JEEP/C5

I thought I would throw out my experiences on adjusting the ride height. Make sure you measure the height BEFORE you jack up the car and compare left side with right on both the front and rear. On my car the RIGHT side sat about 1/2 taller in the rear and 1/4 taller in the front when compared to the left side. But when I lowered it a couple of months ago I was more concerned with making sure each bolt/nut was on the exact thread so that my ride height would be even all the ways around (or so I thought).

When I performed the lowering procedure each bolt/nut was in the same location as the other side before I started (kind of strange) so I should have taken in account the original height difference and guesstimated accordingly. After a few days and 25 miles or so I measured each side again to see were my ride height was at and the right side as off the exact amount it was before (1/2 and 1/4). I waited a couple of weeks (too cold to work in the garage) and I found it settled another 1/8 on its own but the right side was still off 1/2 and 1/4.

So last week I jacked up the car and adjusted the right side only to make the car more balanced. Now the front left and right are within 1/16 of each other and the rear left and right are within 1/8 inch. I may adjust the rear some more since its easy (don't have to remove the rear tires).

I hope this help someone.

Navyvette04

Thanks for posting, I plan to lower my car this weekend. BTW, what reference points did you use for the measurements. Also, did you use stock bolts or aftermarket bolts.

34RedRage

when i lowered my c5 on stock bolts, i lowered it to the same threads on both sides. still my rh side rear was about 1/4 inch higher. i thought to myself," if someone gets down and measures my car and tells me they are off, its time for them to leave". you cannot tell one side is 1/4 inch lower than the other with the nacked eye!!!

fenixtxrbf

i think its kinda normal that the left side is lower since there is always more weight on the drivers side the springs wear more.

Fratbragen

Is there a procedure anywhere for lowering on stock bolts?

JEEP/C5

Navyvette04 - I measured from the ground to the bottom lip of the fender going straight up the center of the rim. Front is now 27 inch and rear is 27.5 (give or take 1/8 or so). Before it was 27.5 front and 28 to 28.5 in the rear. So i really only lowered 1/2 inch or so except the RR is an inch lower now. I have a 01 with the z51 package (which I hear can make a difference on height). I used the stock bolts and I am happy with the height. I don't want to scrap every little thing I come across.

And "vettsplus" your right a 1/4 is not a real big deal but I figure if I'm doing it I might as well do it right plus I figure it would be at the optimal handling for both right and left and sweepers (not that you could tell this on the road but perhaps on a track you could). And to answer the next question - I don't track my car.

Fratbragen - Several available - so a search. Here is a couple that I found.

http://www.frankhunt.com/FRANK/hobbi...5_Lowering.htm

https://www.corvetteforum.com/techti...D=27&TopicID=1

http://www.c5forum.com/diy/lowering.php

JEEP/C5

Keep in mind you want to keep the rear about 1/2 higher than the front (so the car handles right). And I was only able to lower the front about 1/2 inch on stock bolts (Did not cut any bushings) on my z51 but the back I could lower it 3/4 or possible a little more on stock bolts without cutting the bushings.

Last C5

I've heard this 1/2" higher in back thing many times on the forum and I'm not sure where it came from originally. My track car sets dead level, measured at the frame lift points. She handles totally neutral, tracks as solid as a rock at straightaway speeds, and gets as much wear as anybody out the tires. What does this 1/2" get you?

ferrari red vette

JEEP/C5

Well technically I am measuring at the top of the wheel arch which could differ than at the frame. I was trying to mimic what the factory had setup on my car originally and i figured it had to do on how the car balanced its weight front to rear and the aerodynamics. Its great to hear that your car is level and it handles great since all i have ever read on the CF is keep the rear 1/2 inch higher.

I guess I really need to measure at the frame to see what the true difference is. This is good to know. I may try this and compare with my current setup.

Last C5

Please post the results. You've got a great apples to apples comparison right now and I'd like to see how it compares to my oranges.

spdracr39

Isn't it one spring across the front and one spring across the rear ?

hotwheels57

Can a transverse mounted spring (one front/one rear) wear more on just one side?

From past threads, it's apparent that either the factory and/or many owners make adjustments of the bolts to compensate for the driver weight. Mine is set 1/4" higher on the driver side...I'm a big boy...

JEEP/C5

Yes, I am not sure why one side would be higher than other or if its even possible for one side to sag before the other side. I only weigh 165 so I don't think that would tax one side more than the other.

JEEP/C5

I would not think so.

JEEP/C5

Will do. It may be a week or so before I can get an accurate reading since I don't drive her much in the winter and I really need to driver her 25 miles or so to help the suspension settle down.