First corvette , have some ?'s
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 162
Likes: 11
From: Garnet Valley Pa
First corvette , have some ?'s
Earlier I was asking about tires and exhaust.Just wanted to know will getting new tires help that much . Took the wife to our house in o.c,nj and the ride was really brutal on some roads.Will getting rid of the runflats be a major improvment or will I need different shocks to smooth the ride a little.First VETTE so I was just wondering if the rough ride was somthing i have to get used to.Not complaining, I do love the car.
Lepus-temperamentalus
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 5,827
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From: Roswell Ga
Originally Posted by jules9
Earlier I was asking about tires and exhaust.Just wanted to know will getting new tires help that much . Took the wife to our house in o.c,nj and the ride was really brutal on some roads.Will getting rid of the runflats be a major improvment or will I need different shocks to smooth the ride a little.First VETTE so I was just wondering if the rough ride was somthing i have to get used to.Not complaining, I do love the car.
I didn't catch your first post so I don't know how your car is equipped, but if you have the Z51 handling suspension, it is...firm. It took some getting used to for me as well, but now I don't have a problem with it.
Yes, non-runflat tires will make a significant difference in the ride. The ride with runflats is pretty stiff due to the extremely stiff sidewalls of a runflat tire.
You can also put Michlen Pilot Sports and Kumho Estacia run flats on and realize an improvement in ride but not to the extent of the non-runflats.
BTW, welcome to the forum. Got pix of your new baby?
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Instructor
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 112
Likes: 0
From: Chesterfield Virginia
I would be careful with replacing the shocks. I have a friend that replaced his shocks and his ride was MUCH worse. If you bought used, maybe check to see if your shocks are original.
hope this helps.
hope this helps.
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Pro
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 675
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From: Bellingham WA
The rear shocks can be seen by crawling under the rear of car and reaching up the shock rod. Push up the black rubber boot and see if a yellow plastic strap is hanging down. the front is a bit harder to see w/o jacking up the car. You might try turning the wheels hard one way, and look from the rear of tire. If they are there, just push up the black boot, and push the stuffer out from one side. the stuffer has a slot on one side to push off the rod.
Let me see if I can find a picture for you.
Let me see if I can find a picture for you.
Pro
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 675
Likes: 1
From: Bellingham WA
All 2003 Corvettes with magnetic suspension, which includes all Anniversary Editions, leave the factory with "shock stuffers" placed on each shock absorber to prevent the suspension from bottoming-out during transport. This is required as there is essentially no shock absorber action when current is not applied to the shocks. During the new vehicle preparation, the dealership is required to remove these shock stuffers. Since this is a new procedure for the dealer and it's not required on any other Chevrolet vehicle, many technicians are not aware of this procedure and cars have been delivered to customers with the shock stuffers still in place. Failure to remove these shock stuffers will result in poor ride quality.
The shock stuffers are placed by the factory under the dust cover of each of the car's four shocks. Removal of these stuffers requires jacking the car so the suspension can hang (or on a lift), pushing up the dust covers and removal of the stuffers. A yellow tag may be noticed protruding from the shock dust covers if they are still in place.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 2,532
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From: Willow Springs Ca.
I put up with the lousy ride and noise until my GY runflats needed to be replaced. I went with the Michlien Pilot Sport runflats, as as much as I don't want to support the French, I can't quit talking about these tires. You will think it is an entirely different car.
Jay
Jay
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If you have the stock Goodyears, then the ride rough naturally. Putting on a set of non-runflats will help alot - at least it did on my car when I switched to the Goodyear F1 Supercars. In addition to the other runflats mentioned above, the Firestone Firehawks give a better ride (IMO) than the stock Goodyear EMTs.