Scatterbrained

Hello all:

I'm looking for a little help (on a tight budget) to improve the handling on my F45 equipped C5. The car has about 90K miles on her, and its time for an upgrade.

I want to get rid of the adjustable suspension and am looking at Z06 sways and shocks. This car is a DD as well, so any suggestions are welcome.

I love to learn, but the search function isn't giving me what I want. How many of you have been in this situation before?

S

yakisoba

I would look at 2004 Z06 shocks. Those are a cut above the previous years, it is said. Those shocks will be the next suspension mod I do to my car, and they are not terribly expensive.
--Yak

wtknght1

If you're upgrading your sway bars anyway, you might as well upgrade to the T1 bars. Since they use the adjustable end links, you can set the proper ride height, corner weight the car correctly and also have the benefit of those great bars. All that is fairly easy to do and will get you big, big results on track and will still leave the car very streetable. The Z06 or the SACHS shocks (used in conjunction with the T1 kit) are great options...and cheap speed.

Scatterbrained

What about the Z06 sway bars? Are the T1's too much for the street? I keep hearing about Hotchkis as well... To be honest I'll be lucky to get 2 autocrosses and 1 HPDE per year...

gpm30236

Have you changed bushings/ tie rod ends , wheel bearings and ball joints? , with 90K miles on it those items will be suspect, changing them will freshen up your car to the way it was from the factory. And the price should be reasonable. esp if you do most of it yourself and then get a good alignment to agressive street settings.

Then you can think about the upgrades on the sway bars, I have that suspension on my 03 vert as a daily driver, Upgrading the springs and sway bars, and keeping the adjustable shocks works nicely, ( but i to have a much more radical suspension on the 01 Z06)

wtknght1

All those options are good, but the T1 bars are fine for the street. I drove mine on the street for years with the T1 bars (still do in fact) and they work. You're going to spend about the same amount of money any way you go and if you get on track at all and want the best performance for the price, then the T1 bars are it.

The bars really don't affect the street much at all anyway. It's those stiffer springs that make the daily drive a bit too bumpy. You may not even notice the T1 bars until you take a corner hard. But you'll definitely notice the T1 bars on the track...and the stopwatch.

Scatterbrained

What kind of costs am I looking at? Are the '06 Z06 shocks that much better than the '04 Z's shocks?

VetteDrmr

I'd stay clear of the C6 Z06 shocks; they don't seem to work well with C5s on track. I upgraded to the '04 Z06 shocks and have been quite happy with them. They're pricier than the '06 shocks, but worth it.

And, you say you're a noob. If you haven't been autocrossing before or running DEs, then you just upgrade the shocks (based solely on mileage) and leave the rest alone.

For DEs you could look at upgrading the brake pads one step above OEM (Z06 OE pads, Hawk HP+, etc.), but for autox you don't even need to do that (unless they're worn halfway). For sure flush your brake system and do the other general maintenance on the car.

Then go have fun! If someone's faster (and they will be), just let 'em go and get back to having fun!

Have a good one,
Mike

Scatterbrained

Thanks for the great advice. One more question - What about the Bilsteins? Are they better than the Z06's? They're comparable in price. Thanks.

S

VetteDrmr

Better? I doubt it. Comparable? Probably, at least to us meer mortals.

Have a good one,
Mike

John Shiels

I liked my Bilsteins SPORTS not HD and T-1 bars. Check all you suspension with 90K on it. Check cradles are tight also. VBP bushings are not expensive if you do it yourself but a lot of work and a little bumpier ride. Bilsteins can be rebuild and revalved if need be.

Bob 33

My street and track car is an 03 Z with T-1 bars, 04 shocks, all set up by Phoenix, including corner weighting, modest street allignment, and Carbotech pads. My everyday tires are 18" Toyo RA-1s on CCW wheels. I just commute to the track and wring-out my daily driver. This is my "low budget" solution, assuming that I don't crack any plastic, then the cost goes up, and I'll really miss a trailer! On the street you will notice the increased stiffness of the T-1 bars and some clunking of the endlinks, but all is tolerable and more than compensated by the wonderful track performance. The RA-1s may seem a bit pricey for the street, but are the best cross-over tire, for the Vette, and, any case, 90% of my tire wear occurs on the track.

Bob 33

Bob 33

Oops. Re-examining your initial post, my suggestions might be a bit aggressive, if a trackable street car is not your objective, and if you place a higher priority than I do on creature comforts and low noise. And if not well set up, suspension mods may not yield the desired result. Also, the Toyos may be more tire than you need or can afford.

Bob 33