Mig233

Good Morning All,

So the background of the story is I have a 2009 Z06, that I picked up in April, after selling my C5Z back in March. My Z is pristine, with only 2500 miles on it. To be clear: I am a driver, an ex sportbike road racer...not a car show guy, or the elderly, fat, bald guy in a Hawaiian shirt that Chevy seems to be building these cars for nowadays. After driving the C6 Z06 this summer, it was clear that the suspension was not up to my satisfaction. I ordered a set of DRM Bilsteins in late August, but have not yet had a chance to install them. I will not be tracking this car, as it is too nice for that abuse. But I want to improve my driving skills and have some race track fun on 4 wheels, without going bankrupt. So I picked up a cheap track day toy with cheaper consumables than a vette a couple weeks ago...a 2002 S2000.

Driving the girly little Honda confirmed my suspicions about the Z. Although it is supremely capable, it is way too soft, very floaty at high speeds, and does not inspire much confidence during cornering. After the first drive of the C6Z, I wrote a post lamenting the sharpness and immediacy of the steering compared to the C5Z.

So with all this in mind, is it possible to make the C6Z as sharp and responsive as the S2000? I understand that it will never transition like a car with just under a foot less wheelbase. Given my expectations, will the DRM Bilsteins scratch my itch (I also posted about this back in July)? https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...viking-da.html

Or should I be going full-on straight for something like LG coilovers and sway bars? Will the coilovers even satisfy me? I am running RE-11s and I was hoping to get the shocks on and the car aligned before the winter, but it doesn't look like that is in the cards until spring time. Should I bother installing these shocks or am I setting myself up for disappointment? It's pretty hard to find good suspension info and advice for the C6Z...most of the autocross/road racing threads are for the C5Z. So please any info and advice is very much appreciated.

Travlee

i was in the same boat as you, coming from a Nissan 350z with sways and adjustable shocks i wasnt impressed with the handling. i recently received the DRM bilsteins with the poly bushings, and if things go the way i want they should go on this Friday. i will let you know what i think of them as soon as i get them on... i am looking into replacing the sways in the near future also

Mig233

Def keep me posted, also if you want to chat on the phone, you could PM me your number. I would love to hear your feedback. Unfortunately, I think the last 60 degree day for the year was this past weekend. I got to drive her for an hour, but had a wedding and no time for wrenching.

Mordeth

Hey Mig,

I have had the same experience as you - soft and floaty at high speeds, and I track my car. I just installed the DRM Bilsteins last week. I have it partially chronicled in this forum a few posts down. I have not run the car yet as it is still up on my lift, and we just got dumped on with 12 inches of snow last night up here in Rochester, NY.

If I can get a good day with the weather, I plan on taking her out. Otherwise, it might be spring at Watkins Glen before I can give a proper report.

BRISLS1

You definitely can't win any of the sweepstakes prize Corvettes unless you are an "elderly, fat, bald guy in a Hawaiian shirt". That is just my empirical observation, lol.

I just upgraded to larger wheels (Cup Style 20's) and now my car has a certain float at a certain speed on a certain turn angle. It's hard to explain. I just had the dealership lube the rear fittings, and inspect the car, and nothing was reported bad under there.

MTPZ06

For a street driven C6Z (albeit pushed hard), I think you'll be very happy with the DRM's. I've been running them for maybe 4 years now, and they were just what I was looking for. For you, it sounds like you'll want to pair them with some sways as well...perhaps the JOC or LG (G1) sways which allow some adjustability to dial in to your liking. If you're still not satisfied after DRM's and adjustable sways, you shouldn't have any issues selling the DRM's on here as you look for something else...but I think the DRM's will make you happy for aggressive street driving.

Les

I wouldn't judge the car too harshly until you confirm that it has a proper alignment done. I've never felt that my C6 Z06, or the one I drove at Spring Mountain, were "floaty" at high speeds. My experience is that these cars are happiest and most in their element when driven on a track. The DRM shocks definitely calm down the unsettled feeling the car had in the back with factory shocks, particularly on uneven surfaces.
Well said. I'll just add that my DRMs have the poly bushings and you can feel the added firmness. They work well for me at the track, although I'm not a dedicated track rat like some folks here. If you can drive the car to its full capabilities you'll definitely be one of the fastest cars out there.

Javvy

I was sent this as a good alignment for a Z06, street driven.

Travlee

i was going to follow this guide from pfadt next time i get mine aligned

http://www.pfadtracing.com/blog/wp-c...-alignment.pdf

Mig233

I hope you're right. I just wanted to gather some feedback before actually installing them, and I appreciate you sharing your experience.

This car was delivered to me with 1483 miles on the odometer, so I'm not positive that the alignment is right, but I'm pretty sure it's factory specs. Although, after installing the DRMs I will be driving straight to my alignment shop. One thing that I'm not positive about is the height of the car...I know those are usually all over the place from the factory.

Have you owned/driven a C5Z? I thought that car was sharper and crisper in transitions and much more composed. Driving my S2000 confirmed that this car is a little lazier turning in and a little soft/floaty. Again, I just wanted to cite my findings and feelings on this, and see if others noticed the same things I have. And if so, which parts are responsible for this (shocks, sways, alignment etc), and will these DRMs fix this condition?

Dan_the_C5_Man

Seems like you've posted these thoughts and questions multiple times over the last few months.. Try not to get caught up in "analysis paralysis..".

That said, the front bar on a Z06 is light, and it kills the crispness of the initial turn-in. Even on my car, which came stock with the ZR1 bars, this is true.

Of course every other component plays a part in this (tires, spring rate, shock compression dampening, etc.), but a larger front bar (my Hotchkiss front bar with stock rear bar combo works pretty decent) AND a set of DRM's, I think you will be good to go - for a while anyway, until you get bored and think "this is really, really good, but can it be GREAT?".

Travlee

it looks like it is still a go for me to install this friday, i will let you know my thoughts after they are on. if i am not satisfied, hotchkis sways will be soon after

Les

As you said, the factory alignment can vary widely and still be within their specs, so getting it checked would be a must do if you're going to track it.

I did drive a C5 Z06 on some twisty roads once but that car was set up with a custom alignment for the owner and I didn't like it, so that wouldn't be a fair comparison. Based upon my experience and observations, if I decided to get involved in autocrossing I'd get a C5 Z06- they are excellent on a tight course. With the C6 Z06, it's not hard to induce throttle oversteer on a tight course unless you run some serious tires on it. The car really starts to work on a real race track IMO. I'd try the car with the shocks you have first and maybe look to do what Dan suggested if you don't like it.

MTPZ06

I certainly wouldn't discount them before taking them out of the box...they are a tremendous upgrade over OE. Is there something better out there...sure, but not at that price point. Nor do I think that the additional money for something like coilovers would be wisely spent on a street car.

Factory specs don't mean much...take the car to a really good suspension/alignment shop. Not the Midas guy down the street that hooks the car up to a computer, gives you the thumbs up and says, "Yup...you're in spec".

Had my C5Z for many years, and that car came with some aggressive toe from the factory...chewed up the inside edges of my front tires pretty quick. Got rid of the OE GY's, put on some MPS2's, dropped the car about 3/4" and took it to a very good suspension and alignment guy. Told him how I wanted the car to handle; and that it was a street car, not a track car. The results...car handled dramatically better; along with better tire wear. Then, I finally got around to upgrading the shocks (mine was an '03, so it didn't have the Sachs)...I went with off-the-shelf Bilstein Sports. I could've kicked myself for waiting so long to do that...they completely transformed the handling/ride of that car. Best bang for buck mod I ever did on that car. I knew it was money well spent, so I also knew the DRM's were a no brainer on the C6Z.

I agree the C5Z feels more "connected" to the road as far as driver feedback is concerned...it really did handle like a go kart. I think the factory sways were more "balanced" on the C5Z. I still say you'll be happiest with the DRM's and a good set of adjustable bars like the LG G1's or JOC bars. Drop the car down a bit on stock bolts (don't cut the bushings), and have your qualified alignment guy corner balance the car. Cant do that without adjustable end links...which come with the bars.

If you're still unhappy, you could always move to some adjustable shocks, and sell the DRM's easily on here. The Vikings get good reviews but I have no personal experience with those. I've run Koni adjustables on more cars than I can count, and always had fantastic results with those. I almost went with the Koni's on this car...but the issue I have with adjustables is that I am always tweaking them; always trying to perfect my ride versus handling. I like the DRM's...no tweaking, just drive and enjoy.

Mig233

Hahaha...slippery slope. Look, I'm trying to be realistic with my expectations. I didn't buy a Z06 and plan on doing the Baja 1000 with it. I just want this thing to feel like a GT3, or hell even my little S2000. I think it's possible. The only problem is, I'm not a suspension tuning expert, and I don't really have access to one, so I'm trying to crowd source information in order to make an educated decision. Luckily it seems like I'm not alone in my observations, so now I am trying to see what worked and didn't work for folks.

Yup, I'm trying to install the DRMs ASAP and get a feel for where that leaves me. Sways may get me the rest of the way. The DRMs are highly recommended all over the internet, I just haven't had the opportunity to experience them for myself yet.

MTPZ06

Bill Dearborn

This is from an old fart with gray hair and not a lot of it. I ran a C6Z for 6 years. I never felt like the car was floaty at high speeds in the upper 150s. It cornered well except on bumpy surfaces. On a bumpy surface like the toe of the boot used to be before they repaved the Glen I could not go full throttle until the rear wheels came off the concrete. The DRM shocks helped some but not enough. As for handling I really can't say I have been tracking Corvettes since 92 and driving them since 1971. Their steering feels fine to me and when I get in other cars that are supposed to be such fantastic steering feel cars I really don't get it.

The C6Z is much more of a car on the track than an S2000. Setup correctly it will run better than most P cars except for the occasional Cup car you run into. However, there aren't a lot of those as they aren't cheap.

Biggest track issue with the C6Z is the brakes. They are fine for the street but don't do all that well on the track. Replace them with something else.

Engine, transmission and diff cooling is fine.

Basically they are still the go to car if you want a fast (and I mean fast) low cost ride around the track. C5Z is next best but at places like the Glen they run about 10 mph slower at the end of the long straights.

Bill

Mig233

Thanks bill. I appreciate insight from the track guys. I'm not comparing lap times to an S2000...let's get that straight. I'm talking about FEEL, composure, steering sharpness, willingness to rotate, firmness of ride, road feel and the feeling on being planted. This car feels very soft to me.
I would love to track this car, but it is way too expensive and way too pristine for me to ball up in the Armco. Like I said, I'm not new to the racetrack having tracked sport bikes, so I know Show cars and race cars are two opposite ends of the spectrum. That's why I bought the Honda. Cost of running was much cheaper. But I love the C6z more than any car I've driven and havent driven. It's been my dream car since I was 19 I just want to fix a couple of compromises I feel were made for this car to appeal to its target market.

Les

My eyes are getting crossed just looking at that guy.

Apocolipse

You want toe in for the rear not toe out.