[Z06] Best Shocks?
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 56,381
Likes: 79
I see you have 98 coupe, what suspension does it have, what tires are you running, what is your skill level, are you trying to win nationals or just have fun?
If it is just to have fun, just go as is and gets lots of seat time. Also, go to forums:general corvette topics:autocross and roadracing and read everything there.
If it is just to have fun, just go as is and gets lots of seat time. Also, go to forums:general corvette topics:autocross and roadracing and read everything there.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,288
Likes: 2
From: tucson az
i have f45 , a4 , 3.15, run hoosiers 305/18. zo6 sway bars. gonna do z06 springs and shock upgrade. like to go fast while having fun...currently run sm2...04 z06 shocks seem to be good choice, just wondering if the bilestiens are better i guess..
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 56,381
Likes: 79
Originally Posted by vettemaster1
i have f45 , a4 , 3.15, run hoosiers 305/18. zo6 sway bars. gonna do z06 springs and shock upgrade. like to go fast while having fun...currently run sm2...04 z06 shocks seem to be good choice, just wondering if the bilestiens are better i guess..
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,138
Likes: 37
From: Burbank. CA.
I might go with the Bilstiens if my car was lowered more then the stock bolts. The Bilstiens are 1" shorter. Since my car is not lowered more then the stock bolts, I went with the 04 Z06 shocks. Just put them on today. Can't give you any feedback yet. It seems to be a 50/50 spilt on the forum. I met this pro autocrosser a few months ago, and he thinks they are the best.(04 Z06 Shocks) That swayed my decision more then anything. GM has tons of money for R&D on these shocks. I bet Bilstien does not. Just my opinion on that.
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 55
Likes: 0
From: Big City WA
These shock threads keep going and going and not much new info is every really presented, at least that is my take after searching the archives. This is a summary of what I have found:
-The '04 shocks are great on a stock cars. Will they work well or limit wheel (body too long) travel on a car lowered more than 1"...who knows? Obviously the factory didn't design them to be run so low! Wheel travel is very important unless you are driving on a pool table so we don't want to buy components that will limit the travel.
-Bilstein Sports and Koni Sports are the budget non-OEM choice. Both are well made and a bit shorter than the OEM shocks but are their damping rates as well matched to the car as the '04s?
-Penske and Koni DAs seem to be THE choice if you have the $$$ to spend...but they require lots of knowledge to tune and I wonder how they can really work such magic on cars with stock springs? I understand the need for really special damping with super stiff springs, but do we need these $2000 dampers with stock springs?
Where do we go from here? Obviously budget plays a part for some of us, but in the end I bet many of us would be willing to reach deep into our pockets if the big-buck-shocks really made the car faster
-The '04 shocks are great on a stock cars. Will they work well or limit wheel (body too long) travel on a car lowered more than 1"...who knows? Obviously the factory didn't design them to be run so low! Wheel travel is very important unless you are driving on a pool table so we don't want to buy components that will limit the travel.
-Bilstein Sports and Koni Sports are the budget non-OEM choice. Both are well made and a bit shorter than the OEM shocks but are their damping rates as well matched to the car as the '04s?
-Penske and Koni DAs seem to be THE choice if you have the $$$ to spend...but they require lots of knowledge to tune and I wonder how they can really work such magic on cars with stock springs? I understand the need for really special damping with super stiff springs, but do we need these $2000 dampers with stock springs?
Where do we go from here? Obviously budget plays a part for some of us, but in the end I bet many of us would be willing to reach deep into our pockets if the big-buck-shocks really made the car faster
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,288
Likes: 2
From: tucson az
only lowered car a little...[ less than inch]...need suspension travel....also have budget constraints and need most bang for buck...and i gotta tell ya...i have super adjustable front and rear shocks on my mountain bike... and tuning is a science that i have not mastered or mess with much...i am sure the same applies to the fully adjustable shocks available for the c5.... i think i would rather have engineers who designed suspension do the tuning for me..they probally have it more dialed in than i could ever get....gonna do the 04 z06 shocks
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 6,362
Likes: 30
From: Oak Harbor WA
For street and AutoX event use only I would do the 04 OEM units. At least they are designed for that purpose.
Coilovers for track events and a budget to support them. You need corner scales to set them up correctly so add that to the cost.
Koni sports aren't bad as I have owned those before, but just not sure if I am good enough to notice a difference. I do more street driving than racing, so I will go 04 when I upgrade.
Coilovers for track events and a budget to support them. You need corner scales to set them up correctly so add that to the cost.
Koni sports aren't bad as I have owned those before, but just not sure if I am good enough to notice a difference. I do more street driving than racing, so I will go 04 when I upgrade.
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