stevensa

Well after some time of having the JOC suspension package on my 02z I finally made it out to the track so I feel that I can now give a complete review of the setup. I also installed a setup of the Pfadt Poly Bushings along with the JOC suspension and some fresh NT-01 tires (I was running Kumho XS before).

After installing this kit the first thing that I noticed was how much more crisp and balanced the steering felt. With the stock 02z shocks and sways that were on the car prior the car always felt a bit on the sloppy side, esp when transitioning from throttle to braking and left-right turns. I always felt like there was this deadband as I waited for the suspension to load up. This feeling completely went away with the new JOC setup.

As far as ride quality goes I did notice more road noise and I can definitely feel all of the bumps in the road, but this is to be expected with the bushings and the race seat that I have in my car. Even so, I would still consider it 100% comfortable for daily driving. In fact if i stil had the stock bushings and seat in the car I would almost expect the JOC package to be something that should be installed on new cars at the dealer. It basically makes the car feel like a Corvette should from the factory.

On the track the suspension did exactly what I wanted it to. It was very predictable and composed. I am using the middle setting in the rear bar and the car is incredibly balanced and neutral. In transition areas the car is also very flat and balanced. Overall I am 100% satisfied with this setup and would recommend to anyone looking for a great affordable suspension for their daily/street/track Corvettes.

The video below is from a few laps around Grandsport Speedway in Houston Texas. It is a very tight, technical track that is much better suited for Spec Miatas and Lotus cars but is a great place to really gain car control skills with high hp RWD cars. With the stock setup going through the chicane in the back straight the car would feel very "floaty" and definitely took away some confidence. Now it is very flat and composed. My best time in that configuration for the day (first time running the track this direction) was a 1:03.700. For comparison, an SRT 10 viper on A6's with a very good driver or a well prepared GTR will run in the 1:02 range on average. With some more laps I should be able to get even closer to those times, but I would still consider the cars performance impressive given the relatively cheap and simple modifications from the JOC suspension.

Cliff Notes; Highly Recommended.

http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r...R0013_x264.mp4

Pfadt Racing

Thanks Andrew! Man thats crazy that you can do that whole technical track in 3rd gear!

Glad you got some results on the track and like the set up now.

stevensa

Indeed, in the really tight corners it is possible to use 2nd gear but it makes it extremely difficult to put the power down at all. I could also shift up to 4th VERY briefly on the two small straights but the time to shift up/down pretty much cancels out any benefit (at least that I have seen). Its one of those tracks where if you dont hit every corner just right it completely kills your rhythm and lap times. It can very easily frustrate you.

PeteC5

Thanks for a great review.
I'm considering going with the Pfadt setup (shocks+sway bars) for my C5 as well. I'm just not sure whether to go with Pfadt bushings as well, because something like Energy suspension can by had for less than half the price.

Also wanted to ask you how does the car feel mid-corner on a bumpy road, does it get upset by road imperfections or does it hold the line?

Nice driving btw., nice to see not all of you in US is driving only in a straight line

rustyguns

I have these bars and I luv 'em

Pfadt Racing

Improved composure over rough road surfaces was one of the main goals we had in mind when we were developing our Johnny O'Connell package! You will find that the car is much easier to drive, especially over rough roads with the JO package.

Thanks again for the great reviews! We love hearing from happy customers!

stevensa

Hi there, sorry I missed this post. For the bushing question, I am not 100% sure but I believe that the bushings in the Pfadt kit are actually Energy bushings, or are maybe made by the same person that mkaes them for Energy? I only say this because the part numbers on the bushings are the same as what Energy typically uses. I believe the cost difference that you see is for the VERY nice aluminum pieces that come with the Pfadt kit which are superior IMO to any other kit that I know of that is currently offered.

As for mid corner on a bumpy road, the car is very stable. In the video below at minute 4:33-4:43 and 7:58-8:10 (and the same part of the track on other laps) those grooves in the track are very deep and very bumpy when you go over them. You can see my head bouncing quite a bit from the bumps but my hands are very stable and the car is very balanced. I was only driving 80 ish percent on these laps as they were the last of the day, but I was still getting around the track with a decent pace (1:42.5 I believe was my best this session, the track was on the slow side due to a bunch of rain the days before).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUsv5ezYuUg


Hope this helped.

Rev_2_8k

Awesome review Steve... Was waiting to see a nice, in-depth analysis of the JOC kit.

I just picked up (new to me) 03Z and do 4-6 track days a year. Sounds like this just reassures the purchase of the kit.

From one Steve to another, thanks.

Steve