OleC5

I have a ‘00 C5 conv, manual. All stock and most part original. I replaced the exhaust and front/rear sway bars with Z06 parts and love the sound and feel.

My question is, will upgrading the shocks make an even better improvement? I’ve been reading posts about coil overs but not sure I want to take on that. Mostly street and rare track days. Don’t want to lower because of clearance issues in my driveway and garage.

Will updating the leaf springs be noticeable? My C5 has regular shocks, not the kind you can change on the console.

Also read that C6 shocks are nice and not too harsh... again, do I need to do anything with the leaf springs? I’m comfortable doing these changes on my own.

Thanks for any advice. Ole

Vetteman Jack

Yes, you will notice a difference with a shock change. I would recommend going with a set of C6 Z06 shocks.

Rob 02

Everyone seems to like the C6 Z06 shocks.

Upgrading the sway bars was a good Idea but I might have gone with C6 Z51 bars.

The springs are another story IMO depending on your road conditions. If your roads are real bumpy where you drive you might feel like you are loosing traction with Z springs and it will be a more harsh ride. However if the car feels too floatey to you then stiffer springs are the way to go.

I'm using a C6 Z06 front spring and a C5 Z51 rear spring. The C6 Z06 Spring is the same as the C5 Z06 and Z51. You cant use a C6 rear spring on a C5 though. Its completely different.
The Z51 rear spring is a little softer than the Z06. I'm using it instead of the Z06 spring because it squats a little when you hit the gas for traction. That is a personal preference.

If you are comfortable with your springs then why change them? Do you know if your car is equipped with the Z51 option?

OleC5

Thanks for the info. I’m not sure about the Z51, i think it is what ever the standard is. But will research to figure it out. My car doesn’t feel floaty but I’m sure they are original and want to upgrade them. I don’t want to lower it. Most the posts I searched all talk about lowering to ground and then they lose shock travel. Are they aftermarket shocks that are similar to C6 Z06 shocks? I would rather buy new than from a salvaged car.

typeav

This is the way to go,

Bolts 10408968
Nuts: 10408969
Insulator: 10408967
Bilstein B8 Sport Shocks
Z06 Rear Spring: 22188038 or 22188078
Z06 Front Spring: 22171750
Z06 Rear Sway Bar: 20777536
Z06 Front Sway Bar: 25919502

JHrinsin

I picked up my '99 FRC a couple of months ago. It came standard with the Z51 setup. My friend and PO upgraded the car about 8-1/2 years ago with C5 Z06 front and rear sway bars and '04 Z06 shocks as well as the C5 Z06 wheels and non-run flat tires. I also like the slightly softer Z51 rear spring vs. the Z06 rear spring (I have driven another friend's Z06). If I were doing similar mods today, I would also go with the slightly larger C6 Z51 sway bar combo and the '13 C6 Z06 shocks. The roads in my neck of the woods are not the greatest, so I am not sure if the Bilsteins Sports would firm her up too much, but I know the Koni's Sports would be over the top for street use. If you want a really smooth ride then the Konis FSD would be the way to go - they would make it ride closer to the Cadillac XLR.

Somewhere along the way one of the PO's dropped the ride height all the way down into the weeds on this car (looks means as hell), so the rear ends does some strange things (steps out) when encountering a say swale or dip in mid corner, so one of the things I need to do is to raise the ride height back up some, especially in the rear and adjust the rear toe.

JHrinsin

Open the glove box and look at the PRO sticker and read the 3-digit codes. Look for the FE3 or Z51 code.

Tsumi

​​​Just because you are buying an OEM part doesn't mean you are buying a salvaged part. Cultrag sells brand new Z06 shocks, and you really can't get better bang/buck.

Z06 shocks are stiffer, so while your handling will be better, your ride will suffer. It is all tradeoffs, you pick what is more important to you.

OleC5

Looks like I have FE1 code in my glovebox.

QUOTE=JHrinsin;1595995122]Open the glove box and look at the PRO sticker and read the 3-digit codes. Look for the FE3 or Z51 code.[/QUOTE]

Gordy M

For the C5 Z51 rear sway bars there are two sized, pre-2000 they were a smaller bar and the 2000-04 sway bars were the same size as the Z06. The front sway bars will normally make the Corvette handle better in turns, corners, etc., but for harsh road surfaces it may cause erratic handling. For the springs, your best bet depends on what you are looking for in ride comfort or control. The balance between the front springs and rear can make a nice boulevard cruiser, a great handling car, a great autocross or HPDE car. Determine the outcome you want and then make the changes to the suspension. When it comes to shocks, the best non-adjustable are the DRM Bilsteins or the the 04 Z06, next will be the JOC valved Corvette shock or the c6 Z06 etc. After that the standard Z51. What you want to do will determine the set up. If you are going to do several HPDE events the DRM Bilsteins would be my choice, for autocrossing the 04 Z06--what I use--would be the go to shock. If I were just looking for better handling the the C6 Z06 is a nice economical shock. When you go to coil-overs then you are in another situation all together.

Corvette#2

My '00 is a Z51. I put on Bilstein sport shocks. I really didn't like the Bilsteins. Just way too harsh for everyday street driving. I put new stock shocks on the rear and it helped, but I'm going to replace the front Bilsteins sports too. Only problem is the oem Z51 shocks are now discontinued. I might try the Bilstein HD up front. It should soften it up just a bit.

Rob 02

with all of the above. If it sounds confusing it is because suspension tuning is subjective. It depends a lot on road conditions and how you intend to drive. There are trade offs.

If you read a little about suspension tuning it might help you make a decision. Here is a link. http://www.rapid-racer.com/suspension-tuning.php

JHrinsin

Try the C6 Z06 shocks front and rear.

4XLR8N

Love them on my coupe

typeav

For street car stay away from "Polyurethane Bushing" it make the suspension even more stiffer with all kind of noise coming out of it.

Stick with GM insulators

Rob 02

^Do you have poly bushings?

mike48750

I put a new set of C6 Z06 shocks on my coupe this summer, quite an improvement in both ride and handling. Mike

Corvette#2

Thanks. I might do that. I know they get a lot of recommendations here. After my disappointment with the Bilstein Sports, I figured nothing could be better than the oem shocks GM designed for the car. But a little quick research shows the C6 Z06 front spring rate is almost identical to the C5 Z51/Z06 front spring. So those shocks should probably be a good match. Plus I see they are actually cheaper than Bilstein. About $65 each on GMpartsdirect. Bilstein must have been smoking something good when they recommended those sports for Z51 cars. The car rides so much harsher with them. You feel every imperfections in the pavement. And honestly, the car doesn't even feel like it handles better. I only put on the Bilstein because the original shocks began leaking and the front of the car was behaving erratically.

typeav

I had the Magnetic Ride control disabled and I tried the C6 Z06 shocks but found them to soft, feel like a old man driving a luxury car. I tried the Bilstein B8 Sports and the suspension feels more sporty.

I tried many combination trying to get the best out of it, but because the road conditions I prefer height front 45 and rear 40 as the coupe instead of 40 / 35 like the Z06.

typeav

What I'm trying to say is that if you going with the Z06 shocks you also need the Z06 tire height and springs otherwise you are not going to feel the Z06 suspension feeling. Even if you upgrade the springs but do not low the tire height the suspension response is not going to be there.

If you planning to upgrade the springs and the tires, go with the Z06 shocks.

If you want the closer feeling without upgrading the springs or the tires, go with the Bilstein B8 HD Sport.