I purchased a '02 6-spd conv with 14k miles about a month ago. I have now had the chance to put on a few hundred miles. The one thing that concerns me is the handling of the car. I should also say I sold my '00 conv last year and have some experience with the handling. So the problem seems to be when going over small bumps or dips the front end wants to push or pull back and forth. The wheel seams tight but the front end wanders somewhat. Like I said, only when going over bumps. It also seems that the suspension will drop after going over a dip in the road and it will drop to one side (right). This includes the rear of the car. I have brand new rubber on the back and good tires on the front. ALL OEM tires ( I know not the best) I had the car aligned last week and all checked out ok! Has anyone had these problems? could it be shocks? suspension? I know It's hard to describe but I am looking for any help or suggestions.....

Thanks

 

also looking for help with Z06 suspension. Is their a difference in shocks from '02 to '04? and what do you guys feel about the sway bar setup on a Z06 (vs aftermarket)......

 

Yes the 04 shocks are redesigned in terms of the damping compression and rebound characteristics. They are supposedly superior and that is what I am running. I love my z06 suspension.

 

I'm running all Z06 components and Bilsteins. Night and day difference between the FE1 and this setup. Although, I don't recommend Z06 springs with the runflats...very jarring ride for around town.

It's hard to understand exactly the problem your trying to describe without experiencing it. WHat suspension do you have? I'm guessing the base FE1?

 

It's hard to diagnose a handling issue so "wierd" w/o being there. If you're getting random wandering start with the simple stuff. Have the wheels road force balanced, have your allignment checked. Then have them check your tie-rod ends for excess play. I just put VB&P HD rod ends on my car and it's now rock solid. Of course I track my car so I'm a "little" harder on the suspension and chassis than most. Also check the steering shaft nut for proper torque "good n' tight"!!

 

I just bought my first vette (yay!) and am still getting accustomed to the car. What I noticed however driving down the NJ Turnpike between exits 11th and 15th (rather bumpy road at times) is that car body rocks a little too much than what I would expect from a car like this. This seems to happen only on small bumps. Turning on ramps is great, no body roll or anything like that. The car has only 9400 miles.

My other dillema is how normal is the scratching sound when the car takes on a road elevation such as driveway to strip malls etc. Is it really bad when it happens?

Like I said, it's my first vette so I have no comparison or experience.

 

The scratching is OK as long as it is only the nose skirts that are scraping (the two end ones will fold almost flat in either direction, and the center one is hinged). The noise it makes when these hit is ugly, but these parts are designed to scrape thousands of times without being replaced.

If instead you're scraping the frame rails, this is not as harmless (although a few scrapes will only affect the aesthetics and resale value). This is easy to check - just look under the bumper - the black paint will be scraped off. If this is happening, either avoid those driveways or find a way to ease into them without hitting the frame rails. Approaching such hazzards at an angle can really make a difference - I'm surprised by what I can still get my car over even after lowering it when I drive carefully and plan ahead.

It's hard to tell you much about the handling problem you mentioned, and it may not even be a problem. Are there any comparable cars that you've driven? Keep in mind besides having a stiff suspension, the Vette also has wide wheels/tires, which will feel a lot different than a stiff suspension on narrower tires. Also, while the C5 rides much better than previous Vettes, it is not designed to hold the road particularly well on bumps. Small bumps like you describe will result in some higher frequency vibration on the highway, and those particular bumps at that speed may be matching up with one of the Vette's suspension's resonant frequencies. Then again, if I judge by the handful of times I've driven thru Jersey, highway speed is about 12mph between stops

I say try to ride in another C5 with the same suspension as yours, or find someone who knows Vettes to ride in yours. Given that it handles fine elsewhere and has <10k miles, your car is probably fine.

-Pete

 

Many thanks for answering my concerns.

I have driven Porsche Boxster, Honda Accord, Ford Probe GT. Handling on a Porsche was definitely superior. My subjective observation as it stands now is that my Vette takes on bumps about as well as the Probe . Honda offers smoother ride but is no match on curves to any of those cars.

From other posts I learned that there may be a shock stuffers that weren't removed but I didn't see any yellow tags hanging behind the wheels. Another person suggested overinflated tires. My rear tires were 32PSI cold and fronts were 30PSI cold. I am going to lower that to 30PSI cold on all wheels and retest.

If there is no improvement, would you suggest I have the suspension inspected?