Help! Z06 suspension

[jasonpzx6r]

Does anyone know how low you can go on the stock bolts? I had a well-known vette shop adjust bolts front/rear and add Hotchkis F/R sway bars. They said they went as low as possible on the bolts, but I only lost AT MOST 1" of suspension. I want lower but don't necessarily want a full coil-over set-up. Thanks for yall's help.

 

[c5y2k]

~1" is max on stock bolts. You can get aftermarket bolts that are longer which will allow you to go lower without going the coil-over route.

 

[jasonpzx6r]

Is that true for the front? I was told that the rear was possible to go lower with aftermarket bolts, but not the front. All information is appreciated.

-SCOOTER

 

[Hib Halverson]

Don't use longer than stock bolts unless you also have higher rate springs.

The C5, even the Z06, does not have stiff enough springs to work with the reduced ride height. Also, the car lacks suspension travel, especially in the rear.

Yeah, slammed cars look cool, but on the street they ride and handle terriblely because you'e always hitting the bump stops.

Now, you can go to stiffer springs, but again, the ride will be harsh but, at least with the higher rates, you won't be on the stops as much.

You can lower a Z06 a small amount by using the service manual procedure to set the spring bolt heights at the factory minimum.

 

[jasonpzx6r]

Thanks Hib, what about removing the bump stops? I am not looking to tear my car up, but it looks like a 4WD!! There are alot of cars that sit VERY nice and I can't believe that all of those guys sacrified ride quality so much. Any more information is greatly appreciated. I am going to put a pic or two on my profile.

-SCOOTER

 

[Hib Halverson]

If you remove the bump stops, then if the car bottoms...which it is more liable to do if you have stock springs and low trim height...you have metal-to-metal contact of the suspension and the chassis. That will eventually damage the vehicle and the loud bangs as the suspension hits the frame will really get your attention.

You can get away with trimming the stops, say, a third of their length, but I wouldn't do it, if the car's ride and handling is important to you.

Generally, a 02-04 Z06 can be lower 3/8-1/2 in in the front and 1/4-3/8 in the rear with no ill effects unless you tend to load the car heavily on long trips. If you do that, I wouldn't lower it at all.

There are alot of cars that sit VERY nice and I can't believe that all of those guys sacrified ride quality so much.

If they are slammed, they've given up much ride quality. They either are too ingorant to know why their cars no ride hard or they don't care.

I tell you, it's fun to race someone in a slammed Z51 or Z06 on a mountain road. It ain't long before I pass them.

Now on a flat race track, the reduced ride height doesn't matter as much but on an surface that works the suspension, slammed C5s with stock springs handle lousy and ride hard.

That said, I admit...they do look good.

My car, sitting a little lower than stock doesn't look at good, but I pass those guys so fast they really don't get a chance to see all the space above my tires.


Lastly, if your the type of person who doesn't drive their Z06 hard, ie: the car's limit handling is not something you're concerned with, then you can lower the car as long as you remember, the ride will be harsh and you'll need to be careful about some road hazards like some rail crossings, speed bumps and driveways.

 

[jasonpzx6r]

Thanks again! I really do appreciate all the information...I am VERY new to corvettes...What about performance shocks? I was told today that I may get another 1/2" - 1" with new performance shocks that can be adjusted fr road race, strip, street, etc...

I do not push my car to the limits and I am more of a 1/4 mile kinda guy anyhow. I do not want to KILL my quality, but don't mind sacrificing it some...

Any more information is again greatly appreciated.

SCOOTER

 

[Hib Halverson]

It is true if you put very aggressive shocks on the car, that sometimes mitigates problem with reduced suspension travel but...the more aggressive the shock absorber, the harder the car rides.

Even a drag racer will eventually have a problem if there is inadequate suspension travel at the rear.

I'm not saying "don't lower the car" but I am saying that if you do drop it much more an half an inch at each corner, you will experience problems with degraded handing at the limit on roads having uneven surfaces. Ride will be degraded as well and the amount of degradation will vary depending on the roughness of the road surfaces you run on.

 

[jasonpzx6r]

Hib, you have any idea if the C6 Z06 front bushings are shorter than the C5's? I was thinking of lowering more that way. I am still trying to figure things out and do not want to "trash" my car, but would like a more aggressive appearance. Thanks again,
SCOOTER

 

[Hib Halverson]

I do not know if there's a difference in front bushings on C5 and C6.

I do know that the C6 has more travel than the C5 so you can slam the car a little more before you degrade ride and handing too much.