BlackbirdXX

I also found Steinjager on the web browsing around, and I am glad to see some fellow CF users have posted experiences. I pulled the trigger last night on a set with the extreme end links, and although I have not received them yet, I can say I ordered direct for a few pennies more, and My bars shipped out a few hours after the order was placed. I had a few questions so I gave them a call and I have to admit, the Customer Service was some, if not the best I have encountered in years, Give credit where due, but If I had family in IL, it was like I called and spoke to my sister and brother. When I asked about coating them in red, since my undercarriage is polished and red highlights, I could hear they want to offer in colours, and I wouldn't doubt you will probably see color choice soon. I can't wait to get the car on the lift to replace mine, My rear if you see my gallery photo the damn thing is hurting at its 16th year in operation. This is going to be a well welcomed upgrade. Thanks again for the reviews.

Jay

darnold

You will love them. I found the answer to the "tight fit" and "rubbing/noise" problems: The links are probably too short. If you need more clearance simply increase the length of the adjustable links that come with the full kit and you will be amazed.

jonnyc

the stock c5 z06 bars are 30mm front and 23.6mm rear.so these bars are about 1.75mm bigger front and rear.the problem is these bars are only .120" wall thickness and the stock z06 front bar is .177" thick and rear is .138" thick.

C5Dobie

I ordered the front/rear sway bars w/ bushings for my C5 Z - I originally ordered without the end links because I already have 4 moog end links....based on the feedback I see on this thread looks like I may need to go and get some adjustable end links for the front bar??? Or will the moog links be OK in front, is that what is the cause of the "tight fit" as mentioned?

C5Dobie

I installed my front bar w/ their extreme duty adjustable links and they're @ the shortest setting and the bar is sitting right against the control arm - can't be good.

You sure you have clearance?? I'm going to see if I can get steinjager to take the front bar back and give me a credit, it simply isn't engineered/designed correctly as far as I can tell simply doesn't fit, period.

a_ahmed

Did you ever resort this issue? I have a 2000 C5 with Z51 package, I was looking at getting their endlinks but for the price the whole front and raer kit seems a steal. But I was thinking of the extreme endlinks instead of the standard heavy duty ones and then I saw your post.

a_ahmed

They sell for 250USD

I'm in Canada is this the best place for the price?

http://steinjager.com/shop/index.php...ix=&tierSeven=

C5Dobie

Yes reported the issue they responded quickly & sent me a new one free of charge. Turns out didn't need a new one after all, but you DO need the extreme duty end-links or some type of adjustable heim style in order to get the clearance needed so there's no rubbing. I originally installed the bar by matching the extreme duty links to the same length as the stockers, then ended up extending both ends quitea bit to provide clearance but still had plenty of threads left to ensure it was all secure

the rear can use whatever you want I went w/ moog

theoldmusicman

So is everybody still happy with their new Steinjager bars? I'm ready to replace the bars on my 97 base and I'm thinking seriously about these. I already have Bilstein HD shocks, c6zo6 replica wheels (17's and 18's), and z06 size tires (275/40-17 and 295/35-18).

I know where I can pick up a set of c6z06 bars for about $30 less than the Steinjager's but I'm thinking that $30 is not to much extra to pay for new bars, new bushings, and the PTFE Heim adjustable end links.

a_ahmed

They were worth it imo. C6Z06 rear bar is the only thing that's larger and not good unless you're running a 325+ tire.

The extreme duty endlinks from steinjager are good stuff imo. And the steinjagger kit comes with poly bushings rather than rubbers.

ptindall

This and the possible difference in material property is why nobody in this thread has actually posted any actual comparison to stock C5Z06 bars. Sway bars are nothing but torsion springs. Their comparison needs to be done in lbs/inch. That's the only thing that matters and I see no data on it at all. Outside diameter is not a valid comparison. At least with the expensive brands you know what you are getting. I would also never increase front bar without increasing rear bar. The car doesn't need any more understeer.

darnold

I had to have the links adjusted so that they were longer, and that gave me clearance. Of course this adjustment necessitated having adjustable links. -Dave

darnold

Yep, I may have/must have been looking at the C6 sizes. I have to go back and check because there are a number of size sources running around and I wound up flipping through a number of them before siding with the two that I put out. That of course would mean that I was wrong when I stated that the rear bar wasn't any bigger than the C5Z06. Good catch.

darnold

YES!!!!

darnold

darnold

I really appreciate being on this forum because of the vast amount of prior knowledge and camaraderie everyone has. It's fun learning and figuring things out with everyone else. For me, I think any comparisons of aftermarket components to the OEM components found on the C5/C6 Z06 must be done while keeping some perspective regarding the parameters that we will use to assess any aftermarket upgrade that we put on, such as the Steinjager sway bars.

For instance, we should remember that if we are "upgrading" our cars, especially from the base FE1 suspension (there are four of us on this page it seems that don't have Z's), our non-Z suspension packages are considerably off of the Z06 setup. These differences can disrupt our assessments pertaining to any comparisons of an aftermarket upgrade piece/package to those components found on a C5/C6 Z06. Thus, we may not be able to envision just how much different, and better or worse each aftermarket component that we select may be in comparison to the OEM part it's intended to replace.

In example, would a 10% increase or decrease in a front or rear sway bar rate, or a rear leaf spring rate, make any negligible difference in skid pad grip, balance, or lap times on a road course between the aftermarket part and the OEM Z06 part? I'm not sure. It's something that has to be considered, researched and framed. Continuing this theme, we would want to consider if it is possible that an aftermarket company such as Steinjager, has manipulated their sizes to reach a particular lbs/inch goal that is not directly related to the OEM Z06 parts? Therefore, Steinjager may have increased their bar sizes due more to their product's material parameters, and how it affects their performance goals than it does with trying to make a copy "replacement" of the OEM C5/C6 Z06 sway bars. As a result, it's possible that Steinjager, or any aftermarket company, is actually trying to adjust our Corvette's handling for some intentional improvement in a particular area. They could also simply be tuning their product to be equitable to either the OEM C5 or C6 Z06 components, but according to their manufacturing and material specifications.

Thus, we may think that Steinjager's bigger rear bar is stiffer than a C5 Z06 when it actually isn't. That false premise would then lead us to think that the larger rear sway bar is going to destroy our handling bias, when it fact it may either enhance it, or keep it the same (a point that Ptindall alludes to). To be honest, since we're not even sure what Steinjager's performance goals were when the made these it further necessitates a call to them. It is quite possible that they were simply trying to emulate either a C5 or C6 Z06 balance, but we don't know for sure; my guess would be that they were going after the C5 Z06.

Furthermore, we should also keep in mind that in order to get Z06 handling and grip, or to improve on it, we have to install a number of other bolt-on upgrades which all work in concert with each other. Therefore it may be possible that even if the Steinjager rear bar is as stiff as a C6 Z06 sized rear sway bar, it may not be as bad as it seems for our cars handling balance if we are also adding a stiffer front sway bar than what came on the C5 Z06. Ptindall also highlights this point when he mentions the principle of not increasing stiffness at one end without increasing it at the other end. Of course increasing roll rigidity is only one aspect of the bolt-on performance differences between the C5/C6 Z06 handling package, or improving a stock Z06 package as we all know.

Btw, I don't consider the very, very minute increase in structural stiffness of the Z06' as anything of significance beyond marketing hype. You know, the same marketing hype that makes people believe that the C6 and C7 are significantly stiffer than the C5, when in actuality they are all very close because they are basically the same frame (sans some wheelbase/track alterations, lol) with a migration towards AL from steel to save weight. The C6 was mostly a hybrid between steel and AL, while the C7 frame is mostly AL. GM posted numbers that appeared to show that a C6 was stiffer, but I've read posts where forum members investigated this further and found that the way those claims were stated were shrouded in what appeared to be purposeful ambiguity. It was very much like GM's declaration that the C6 was "all new" when in fact they had simply pulled the ole' Detroit trick of changing all of the part numbers while many of the parts, and the chassis were virtually the same as the C5. LOL.

Towards the point about sway bars being only one aspect of the Z06's handling that we should keep in mind; if I remember correctly, when GM did tests for their T1 package, they found that just widening all four tires to 11" made the base FE1 setup with the AH off virtually as fast as the C5 Z06 in the corners. That is a LOT of extra grip that we are talking about when we consider tests that showed the base FE1 car to be seconds off of a C5 Z06 around a small road course/autoX circuit (the Z51 was a second or so off). Therefore we may want to ask ourselves just how much are the non-upgraded components possibly affecting the performance gains that we feel from any components that we do upgrade? In my case I upgraded to the C6 Z06 shocks at the same time as the Steinjager sway bars. I felt a tremendous difference. However, how much of that was from the sway bars vs. the shocks? I can't be totally sure. How much did my worn out plastic end links, and completely dead shocks degrade my handling before the upgrades? I can't say precisely to be honest. These are all points that must be considered before we can do any real comparison shopping with the Z06 package as our goal. In my case, I framed my answers based upon the degree of difference I noted in how the car rolled vs how it initiated and took a set to try and separate the sway bar vs. the shock aspects. With this said, I still had to guesstimate a percentage for how much the worn parts may have played in my comparison. Knowing how much softer the FE1 setup is from a Z51 package, let alone a Z06 package, what is for sure is that there was a decrease in body roll, and that increase yielded a definite improvement in grip for me.

Thus, the question when trying to select aftermarket components may center more around how the other performance parts that we have to add to get to the Z06 package or beyond, may improve our ability to assess the different upgrades, then just the individual upgrades themselves. The Steinjager sway bars may yield different results if we actually have the increased grip from the wider wheel width of a C5/C6 Z06 setup. If so, how much more would we notice differences if we went from the base UHPAS runflat tires to a regular Max Performance summer tire ( something that I have yet to do)? These increases in traction would probably help us to better assess other components as well; or if viewed in reverse, we will be able to better assess our upgrades when we dial in more grip and get a performance alignment. This is why moving to stiffer springs (I just got my Z51 set), and bigger, stiffer, and recalibrated shocks, will possibly affect any earlier assessments of different aftermarket manufacturer's parts that we made.

Therefore, I can't really compare my Steinjager sway bars to those on a C5 Z06 because, A) I haven't driven a C5/C6 Z06, and B) I haven't put on my newly acquired C5 Z06 wheels (and much wider MP tires) and Z51 spring set yet. Note: later C5 Z51 front springs were the same that were used on the C5 Z06, and thus they have the same front spring rate, but the rear was still roughly 10% softer.

What I will be able to reflect upon once I put these upgrades on, is if their increase in grip will cause me to re-assess how well I think the Steinjager's are effecting my balance. This may indicate to what degree the Steinager's are possibly either further enhancing or degrading my handling when I review comments from tests done on the C5 Z06 for comparison. Right now I LOVE the balance that the Steinjager's are giving me; less understeer with improved exit corner on-power control. I've gained more precise turn-in and flatter cornering all around. My thoughts are that this will continue to be the case with the added grip, but I have to admit that I won't know until I get the stiffer springs, wider wheels and tires, and a performance alignment done.

What is probably not debatable at this point however, is that increasing roll stiffness through just about anyone's aftermarket package, including the Steinjager sway bars, will bring a very noticeable improvement over the stock FE1 package because the FE1 package is simply too soft to begin with, in my opinion.