Man, you guys are very touchy. Every car has its flaws and drawbacks. It is not as if I am not going to find a Corvette to build up because of this little issue with the suspension. My main point was that I was surprised such a technology was still in use.

99C5Vert - The basic advantage to using coil-overs is adjustability and corner-by-corner customization of suspension geometry. Linking either side of the car in any way beyond sway bars is typically detrimental, as it inhibits the chassis' ability to optimally handle weight transfer and suspension loading. I look at road racing cars and see nothing but advanced coil-over-strut suspensions. For optimal handling, it's the only real option.

And I've sold myself on coil-overs. Been running this type of suspension on the street for years...my current setup features linear 425lb-in front and 400lb-in rear springs with 40mm inverted pistons, etc. All of this on a car that is around 200lbs lighter than a stock FRC, so you can imagine it rides very aggressively. They're very stiff, but also very capable. I enjoy them and was hoping I could do the performance spring/strut thing in a Vette to get a similar feel without being as harsh. This leaf spring thing threw a monkey wrench in my plans.

Not everyone criticizing an aspect of these cars, i.e. the cheap interior or leaf springs, is attacking the car or its owners. You guys are way too defensive. At best, a car is just a tool for going fast, at worst it's an A to B people mover with no soul. You guys shouldn't take this sort of criticism so personally. I'm still looking to buy one for fark's sake!

 

Well, you might consider changing you user name from a Subaru when you come on a Corvette forum. Considering the experiences most Corvette owners have on the roads with Japanese cars - that might help.

There are some advantages to coil-overs - particularly on cars with higher centers of gravity such as the WRX STI (which BTW can be a very competitive car on a track). But lowering a Corvette, adding things like stiffer swaybars, sports shocks, Z51 or Z06 springs will improve handling without going to coil-overs. Those improvements are enough for the average Corvette owner without going to the expense of changing to a different spring system.

Once you own a Corvette you will find there is a very serious cost-to-benefit aspect to consider. Modifying a Corvette simply "ain't" cheap compared to other vehicles. Except for the more serious road racing owners the Z51/Z06 spring options are enough for most folks.

You might also check out the tech and road racing sections. Again, coil-overs can give some handling benefit to a Corvette. But given the cost and how most owners use their cars - you won't find a large number of owners swapping out their current springs.

Oh yeah. You can easily adjust the corner weights on a C5 with its current spring system. You don't need coil-overs to do that.

 

If you wand advanced technology, why not get a 2003 or 2004 with the Magnetic Selective Ride Control with Magneto-Rheological fluid in the shocks.

 

Do your own homework and ignore popular press (on both sides of the pond)
Composite transverse leaf is superior (in some cases) to coil overs - C5s respond extraordinarily well to sway bar, utherane bushings and heim joints upgrades. Unbelieveably well.

Like I said, do your own homework and then do the math, you'll see what I mean.

EG

 

Did you say Top Gear or Rice Burners are us! The love anything foreign, Euro, Asian anything but American. Look if its not broken don't fix it. Leaf springs put the wheels on the ground and are less prone to wheel hop, hell we have push rod engines. They say its old technology. How so, its a proven design that has been refined to make screaming HP.
American engineering most certainly has history and thats a good thing!
Also, it makes me laugh about the C5 interior. Its not cheap but rather designed to be light and durable. This is a sports car not a luxury car! My complaint, is the boot for the E-brake is not leather, So what!

 

I couldn't give a monkeys what's under the bodywork, really. And yes, Clarkson is a moron. But strangely he has ordered a Ford GT ? ? ?

It's because the 'vette is mechanically a bit on the basic side that it is much cheaper than anything else that can can even try to live with it.

I'm a Brit living in France (as you've probably guessed by now) and I wouldn't have a car that didn't corner well.

I have a friend who used to club race MGs. I took him out down one of the local none too smooth and very windy roads when he was last here. He was staggered by how well the 'vette handles. His exact words were 'Can I have some new trousers please? I didn't think we were going to make that first bend, or most of the rest of them for that matter'.

BTW, checked out the C6 at the local (100kms away) dealer last week. The showroom car was filthy and despite my C5 being parked in sight of the salesmen I couldn't get anyone to even come to talk to me about it. But with a sticker price of E68k (about $90k) I don't think they'd sell very many even if they did show some interest.

TTFN

 

[QUOTE=TampaWRX??]I just learned that the Corvette features leaf springs in the rear suspension. Leaf springs?!?! I had assumed a standard damper/spring package and was frankly shocked to learn they are still running leaf springs on these things. I guess I'll be looking into coil-overs when the times comes...it just seems sacreligious to put some much power on top of 1950s suspension technology. :

1950's technology push rods still gets the job done.

 

For a great set of coil overs, contact MSI (forum vendor)

BTW, what sway bars will you be buying with your new coil overs? Which sway bar end links? Will you run nitrogen in the tires too? What other changes do you have planned for your new project car?

VR

 

I think 'touchy' is a bit extreme. We're a fun, competitive group, with a lot of love and admiration of our cars. It sounds like most of us would like to see you document the before and after effects of the stock setup, an upgraded setup, and then your desired setup. Who knows, you might convince a few of us here to change ours as well.

 

Some of the most aerodynamic cars ever built were designed in the late 40's and early 50's and if you will look at the transverse leaf springs on Ford's in the 40's it might remind you a little of the modern Corvette transverse mounted spring.

Just because some idea seems to be from the past doesn't make it a bad idea. Often times great ideas and innovations are oversdadowed by current day thinking.

When the inventor of the copy machine took his idea to the industry giants back in (I believe) around 1930's he was laughed at and mocked and told "why would anyone want to buy a machine to make a copy of something when they already had carbon paper". He went on to market his "BAD" idea through an unknown company. CAN ANYONE SAY X E R O X ????

 

I'm not sure how much the spring "links" the two sides. The setup is like this:

----------------------------
____^__________^___

the dashes are the spring, the ^ are where it's bolted to the chassis.
The spring effect comes from the flex of the pieces outside the ^ marks (ignore _, it's just there to line things up).

You do get more flexibility in suspension setup with coilovers, b/c there are many different rates readily available, and you can change rate from side to side if that's what you want.

But for any ONE setting, there are definitely advantages to the way it is done in the vette.

 

Basically the same old engine introduced in 1955, no modern overhead cams with variable timing, either. But wait, it has fuel injection. Oh, I forgot, that was introduced back in 1957. Gee, I didn't know I was driving such an antique engineered car.

 

End of discussion, there's nothing more we can say. Forget the adjustability of the stock suspension, forget the stock Z06 running sub-8 minute laps at the Nurburgring, go get a car that comes stock with a set of adjustable coilovers, not just some brain-dead strut. Let us know what that list of cars is, I'd be interested.

And, about us being touchy? Go back and read your own posts and tell me how much you read and considered what we said?

And, in the end, buy the car you're happiest with! These are basically toys anyway, and our toys aren't the only ones in the box!

Have a good one,
Mike

 

OH MY GAWD......

You mean it has a leaf spring in the front TOO !!!!! Is my Vette a truck or an SUV?

This is too much. I'm probably going to have to sell it. How will I ever be able to face the "ricer" crowd again.

 

I was actually looking into the LGs, as I plan to use their long tubes as well, but will definitely have a look at MSI's setup. Is it a streetable unit, meaning I can get some mileage between rebuilds? Rebuilding a coil-over setup every 5,000 miles is not my idea of user friendly or durable.

I'm not sure about the sway bar package yet, but I'm thinking at least 1" in the rear and possibly 3/4" up front to try and neutralize the car. I haven't gotten that deep into researching this yet, so both bars may not even be upgrades to the stock components. As I said earlier, I was just taken aback by the use of leaf springs in anything these days.

No nitrogen in the tires, and I'm assuming this is a jab, but I am ignoring it for the sake of replying to your post in a polite manner. You're alluding to the "ricer" thing, no doubt? If so, have it your way.

It's looking very much like the car will get a bigger bottom end, custom heads and cams along with a bump in compression. A local Vette owner is making some very nice power with the package I have in mind. He went a bit higher on compression than I feel comfortable with, but the car should make some serious power NA with the setup I have in mind. He also sprays the car with a significant amount of nitrous, which I will not be doing at all. I'm hoping to have a car capable of 10s on DRs running pump gas, when it is all said and done. I guess I'll have to look elsewhere for future assistance, however.

 

All I wanted to do was swap springs and struts in an effort to avoid some of the bushing cuts and bolt replacements I've read about on the forums. Now that will not be possible and it seems like my only othe choice to stay with leaf springs or purchase coil-overs. My personal preference is coil-overs...apparently that is a problem here. Sorry guys, I'm just not a fan of any form of leaf spring. Didn't realize that would be such a problem here. Definitely did not realize having a preference for high performance suspension setups would make me a "ricer".

You can really feel the love on this thread.

 

It's not so much that you have to look elsewhere - it's just that you posted and expected everyone to agree with you. It is a Forum - we all have opinions, right or wrong.

Might I suggest phrasing your questions as questions - and not strongly worded and leading statements that essentially do 2 things:

1> Compare a C5 Corvette to a WRX Sti (or similar). There is no comparison - apples and oranges. Not saying one is better than the other, just not the same animal at all.

2> Make a statement like "I want coilovers" (I'm paraphrasing). What can anyone say to that?

The C5 is what the C5 is. It's not perfect but neither is a half million dollar MB McLaren or a Aston Martin DB9 or a Prancing Pony. They are all just cars that have a vision of their makers at a certain price point. The C5's price point was sub $50,000 for a thinly disguised racing car that had to pass US inspections, avoid gas guzzler tax, crash tests, headlight height et al.

The C5 is what it is.

If it is not what you want from a car - then either do what we all do and mod the he11 out of it -

Or do not buy one only to regret it later.

2 cents deposited.

EG

 

Just to clear things up, I run a modified WRX, not a STi. If the STi had been a fact, rather than a rumor, when I bought my car, I would surely have one, but as it happened, the STi was not a sure thing in 2001, so I bought the WRX and started swapping stuff. That's not to be argumentative, just clearing up an apparent misunderstanding.

I only referenced my current car because it rides on coil-overs, so as to explain my appreciation for what coil-overs can do. Nowhere did I intend to compare the Vette to my current car. My WRX only makes around 400bhp, or 290+ at the wheels. The setup I am envisioning for the Vette would make much, much more than that.

I really did NOT want to do coil-overs on this car. I was hoping to do a spring and strut upgrade, as I mentioned early on in the thread. While looking into this, I stumbled across the fact that the Corvette does not have springs, then saw a Top Gear video that confirmed this to be the case even in the new C6. I was surprised, hence the beginnings of this thread.

I DO want a Corvette, because it is the only car within my reach that features a 2-seat layout, is front engine/RWD and is capable of making well over 500bhp NA. Those were my criteria and that is what led me to the Vette. The assumption that I am somehow bashing the car and that I am just some "ricer" is a shortsighted and immature one, frankly. I would expect better from a site that boasts what I would assume to be a relatively affluent/educated userbase. Needless to say, I was disappointed with this thread.

 

Heck, I change all sorts of things in my Vettes...but you have to ask yourself one question...

Are you changing it because you don't like the idea of leaf springs, or because you don't think they'll work for your situation?

What most people here are trying to tell you (even though you refuse to listen) is that the suspension works remarkably well. Better or worse than coil overs? Depends on what you use the car for... If you're looking for more aggressive handling, try the Z06 suspension setup (higher # springs, better shocks, and bigger sways). More aggressive? Try the T1 setup.

Do yourself a favor and go drive one...test that suspension out. You'll find that it will (esp. Z06) outhandle many cars costing twice as much (and using Coilovers). So...again, just because it's a newer technology, is it really needed?

The same comparison can be made (and many have tried here) with the old, simple design of this engine. It uses pushrods...single cam, and only 2 valves per cylinder. Heck, many family cars have gone to 4 valves/cylinder and DOHC. Does it mean it's better? It's certainly more complicated, more advanced, more sophisticated...but can you really say it's better? Many people here have gotten 500+ RWHP out of this pushrod design and still maintained excellent driveability and gas mileage in the 25-30mph range.

So, what we're trying to say is...be open minded. Go drive one...if the suspension isn't good enough for you (not likely, unless you have many years of track experience), then change it. We're just trying to enlighten you that it is an expensive mod that won't necessarily gain you any other benefit than bragging rights...

 

I see your point and appreciate what you are trying to say. I have driven a stock 2003 coupe and was not very happy with its grip levels. Granted, it was running on the Goodyear run flats, but it was definitely less responsive/aggressive than what I am used to. What I was trying to avoid was a full on upgrade to coil-overs, because I want the Vette to be a bit more hospitable on the road. As it stands, I am embarassed to take certain people in my WRX, because the car is full of urethane and solid mounted suspension, so the SOB is STIFF. I cannot really afford to experiment with the Z51, then the T1 setups, as most of my spare cash will be going into power parts and driveline upgrades. Coil-overs are expensive, but I know what to expect with them. Finding a Vette with the Z51 or T1 packages, then finding a Vette owner who would be willing to demonstrate them for a relative stranger, are difficult things. With coil-overs, I know what I am getting, pro and con. With the leaf spring upgrades, I have no frame of refence and could end up spending a significant amount of money, only to be disappointed. I definitely do not like the stock height or feel. The car just feels too soft and lazy for my tastes. With the power and torque I want to make, I feel that I will need something more responsive and capable.

Springs, dampers and coil-overs I know. Leaf springs I most definitely do not, so I was disappointed. That's all, really and truly, that's it. I just can't believe how quickly this thread turned into a flame fest. That's certainly very discouraging, in and of itself.