Pfadt light bars on base c6
10-11-2012, 09:01 PM
#1
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Pfadt light bars on base c6
Hi,
I have a base c6 that I just purchased. I'm looking to get rid of some body roll, and was hoping a set of sway bars would do the trick. My only concern is that the pfadt bars would be too much with the rest of the suspension stock.
Would this be a wise first suspension upgrade? Or should I do something else first.
Thanks!
I have a base c6 that I just purchased. I'm looking to get rid of some body roll, and was hoping a set of sway bars would do the trick. My only concern is that the pfadt bars would be too much with the rest of the suspension stock.
Would this be a wise first suspension upgrade? Or should I do something else first.
Thanks!
10-12-2012, 12:28 AM
#2
Drifting
Sways will help immensely, I am looking hard at those bars even though I have Hotchkiss now. Z51 bars for street or Z06/ZR1 setup frome Gene is very nice and much cheaper though.
Z06 front spring was the best change I made.
Followed by shocks.
Z06 front spring was the best change I made.
Followed by shocks.
10-12-2012, 02:10 AM
#3
Safety Car
Thread Starter
So would you recommend doing shocks/springs first?
10-12-2012, 07:48 AM
#5
Drifting
That was one of my first mods 2 years ago. Pfadt Light Rate adjustable bars are amazing!
Feels like a totally different car, much stiffer. GM should have these as stock parts.
The very next upgrade would be to get rid of the runflat crap tires and get something stickier.
Due to the stiffness, you will need stickier tires or sliding the car around will happen easier than before.
But once you put on the PFADT sway bars and stickier than stock tires, you can drive as hard as you want on the street with no issues!
I have the light rate sway bars, LG world challenge wheels, and Nitto Invo tires, and at Road Atlanta, I never squealed the tires and I was running 1:50 lap times, and this was my first weekend there. This setup has great grip and will allow you to grow into the car over the next few years without spending tons of money.
Feels like a totally different car, much stiffer. GM should have these as stock parts.
The very next upgrade would be to get rid of the runflat crap tires and get something stickier.
Due to the stiffness, you will need stickier tires or sliding the car around will happen easier than before.
But once you put on the PFADT sway bars and stickier than stock tires, you can drive as hard as you want on the street with no issues!
I have the light rate sway bars, LG world challenge wheels, and Nitto Invo tires, and at Road Atlanta, I never squealed the tires and I was running 1:50 lap times, and this was my first weekend there. This setup has great grip and will allow you to grow into the car over the next few years without spending tons of money.
10-12-2012, 08:18 AM
#6
Safety Car
Thread Starter
My problem is that I'm coming from a z51 car and can really tell the difference . I don't want to spend the money on z51 stuff when I can get much better bang for my buck out of something else.
10-12-2012, 08:22 AM
#7
Drifting
That's why I got a base model in the first place. I want to make my Corvette the way I want it, not the way you can just buy it off the shelf. I want each dollar I spend on it to be where I think the biggest improvements are for the money for performance, not for what sells in the dealership as "packages and trim levels."
10-12-2012, 08:22 AM
#8
Safety Car
Thread Starter
That was one of my first mods 2 years ago. Pfadt Light Rate adjustable bars are amazing!
Feels like a totally different car, much stiffer. GM should have these as stock parts.
The very next upgrade would be to get rid of the runflat crap tires and get something stickier.
Due to the stiffness, you will need stickier tires or sliding the car around will happen easier than before.
But once you put on the PFADT sway bars and stickier than stock tires, you can drive as hard as you want on the street with no issues!
I have the light rate sway bars, LG world challenge wheels, and Nitto Invo tires, and at Road Atlanta, I never squealed the tires and I was running 1:50 lap times, and this was my first weekend there. This setup has great grip and will allow you to grow into the car over the next few years without spending tons of money.
Feels like a totally different car, much stiffer. GM should have these as stock parts.
The very next upgrade would be to get rid of the runflat crap tires and get something stickier.
Due to the stiffness, you will need stickier tires or sliding the car around will happen easier than before.
But once you put on the PFADT sway bars and stickier than stock tires, you can drive as hard as you want on the street with no issues!
I have the light rate sway bars, LG world challenge wheels, and Nitto Invo tires, and at Road Atlanta, I never squealed the tires and I was running 1:50 lap times, and this was my first weekend there. This setup has great grip and will allow you to grow into the car over the next few years without spending tons of money.
Last edited by sevinn; 10-12-2012 at 08:25 AM.
10-12-2012, 09:48 AM
#9
Drifting
Everything depends on if this is a daily driver and how are the roads in Baton Rouge?
How are the tracks near you and how many HPDE's do you have under your belt? I tend to drive slow on the street and fast on the track.
Look at the PFADT chart, there soft bars are way stiff and there stiff bars are for cars on slicks on smooth tracks. If you go to stiff you actually loose traction as you chatter over bumps. All depends on your roads and tracks. But that soft stock base front spring sucks allowing way to much brake dive.
IMHO adjustable bars with adjustable links are best for the track where you can adjust in some oversteer which is exactly what you don't want on the street.
Had great luck on the street and track with RE-11"s 305/265 stock wheels.
How are the tracks near you and how many HPDE's do you have under your belt? I tend to drive slow on the street and fast on the track.
Look at the PFADT chart, there soft bars are way stiff and there stiff bars are for cars on slicks on smooth tracks. If you go to stiff you actually loose traction as you chatter over bumps. All depends on your roads and tracks. But that soft stock base front spring sucks allowing way to much brake dive.
IMHO adjustable bars with adjustable links are best for the track where you can adjust in some oversteer which is exactly what you don't want on the street.
Had great luck on the street and track with RE-11"s 305/265 stock wheels.
10-12-2012, 10:33 AM
#10
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Everything depends on if this is a daily driver and how are the roads in Baton Rouge?
How are the tracks near you and how many HPDE's do you have under your belt? I tend to drive slow on the street and fast on the track.
Look at the PFADT chart, there soft bars are way stiff and there stiff bars are for cars on slicks on smooth tracks. If you go to stiff you actually loose traction as you chatter over bumps. All depends on your roads and tracks. But that soft stock base front spring sucks allowing way to much brake dive.
IMHO adjustable bars with adjustable links are best for the track where you can adjust in some oversteer which is exactly what you don't want on the street.
Had great luck on the street and track with RE-11"s 305/265 stock wheels.
How are the tracks near you and how many HPDE's do you have under your belt? I tend to drive slow on the street and fast on the track.
Look at the PFADT chart, there soft bars are way stiff and there stiff bars are for cars on slicks on smooth tracks. If you go to stiff you actually loose traction as you chatter over bumps. All depends on your roads and tracks. But that soft stock base front spring sucks allowing way to much brake dive.
IMHO adjustable bars with adjustable links are best for the track where you can adjust in some oversteer which is exactly what you don't want on the street.
Had great luck on the street and track with RE-11"s 305/265 stock wheels.
The only track I can reasonably go to on a weekend would be http://www.nolamotor.com/, but I haven't been on it. I'm green to HPDE's, so I'd be starting out fresh with NASA 1.
You are right, I don't want to add in oversteer I suppose, I just don't know what to change first (without going too far). Perhaps I should go with something more mild like the JOC 1 package instead of getting the adjustable sways. I was found a pretty good deal on a set and was wondering if they'd be too much for my base car.
Thanks for all of your input.
10-12-2012, 10:40 AM
#11
Look at the PFADT chart, there soft bars are way stiff and there stiff bars are for cars on slicks on smooth tracks. If you go to stiff you actually loose traction as you chatter over bumps. All depends on your roads and tracks. But that soft stock base front spring sucks allowing way to much brake dive.
if youre going to just run cheaper street tires you can overdo the stiffness. However if you go with R compounds you can end up with a lot of body roll if you dont go stiff enough. Changing out the front spring for something stiffer was a HUGE upgrade (went with Z06 spring and kept the stock rear). The brake dive issue on the FE1 spring is ridiculous... I dont understand how they got away with putting something so soft on the front of a sports car...
It will split duty as a DD with my truck. The roads here in BR are ok, the ones I will be using daily at least. My trek to and from work is mostly interstate. I'm of the same mind as you; no sense driving like an idiot on the street. I may take a cloverleaf exit faster than some other cars, but nothing I've ever been remotely nervous about.
The only track I can reasonably go to on a weekend would be http://www.nolamotor.com/, but I haven't been on it. I'm green to HPDE's, so I'd be starting out fresh with NASA 1.
You are right, I don't want to add in oversteer I suppose, I just don't know what to change first (without going too far). Perhaps I should go with something more mild like the JOC 1 package instead of getting the adjustable sways. I was found a pretty good deal on a set and was wondering if they'd be too much for my base car.
Thanks for all of your input.
The only track I can reasonably go to on a weekend would be http://www.nolamotor.com/, but I haven't been on it. I'm green to HPDE's, so I'd be starting out fresh with NASA 1.
You are right, I don't want to add in oversteer I suppose, I just don't know what to change first (without going too far). Perhaps I should go with something more mild like the JOC 1 package instead of getting the adjustable sways. I was found a pretty good deal on a set and was wondering if they'd be too much for my base car.
Thanks for all of your input.
FWIW The light rate bars would work with street tires, but some people may find that its too much for the street...
either way youre going to be on the right track
if you change shocks - bilsteins, and JOCs get great reviews!
Last edited by el es tu; 10-12-2012 at 10:48 AM.
10-12-2012, 10:47 AM
#12
Safety Car
Thread Starter
if youre going to just run cheaper street tires you can overdo the stiffness. However if you go with R compounds you can end up with a lot of body roll if you dont go stiff enough. Changing out the front spring for something stiffer was a HUGE upgrade (went with Z06 spring and kept the stock rear). The brake dive issue on the FE1 spring is ridiculous... I dont understand how they got away with putting something so soft on the front of a sports car...
The joc stage 1 is adjustable!
FWIW The light rate bars would work with street tires, but some people may find that its too much for the street...
either way youre going to be on the right track
May I ask what you are referring to when you say "too much for the street"?
Thanks!
10-12-2012, 11:00 AM
#13
Then there's the issue if you are driving "quickly" through a turn and there is a bump - the car may skip if you were running bars that were too stiff. However spring and shock setup will also be a factor in this.
I run front zr1 and rear z06 bars, along with z06 shocks, a front z06 spring and base rear spring. Car handles well, but I wish Id gone with something a bit stiffer and adjustable - imo those light rate bars look like a very good option!
Last edited by el es tu; 10-12-2012 at 11:04 AM.
10-12-2012, 11:05 AM
#14
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Believe it or not, sometimes people whine that the car is too stiff for comfort. Ive seen complaints like this on t1 bars (roughly same stiffness as the pfadt Light rate bars) used on street cars - however many also say that it feels great - so it really comes down to personal preference.
Then there's the issue if you are driving "quickly" through a turn and there is a bump - the car may skip if you were running bars that were too stiff. However spring and shock setup will also be a factor in this.
Then there's the issue if you are driving "quickly" through a turn and there is a bump - the car may skip if you were running bars that were too stiff. However spring and shock setup will also be a factor in this.
I'll never drive on the street with enough speed to get myself in trouble over a bump.
So, overall, would you recommend me getting the light bars and perhaps a z06 spring for the front as my first steps toward a better handling car? Next after would be replacing my runflats with a stickier tire in perhaps 305/265 sizes, but that won't be until I wear these out. I had hankooks on my 2005 and loved them.
Thanks so much.
10-12-2012, 11:45 AM
#15
Great. I was hoping that's what you meant. As it stands now, I feel like my car is too, for lack of a better word, "free." I know it's got something to do with the steering ratio changes between my 2005 and the new car, but I loved the stiffness of my older car.
I'll never drive on the street with enough speed to get myself in trouble over a bump.
So, overall, would you recommend me getting the light bars and perhaps a z06 spring for the front as my first steps toward a better handling car? Next after would be replacing my runflats with a stickier tire in perhaps 305/265 sizes, but that won't be until I wear these out. I had hankooks on my 2005 and loved them.
Thanks so much.
I'll never drive on the street with enough speed to get myself in trouble over a bump.
So, overall, would you recommend me getting the light bars and perhaps a z06 spring for the front as my first steps toward a better handling car? Next after would be replacing my runflats with a stickier tire in perhaps 305/265 sizes, but that won't be until I wear these out. I had hankooks on my 2005 and loved them.
Thanks so much.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/1582...-post2730.html
or you can buy them new for 50 bucks more here:http://www.rpidesigns.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=1011 (theyre a running 5% off coupon code on the site as well) (theyre normally 1100 through pfadt and most distributors)
Z06 spring was a very good street compromise. Unless you plan on doing coilovers I highly recommend it. If you can afford shocks - you might be able to pick up some bilstein sports for around 300 to 350 depending on the vendor ( the base shocks are very soft - when you replace them youll be surprised how thin the shock body is compared to any other shock).
as far as tires go - if you get new wheels you can fit z06 sized tires and not lose the inch of tire height that the 265/305 combo presents. If you want to keep yourt stock wheels - kumho xs and bridgestonme re11 are 180 treadwear and are known to be among the best performers in stock sizing (btw the bridgestone comes in 245 or 275 for the front so you could do a 275/285 combo and still maintain correct height and ratio). If you want a street legal r compound in stock sizing, pirelli makes a tire called the trofeo which is supposed to be as good or better than the pilot sport cup.
bridgestone RE11 http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....ke=Bridgestone
kumho xs http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....Model=Ecsta+XS
trofeos are sold through only a few distributors:
http://www.bobwoodmantires.com/bwttires.php
hope this helps!
Last edited by el es tu; 10-12-2012 at 12:01 PM.
10-12-2012, 11:46 AM
#16
Safety Car
Thread Starter
used light rates for sale:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/1582...-post2730.html
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/1582...-post2730.html
.
10-12-2012, 12:17 PM
#18
Safety Car
Thread Starter
used light rates for sale:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/1582...-post2730.html
or you can buy them new for 50 bucks more here:http://www.rpidesigns.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=1011 (theyre a running 5% off coupon code on the site as well) (theyre normally 1100 through pfadt and most distributors)
Z06 spring was a very good street compromise. Unless you plan on doing coilovers I highly recommend it. If you can afford shocks - you might be able to pick up some bilstein sports for around 300 to 350 depending on the vendor ( the base shocks are very soft - when you replace them youll be surprised how thin the shock body is compared to any other shock).
as far as tires go - if you get new wheels you can fit z06 sized tires and not lose the inch of tire height that the 265/305 combo presents. If you want to keep yourt stock wheels - kumho xs and bridgestonme re11 are 180 treadwear and are known to be among the best performers in stock sizing (btw the bridgestone comes in 245 or 275 for the front so you could do a 275/285 combo and still maintain correct height and ratio). If you want a street legal r compound in stock sizing, pirelli makes a tire called the trofeo which is supposed to be as good or better than the pilot sport cup.
bridgestone RE11 http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....ke=Bridgestone
kumho xs http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....Model=Ecsta+XS
trofeos are sold through only a few distributors:
http://www.bobwoodmantires.com/bwttires.php
hope this helps!
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/1582...-post2730.html
or you can buy them new for 50 bucks more here:http://www.rpidesigns.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=1011 (theyre a running 5% off coupon code on the site as well) (theyre normally 1100 through pfadt and most distributors)
Z06 spring was a very good street compromise. Unless you plan on doing coilovers I highly recommend it. If you can afford shocks - you might be able to pick up some bilstein sports for around 300 to 350 depending on the vendor ( the base shocks are very soft - when you replace them youll be surprised how thin the shock body is compared to any other shock).
as far as tires go - if you get new wheels you can fit z06 sized tires and not lose the inch of tire height that the 265/305 combo presents. If you want to keep yourt stock wheels - kumho xs and bridgestonme re11 are 180 treadwear and are known to be among the best performers in stock sizing (btw the bridgestone comes in 245 or 275 for the front so you could do a 275/285 combo and still maintain correct height and ratio). If you want a street legal r compound in stock sizing, pirelli makes a tire called the trofeo which is supposed to be as good or better than the pilot sport cup.
bridgestone RE11 http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....ke=Bridgestone
kumho xs http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....Model=Ecsta+XS
trofeos are sold through only a few distributors:
http://www.bobwoodmantires.com/bwttires.php
hope this helps!
Thanks a lot, its really appreciated.
10-12-2012, 01:09 PM
#19
If you are green to track driving, just drive the car as is.
One of the things that (IMO) makes the vette harder to pick up than the average car is the lack of feedback the driver gets...body roll being one of the components of feedback.
Minimizing roll is great from a chassis and tire dynamics standpoint but makes it harder for a driver to figure out what is going on. Even the base C6 is an extremely well sorted car in comparison to the average vehicle you will see on the race track, so you don't need to feel that you are undercutting yourself.
One of the things that (IMO) makes the vette harder to pick up than the average car is the lack of feedback the driver gets...body roll being one of the components of feedback.
Minimizing roll is great from a chassis and tire dynamics standpoint but makes it harder for a driver to figure out what is going on. Even the base C6 is an extremely well sorted car in comparison to the average vehicle you will see on the race track, so you don't need to feel that you are undercutting yourself.