Sway bar upgrade

[USMC2531]

I am considering upgrading to the sway bars on my 09 C6, I have the base suspension and I am looking at Eibach bars. Does anyone have any experience with them or upgrading the base bars to something else?

 

[catbert]

What application? Racing, autoX, club weekends?

 

[USMC2531]

Just crusing on the weekend, but it seem to me that the car leans more then it should in turns

 

[catbert]

Even a base suspension C6 shouldn't really have much lean. There just isn't that much movement allowed by the suspension package. You can always go to a beefier bar, but then you'd have to look at the rest of the suspension.

 

[yellow_2002_germany]

An acceptable compromise may be to install Z06 sway bars. I had a base suspension C5 and installed C5 Z06 bars and it made a difference in cornering. My car felt like it had less lean in the turns and was not any more harsh over bumps than with the original base sway bars.

I would almost bet money that C6 Z06 sway bars fit a base suspension C6.

 

[USMC2531]

An acceptable compromise may be to install Z06 sway bars. I had a base suspension C5 and installed C5 Z06 bars and it made a difference in cornering. My car felt like it had less lean in the turns and was not any more harsh over bumps than with the original base sway bars.

I would almost bet money that C6 Z06 sway bars fit a base suspension C6.

Thanks for that info,maybe thats the way I should go

 

[fnbrowning]

I have a 2009 coupe like USMC2531, but with the Z51 pkg.

I am looking at stiffer sway bars, and a the Tire Rack has a sale on the Hotchkis Sport Suspensions C6 / C6 z06 Sway bar.

I notice though that the Hotchkis kit comes with OEM style rubber bushings. I've always read that polyurethane suspension bushings are preferred for the better "feel" and response, though poly will transmit vibrations a little more than rubber.

Can anyone tell me why the Hotchkis Sport Suspensions Sway Bar comes with more compliant rubber bushings? Isn't this like 2 steps forward, and 1 back?

 

[yellow_2002_germany]

Can anyone tell me why the Hotchkis Sport Suspensions Sway Bar comes with more compliant rubber bushings? Isn't this like 2 steps forward, and 1 back?

Perhaps the Hotchkis bars come with the rubber bushings so that the buyer soesn't need to upgrade all of their suspension bushings to urethane.

It would seem to me that it WOULD be the "1 step back" that you speak of if only one part of the suspension had urethane bushings. It is also possible that urethane bushings in only one area might put added stresses on the rubber bushings elsewhere.

 

[fnbrowning]

Perhaps the Hotchkis bars come with the rubber bushings so that the buyer soesn't need to upgrade all of their suspension bushings to urethane.

It would seem to me that it WOULD be the "1 step back" that you speak of if only one part of the suspension had urethane bushings. It is also possible that urethane bushings in only one area might put added stresses on the rubber bushings elsewhere.

Randy;

That seems logical, except that the late model Corvette uses hard sway bar links. In addition, respectable vendors like Pfadt use polyurethane bushings in their systems. Here is an example:

Pfadt C6 Z51 Poly Sway Bar Bushings
Replace your stock rubber bushings with our polyurethane bushings and enjoy the improved handling! Each kit includes two front and two rear bushings as well as urethane-specific lubricant.

So I might well conclude that poly has a definite place in a sway bar system.

 

[motorman]

Each kit includes two front and two rear bushings as well as urethane-specific lubricant. the lube is needed because after a while the bushings start to squeak

 

[Hib Halverson]

If most of your driving is "weekend cruising", you don't need larger diameter stabilizer bars. That type of driving does not tax the suspension enough to need increased roll stiffness.

You may not like the decrease in ride quality you'll experience on bumpy or rough roads once you go to thicker bars.

The C5/C6 suspension is designed to handle well with a modest amount of body roll.

 

[c4c5specialist]

Hi there,

The key is also WHICH suspension you have.

If you have F55 or magnetic ride control, it will lean more than stock FE1 system.

Allthebest, c4c5

 

[C6RACER]

I have a base c6 coupe and switched to z51 sway bars (front & rear). A big difference in the turns and curves. Rear z51 sway bar noticeably bigger than rear base sway bar. Base c6 suspension does lean. Hence, the sway bar upgrade.

 

[Hib Halverson]

Clearly there is misunderstanding about body roll and the C5/C6 chassis.

In olden times (C3 and before), suspension technology and geometry was not sophisticated enough to have both large suspension travel and suspension geometry which kept the camber curve optimium for proper tire contact patch. In the old days, to keep the tire trread flat on the ground, you needed to significantly limit body roll and ride travel so you wanted lots of roll stiffness on the street this usually meant, modest spring rates, but high bar rates.

With C4, the situation was little better in the front but not much better in the rear, thus to get the 84-96 cars to handle well demanded increased roll stiffness.

With C5 and it's derivation, C6, GM did a clean sheet of paper suspension geometry. One goal was to get the car to handle well but also to allow the body to roll in the interests of using lower rate springs and bars. When you look at the C5/C6 toe and camber curves you'll see that GM was successful.

For cars which are not focused narrowly on motorosports such as road racing or competitive autocrossing, you neither need nor want big stabilizer bars. In a performance street environment, the performance increase with the reduced body roll will not be that great and the decrease in ride quality--especially the increase in "head toss" on roads of uneven surfaces side-to-side--will be noticable.

Fact, is the C5/C6es handle quite well inspite of some body roll. It's sorta like, if you're a weekend cruiser and not a road racer or slalom driver, having your cake and eating it, too.

That said...if you're a racer or you just like bone-jarring ride, then big springs and big bars are for you.

 

[fnbrowning]

With C5 and it's derivation, C6, GM did a clean sheet of paper suspension geometry. One goal was to get the car to handle well but also to allow the body to roll in the interests of using lower rate springs and bars. When you look at the C5/C6 toe and camber curves you'll see that GM was successful.

For cars which are not focused narrowly on motorosports such as road racing or competitive autocrossing, you neither need nor want big stabilizer bars. In a performance street environment, the performance increase with the reduced body roll will not be that great and the decrease in ride quality--especially the increase in "head toss" on roads of uneven surfaces side-to-side--will be noticable.

Fact, is the C5/C6es handle quite well inspite of some body roll. It's sorta like, if you're a weekend cruiser and not a road racer or slalom driver, having your cake and eating it, too.

That said...if you're a racer or you just like bone-jarring ride, then big springs and big bars are for you.

Regarding a 2009 C6 coupe w/ Z51.
If you're not a racer, or looking for a gratuitously hard ride, but you like to push the car on twisty roads, exit ramps and cloverleafs; what about a combination like the Pfadt C6 Z51 Poly Sway Bar Bushings #1110223, and either:
Bilstein Gas Pressure Sport Shocks or The C6 Johnny O'Connell Shocks?

 

[Hib Halverson]

Regarding a 2009 C6 coupe w/ Z51.
If you're not a racer, or looking for a gratuitously hard ride, but you like to push the car on twisty roads, exit ramps and cloverleafs; what about a combination like the Pfadt C6 Z51 Poly Sway Bar Bushings #1110223, and either:
Bilstein Gas Pressure Sport Shocks or The C6 Johnny O'Connell Shocks?

If you're not a racer, the change to urethane sway bar mounts will make little or no difference in your car's performance. They will slightly increase noise and harshness. Where mounting the bars in urethane affects handing is in rapid, transitional maneuvers done right at the car's limits. In autocrossing or road racing or any duty cycle where the chassis is run near it's handling limits during transistions, is where stiffer bar mountings makes a noticable difference.

As for the shock absorber change, I don't have experience with the two dampers you mentioned. I can tell you that exit ramps and cloverleafs are usually steady state cornering "events". A shock change will make little difference in the way the suspension works when the chassis is loaded in a steady-state cornering situation.

As for the twisty roads, it depends on how hard you drive. Your car has a built-in g-meter. When you're pushing the car on "twisty roads," if regularly drive the car like that and you're seeing lateral accelerations consistently above 0.5 to 0.7 g, then a damper upgrade might improve your car's handling and feel.

That said, if you don't want ride quality which is more stiff or harsh than you have now, I wouldn't change shocks unless...what you put on is adjustable or double adjustable. Adjustable shocks will allow you to sofen the ride when your not planning on driving hard but, when you ready to run the car hard through the twisties, you can jack the car up and change the shock valving.

All we hot rodders have the urge to change and personalize our cars, but reality is that the C5/C6 Z51 suspension is pretty darn good and, in the majority of cases, the only folks who need more roll stiffness or more aggressive damping are those who are using the car for motorsports or people who enjoy stiff and harsh riding cars.

 

[fnbrowning]

As for the shock absorber change, I don't have experience with the two dampers you mentioned. I can tell you that exit ramps and cloverleafs are usually steady state cornering "events". A shock change will make little difference in the way the suspension works when the chassis is loaded in a steady-state cornering situation.

As for the twisty roads, it depends on how hard you drive. Your car has a built-in g-meter. When you're pushing the car on "twisty roads," if regularly drive the car like that and you're seeing lateral accelerations consistently above 0.5 to 0.7 g, then a damper upgrade might improve your car's handling and feel.

That said, if you don't want ride quality which is more stiff or harsh than you have now, I wouldn't change shocks unless...what you put on is adjustable or double adjustable. Adjustable shocks will allow you to sofen the ride when your not planning on driving hard but, when you ready to run the car hard through the twisties, you can jack the car up and change the shock valving.

All we hot rodders have the urge to change and personalize our cars, but reality is that the C5/C6 Z51 suspension is pretty darn good and, in the majority of cases, the only folks who need more roll stiffness or more aggressive damping are those who are using the car for motorsports or people who enjoy stiff and harsh riding cars.

I understand your opinion on urethane sway bar mounts.

I agree to some extent regarding ramps and cloverleafs usually being steady state cornering "events". And I bold the usually because that's what we expect until the rubber meets the less than ideal road surface and there is uneven pavement during the cornering event. This is where I ask if an aftermarket dampner - designed outside of GM financial constrants on a production car - might provide better tire contact with the road? For instance, a revised damping curve engineering to change the harsh ride characteristics associated with the OEM dampers, when hitting a bump in a middle of a turn?


My car has a built-in g-meter? :confused
I thought that was only available with the HUD? I don't have the 3LT package. Is there some other method of monitoring the g-meter I don't know of?