JK363

So I've been searching for awhile now. Not really finding the answer to my questions. Im looking at the Zip products lowering bolts, bump steer kit and camber kit.

Is there any benefit going with an aftermarket set of bolts over just using stock ones?

I see the Zip bolts say they lower up to 2". The Pfadt bolts only 1.25". Any advantage to using one over the other? I love the look of a slammed vette. But will 2" be too low?

Bump steer kits. Are they really necessary? I get the concept behind them. But will the car drive terrible if I don't do one?

Camber kits. Will I be able to get a good alignment if I don't install one? Or will lowering it make it outside the range of the factory adjustments?

Lastly. If I decide to go to coil overs in the future. The bump steer and camber kit will still be able to be utilized right?

My car is an 07 Z. It's mostly used just to run around town. But will see some drag racing and maybe test the waters a little in autocross this year.

Zip Corvettes

It is up to 2" but it depends on the Corvette. A ZO6 is already sitting lower than a standard 1LT car. There is no difference in the bolts, I made the bolt themselves identical to the factory bolt. The reason we use these is so that you do not have to cut the cushion off your factory bolt. You cannot purchase these bolts from GM, you have to purchase the entire spring to get them.

cmonkey713

After building and working on race cars for years your questions right on point but is seldom asked.

First you must determine how low is too low. For a street car you must address the practical nature of the streets the car is driven on such as pot holes and speed bumps and don't forget those low approach driveways. Camber and caster adjustments outside of the OEM specs may cost you considerable tire wear with little or no advantage for a street car. Precision bump steer is an important issues for track driven dedicated race cars. Bump steer adjustments are very time consuming and most tire shops will not even know what you are talking about. Go on YouTube and search "bump steer" to get an idea of what it entails.

All of this being said lower the car with either the stock OEM bolts or aftermarket bolts until you get the ride height where you like it. Then have the car lined up for the best tire wear. If the car is street driven, race car setting are overkill and will kill your tires due to the negative camber adjustments used on race or track cars.

mikeCsix

OP, you might enjoy the look of a lowered car but the practical aspect is as cmonkey says, as a practical matter you'll be dragging an expensive car across speed bumps and driveways.

Mine lowered automagically with a switch to Bilstein shocks, approx 3/4" all around. Just that small amount was enough to make driveway entrances a scraping event.

If you lower your car too much, you also effect shock absorber travel and may bottom out the shocks, killing ride qualities and upsetting suspension geometry while cornering which can make the car unstable if going at high enough speed.

Bump steer adjustments, time consuming setup, so its mostly labor depending on the skill of the installer. I know I have a bump steer issue on my car at the track (road course), currently I just deal with it and not go 10/10's through that section to keep things under control. I only do hpde and out to have fun so it isn't an issue. If I were racing it would be a different matter.

So your question, would it drive terrible without a bump steer kit? Not really unless you are close to hitting maximum traction limits in a turn and hit a bump. What will effect you more is a car that doesn't have enough suspension travel to deal with bumps because it sits too low to the ground. To get around this, you'll also need lowered spindles and have to properly measure and adjust suspension travel accordingly using the suspension measurements description in the service manual.

JK363

Ok. So if I buy your bolts. Is your bump steer and camber kit absolutely necessary? Or can I install your bolts, get it aligned and be good to go?

JK363

Yea it's going to be mixed use. Just want a more aggressive look. Sometimes I'm shocked what it doesn't scrape on now and others I can't believe it scraped. Im used to lowered cars. So I'm pretty precocious how I drive.

LFZ

I'd get the AFe Pfadt bolts and drop it all the way. They seem to have a nice design along with a better material pad. No need for bump steer or camber kits with your use. No better mod for these cars than dropping them....completely transforms the look.

Zip Corvettes

No you do not have to have them. I am not going to talk about any one else's product, but ours are made in the USA and the pads are made for me by Energy suspension in the USA

JK363

That is one of the main reasons I am looking at your stuff. Love the fact that it is made in the USA.

Zip Corvettes

Thank you, I take allot of pride in it. It costs more but well worth it in my book.

Red Devil

Thanks for your input throughout this thread.

I am in the market for some lowering bolts and would like to know what makes your design better than the others out there?

Thanks,

Dano523

High speed, rougher surfaces, you want all the suspension travel you can get.

So slamming the car on the stock set up may be cool Ricer wise, but come 150MPH that most ricers never get to (not even 5th gear topped out on the Vet yet), lack of suspension travel could end up badly instead.

Then we get into corner balance of the vet when slammed next, with corner heights against each other set up wrong really throwing the suspension really out of balance to (even with the reduced suspension travel).

Then the really losing battle, trying to find after market ride height adjusters that are going to last more than year before they fall apart.
FYI, do not throw away your OEM ride height adjusters. The only way you can get them from GM is to buy whole new trans spring only.

Zip Corvettes

For one, most everyone copied ours to try and save money. Ours are made in the U.S. My bushing is also not flat so that it will pivot on the control arm. The bushing is made for my by Energy Suspension out the same durometer urethane as there control arm bushings.

[QUOTEHigh speed, rougher surfaces, you want all the suspension travel you can get.

So slamming the car on the stock set up may be cool Ricer wise, but come 150MPH that most ricers never get to (not even 5th gear topped out on the Vet yet), lack of suspension travel could end up badly instead.

Then we get into corner balance of the vet when slammed next, with corner heights against each other set up wrong really throwing the suspension really out of balance to (even with the reduced suspension travel).

Then the really losing battle, trying to find after market ride height adjusters that are going to last more than year before they fall apart.
FYI, do not throw away your OEM ride height adjusters. The only way you can get them from GM is to buy whole new trans spring only. ][/QUOTE]
These kits are not designed for race cars. The adjusters that are on the Corvette are not only meant for height but for corner balancing as well. You can go too low and end up on the bumpstops of your shocks. I would never recommend those speeds to any street cars, there are very likely allot of other issue that would surface in the handling department. Now on a properly setup car, they will be just fine. As far as lasting, it depends on which ones they are. Our original set is still on or mule C6 that were installed in 04.

LFZ

Do you have any pics of your bolts? I'd like to see this "pivot" design you mention. As far as the urethane material....that is good, because I have seen too many of the rubber ones just crumble and fall to pieces.

Zip Corvettes

You misunderstood what I said. My pad is made so that the pad pivots or rocks on the control arm. My bolt is identical to the stock one. We did this so that you did not have to cut your originals. If you put a pivot into the bolt that takes up room that would be for lowering.

Knob Jockey

LG Motorsports Drop Spindles

From their site:

"No other billet spindle has won more pro and regional races on a Corvette than the LG Motorsports billet drops! Formed from a solid extruded section of high strength aluminum alloy, this set of four spindles will allow you to lower the ride height of your Corvette 1 full inch over stock while retaining the full shock travel and correct suspension geometry.

1" lower ride height
Improved handling
lowered center of gravity
Improved stregth for caliper mounts and wheel bearning mount
Mono ball upper pivot point for improved steering feel
Improved bump steer geometry
Full shock travel
Bolt on install"

https://www.lgmotorsports.com/lg-cor...-spindles.html

Zip Corvettes

These are everything they say they are. I had them on my race car and we install them as a mandatory part on any race car we are doing. They are a little overkill for the street because of the expense, but this is absolutely the correct way to lower the car so that none of the suspension angles change. The positive is if you have coil overs it will also give more clearance between the shock and axle. They are expensive but before LG came out with these a set of billet spindles was 6k+

0Anthony @ LGMotorsports

Justin is 100% correct.

Before we were able to change how we made these they were over $6k for a set of them so we have been able to drop the price a lot over the years.

One of the biggest issues other than suspension geometry on the Corvette when doing extremely low is the fact you are going to run out of shock travel on bump, which is why most 'slammed' cars on stock shocks ride so bad is that they are just sitting on the bump stops and your shock is pointless.

Doing coil overs, many times, will allow more bump travel and more room to adjust but you still fall into the suspension geometry issues if you want to get down to being correct on the car for performance.

Hit me up if you have any questions on the spindles, I would be more than happy to help.