Rough Ride
#1
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
Rough Ride
I gave a friend a ride one day a while back, and the car seemed to bounce fairly rough over the unimproved highway we were on. I apologized for it and he said " Hey, it a Corvette. They all ride like this."
There are new Springs & Shocks up front, as the project I bought came with neither. And it has some yellow booted aftermarket Shocks I've yet to identify in the back.
Was Troy correct, or was he just being nice to me?
Steve
There are new Springs & Shocks up front, as the project I bought came with neither. And it has some yellow booted aftermarket Shocks I've yet to identify in the back.
Was Troy correct, or was he just being nice to me?
Steve
#2
Team Owner
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#3
Nam Labrat
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Like Easy Mike said "Corvettes are sports cars......".
The few Corvettes that I have ridden in have VERY FIRM "rides"......actually harsh compared to the Buicks and Impalas.
I have installed Monroe SensaTrac shocks on my '34 Ford 350 SBC street truck and on my '68 Vette project. Now I am able to drive locally and on long trips without feeling all the bumps and cracks in the roads and Interstate highways (of course those 90mph curves are now 70 mph curves!)
#6
Drifting
#7
Team Owner
Part of the reason that Corvettes appear to ride "rough" is because they do have a "stiffer", performance oriented suspension. Secondly, the wheelbase is quite short, and you're sitting just a few inches in front of the rear wheels.
However, if you swap the stock steel spring for a composite spring, like the ones that VB&P sells, the difference is dramatic.
However, if you swap the stock steel spring for a composite spring, like the ones that VB&P sells, the difference is dramatic.
#8
Race Director
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One big issue is a misconception that a stiff tooth filling jawing ride makes the car better at handling...old school people like Herb Adams and Greenwood showed that isn't really fully true...but still lots of c3's even the factory gymkahnennahana whatever it's called package made the already sports car handling feel like a lumber truck with bad / no shocks...
New shocks do wonders for some c3's...but it will never ride like a caddy...
Also thin modern rubber band tires or big rims also do not help ride.
New shocks do wonders for some c3's...but it will never ride like a caddy...
Also thin modern rubber band tires or big rims also do not help ride.
#9
Team Owner
But as I mentioned before, a composite rear spring will do a LOT to make the car ride better, with no sacrifice in handling. My wife used to own a '79 C-3, and I put one of those rear springs in it. The change in ride quality was dramatic.