Z06Fix

Looking at shock options for the Z. I had origionally been thinking that I was just going to go with the Bilstein sports on the car. I'm now considering going with the Koni 3013's. I guess my question is, are they worth it? I'm still learning the car so I doubt I will be playing with the adjustment at all. Is there a standard setting that would be ok to just put them on and leave them? If I did just set them and for get them are they truely going to be better than the bilsteins? I'm running the car on street tires if that matters. The car gets alot of street miles a year plus I plan on running 10-15 autox's with it. On top of that I will be attending 2 NASA events in the fall. Let know what you guys think.

Eric

Solofast

Good shocks are an important investment, something that you will have to do sooner or later if you are serious.

Buying an expensive set of shocks and then not using the adjustible feature however isn't a good use of the money.

Suggest that you bite the bullet and decide to learn how to adjust them and you will be happier in the long run. Plan on doing a test and tune session (if you are running 15 events a year you should plan on at least one per season if not two anyway) and get someone who knows what they are doing to help you set up the shocks.

In short, do it right and you won't be sorry.

J.R.

Eric,

Look at the Pfadt's inverted shocks - much more adjustment than the 3013's and less money.

www.pfadtracing.com

J.R.

Z06Fix

I saw those the other day. Very interesting.

Thanks guys.

mountainbiker2

Don't buy the 3013's. If you try to adjust them and you go to far they will break. Koni will not warranty them if that happens. My friend found out the hard way. Looks like the trash bin for them now.

C6 Z06 shocks are very good for a inexpensive shock.

Steve

mk2001c

Bilstein's are a very good shock if you don't want to mess with the car's setup much. You can get yourself wrapped up in constant changes to the shock settings and make it difficult to determine the best way to drive your car.

christoc

I have some 3013s.... installed on Saturday and one is already broken....

I'll post later with how Koni handles this!

jw1

I had some 3013s- 3 out of 4 broke so I sent them back and switched over to the Bilstein Sports. I don't feel the Sports have enough rebound damping for autocross - barely any more than the factory Z51s on my 05.

ghoffman

I dyno'ed the stock shocks off of my '06 ZO6 and they essentially blow off at 4 inches/second. I have also run Bilsteins that were Corvette specific. Neither has much compression force (both about 75-85 pounds at 8 in/sec shaft speed) and the OE shock was limited to about 150 pounds rebound at 8 in/sec and was flat after that so we did not run it at 10 in/sec. The Bil's were about 160 pounds rebound at 8 in/sec but at 10 in/sec the fronts did 190 lbs and the rears about 200 lbs. If anyone has the 3013's, I will dyno them free of charge, I would like to compare them.

Z06Fix

Great info. Thank you sir

Dave OH32

PM me, I've got a set of 3013's that'll be off the car for a few weeks soon

ghoffman

PM sent!

Umrswimr

How much brain fade do you have to have to turn the dial too far? It's really pretty simple. I've been running mine for 4 years with no problems.

mountainbiker2

Not much. Looks like 3 out of 4 post on here had broken ones.

Steve

yakisoba

Running Bilstein Sports now, and they feel good. The car behaves well, and corners and responds to braking and acceleration very well. I confess to not knowing much about shocks as yet, which is why I didn't go with adjustable shocks. Good to have more to learn.

ghoffman

When you stop learning because you know everything, I'll vote for you! At a former employer of mine we used to say "1 test is worth 100 opinions"! The shock dyno is not the be-all and end-all, but it sure is a nice analysis tool.

varkwso

I put one well run test way ahead of "infinite" opinions- of course I have infinite opinions on the results of well run tests...but show me the data anytime.

Depends what yuou want to do with the car competitively - shocks can throw you up in class in NASA TT pretty quick...SCCA is the same way..

C6400hp

Hey ghoffman, what would it cost to buy a set of your non adj. Penskes set up to work well in AX and DE activities with the factory C6 Z51 leaf springs? I currently have the Bilstein sports on my C6 and feel like I am leaving alot on the table but, I do alot of daily driver duties with it as well I and am hesitant to go with coilovers that give increased track performance and beat the hell out of you on the street. Any advice or opinions welcome.
Thanks

stano

I'm learning about shocks as well. I'm using a prototype set of PFADT's new 16 way sport shocks. On the street they are the best I've used...very smooth shock, inverted and easy to adjust. I've used the QA1s at the track once ( street a lot ) and the Koni 3013s once at Spring Mountain ( and about 500+ miles on the street ) I'll see if I notice a difference between the Konis and the PFADTs in April at Spring Mountain. I'm looking for a street/track shock that won't beat me up on the street and perform great at the track. So far so good with the PFADTs.

SteveC6R

Something to keep in mind also with the Koni, there is a old 3013 and the new 3013 that was released last April (2007). The new one is a different animal vs. the old one and is also inverted.