mark b

even though I have C5 z06 sways and springs with bilstein sport shocks the car feels mushy.. I used to have a 2000 vette coupe that had the same suspension mods and the car felt stiffer and the steering felt stiffer, this 1998 coupe feels mushy.. it stills handles the same but does it in a mushy way.. how do I get rid of this mushy feeling? I dont want to use poly bushings because I drive it on the street and I dont like hearing squeeks..
Is there a harder rubber bushing kit for this car? I just dont understand how this car is so soft.. Everything on the suspension is good and the car is solid, but it feels wollowy when pushed hard...

I feel like getting rid of it what mods would solve this problem? On the track it performs pretty much the same as my 2000 but it feels looser ... weird

AU N EGL

theZ06 had more hp then the coupe.

are the 98s suspension parts new?

Also look at a-arm bushings and tie rod ends. If those are the original, those need to be Replaced.

check alignment and get the engine tuned.

brkntrxn

Are you using 2004 Z06 shocks?

When I swapped to 04 Z06 shocks on my 2003 Z06, I immediately noticed that the car felt softer. It was dramatic enough that I noticed it by T4 at Road Atlanta on the first hot lap. That may be the difference you are feeling. The car feels softer, yet it is MORE planted in the corners at the track because it does not "skip" through the turns.


-Kevin

mark b

a arm bushings are good, replaced upper control arms stock in front, inner and outer tie rods replaced and new, everything is pretty solid, shop looked over everything..

maybe Im just getting finnicky, but this car seems to bounce alittle more than the other one I had

mark b

no I have bilstein sports... the car does feel good on track and digs into the turns, but because it feels mushier, the car takes more time to settle and that slows you down and isnt confidence inspiring.. i feel like it wants to kill me if I push it beyond its happy place, and it doesnt take that much to feel that because of the softer feel.. if the suspension unloaded ..it would probably be like jello LOL

TedDBere

Tires and Pressures???

brkntrxn

I must be blind and missed that in your original post.

sperkins

I dove a friend's ZO6 at Rd Atl that had Bilstein shocks earlier this month. The car felt very muchy to me. I blamed it on his sway bar/spring combo, but maybe the shocks had something to do with it as well.

mark b

Well the bilsteins sports are pretty stiff for the money, they have a nice ride and damping too..

what sway bar combo did he have? I have stock Z06 sways and springs..

sperkins

It had a front VBP 1100lb (I think) front and a stock ZO6 rear spring with MTI sways. Transitions were just really sloppy and not precise.

On entry, exit, braking etc.?

The only harder rubber bushings are the ones that come in the T1 control arms. You can't buy them as far as I know.
Delrin shock bushings, poly (or delrin) CA bushings and a set of T1 bars will definitely take care of those issues. It's hard to find a compromise.
Check your rear toe also. Too much in the rear will cause some crazy things.

Jason

I'd start there.

meldog21

I don't know how the Bilstein sports compare, but have you seen this ?: http://www.pfadtracing.com/blog/wp-c...on_-_large.jpg My guess is your shocks are valved softer than the Z06, T1, or Pfadt shocks listed.

Maybe your shocks in their current condition are just softer(less rebound and compression) when they were new, or just older and in need of replacement.

Normally springs and sways give you the soft or harsh feeling. Good shocks and correct valving(adjustments) give you the ability to stay planted and hook up. Shocks are normally more of a stability feeling.

If it is a sloppy feeling as compared to a stable feeling, bushings can contribute to that, kind of like shocks.

If you want to try better bushings as a solution to your problem, I have an extra set of lower control arms with poly bushings installed. It wouldn't be a full poly upgrade with just the lower arms. As long as you grease them upon install my guess is that you wouldn't get any squeaking at all for at least 1-2 years, or probably more. $300 plus shipping if you want them.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Dog

mark b

I have a slight wing in the back and the car doesnt oversteer as much, this car feels better turning it in alittle early and on the gas as soon as possible.. because if i wait it feels like the car doesnt want to turn in and understeers.. my other vette i can turn in later because it oversteered more and the fronts gripped into the turn better.

this car the fronts grip alittle but slides out quicker in turn in but the rear stays glued so i can push it with gas to cause alittle oversteer and gas it out of the corner unless I enter too fast and it will oversteer

does this make any sense??

longdaddy

if your alignment and tires/pressues check out fine, this could be a ride height issue (too high in the back?) or a broken/worn out shock (again, likely in the back). check spring for cracks as well although that would produce more pronounced issues than what you describe - you never know though, these springs can fail in weird ways.

i had symptoms very similar to what you describe when my ride height was set to where the shocks were overextended when unloaded, and again when the adjustible shocks were set too soft, esp in the back.