can tell, I am a fan of the F55 suspension - no regrets whatsoever.

 

[shopman1]

cavettefan - Thanks that is what I wanted to know. Well done.

 

[jazzlove]

Another Suspension Question

I'm interested in finding out about the difference in interior noise levels between a C6 equipped with the F55 vs Z51. Is the F55 quieter on the road? I live in San Antonio and am planning to use my C6 for daily use, and a lot of the roads are pretty rough. I would really like the Z51 option, but........ Also, if I choose the F55 option, can I still choose the hotter rearend gear ratio, and hotter transmission gear ratios?

Thanks,

Wayne

 

[Wisdom]

I've got the F55 on an A4 2004 Coupe with the 3.15 performance axle. On the local streets around Houston there is definately a ride difference when I switch between the Tour and Sport modes. The noise level doesn't change between modes though, so what you hear in the C6 will probably what you hear no matter which mode your F55 is in. I really like the F55 and the 3.15 gearing.

- Wisdom

 

[jazzlove]

Good Info

Thanks Wisdom,

The city government doesn't seem to mind that most of the roads here in San Antonio look and feel more like old fashioned washboards than roads, despite the fact that they are in a constant state of repair. I'm afraid the Z51 might just jar the fillings right out of my teeth, though I'm still toying with the idea.

Wayne

 

[cavettefan]

jazzlove, the only way you will know for sure about the ride of the Z51 suspension is to take one for a ride over the actual streets that you are referring to. I still haven't heard that you plan on autocrossing your car. That would be the only reason to go for the Z51 over the F55 suspension. If the car is going to be your daily driver, you will be better off with the F55 suspension.

 

[jazzlove]

Z51 or F55

Point well taken....

Thanks for the perspective,

Wayne

 

[Mike Mercury]

shopman1; nice C3 you have there.

 

[rwd]

I'm interested in finding out about the difference in interior noise levels between a C6 equipped with the F55 vs Z51. Is the F55 quieter on the road? I live in San Antonio and am planning to use my C6 for daily use, and a lot of the roads are pretty rough. I would really like the Z51 option, but........ Also, if I choose the F55 option, can I still choose the hotter rearend gear ratio, and hotter transmission gear ratios?

Thanks,

Wayne

You can't pick and choose from the Z51 package; it's all or nothing. Also, the performance rear is only for the automatic, not the manual. There shouldn't be much difference in noise, but there will be a difference in ride. If that's a concern, driving one over the roads would be advisable. I doubt it will be much worse, if any, than your C4 due to the longer C6 wheelbase and 13 years of progress.

 

[vettepilot]

By comparison, my Z06 rides much smoother than my 93 Z07 ever did. The C5 chassis seems to soak up the road. You will know when you hit bumps etc. but it's definately not bone jarring. BTW, whoever it was that stated that the F55 suspension has no shocks, please check under your car again. It's the shocks that contain the magna/rhetorical fluid that does the job of dampening based upon the computer's signal to those shocks.

vettepilot

 

[cavettefan]

vettepilot, the F55 suspension does not have traditional shock absorbers. In fact, the devices at each wheel that absorb suspension oscillations in the F55 are not even called shock absorbers. I am having a senior moment at present, and am not able to recall what they are called. The reason that I am posting about the difference is that the GM Protection Plan extended warranty has a specific exclusion of coverage for shock absorbers. However, the F55 devices are not shock absorbers (they may perform functions similar to shock absorbers; but they are not considered to be shock absorbers by GM) and so, would be covered under the GM Protection Plan extended warranty. From a total cost of ownership perspective, this would be an additional benefit of the F55 vs. the Z51.

 

[vettepilot]

From the Chevrolet Europe site

F55 - Optional Magnetic Selective Ride Control

For those enthusiasts seeking the ultimate in Corvette technology, the optional F55 Magnetic Selectable Ride (real time damping suspension) offers a stand-alone vehicle suspension control system that uses innovative magneto-rheological fluid-based actuators, four wheel-to-body displacement sensors, and an onboard computer to provide real-time, continuous control of the vehicle suspension damping. The system responds in one millisecond and provides superior ride, handling and control on even the roughest road. Optional real-time damping shock absorbers provide rapid -response to road surfaces, with two distinct settings (Touring and Sport) to suit driver preference.

Even this calls them by two different names, actuators, and shock absorbers, in the same paragraph.

Hey, it's all good, I just didn't want the guy with the original question to think that there was nothing to replace when things wear out. My guess is, if one ever had to be replaced outside of the warranty, it's much more expensive than simple shocks.
Which brings up a good question, if I understood your description of the wording in your warranty, why would the warranty expressly not cover the actuators/ shocks/ whatever they are called. That doesn't seem right. Did you have to pay an additional cost for the extended warranty to have the actuators covered? Just curious, not attacking your statement.

vettepilot

 

[cavettefan]

vettepilot, your quote from the Chevrolet Eurpoe site is a great example of marketing speak not being dialed into the engineers (two different terms for the same part; also, there is no such thing as an optional real-time dampener with the F55 suspension - if you buy the F55 option, you get the dual (Tour and Sport) settings).

The issue with Extended Warranty (at least as it applies to GM Protection Plan) is that if the part is not on a very short list of excluded items (such as traditional shock absorbers), it is covered. Since the dampener/actuator/whatever is not identified as a shock absorber, it is covered. I was very particular with this item in my research before I purchased my Coupe with the F55 option - I did not want to have to pick up the cost of a dampener/actuator after the original warranty ran out.

 

[vettepilot]

Good advanced thinking on your part, I wouldn't want to pay for one of those "things" ....damper/actuator/ shock.... either, they are probably a good amount.

My 93 Z07 had the electronically adjustable shocks, they had a small actuator on the top of each that turned the center portion of the shock rod that adjusted the valving, which in turn changed the dampening. The actuator listed for $400.00 ea when they were available. Now, from what I understand, one cannot even get them anymore. (greater than 10 model years old).

vettepilot

 

[cavettefan]

Yikes (non-availability of parts for electronically adjustable shocks)! That sounds like another reason to cheer the technology sharing between Corvette and Cadillac. (At least it spreads the technology across more than one model and thus, increases the utilization of the technology, which should make for more spare parts. Or that is the theory, at least....)

 

[vettepilot]

Yikes (non-availability of parts for electronically adjustable shocks)! That sounds like another reason to cheer the technology sharing between Corvette and Cadillac. (At least it spreads the technology across more than one model and thus, increases the utilization of the technology, which should make for more spare parts. Or that is the theory, at least....)

I think once an end item is greater than 10 years old, the manufacturer no longer feels obligated to supply parts for that or previous year models. That seems to be the industry standard (10 years).
I just went through that with my son's 1994 S-10, needed a dash panal to replace the original damaged when somebody broke in and stole the stereo system. My local Chevy dealer couldn't even order it through his system, after 1 Jan 04, but GMpartsdirect.com could get it. Go figure.

vettepilot

 

[cavettefan]

Actually, now that I have thought about it, there is a 10-year parts availability period that is required by law for any manufacturer selling into the U.S. domestic market. It used to be that manufacturers would keep old parts on hand until they were used up. However, with the cost of carrying inventory in multiple locations, after 10 years, the manufacturers unload the parts to companies like GMPartsDirect.com. I wonder what it will be like for the components of the F55 suspension? In a worst case scenario, I guess one would have to haunt the dismantlers for a used attenuator/dampener/whatever. At that point, some enterprising fabricator would have come up with a conversion kit to be able to install regular shock absorbers in place of the F55 units. Oh well, the F55 shows no sign of being obsolete (it is in the C6 as well as the Cadillac XLR), so I will keep my fingers crossed and hope the 10 year clock doesn't start ticking until maybe 5 to 6 years from now.