I LOVE THE LOOK OF THE LOWERED VETTES BUT, THE ROADS BY MY HOUSE ARE PRETTY ROUGH. DO YOU THINK SCRAPING WILL BE AN ISSUE??
GOD BLESS THE GREATEST COUNTRY :flag

 

Got mine lowered yesterday, so I can't comment yet on how much more I have scraped something. I love the look. I'll probably invest in those front end frame saver kit from A&A Corvettes.

 

WHAT IS THE FRAME SAVER KIT??

 

From A&A's web site...
"Keep your front undercarriage (and your driveway) protected from those awful scrapes when entering and exiting. These are a "must have" on any C5. Particularly if your car is lowered. Driveways you used to avoid altogether are now no problem. Tough nylon wheels in sturdy steel brackets are attached to the front skid bars. Barely noticeable, they are there to protect your investment at all times. You’ll wonder how you got by without them! Read the reviews on Corvette Forum"

Here's the link, just scroll down the page to see a picture http://www.aandacorvette.com/Creations.shtml
:cheers:

 

Mine is about two inches lower, and the only thing that rubs is the front rubber air dam, which is no big deal. When I change wheels and tires, I'm going to go lower. If that means that I can't drive in certain places, so be it. Oh, and "No fat chicks, car will rub!"


Greg
:cool:

 

You should not have a problem
on the roads.
Careful on driveways!
Take a nice angle, you will
be fine. :)

 

I lowered mine as low as it would go with the stock hardware. I backed the bolts out in the front as far as they would go and cut the bushings in the back. I think it came out to about 1.75" lower. Speed bumps are becoming a problem when I drive the front wheels over it scrapes behind them, only on the bigger ones. As long as I take steep drives at an angle I'm fine, I think I will get the frame savers though,except the stock bars are already pretty torn up from the previous owner. It does look good though and I like the way it handles now. I wouldn't think only 1 inch wouldn't make a big difference in scrapes but it will close the gap between your tires and wheel wells though. Good Luck

 

Beware if you have the base suspension. Your car will become very loose...

 

Can you explain what you mean about "very loose"? I have the base suspension and lowered my car about 3/4" but planned on going lower.

 

Bluewasp lowered his car about one inch. He had the ZO6 swaybars and base suspension, and at the car's handling went to $h1t. Apparently, when you back off the bolts, you are reducing the tension on the springs.

The problem is less significant on Z51/06 suspensions, or if you have heavier shocks and bars with the base.

 

I don't think thats right. By adjusting the bolts all you are doing is moving the "sprung" weight of the car up or down on the springs, which changes the ride height. I think the "looseness" you describe can be attributed to allignment which is affected by the ride height change. Of course I am no expert. I lowered my car about 3/4 to 1 inch all around by backing out the front bolts all the way and adjusting the rears to about 2 or 3 threads showing each. I have put about 600 to 700 miles on the car at all speeds and road conditions including a run up to 166 (whohoooo) with no ill effects. I have not yet alligned my car and have no abnormal tire wear.

I may have contradicted myself by stating that the ride height changes the alignment which may explain the loosness of the car and then saying mine was fine after lowering it without re-aligning. Bluewasp may have been out of alignment specs to begin with. This may have put him off just enough to explain the loosness.

Again, I'm no expert, so take this long drawn out post for what its worth.

My question to all of you is: does lowering the car make bump-steer an issue? Like I said, I have no ill effects right now. Is bump steer only a concern when changing the suspension components such as springs and a-arms etc....?

....ooops that was 2 questions and a statement :D

I crack myself up somtimes with my posts..... :rolleyes:

 

Mine was slammed...inc 2 of 3 front bushings were cut out. No problem with clearance. I also cut the air spoiler (under car) 1". That thing always made noise. You will love the car lowered.

 

I lowered my car about 3/4 inch in the back and 1/2 in the front from the stock height. The back of the car was VERY loose around turns. Car looked better but it was loose. When you lower the car you are UNLOADING the spring. Which will cause your back to feel looser or bouncy. If you have Z51/Z06 springs you won't notice it as much because those springs are stiffer. I would advise anyone with BASE suspension NOT to lower the car. I lower my car per the instructions in the C5 Tech section on corvetteforum.com. I wouldn't do it. I just installed Bilstein sport shocks and plan on changing out the springs to Z51/Z06 in April or may of 02. Then I will lower it back down 3/4 to 1 inch around.

I know someone or many will reply to my message saying you did it wrong or this or that. All I can say is I lowered it like everyone one else does on here and I didn't like how the car handled. If you think about what you are doing by unloading the spring you can see how it will make the car loose.

Just my .02
:)

Robert

 

Nope. I don't think I was out of alignment from the start. Car is only 14 months old with 11,xxx on the clock. Could have been, but I don't think so. Also keep in mind that I lowered the rear about 1/2 to 3/4 inch. I didn't CUT or take the nut all the way out.

I put the car back to stock height and it feels as it did before.

I posted a message about how loose the rear end felt and I got several e-mails about how "my car felt the same". I thought it was rather odd that I DON't see any posts about negative effects of lowering and when I posted the message I got these e-mails. So, I know I am not the only one. And if you think about it when you lower the rear you are taking pressure off the spring, making it softer and by doing so the back will feel bouncy or loose.

If anyone wants to lower their car I would make sure you count the treads on the bolt incase you don't like the ride. The back you have count since the bolt comes out, and the front you can mark with some nail polish or something.

SAXN8R: Do you have a Z51 car??????


Just my .02! :)

Robert

[Modified by Bluewasp, 10:31 PM 11/24/2001]


[Modified by Bluewasp, 10:49 PM 11/24/2001]

 

SAXN8R is absolutely correct. :lol: You are NOT unloading the spring by lowering your car! The lowering action raises the position of the suspension, relative to the fully loaded spring, thus bringing the tire up higher in the wheel well and giving you that Lowered look. :)

The Servive Manual tells me that three (3) turns of the front adjusting screw or three (3) turns of the nut on the long suspension bolt will change the ride height by 15/64 or about 1/4 inch.

All this adjustment does is move the ''sprung' weight of the car up or down relative to the point where the sprung weight of the car is pushing the spring upwards (front) or pulling the spring upwards (rear).

Any ill effects felt after lowering were not a cause of the lowering operation, one, because the spring was not unloaded, and two the actual center of gravity of the car was lowered actually proving more stablilty. The ill feelings were most likely from allignment or some other mechanical problem not yet identified. If you don't believe me, then get a servive maunal and check it out. :D


[Modified by Jim 47, 4:05 PM 11/25/2001]

 

Does anyone know what lowering the car does to static camber and/or toe?

Several of my other cars would camber in and toe out when as ride height is decreased, are C5s like this?

Rob
01Z6 - first vette, lots to learn

 

Get another 4 wheel alignment after lowering & settling and set the toe/camber as you'd like.

 

Yes, it will throw the tow in, My wifes car has 7000 miles of driving lowered. We are now having to buy new front tires. They are completely bald on the inside tread. I asked the same question when we lowered ours. Everbody said it doesnt affect the alignment . Beleive me it does, just have a free alignment check. :mad


[Modified by TFOR2, 1:54 AM 11/26/2001]

 

I do have a Z51 suspension. Bluewasp, I didn't mean to seem like I was flaming you. I am just trying to share information. Thanks Jim 47 for your post, that seems to make the most sense to me. I wish a tech would reply to this post and help us out!

Corey

 

Just a point of clairfication; My previous comments assumed that both sides of the suspension were lowered equally. With that equal adjustment there is NO change in the spring loading.

BUT, if by chance one side was lowered more than the other, then the side that was lowered more, would have less relative spring loading than the other side. Just picture the rear spring. The bolt is lengthened to lower the car, thus if it was lowered only on one side, then on that lowered side the spring would be in a more "relaxed" position (or be more unloaded than the unlowered side).

I don't think that anyone lowering their car would lower one side more than the other, or the front more than the rear, and that is why I stated that the springs were not being unloaded by lowering. Hope this clairfies my previous remarks. :D