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What makes a Z51

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Old Oct 11, 2007 | 10:19 PM
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Default What makes a Z51

Does anyone know what comes with the Z51 in an 04
What parts or systems are upgraded over the base supension
thanks
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Old Oct 11, 2007 | 10:22 PM
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hi, great question. answer is found by going to 'search'. type in 'Z51' and you will find a very detailed set of information.

Happy searchin
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Old Oct 11, 2007 | 10:36 PM
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Originally Posted by rayncris
hi, great question. answer is found by going to 'search'. type in 'Z51' and you will find a very detailed set of information.

Happy searchin
Tried that before I posted, always do. Could not find anything that really defined the diff. Are you aware of any thread
thanks
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Old Oct 11, 2007 | 10:54 PM
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This is some of what I remember.

Heavier springs.
Heavier sway bars.
Stiffer shocks.
Power Steering fluid cooler.

If you are thinking of trying to create a Z51 package from an F1 you would do better to get the Z06 stuff(shocks and sway bars).
Not sure in the spring are worth all the bother to change out - some say yes others will say no.
The P/S cooler is an easy change and Gene Culley has a good price on it.
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Old Oct 12, 2007 | 09:51 AM
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Car & Driver found that a C5 with Z51 and non-runflats handles as well as a C5 Z06. This tells me that the slight differences in component sizes between the Z51 suspension and that of the Z06 are not significant, especially for daily drivers/occasional track use.
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Old Oct 12, 2007 | 10:17 AM
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on an A4 on upgrade to 3.15 gears
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Old Oct 12, 2007 | 10:53 AM
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Originally Posted by Dave68
Car & Driver found that a C5 with Z51 and non-runflats handles as well as a C5 Z06. This tells me that the slight differences in component sizes between the Z51 suspension and that of the Z06 are not significant, especially for daily drivers/occasional track use.
Uh-Huh.....sure
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Old Oct 12, 2007 | 10:59 AM
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The Z51 option was upgraded in 2000 with larger sways.



Swaybar sizes

23mm, front; 19.1mm, rear ----- Base
25.4mm, front; 21.7mm, rear --- Z51 97-99
28.6mm, front; 23.6mm, rear --- Z51 00-04
30.0mm, front; 23.6mm, rear --- Z06


Springs rates

Base-------440/577
FE3 -Z51---525/634
FE4- Z06---525/714
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Old Oct 12, 2007 | 01:29 PM
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Originally Posted by 04BlueGoose
This is some of what I remember.

Heavier springs.
Heavier sway bars.
Stiffer shocks.
Power Steering fluid cooler.

If you are thinking of trying to create a Z51 package from an F1 you would do better to get the Z06 stuff(shocks and sway bars).
Not sure in the spring are worth all the bother to change out - some say yes others will say no.
The P/S cooler is an easy change and Gene Culley has a good price on it.

I believe they also had the drilled/slotted brakes.
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Old Oct 12, 2007 | 01:36 PM
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Originally Posted by nj02vette

I believe they also had the drilled/slotted brakes.

negative on the drilled/slotted brakes.......
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Old Oct 12, 2007 | 03:02 PM
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dont forget the extra $ Gm charges for "Z51"

IMO Z51 is a waste of money......
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Old Oct 12, 2007 | 03:09 PM
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I believe the "extra money" was about $350. Car & Driver called the Z51 suspension option the "best C5 bang-for-the-buck option, bar none".
I agree; it was just a tiny fraction of the $52K I paid for my car.
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Old Oct 12, 2007 | 03:17 PM
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Originally Posted by MUKAK
dont forget the extra $ Gm charges for "Z51"

IMO Z51 is a waste of money......
To each his own...if you are looking for tauter handling, it's actually money well spent...IMHO. It's the perfect solution for those wanting handling that approaches that of the Z06 but prefer a coupe/vert over the FRC.
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Old Oct 12, 2007 | 03:50 PM
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Originally Posted by MUKAK
dont forget the extra $ Gm charges for "Z51"

IMO Z51 is a waste of money......
right.
If you are going to change it out for aftermarket, that's the only time it might be considered a waste to anyone looking for a tighter suspension.

Curious, why do you think it's a waste?
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Old Oct 12, 2007 | 08:26 PM
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Originally Posted by MUKAK
dont forget the extra $ Gm charges for "Z51"

IMO Z51 is a waste of money......

To each his own. The Z-51 C5 package at $350 (went up to $395 early in the 2002 model run) was probably the best bargain on the option sheet.
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Old Oct 13, 2007 | 12:21 AM
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While we are on the Z51 subject which are the best replacement shocks?
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Old Oct 13, 2007 | 12:48 AM
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I ran around the house yelling "I got z51" the day I bought my car and I kept asking the owner if it had z51 and he said he didn't know. I was a noob then so I didn't know to look on the rpo card
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Old Oct 13, 2007 | 12:53 AM
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Originally Posted by EaglesNest
While we are on the Z51 subject which are the best replacement shocks?
Bilstein Sports are always an excellent choice.
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Old Oct 13, 2007 | 12:57 AM
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With no build sheet available, how would one know if they have a Z51
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Old Oct 13, 2007 | 12:58 AM
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Originally Posted by Dave68
Bilstein Sports are always an excellent choice.

My 2003 coupe came with the base suspension. I changed the shocks to Bilstein sports and the sways to Z06. I lowered and had a 4 wheel alignment and have been very happy with the results.
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