Z06TWT

So, I am at Atlanta Motorsports Park (AMP) and run into Randy Pobst ( a friend of a friend of a friend...) I have been tracking and upgrading my C5Z for the past year and was testing some new wheels,tires and brakes at AMP. I noticed that during high speed transitions the front would jump and unsettle the car. I asked Randy to drive it to see if it was me or the car. He tracked the car at 5/10 for him (and 9/10 to me) and noticed the "covette flop", which was basically my car ovewhelming my sport shocks. He said I needed to upgrade the shock/suspension set up. So, I went to see the guys at MTI Racing, the corvette experts. They suggested Bilstein coilovers that they custom build in their own shop. They set the valving and springs based upon their own testing and customer use.After install, I ran at Road Atlanta and WOW!, this was a big improvement. The car could keep up with anything in the corners...it was flat and balanced. Even in the rain it had much better traction and grip. I was 2-3 seconds faster but,more importantly, the car felt safer and predictable. Well worth the cost.

Solofast

Randy is a uniquely talented driver, and one heck of a nice guy...

sothpaw2

What was your old suspension /shock setup...details(I'm not sure whose sport shocks)? What did he think of the braking, steering feel, other aspects of handling? He's tested a lot of late model Corvettes and Vipers but I don't know if he tested this back in 2001-2004.

I'm interested to know how the old C5 compares in a pro's eyes.

ErnieN85

Randy drove my 02 with t1 bars and 04 shocks at Road America
the comment was that it needed more rebound control on the rear
might have been the 50,000 miles on the shocks

Z06TWT

Z06TWT

My C5Z was a 50k car with a Phadt JOC stage one suspension. The Phadt set up was great until I went to R888 tires, AP Racing brakes (which Randy really enjoyed!)and went faster. I kept the sway bars and added the coilovers after Randy drove it. Even though he had not raced a C5 in years he was VERY quick. A driver of his abilities can adapt to almost any car in a few laps....which he did. The lesson is that once you get a proper suspension/brakes, you are limited only by your driving skills.

el es tu

which bilsteins did you go with?

John Shiels

you shocks are long long long gone at 50,000

sothpaw2

Thanks! He liked the bars then? I have those same bars but I decided to pair with Bilstein Sport shocks since a few folks that track the C5 had those and were very happy with them. The JOC is probably a decent shock but I went for "tried and true" although was willing to chance the bars since even the slightly smaller Hotchkis were supposed to be an improvement.

Was there a particular identification for the valving of the coilovers from MTI? I'd love to order that sometime if they would ship them here.

Z06TWT

Call MTI (a CF sponsor)....Reese *** is the owner and he and his crew actually build their coilovers in house using a Bilstein core . I have checked out their shop and they have some monster CNC machines. I was told that the spring rates and shock set up are unique to the C5Z and can be modified easily based upon my use and driving style.

0MTI RACING

Thanks for the excellent review of the MTI Racing coilover suspension for the C5 Corvette. Coilovers make a huge difference when installed on the C5 and C6 Corvettes. The oem transverse leaf works very well for everyday street driving and newbies to track days, but as you become a better driver you will soon find the stock suspension setup can only take you so far, that is when you make the jump to the MTI Racing coilover setup. We have coilover setups for C5,C6, 4th Gen and 5th Gen Camaro and for Magnetic ride equipped Corvettes.

wstukas

They are not your normal Bilstein shocks for your corvette, they are a true racing shock that is revalveable and rebuildable.

Here's a link... http://www.mtiracing.com/Purchase/20...Coilovers.html