Z0Sick6

As title states I am wondering for who lowered their car right away, maybe even at delivery. How was the alignment did it need to be tweaked or was it fine for street use. Thanks!

Foosh

The alignment isn't OK straight out of the factory in many cases, as many have found. The alignments done at BG are crude, and there is a lot of variability.

seCen

Took the car in for an alignment after dropping it. They checked it for free to see if I needed an alignment. Everything came back in the green so they didnt do the alignment.

With my first c7, I dropped it and got an alignment done because it wasnt within oem specs. So its a hit or miss. I would definitely get it looked at.

Gary2KC5

with my C5 I dropped it an inch with the stock adjustments, same with C6 Z06. had alignment done each time.

If you drop the ride height by an inch you need to redo the alignment. Alignment $150 new tires after 8k miles $2,000.

Foosh

You really need to take these cars to a quality performance alignment shop. Many dealers don't even have the tool to check/adjust caster. I cringe when I hear someone say "everything came back in the green" because that sounds like just another crude WAG alignment.

SpartaGus

Lowered my C6Z and now my C7 on stock lowering bolts both at the max, so about 1". No alignment nessary , for me anyway. I had normal tire wear and both drive straight as an arrow.

owc6

I have lowered mine all the way on the stock bolts, and had it aligned at that point.


While settling, it developed a progressively more noticeable pull to the right over the next weekend's trip, and about at the 500 mile mark (post lowering), I had it aligned again.

It's been fine since.

ExRedRacer

I lowered my C6 when it had about 8,000 miles on it and didn't have it aligned. The next year or so, the inside fronts were worn to the cords.

Get it aligned.

Patman

Look at it this way, these tires cost at least ten times the price of an alignment, so it's definitely worth it to get it done!

davidtcpa

I haven't had an issue with the C6 or the C7. Both are fine after lowering.

rob62

Curious, who do you trust to do it right?

KGrant

I lowered my C7 Z51 and it drove the same as it did before lowering... I don't feel any misalignment so it didn't make sense for me to arbitrarily go for an alignment but that's just me!

Kracka

I had my alignment checked and then corrected under warranty at around 1k miles, then lowered the car on the factory bolts, had them check the alignment again, and it was out of spec and had to be realigned. I have all the alignment print-outs at home, but lowering the car definitely required adjustments.

Greg00Coupe

Have lowered 4 Corvettes myself a C5, C6, and 2 C7s. Took all four into have the alignment checked right after all was within specs. I've tracked both C7s and the tire wear for the number of events I've ran is excellent. On my 16 with 4 or 5 track days I replaced the front tires at 8000 miles. They had inside wear on them which is to be expected for factory all around alignment and track days on a hot track.

If you do decide to have it aligned don't just go and tell the place hey align my car, they will.

speedlink

anytime you adjust anything on the suspension, it will change alignment specs. It's all about geometry!

sTz

I agree, "It's hit or miss." I've lowered many cars, and lifted a few trucks. Sometimes they maintain specs, and sometimes they don't.

While pulling to one side or the other is a good indication that it's out of alignment, it's not a guarantee that it is aligned if it doesn't

That being said, I've never experience excessive tire wear, or any other issues, if it tracks fine.

dbdave

Lowered mine with no problems.

I've always wondered if the car is put back on the alignment rack right after the alignment is done, if the readings will still be the same. I have no confidence in how the car is placed on the rack and if the readings are repeatable. Half a degree or similar doesn't leave much for error in mounting the measurement hardware or obtaining a repeatable reading.

A good shop is critical.

Foosh

A good shop is critical.

Many of the alignment readings people are given are total crap because the equipment is not kept in spec, the rack isn't level, and the techs don't know what they are doing.

Z0Sick6

Follow up question:

For those who lowered (not cut bushings or replaced with shorter bushings etc), but just lowered reasonably on the stock bolts - did you lose any ground clearance? I heard on the C7 that compared to a C6 it naturally doesn't scrape as much due to the design.

Patman

I think a big part of it is the fact that when C7s are lowered as far as they can go on stock bolts they simply don't come down as low as C6s do. Just take a look at some of the pictures in the C6 section of cars lowered on stock bolts and you can see that the fender gap is quite a bit smaller.