I have a 2004 CE vert with F55 suspension. This is my first Corvette (I have had this one for a few weeks). The ride seems fine for the most part, and I can tell a difference when I switch from touring to sport, so it seems to be working for the most part.

However, when I am on the freeway at 70MPH and I hit a part of the roadway where there is a transition, say between some old pavement and some new pavement, the car takes the hit pretty hard, almost seems like it bottoms out to me (it is quite jarring). Now, this only happens when the there is a pretty good difference between the pavement heights, most of the time, the ride is fine (a hard transition in the pavement like this only occurs once during a ride of 50 miles or so). However, if I take any of my other cars over the same bump, it seems like a regular bump (you notice it but it is not jarring). In the Corvette, it hits hard .

Everything else seems pretty normal; no codes in the DIC...

Given that I am new to the Corvette, is this normal? Am I just being a wimp ? Anybody out there with F55 have a similar experience?

 

I have not noticed any problems, however there was an issue when the system first came out, they put these yellow or orange stops on the shocks for transport. Many of the dealers were not removing them during the dealer prep and it was causing driveability issues.
Try taking a look at the suspension for anything odd (like big yellow plastic pieces on the shocks)

Chris

 

IMO it's most likely the Run Flat tires. Remember that the tires are the first thing to take the load, and the energy stored in the tires is uncontrolled by the suspension. The RFs have very stiff sidewalls (unlike your normal passenger tires), and this can cause a hard response to a step transition like you describe.

Smooth (or slow) out the bump, and the tires absorb less energy, which is then controlled by the suspension.

HTH, and have a good one,
Mike

 

Make sure that the delivery stuffers are out !

Now....I think at somewhere around 80mph the system switches itself to "sport" mode so that also could be your ride quality.

I notice it myself on my AE but it is still softer than a Z51

 

DOH! I should have thought of that first.

 

I have an 04 A4 with F55. What I noticed was that at speeds > 70 mph on the highway when I hit some uneven road (common in Wisconsin) the car would stiffen up (I would not say 'harsh', but it was very noticeable) and then bounce out a little to either side. Pretty unsettling. After installing the Abs-of-steel tunnel support and the Z06 anti-sway bars the problem went away.

I did those two mods about a week apart but did not test this - was focused more on cornering, so I can't tell you if one made more of a difference than the other. But combined these two are excellent.

It is also nice for daily driving. Comfortable drive without being sloppy as it was completely stock. Sport mode is tons nicer as well.

 

Just my 2 cents--I have heard a lot about the runflats causing problems BUT when I changed from runflats to non-runflats, I did NOT notice ANY difference in the quality of my ride... Maybe my Avon non-runflats just suck...

 

I've heard others mention this also. An article by Hib Halverson even addressed this. Here's an excerpt from his article:

And, here's a link to the entire article should you like to read it: Magnetic Ride - Star Wars Meets the 50th Car

Hope this helps.

 

I have the F55. I went 28k miles with the transport stuffer blocks in the shocks.

I experienced the exact SAME freeway problem.

100 percent - definately get the dealer to remove them!!!

 

Not all dealers know how to remove them........mine cut the yellow strapping tape ...... as if they were bound ....... and proudly showed me that the work was done. After studying the subject here, I knew they were still in place.

You can jack up your car, either from below the cross frame with a block of wood between the floor jack and the cross memeber, or at the four jacking points at the edge of the rocker panels toward the front and rear, and remove them yourself. Your wheels need to be off the ground, so Rhino Ramps will not work for this procedure. Goood Luck!

mtv

 

As far as removing the transport bumpers (or whatever they are called), what do they look like? I looked under there (car on the ground, not on a jack, so my view is limited) and I couldn't see anything suspicious. I could see the shock, the rubber boot on the top of the shock. I could see where the top of the shock attached to the frame, etc. What am I looking for? Anybody have a picture?

Thanks.

 

Mine were white hockey puck shaped with hole/slot for shock piston.

 

When you look under the car, locate the rubber boots covering the shocks and lift them up. If you see a yellow tab, the shock stuffers are still in place and the dealership didn't prep the car properly. These come out easily if you jack the car up a little to get the weight off these pieces. Mine were still in place even after being prepped by 2 (yes 2) dealerships. They are not common knowledge to dealers that don't deal with many Vettes.

Any other probs...PM me.

Dan

 

The transport bumpers were there just like you guys said. Thanks a million! I took the car over to my mechanic and we put up on a hoist and popped the bumpers out. It feels like I am driving a completely different car. Amazing how well the suspension works when the shocks can move.

 

Enjoy your new ride..The F55 is great.