Vettes can be fast when stock and persons tend to invest on making them more faster and powerfull.
I want to make it handle as a race car on terms of handling.
I would like it to stick to the road as if was glued to it.
And try to avoid that rear end from coming to bite me.
I guess what I am looking for is a predictable and forgiving ride so my girfriend can handle the car without problems, and for myself to explore the limits of this car more comfortably.
Well , you get the picture!

I have these thoughts for starters:
Sticky tires
poly bushings

Please add suggestions

 

Camber Brace, Cross-Bar, Crossframe all from RD Racing

then the best stuff for putting the rear suspension together would be from VetteBrakes, nearly all of their Heavy Duty components

Coilovers would be very nice, but kinda expensive

 

I would start with sticky tires and alignment suited for the intended usage and then go from there. Handling means different things to different people.

I'm very happy with my Nitto 555RIIs, track/street alignment, and Z52 with TPIS shocks and lowered suspension.

My car could use better brakes and oil cooling for track events, but at this point the handling is the least of my concerns, as the car is stable and predictable with good grip.

 

17 x 11" wheels w/ Kumho V710's on all 4 corners......
Nuff said

 

Replace the stock sway bars with larger diameter bars from Vette Brakes & Parts (VB&P). I just recently installed their 32mm solid front and 26mm solid rear sway bars on my '89 FX3 equipped Corvette and the handling is absolutely unbelievable!!! It's like a totally different car; I never thought that level of grip was even possible on a street car! But the best part is the ride quality hasn't degraded at all. In fact, it's gotten better - the car feels more stable at high speed. It's like the best of both worlds: race car like handling with that smooth familiar Corvette ride.

Poly bushings are a great upgrade, as well as a new set of tires and even new shocks. But for the cost and effort, the VB&P 32mm front/26mm rear sway bars are by far the best bang for the buck!

Just my $0.02. Good luck!

 

If you read the thread re the race--prepped C4 that went off track and saw the vid on it, you'd know that it CAN and does happen. Even to the best prepped (assuming to some extent this one was).

Also, I'd say that while you can get it to the point of being the best that it can be FOR YOU, this will not make it a comfortable, forgiving and easy car to drive for your lady friend. No way. This will become a near-track car, and that doesn't translate into an easy, daily driver of get in, turn the key and drive effortlessly.

That's my opinion and I expect to be challenged on it.

 

with LT4CompYell, it sounds like you are looking for a close to stock setup. The factory design was done for a reason. In order to sell the car to a mass market the Chevy engineers didn't design the car to be an all out racer nor a living room couch. That said, I would expect everyone here on the forum would say the vette is just about the best road warrior ever made by an American manufacturer. You said you want to explore the limits of the car yet you also would like your girlfriend to be comfy. Sounds like a conflict in the making. Sticky tires and sway bars are about as far as I would go. Great control without that racetrack ride.

Running out of change so let's hear what others have to say. Have fun

raptinglass

 

Far and away a good set of shocks, tires, and an alignment will make the most difference.

If you're looking to simply improve grip and not sacrifice anything else, a tire change might be the best place for you to start. What kind of tire do you have on the car now?

What are your goals for the car? Ocassional auto cross, open track, street machine, full time track car with little street use, etc...

 

Kumo's are nice until that 1st grippy layer wears off, then they are rock hard slick. It's happened to 2 sets of Kumho's on my Vette, 1 set on my Tiburon, and one set on my wife's Altima.

My happy affordable setup is kumho's up front and nittos in the rear Those nittos stay grippy down to the balding steel belts hanging out end

 

Two things to start with by remembering 1. Corvettes are already built to the hilt and 2. You must start with the largest flaws in the engineering of the car. The largest flaw (and there are many) is chassis flex as in many cars.
Start with the braces, camber, x brace, and a targa truss. This will square your chassis and as a sidebar, youll be able to run with the top off. You will not believe the change in handling as your sprung and unsprung suspension can work without variables such as toe changes and bump steer. Stock, it is a well engineered suspension already.
Next further tighten up the suspension with the roll bars. 32mm and 26mm.
After this you can look at shocks and re enginneered leaf springs. Yes leafs. You don't need coilovers to make these cars work. Vette brakes has a kit that has these. I have the revalved Bilstein shocks in my garage ready to install when I get time.
Lastly, remember that there are only four things between you and the road. Your tire contact patch. Invest in a good set ( I have Falken Azenas, BFG KDs are also quite good for the street. There are many others but these are priced reasonably).
One more thing, poly bushings are fine but will seriously hammer your ride. The stock bushings, if in good condition, are good.

Pat. (motorsports instructor and racer since the early 70s).

 

LT4CompYell
I would not want to change much the nature of the beast, not really looking for a comfortable ride, a stiff ride is ok to me, I am just looking at ways to increase grip and most of all to make the car as predictable as possible because I have noticed that these cars can swing in a heartbeat, even at not so high speeds / G's.

I am driving the car with Goodyears all around: 245/45 ZR17 front and 285/40 ZR 17 rear. The car is stock and it is used to see a lot of open road driving at very twisty roads.

In these days it is quite comon to drive a front wheel drive and they are very forgiving by nature, but rear wheel drive is very fun but requires a lot of expertice to do it right.

I am actually honning those skills little by little, and intend to go to an advanced driving school ( performance driving ) next year, that will be fun and is a good place to build a good foundation.

 

A lot of different Goodyear tires! Which ones and how many miles and how old can make a huge difference!!