I have a 2002 Vert with the FE1 springs and the F45 suspension package. I would like to add larger sway bars. What is recommended the Z51 bars or the Z06 sway bars? I am leaning to the Z51 bars because of the lighter base springs. Or doesn't it matter?

What are other upgrades should I consider? The car has 20,000 miles so I would not replace the shocks.

The car is a street car only. I've read most of the threads but most are starting with the Z51 suspension. Thanks.

 

I have F45, and put Z06 bars on because I read other posts that they are great. True, they do make for good handling, but I find that going over bumps is too jarring. Even on my softest setting. Forget about trying any firmer setting! At first I thought it was because I wasn't used to it, but I started developing rattles I never had before. The decision to do something about it came after a 300 mile freeway trip wore me out, and that was after having the Z06 bars on for only a week.

I switched the front to a Z51 bar (rear for Z51 is same as Z06), which is only 1.5mm smaller, but it made for a much more palatable ride, and the handling is still much better than the stock bars. Needless to say, I would recommend the Z51 bar because I think you're right. The Z06 bar is just too stiff for the base springs.

You could try the Z06 bars, and if you find the ride too stiff, swap the front out for a Z51. Then, you can sell just the front Z06 bar on this forum, as people will ****** them up. That's what I did. And, I feel good about my decision, because it wasn't just hearsay for me. I found out for myself how the Z06 bar rode, and know for sure I like the Z51 better. Does that make sense?

 

I have the F45 on my 01 coupe and I put the Z06 sways on a few weeks ago. I love them. Really firmed up the body roll. I do not notice any additional roughness or jarring with the new sways.

 

I don't know why, but I could feel every little bump, and those bumps made the ride uncomfortable, especially if the car ran over bumps on one side of the car.

 

I also have F45, and if I want to add a Z51 sway bar, I should be looking for FE3 code suspension, right?

 

I don't get what you mean. You can just add front and rear Z51 swaybars without changing your FE1 springs.

Or, did you mean you want to know what suspension code to order from? If that's the case, I recommend that you also ensure that the parts you order are for the later Z51 swaybars, because from 2000 on the front and rear Z51 bars are larger than pre-2000, and the rear swaybar is the same as the Z06 bar.

On the other hand, if you only want SLIGHTLY better handling, you could go with the older Z51's, but I think the later Z51 bars will get you much better handling yet still provide a decent ride.

 

Are you still running "run craps?"
If so, that`s a big factor in the jarring effect!

 

Of course, runflats are a stiffer tire, but that doesn't change the relative differences between the swaybars. If I had switched to non-RFs in the middle of the swaybar switching, that wouldn't have given me a fair assessment of the suspension comparison, you know what I mean? Additionally, while the ride with RFs is firmer, bumps with the Z06 bar up front were JARRING, not just stiffer, does that make sense? Bumps felt like hard hits on the suspension, which was felt throughout the car. And, like I said even bits of the body and trim started rattling. I could even feel it in my back through the backrest of the seat!

I do know that when I put on the Z06 bars, I felt like the rest of the suspension could not do its job properly. Just changing the front bar down to Z51 made a big difference, even though the size difference is only 1.4mm.

IMHO, I really don't think Z06 bars are a good match for the F45 setup. I don't know whether the limiting factor is springs, shocks or both. After all the suspension components were originally designed to work together, and while changing a component can improve one aspect, it can obviously detract from other aspects.

But, remember, I'm the kind of person that LIKES selective ride shocks, some people don't, so a Z06 bar in the front just didn't work for me. Other people may like a harder ride, I just don't happen to be one of them anymore. In fact, when I bought my C5, I wasn't going to buy one without selective ride, because while I like good cornering just like the next person, since the beginning Vettes have never handled bumps well, and I like having the ability to tone down the ride on-the-fly when driving over roads that are not so perfect.

For some reason, imported sports cars all seem to handle bumps better than Vettes. But, I'm still a Vette person, so I bought another Vette anyway.

As far as tires are concerned, I put GS-D3s on my C4 and loved them, but I got flats all the time. In fact, on my last set I got one in each tire! I've also recently gotten 2 flats in 5000 miles on my C5. The second flat had 3 nails in the one tire! So, while I was considering going to the GS-D3s on my next go-around, with no spare and my luck with tires, I think I'll have to stick to RFs.

 

I have a 2000 coupe with F-45. Replaced the shocks with Bilstiens and sway bars with Hotchkis. Best move ever. Handles great, no complaints on the ride. My 5 series BMW has a stiffer ride with Eibach springs- Vette is much nicer

 

In GM catalogs, the sway bars come up as:
FE1: Soft Ride (I know that this is the base suspension)
FE3: Sport Suspension (Is this for F45 or Z51 or both?)
FE4: Special Suspension (Is this the Z06 suspension?)

 

You are right, FE1 is the base suspension. With F45 shocks, you also get the base suspension. FE3 is Z51, and FE4 is Z06.

Maybe you can re-phrase your original question, as to what EXACTLY you're trying to accomplish, and what you THINK you should get to accomplish it. That way there's no confusion and the rest of us can post some opinions and feedback that might help you make the right decision for yourself.

For example, if you mean you don't want to replace your shocks, do you mean replace them with new F45s or swap them out for something different altogether?