Mikes93c4

So I bought a 93 last february. One of the selling points for me, besides being a 6 speed and the low miles, was that it was an fx3 adjustable suspension car. It turned out the po had disabled the system and replaced the shocks which is fairly common. I need all the sensors and shocks to take the system back to stock. For anyone who has fx3 on their car, is it worth all the money to make the system work again? Does it really make that much of a difference in ride comfort? I like the idea of a softer ride for cruising around the city streets and being able to stiffen it up for the country roads.

BLUDICE

I have it on mine and it works - I don't track my car - I mostly cruise around our small town - so I keep it on the "Tour" - I like the soft ride it gives the car - yet it's still handles like a sports car. But if I was to need to replace any of the FX3 system I would pass due to the expense vs the overall value of these cars are at this time. It's an expensive system to repair/replace - and the results are only a plus if you are trying to preserve the originality of the car - in MHO it does not make a hugh difference when running it on the track - for real track performance a coil over system probably be best.

Cool Runnings

FX3 is wonderful, tour is so comfy and performance makes it into a different car. I'm hooked on FX3. Personally, if I looked at purchasing a Corvette that had FX3 and it didn't work, I'd walk. The value of the car is destroyed.

biggiefl

I usually leave mine in the middle. You do notice the slight differences but if more than a few hundy to fix, I would leave it be.

FAUEE

I guess it depends on the cost to replace it. If you need sensors and shocks and actuators... to me it wouldn' be worth it.

IMO adjustable shocks are all a gimmick anyways. My C6 has Magnetic Ride Control, it's virtually pointless. The difference is not noticeable in my opinion. A good suspension tune does worlds more than adjustable nonsense imo.

Mr. Peabody

I'm sure the experts will chime in and correct me if I'm wrong but my impression is that on my 95 the "tour" setting on my FX3 is not "softer" than the non adjustable shocks of the base suspension.

It's is more that they will firm up as the speed of the car increases along 3 different curves depending on the mode selected. I don't road race my 95 but on high speed off ramps I can detect slight differences.

So it depends on what it is worth to you. I have replaced all 4 shocks, have had several of the actuators rebuilt over the years and recently replaced the pot metal gears on the top of all 4 shocks with steel gears.

I on the other-hand have no concern with resale value as this car is my hobby

Palanon

I just got mine up and running well. I love it. I tend to drive rather spirited at times. Sport and Performance mode make a big difference over tour when you get up in speed and start throwing the car around
. That being said, if the PO has chucked out the shocks and actuators, the expense and trouble to find and rebuild the shocks and actuators is prohibitive. I'm looking for extras so I can rotate out the parts for rebuild. If your starting from 0, your talking thousands to buy and have rebuilt. New shocks average $250 and new actuators are running close to $500 now!

aklim

You can get new actuators these days?

As to the shocks, Biltstein are running about $100 apiece for non FX3, IIRC.

Cool Runnings

FX3 option was over $1,500 in the early 90's.

Palanon

I've spent quite a bit of time researching and shopping out parts for the FX3 system. I'll try to break it down as easy as I can.
1.) When you turn the ignition to on, the system will run through a system check. The "service ride control light will come on for about 5 seconds then go out. If this happens, your good to go. No light comes on, bud has been removed. Stays on, system detected fault. Pull codes to start diagnostics. Plenty of threads list what trouble codes mean. That's all for a different thread.

2.) A good idea is to pull the shocks and do a thorough inspection. Look for all typical signs of shock wear. Pull the actuators by removing the clip around the cups and pull actuator off. Warning - put a leash on the rear actuators so they don't disappear into the frame. Check the gear on top of the shock. If any are broken, you can get replacement brass ones from most of the Corvette vendors for $40. If you have the budget, replace all of them while off. Next, get someone to turn off and on the ignition as you watch to see if the gear in the actuator turns back and forth for the system check. Obviously, if you see one with a brocken gear, remove it and move on to the next. If you remove any actuators you can still drive the car. Just reinstall shock(s) for now. Again, put a piece of wire on wire connector for the rears so you don't loose them in frame.

3.) If you get a light but none of the actuators move during test, the SRC computer may be shot. Unlikely but possible. Needless to say, but I will, having the FSM for your car is a must. It has diagnostic flow charts that are definitely needed.

4.) For the sake of this post I'll just finish with prices I've found. There are 2 different setups. I think it's 89-91 and 92 up. I could have the years wrong so double check. Actuators are the same but shocks and control units are different.
- Bilstein will rebuilt the shocks for about $150. There are also several places/people who will rebuild the actuators with upgraded metal gears for about the same money. Sometimes you can find some shocks and actuators on Ebay.
- Control units are not available new. Ebay and wrecking yards are the source for these. Bilstein, from what I've heard, no longer rebuilds these or offers the upgraded or custom chips anymore.
- Shock new average $250 new. There is a vendor on here that I believe still offers an all 4 package for $800. The search function should pull him up.
- Corvette Central, Ecklers, etc. Sometimes have new actuators. They're about $500 now when they do. Last I looked, Corvette Central had some. That was about a month or so ago.

It was never cheap for the system. On my 94 it was a $1,695.00 option. Now, not counting the control unit, it would cost you $2,800.00 for all new. Providing you could get all 4 actuators at once. Another thing to keep in mind, actuators can be switched around. Front actuators can be used on any wheel. Rears can only be used on the rear because they have a shorter wire connector. If you extended the length of the wires, they could be used on the front also. This is just skimming the top to give an idea of a quick initial check, the costs and options for repair and replace. Obviously there is a lot more to it. Hope this helps.

dizwiz24

I dont have it, but have heard the system reacts too slow to be of much value on a road course or autox, where speeds are changing rapidly.

i think it was originally meant to stiffen the suspension as vehicle speed increases, albeit at different rates depending on what mode you have Selected.

the holy grail would be to make it so 'tour' is a drag race mode (max weight transfer) and 'sport' is a cornering mode

i called up doug rippie motorsports and asked about this and they told me they havent really put a lot of thought into their system anymore (they used to offer a reprogrammed fx3 control module to make it more useful)

its still a cool feature and i wish i had it !

81c3

$323.00 shipped from Tire Rack

aklim

Good to know. I'll give them a call since I couldn't find it on their site. The place they get a lot of their corvette stuff from is Ecklers who lists them as "Discontinued" aka "NLA" aka "OBSOLETE".

Palanon

This is why I'm so bummed that Bilstein doesn't offer rebuild and custom chips for the control unit. The system is pretty darn good for the street but as mentioned, you wouldn't track it unless your a poodle walker. I'd have a set of racing coilovers to swap in for track days.

81c3

NON FX3 as you said.... Part numbers are- 24-192927 & 24-002288 This is for an early C4 BTW...

QCVette

I didn't notice that much difference between settings and set it once and never changed it. So to me a good non adjustable shock is better.

I even like the Z51 Bilsteins. The ride is firm, but still not harsh. To me that is the best setup.

Everybody is different and as stated above, some love the FX3, but to me it is more expense for a less desired shock.

Good luck.

aklim

Sorry. Thought you might be talking about the actuators. One of mine might be flakey so if new was available, I might be interested once I determine for sure it is the actuator.

Palanon

If it is your actuator, just have it rebuilt. Rebuilt is much better than new since they replace the plastic gears with metal. Plus, with the price of new, when you can find them, is so high you could almost have all 4 rebuilt for the price of one new one.

Palanon

I just checked Corvette Central. They have new acuators in stock.$359 rear $369 front. showing they have low stock on fronts. If I had unlimited $ and didn't care, I'd buy two so I could rotate my originals out for rebuild.

aklim

I seem to have an intermittent issue so not sure what the problem is. If it is the gear, rebuild. Motor, not so sure.