Roadrogue

Any feedback on the AFE Johnny O'Connell shocks? I can't find anything informative online. They are reasonably priced I guess, at least compared to Penske's. I don't want coil overs and I'm hoping for something more controlled yet compliant than Z51 shocks on my base model C7.

Roadrogue

Nobody even has an opinion or knew somebody who had an uncle who had a friend who used them?

3 Z06ZR1

I can't imagine where they would be better than the ones on the Z51. I would get the Z51 springs to match.

Roadrogue

That's what I'm trying to find out. I'm assuming that more sophisticated shocks than the stock ones would have better damping and less stiction so the car would be very plush yet keep the wheels on the ground better, too. Don't want heavier springs because I ride on rough PA and WV backroads. That is the same reason I'm not sure about the Z51 sway bars. Maybe the base shocks are as good as it gets for my goal but somehow I think a set of Penske's would be better but way more than I want to spend.

nmerhaut

I had the O'Connell track package on my '09 Z06 along with the front and rear sway bars and loved how it handled at the track. Not long after I bought everything a few years ago, I thought I had heard that Pfadt went out of business.

Roadrogue

They were bought by aFe apparently.
Marvin, from aFe told me this about them:

"The aFe CONTROL JOC shocks were built around the racers Johnny O'Connell's specifications as far as dampening and valving is concerned, along with using OEM quality seals, shock body and pistons. aFe aquired PFADT and addressed many of the concerns and issues others had with quality. We certainly don't want to put our name on something, that is no good or fails. So we have address the quality issues in the past.

Now the Z51 shocks will handle better than the base C7 shocks, but if you are looking for comfort, while maintaining a flatter cornering ability the JOC shocks will meet your requirements. The base shocks are very soft in low speeds, tending to be mushy and unrefined, while you drive on higher speeds and hit bumps that are bigger they really tend to be harsh. The Z51 shocks are a level better over the base C7 shocks, but still hold the same characteristics as the base shocks.

We adjusted the dampening to be soft, yet precise in low speeds. While we removed the harsh ride during higher speed bumps. We are confident you will feel the improvement over your current setup."