upgrades done=report
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,915
Likes: 48
From: Angier nc
upgrades done=report
i just finished a few upgrades and thought i would post the results.
just installed the r-d camber brace and hadmy front wheels rebalanced with the hunter roadforce balancer i have seen suggested so many times.WOW.the steering is alot tighter and turn in is quicker.the death shake i have been experiencing at 60-65 mph is still there but barely noticeable.a HUGE improvement.maybe now i can drive with the top out!
i also upgraded to the earl's hyperfirm stainless brake hoses.the pedal is firmer and the brakes seem to respond a little better.i am comparing them to 97k originals though.
i installed the enlarged MAF housing that mid america sells.i had already de screened the maf.installed the stock sensor in the MAM housing.low rpm and part throttle response is much quicker!i know seat of the pants testing can lie but better throttle response is easy to tell.i expected the least amount of gain(if any) from this part.a pleasant surprise!
the MAF was purchased from member evolution and the camber brace from member knsrsr5r(probably goofed that one,sorry erik).both purchases were clean and trouble free.good guys!
just installed the r-d camber brace and hadmy front wheels rebalanced with the hunter roadforce balancer i have seen suggested so many times.WOW.the steering is alot tighter and turn in is quicker.the death shake i have been experiencing at 60-65 mph is still there but barely noticeable.a HUGE improvement.maybe now i can drive with the top out!
i also upgraded to the earl's hyperfirm stainless brake hoses.the pedal is firmer and the brakes seem to respond a little better.i am comparing them to 97k originals though.
i installed the enlarged MAF housing that mid america sells.i had already de screened the maf.installed the stock sensor in the MAM housing.low rpm and part throttle response is much quicker!i know seat of the pants testing can lie but better throttle response is easy to tell.i expected the least amount of gain(if any) from this part.a pleasant surprise!
the MAF was purchased from member evolution and the camber brace from member knsrsr5r(probably goofed that one,sorry erik).both purchases were clean and trouble free.good guys!
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 40,156
Likes: 45
From: San Pedro CA
I like the camber brace, it does improve things, a lot.
as for the brake lines, I suspect, to be honest, that fresh fluid had as much to do with the pedal improvement as did the lines... but they won't hurt... I have some Goodridge SS lines on mine, they are quite nice.
as for the brake lines, I suspect, to be honest, that fresh fluid had as much to do with the pedal improvement as did the lines... but they won't hurt... I have some Goodridge SS lines on mine, they are quite nice.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
Sounds like it's all good! Except for that little shake you still have...any ideas on that one? Well, if it's not balancing, then it's still something in the front suspension, right?
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,915
Likes: 48
From: Angier nc
Originally Posted by LT4CompYell
Sounds like it's all good! Except for that little shake you still have...any ideas on that one? Well, if it's not balancing, then it's still something in the front suspension, right?
it doesent do it all the time,only around 60-65 mph.it is smooth everywhere else.
could it be in the steering rack?
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 985
Likes: 17
From: St. Louis Missouri
Did you have your wheels/tires "road force" balanced? How many pounds of road force variation did they exhibit? To take the most advantage of the road force balancing machine, all your tires and wheels need to be the same size. You either have a balancing problem or a tire/wheel runout problem. The most effective way to balance the wheels is to put the weights on the inside and outside. Were they dynamically balanced? If all the weights are on the inside, are the outer weights as close to the outside as possible? If the weights are hidden behind the spokes, this is not the most effective balance. Do you have a set of known good tire/wheel combination you can put on your car that do not vibrate?
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
Originally Posted by Gar
Original shocks? 97K is a ton of miles for a set of snubbers.
I read more into what cheetah's saying re the balancing and how it's done as well as that it's done at all. The only problem there is that it sounds like 96 does not have an extra set of wheels/tires that don't shake.
And btw, I've not seen before that all wheels and tires have to be the same size to make max use of the road force balancing---cheetah, can you explain why that is? Thanks.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,915
Likes: 48
From: Angier nc
i was not present when the front tires were balanced.they were done on a road force balancer.i do not know how much force was applied.we did check them on a spin balancer after.one was perfect and the other one was 5 grams off.the fronts are 255/45/17.there are no weights on the face of the wheel.
i have a set of sawblades and michelin pilot sports(un tested)i could put on there.it isn't bad enough to swap out(i'm lazy and it did improve from before).
i havent decided on defeating the adjustable suspension.i have a frien at the dealer who has quoted me a good price($200 off)but $800 is still alot of coin for shocks.
i have a set of sawblades and michelin pilot sports(un tested)i could put on there.it isn't bad enough to swap out(i'm lazy and it did improve from before).
i havent decided on defeating the adjustable suspension.i have a frien at the dealer who has quoted me a good price($200 off)but $800 is still alot of coin for shocks.
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 985
Likes: 17
From: St. Louis Missouri
And btw, I've not seen before that all wheels and tires have to be the same size to make max use of the road force balancing---cheetah, can you explain why that is? Thanks.
The gentleman with the vibration stated it took a few grams. What I mean to say is that the road force is measured in pounds. There is an impercievable spot in your tire that is the heavy spot. The spot is measured in pounds. This information should be on your printout.
Last edited by A95Y; Aug 18, 2006 at 12:46 AM.
Pro
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 741
Likes: 37
From: Athens, GA
Originally Posted by cheetah
After you have balanced all 4 wheels and mark each tire/wheel combination, you ask the machine for the best placement....you can either have least vibration or least pull. If you have different sized tires, you have to put them in their respective front or rear positions. If they are all the same size, there are 4 choices of location for the machine to determine which combo is going to maximize your "least vibration" or "least pull" choice. It will still work with force matching the tire to wheel combo per unit, but it does not maximize the machine's capabilities.
So what do you do with different sized wheels front to rear and wheels that are designed to be mounted in a specific orientation?
I've got sawblades all around - so there is a particular orientation left to right. Since I also have 8.5" wheels on the front, and 9.5" wheels on the rear, then I also have specific wheel/tire locations.
If the machine says swap left to right, then doesn't that mean that you have to dismount each wheel and tire, remount, and then perform the balance all over again? How would you ever get done - it just seems to me like every iteration could make everything worse (or better - but it sure looks like a random condition).
I guess I can skip road force balancing on my next balancing operation - if you have to move things around, you'd best have symmetric wheels and non directional tires!
I'm not disputing what you've posted, but it sounds like more trouble than it's worth. What am I missing, guys?
Steven
Last edited by OldCorvetteFan; Aug 18, 2006 at 07:38 PM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 985
Likes: 17
From: St. Louis Missouri
Originally Posted by OldCorvetteFan
I'm not disputing what you've posted, but it sounds like more trouble than it's worth. What am I missing, guys?
Steven
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
Originally Posted by OldCorvetteFan
Cheetah -
So what do you do with different sized wheels front to rear and wheels that are designed to be mounted in a specific orientation?
I've got sawblades all around - so there is a particular orientation left to right. Since I also have 8.5" wheels on the front, and 9.5" wheels on the rear, then I also have specific wheel/tire locations.
If the machine says swap left to right, then doesn't that mean that you have to dismount each wheel and tire, remount, and then perform the balance all over again? How would you ever get done - it just seems to me like every iteration could make everything worse (or better - but it sure looks like a random condition).
I guess I can skip road force balancing on my next balancing operation - if you have to move things around, you'd best have symmetric wheels and non directional tires!
I'm not disputing what you've posted, but it sounds like more trouble than it's worth. What am I missing, guys?
Steven
So what do you do with different sized wheels front to rear and wheels that are designed to be mounted in a specific orientation?
I've got sawblades all around - so there is a particular orientation left to right. Since I also have 8.5" wheels on the front, and 9.5" wheels on the rear, then I also have specific wheel/tire locations.
If the machine says swap left to right, then doesn't that mean that you have to dismount each wheel and tire, remount, and then perform the balance all over again? How would you ever get done - it just seems to me like every iteration could make everything worse (or better - but it sure looks like a random condition).
I guess I can skip road force balancing on my next balancing operation - if you have to move things around, you'd best have symmetric wheels and non directional tires!
I'm not disputing what you've posted, but it sounds like more trouble than it's worth. What am I missing, guys?
Steven
Steven, I think I understand what Cheetah's saying. To maximize the use of the road force balancer, it might be best to have 4 wheels all the same size AND 4 non-directional tires (asymetric may or may not have any effect). That way, the tires can be mounted at any corner without dismounting tire from wheel, should it be necessary to move them.
As it stands on our cars (and many cars), the road force balancer is the best you can do and better than a mere balance job. I'd still do it in the future, and have in the past.
And btw, I, too, didn't receive a printout on the balancing the last time I had it done. Next time.
Thanks for the explanation, Cheeteah!
Back to the problem at hand, it is probably a big expense to get that other set of tires and wheels balanced and mounted, 96-lt4. And $800 is a lot for shocks! For that, you could get premo Konis and still have lots left over.
Pro
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 741
Likes: 37
From: Athens, GA
Originally Posted by redvette6spd
What is road force balancing? My apologies for interrupting.
http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/features/how.cfm
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 985
Likes: 17
From: St. Louis Missouri
I was thinking that he could borrow a set of fronts off his buddy's for a test. The best way is to take a set off a car with no problems.
I should qualify my explanation on the GSP9700 to say "high" spot, not "heavy" spot. The Hunter explanation is better than mine. It's still a good machine even if you can't move the tires around. Many guys are too lazy to use the road force system because if there are problems with the tires, it takes more time to move things around to get them optimized. It can still do a conventional balance job. If you don't do it yourself, the only way to know is by the printout. Hope this helps.
I should qualify my explanation on the GSP9700 to say "high" spot, not "heavy" spot. The Hunter explanation is better than mine. It's still a good machine even if you can't move the tires around. Many guys are too lazy to use the road force system because if there are problems with the tires, it takes more time to move things around to get them optimized. It can still do a conventional balance job. If you don't do it yourself, the only way to know is by the printout. Hope this helps.
Last edited by A95Y; Aug 19, 2006 at 12:17 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 8,824
Likes: 3
From: The left Coast
St. Jude Donor '08
My vert used to shimmy like mad before I replaced the nitto's. I could have been bad balancing. I still the get the normal shimmy when I get a bump but much better than before.
Racer
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 271
Likes: 0
From: New Freedom PA
Shocks , Shocks , Shocks!!!!!!!
Originally Posted by franks96ce
i have the same problem with mine if some one has any suggestions let us know.
Just thought I would mention I also have experienced the mistery shake at highway speeds , was ready to buy tires and big balancing when I replaced the front shocks.
Just on a long shot , I thought , come on 17K and the shocks are bad?
Well , guess what they were!
Just think about the explanation of what a shock does?
1.Hold the car up ...WRONG
2.Keeps tires from wearing...WRONG
3.Dampen wheel oscillation...CORRECT
Small and Large harmonics are always happenning on any moving parts , especially front end parts , good quality shocks help squelch all those little pulses out, if your having front end problems and you are sure all the parts are GOOD , try replacing the Shocks , just because they are not leaking oil does not mean they are ok.
Desert