jeffsmachine

My 01 Z06 ride quality is pretty bad on the rough roads in My area.
Im on the factory shocks, and is there any chance of improving the ride quality to be more comfortable with a shock swap ?

brplatz

Non-run flat tires will help too

bikeriderga

z06 is not equipped with run flats.

bikeriderga

You could go with less stiff shock dampening and that may help some, but the Z06 comes with stiff suspension for handling reasons.

If you go with softer shocks, it is going to affect the handling.

grantv

If you don't have any suspension issues I think you should live with it. It'd be a pity to downgrade the car. The C5Z is borderline a race car in street clothes. Light weight, stiff suspension, gobs of power... I love it the way it is, my wife has a mini-van; it has a pretty comfy ride.

brplatz

Doh! Not sure why I thought it did...... Late night forum posting

jeffsmachine

Thanks All
I'm running Michelins to try and get some comfort.
I've read about using later model Z06 shocks for an improvement , but is that improvement for better handling , or better comfort ?

Zealot06

I'd kinda like to know this, too.

Solofast

The later (04) Z06 shocks actually have a better damping curve in the rear and actually ride a bit better than the 01's and 02-03's. The original 01's were revised in 02 and then finally again in 04 where they got it right.

These cars don't ride that bad so long as you are within 1" of stock ride height. If you are lower than that they ride very poorly because there is no travel in the rear suspension. I know they look like a piece of ag equipment at the stock height, but lowering more than an inch really degrades the ride quality. If you aren't the original owner and suspect that it's been lowered that may well be the issue.

You should see at the very least, 3 to 5 threads above the rear nuts, if you don't expect it to ride like a buckboard.

jeffsmachine

Thanks Solofast
This is what I wanted to hear.

2003Evo

01 shocks are known to be pretty rough, i would go for 02-04, with 04s being the best.

Stroker87

I installed C6 Z06 shocks and the ride is better the rear stays planted much more dont jump and shift over bumps now like with the C5 Z06 shocks, I feel less bumps in the steering wheel also so they do help but its still kinda on the harsh side being a Z06

I picked up a very low used set for a good price and over all very pleased with the swap

4XLR8N

Starting with a base Coupe, I upgraded to C6 Z06 shocks and C6 Z51 bars with metal end links. I left the stock springs in.

Car now corners absolutely flat and handles great, even on these POS roads here in MI, because the softer springs are more compliant with the irregularities on the pavement and keep the tires planted better. Not to mention, a lot more comfortable ride as well. IMO, I now have the best of all worlds.

On a smooth track, I am sure I give something up to cars with the Z-06 springs, but I don't track my car and even if I did, unless I was a hard core racer, the slightly better track handling would not be worth the punishment on the street to me.

TXGS507

Coilovers.... Done!

racebum

i played around with ride height on mine and found 1/2" down was optimum for the street

at 1" down compliance started to suffer and not only did it ride worse, the car was far less stable over rough terrain which you find on the street often

the 04z shocks are a great shock and as stated, actually ride better, amazon had a great deal on these under the delco label.....which is exactly what he dealer sells you. the GM and delco numbers are on the same tag

jeffsmachine

Thanks Everybody, 04 Z shocks sound like the answer

acrace

The other shock you might to consider would be the Doug Rippie Motorsports custom valved Bilsteins. Lots of C6 Z06 owners use that as an upgrade over the C6 Z06 OEM shocks. Less initial harshness and better low frequency body control, particularly in the rears. DRM is a forum vendor, and if you do a search, I'm sure that you will find a thread about how to get them.

The other thing to consider is that the Bilstein Sport shock has valving very close to the OE 04 Sachs shocks.

racebum

?

the bilstein sports are nearly identical to the 02s not the 04s. they still have a conventional rear rebound curve. guys tend to buy these that tend to dislike body motion.

drm has never really said what they did to their shocks or what changes were made. the only hint was that they didn't like the 04s probably because the 04s are a street tire shock they can get a bit too loose on R comps.

but, suspension has to be tuned to a tire, so, on street tires, stock springs, sways and 04 shocks rock. you have good compliance and the tire stays in contact with the road even on uneven terrain

amazon had them around 100 a shock

acrace

All that I'll mention is that I've had '03 OEM Sachs, '04 OEM Sachs, early build Koni Sports, DRM Bilsteins, and single adjustable custom Penskes (that were way over damped) on my '03 Z06, factory springs. All were street driven (getaway weekends with the wife), as well as autocrossed with R compounds (Hoosier A6s). For street driving, I liked the DRMs and the Konis the best.

I've also had the Konis, DRM, and Penskes dyno'd, to try and understand what I liked and why. The Konis are currently on my '03 Z and the DRMs on my '09 Z.

But as you rightly point out, the shocks have to be matched to not only the car's configuration, but also what the owner likes in terms of ride quality and performance.

racebum

what do those DRM bilsteins behave like? i love koni sports, they always make a great street shock. had them on a mustang, my integra and a c4. with some experimenting you can get the rebound just dialed so long as you stay within what the shock is able to control

DRM was very vague on what they changed on the shocks. sounds like they increased low speed compliance from what you're eluding to.

the only guys i've ever spoke with who run penske or moton are the ones with deep pockets, usually experimenting with downforce and run monster spring rates