Suspension
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
Suspension
I want to change out my suspension and but was just wondering what some people are using. I know they have full suspension kits and stuff but are they worth it or just do it piece by piece. I know that zip-corvette.com and mamotorworks.com have the kits, has anyone used them or thoughts on the matter?
Thanks
Thanks
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,192
Likes: 27
From: Boca Raton Florida
Depends on what you want to do with it. I don't think a $3k kit is necessarily worth it on a daily driver. Maybe your goind to race it. Most of the big vendors here have several levels of kits, VBP, Ecklers, Wilcox etc...
SO, what do you want it to do?
SO, what do you want it to do?
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 87,375
Likes: 1,593
From: Western NY
Back in the mid-90s, when my wife still had her '79 coupe, I put all new poly bushings in the front and rear, new front coils from VB&P (the 560 lb/in, IIRC), a glass composite rear spring from VB&P, and a set of gas shocks. Made it an entirely different car!
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
Not at all looking to race it. Its a second car for me so its not my typical go to, do i do spend some time behind the wheel. i mean I was thinking shock/struts/ sway bars. some new bushings and call it a day.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 987
Likes: 7
From: Surrey British Columbia
Sounds like you know what you want. I upgraded my complete suspension as I rebuilt it and I put in many of the things that you've mentioned. The rear got a composite monospring, polyurethane bushings, Bilstein gas shocks, a thicker sway bar and Smart Struts. In the front - more Bilsteins and poly bushings, a thicker sway bar plus I installed Grand Touring front coil springs. None of these I bought in a kit. I piece-mealed together as I needed them. Not sure if it was any cheaper, all I know is it's a lot better than what was in there.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 7,455
Likes: 977
From: RI, Now Franklin/Nashville TN
Here is my setup:
Front:
Blue Printed/rebuilt Gary Ramadei OEM steering box
Speed Direct spreader bar
Poly upper and Lower Control arm bushings
550 springs, 1 inch lower than stock
OEM 1 1/8 inch sway bar with Poly endlink and mounting bushings
255/45/17 ZR ultra High Performance Summer only tires
Bilstein HD shocks
Rear:
360 monospring with poly cushings
Competition adjustable strut rods with heim joints
3/4 OEM type sway bar with poly bushings
Bilstein Sport shocks
255/50/17 ZR tires like in the front
The car rides, steers, and handles better than 99% of the C3's I have been in. I still would stiffen the rear just a tade with a 420 spring.
Fellow forum member, Karol, recently rode in my 78 and he could not believe how much better my car rode than his 78 L-82 4 speed with the base suspension (including the base steel spring) and 255/60/15 tires! You would never think that reading and hearing some folks comments about poly control arm bushings, low profile Z rated tires, high composite spring rates etc. My car simply rides MUCH better than the OEM suspended cars, Gymkhana as well as base!
Front:
Blue Printed/rebuilt Gary Ramadei OEM steering box
Speed Direct spreader bar
Poly upper and Lower Control arm bushings
550 springs, 1 inch lower than stock
OEM 1 1/8 inch sway bar with Poly endlink and mounting bushings
255/45/17 ZR ultra High Performance Summer only tires
Bilstein HD shocks
Rear:
360 monospring with poly cushings
Competition adjustable strut rods with heim joints
3/4 OEM type sway bar with poly bushings
Bilstein Sport shocks
255/50/17 ZR tires like in the front
The car rides, steers, and handles better than 99% of the C3's I have been in. I still would stiffen the rear just a tade with a 420 spring.
Fellow forum member, Karol, recently rode in my 78 and he could not believe how much better my car rode than his 78 L-82 4 speed with the base suspension (including the base steel spring) and 255/60/15 tires! You would never think that reading and hearing some folks comments about poly control arm bushings, low profile Z rated tires, high composite spring rates etc. My car simply rides MUCH better than the OEM suspended cars, Gymkhana as well as base!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,192
Likes: 27
From: Boca Raton Florida
Here is my setup:
Front:
Blue Printed/rebuilt Gary Ramadei OEM steering box
Speed Direct spreader bar
Poly upper and Lower Control arm bushings
550 springs, 1 inch lower than stock
OEM 1 1/8 inch sway bar with Poly endlink and mounting bushings
255/45/17 ZR ultra High Performance Summer only tires
Bilstein HD shocks
Rear:
360 monospring with poly cushings
Competition adjustable strut rods with heim joints
3/4 OEM type sway bar with poly bushings
Bilstein Sport shocks
255/50/17 ZR tires like in the front
The car rides, steers, and handles better than 99% of the C3's I have been in. I still would stiffen the rear just a tade with a 420 spring.
Fellow forum member, Karol, recently rode in my 78 and he could not believe how much better my car rode than his 78 L-82 4 speed with the base suspension (including the base steel spring) and 255/60/15 tires! You would never think that reading and hearing some folks comments about poly control arm bushings, low profile Z rated tires, high composite spring rates etc. My car simply rides MUCH better than the OEM suspended cars, Gymkhana as well as base!
Front:
Blue Printed/rebuilt Gary Ramadei OEM steering box
Speed Direct spreader bar
Poly upper and Lower Control arm bushings
550 springs, 1 inch lower than stock
OEM 1 1/8 inch sway bar with Poly endlink and mounting bushings
255/45/17 ZR ultra High Performance Summer only tires
Bilstein HD shocks
Rear:
360 monospring with poly cushings
Competition adjustable strut rods with heim joints
3/4 OEM type sway bar with poly bushings
Bilstein Sport shocks
255/50/17 ZR tires like in the front
The car rides, steers, and handles better than 99% of the C3's I have been in. I still would stiffen the rear just a tade with a 420 spring.
Fellow forum member, Karol, recently rode in my 78 and he could not believe how much better my car rode than his 78 L-82 4 speed with the base suspension (including the base steel spring) and 255/60/15 tires! You would never think that reading and hearing some folks comments about poly control arm bushings, low profile Z rated tires, high composite spring rates etc. My car simply rides MUCH better than the OEM suspended cars, Gymkhana as well as base!
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 7,455
Likes: 977
From: RI, Now Franklin/Nashville TN
Pretty good setup. I have all poly bushings and cushions in mine, but have the orig springs in there for now. Once I have it road ready I plan on the transverse spring kit for the front and the 420 for the rear. Already have the sway bars and adjustable links and a spreader bar. Haven't decided on tires yet, its summer down here all the time
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Pro
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 698
Likes: 8
From: Stockholm Sweden
I have run the Sports together with soft coilsprings up front and a 360lb composit in the rear and it worked great on the street.
Im now running the wery same Sport shocks with the Composit dualmount both front and rear with a quite hard setup and R-compound tyres and those shocks ar just great both on the road and on the track in my opinion.
//Ricky.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 3,334
Likes: 4
From: Midland TX
