Bryan144

Hey everyone! Excited to say that I began installing my new sway bars today until it got pitch black dark on me! I managed to get the rear one on and buttoned up though. I will complete the front on the next warm dry day we have.

Starting this thread to help others decide on sway bars as nobody has really commented and reviewed how the c6z bars work on our c5's.

I picked up a set of used sway bars off of a member from the c6 forum for 170$ shipped and a set of 2 metal endlinks to replace the plastic ones on my 98 base for 35$ from anther member(purchased two more from Ebay)
Total: $260
I cannot comment on these yet but will continue to do so for the next few weeks to let everyone know. I will also be switching to a 275/325 tire set up in a few weeks and will further comment on the z06 bars!

For curious folks, I used http://ls1howto.com/index.php?article=16 to help me.

Thanks everyone! Stay tuned for information on your future upgrade!
The z06 sway bars are 31mm in the front and 28mm in the rear!

Let the journey begin!

QCVette

Keep us posted on how you like them.

There have been a lot of threads that cover the C6 Z06 and C6 Z51 sway bars on our C5's. If you search you can find lots and lots of opinions. Almost everyone likes them. Some prefer the C6 Z51 bars with the stock C5 tire sizes and the bigger C6 Z06 rear bar if you have larger (325+) rear tires. It is generally thought that the larger bars can result in oversteer with the smaller tires.

I have done the C6 Z06 bars on one car and C6 C51 bars on another with stock size C5 tires. Great upgrade. To me they feel the same, however I did not push the Z06 bars enough to discover if it has oversteer.

Good luck with your upgrade and let us know what you think.

Bryan144

Thanks for your input! I have found a number of posts about the z bars but not nearly as many as the z51 bars so I figured I would post my own. As the weather clears up and I finish up the install I'll keep posting. As of right now, before driving with the new bars, I think te oversteer will be exaggerated but that's just my hypothesis

alxltd1

I run the C6 Z06 bars with all metal end links and OEM rubber bushings front and rear on my 2000 coupe with C6 GS 18/19 wheels and 275/325 tires. They work great, though I am also converted to coil overs as well. Good luck.

Bryan144

we will have the same set up, I have all metal end links with stock bushings as well and have the 18/19 GS wheels at the house awaiting the 275/325 tires though I will not be on coils until summer

JrRifleCoach

Personally I found the C6Z51 bars to be a better match for my C5Z06.
The rear bar might be a touch too stiff (28mm) for you.

Just be sure your running fresh shocks to compliment those new bars.

Good Luck

Bryan144

Well drove the car with just the rear installed and I can already tell that the body roll is minimized. Im having to take it easier because of the smaller front bar though. I've noticed that I can feel more road in the rear, no problems with oversteer yet. So far I have no complaints

Bryan144

finished up the install today, front is on! The front was a 20 minute job. Road feel is amazing and the car is super flat now! Needs new tires before I really test them but so far so good! Coilovers will be the next step and I believe will set the car off completely!



Rear sway bar





Rhino ramps help so much these are so useful





Stock front and c6 z06 front comparison





17 year old plastic end links

QCVette

Hard to believe, but my '99 plastic end links were even worse than yours.

Glad you like the upgrade. New tires will help too. I did the sway bars, end links, and tires (Hankook's) at the same time. Wow what a difference.

Bryan144

Tested the new bars even further yesterday since we had some beautiful 60+ degree weather in NC! Went to a curvy mountain road and found out that I'm now in love even more! The car handled good for a bone stock car but now with the upgraded endlinks and sways it is a whole new beast!

I'll be going to the GS wheels/tires soon so the 275/325 setup should keep the car even more planted than it already is!

Honestly everyone says "c6 z06 bars cause so much oversteer" but I only noticed a few instances when a tiny amount of oversteer was present.

So far I love them and it completely transformed my base suspension into a new car. I even have stock springs/shocks... I need new shocks though... So.Many.Bumps.