I just got my car (2000 coupe) back from the annual check at the dealership and once again they never mentioned my shocks. I have 145,000 miles, is it unusual for shocks to last this long, or is it likely the dealership missed it? Thanks.

 

QUOTE" I just got my car (2000 coupe) back from the annual check at the dealership "

That would be the last place that I would take my car. I have seen some very poor troubleshooting and repair recommendations from numerous STEALERSHIPS. They seem to default to the repairs that cost the most first.

It could be rare that you have a good one but, isn't there a way that you can learn to do the inspections your self or find a C5 member in you area to help you learn and self repair your car???

If your car has 145,000 miles,,,,you need shocks. What suspension do you have??? Base,,,,F-45,,,Z-51???

What do you desire for your cars handling goals. Same handling, improved handling??

Once you answer that question, recommendations will pour in. What is your budget on improvements?

BC

 

Thanks, Bill! Base suspension, and I'm looking for a smooth ride. I've done some searching on the forum, and I think you recommended C6 shocks for the C5 and said the price was good. Would these be my best bet? Thanks.

 

Best bet is to just get some low milage stock base shocks. Lots of guys change the base shocks out for higher performance (stiffer) ones and the "take offs" are great for other guys who need replacement ones.

I have two spare sets myself I picked up from others just in case I need mine replaced. They are available quite cheap if you search the parts section.

I will sell you one of my sets for $50 shipped. If interested I will look up the details of which year and mileage thay are.

 

What about a similar situation (mileage only 30K however on my 2000 C5 Coupe) but with the Ride Control option. My assumption was that the selective damping rate shocks were dealer only items.

 

There's no way your stock shocks would last that long!

 

I had a F-45 98 Coupe and HATED the ride. It allowed the front to lift upon acceleration, allowed a lot of lean in curves due to the puny sway bars and weak shocks etc! The dampening between the three different settings was so vague that my wife never believed that it actually worked! (It did but was a total waste of cash.)

Enter the 02 ZO6! WOW! I was instantly impressed! Power,,great handling and SOTP IMPRESSIVENESS!!!!!!!!

After a few years, and the newness of the car wearing off and the fear of throwing the car into a ditch lessened, I started really driving the car. Using it's capabilities to the fullest!

One of the suspension issues that I noticed and it really bothered me was,,when making a sweeping turn and the suspension encountered a rough surface (ruts or washboard surface) the car seemed to want to vibrate sideways off the road and the feeling was very un-nerving.

So, after recommendations from forum members, I purchased and installed C6-ZO6 shocks that I purchased new from Gene Culley. ($240 for all FOUR new shocks) When I initially took the car out for a ride I was thinking that my upgrade was a waste of time. Then I ran over some everyday normal town road irregularities on a dry straight road and HMMMMMM,,,the bumps were a slight bit more pronounced. Nothing bad, but, just a bit more noticeable than with the old C5 ZO5 shocks with 50,000 miles on them.

On the way back I hit the highway and exercised the car on a sweeping rough entrance ramp. HOLY CRAP! No More SIDE STEPPING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! High speed turns were significantly more confident! The lean in high speed maneuvers was significantly more controlled.

Of course, this improvement was made on a platform with ZO6 Springs, and Sway bars so,,,,I can NOT tell you exactly how your car will feel. I do know that the C6 ZO6 shocks have better dampening and rebound rates so, you will see a noticeable improvement over what you have now.

If it were me,,and knowing what I know now, I would upgrade to Z-51 or ZO6 springs, sways, shocks and metal end links.

I have had numerous people drive my car and exclaim : Hell,,,This isn't any rougher than my Coupe! So,,,unless, you want your C5 to drive like an old Buick, this set up may make you happy.

Best recommendation is for you to get your butt behind a wheel of a C5 ZO6 and experience the ride and make your own observations. Find a dealer that has one on the lot and take it for a test drive. Careful,,,,,,,,,its immediately addictive and you bank account may not be happy! Ask me how i know!

BC

 

Some more shocking info!

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-t...post1570911080

BC

 

I doubt they check the shocks for anything but leakage. Other than the bounce test (which doesn't necessarily work well) what else are they going to do? They aren't going to drive your car around to see if the shocks work properly (subjective) and they aren't going to remove them from the car to test them. It is up to you to say there is a problem.

Bill

 

I changed my base shocks to C-6 ZO-6 shocks WOW
what a difference. You will like your ride.

 

What is the difference between the Z06 sways bars and Z51 bars,are they the same thickness.

 

You might also want to look at Bilstein shocks. For those with the Z-51 suspension, their Sport models are ideal. If I were to place a bet on which shocks would last longest and still retain acceptable performance characteristics - Bilsteins or OEM, I'd go with the Bilsteins. I had some on my 68 and they were incredible.

 

Swaybars:
C5 Base Suspension: 23 mm-front / 19.1 mm-rear / 3.81mm/2.0mm thickness
C5 Z51 (97-99): 25.4 mm-front / 21.7 mm-rear
C5 Z51 (00-04): 28.6 mm-front / 23.6 mm-rear / 4.15mm/3mm thickness
C5 Z06: 30.0 mm-front / 23.6 mm-rear / 4.5mm/3.5mm thickness
C6 Base: ?? mm-front / 22.0 mm (7/8")-rear
C6 Z51: 31 mm-front / 25.4 mm (1")-rear
C6 Z06: 31 mm-front / 28.8 mm-rear

To the O.P. : The C6 Z06 shocks would be a nice upgrade. If you have a couple extra $$ you could upgrade your sway bars. If you have Z51, you only need the front bar. If you have the plastic endlinks, you would need to change those. The Z06 rear spring has a higher spring rate but is not a necessity when changing to the Z06 shocks. Look for a used one if you want to make the change. New, they are a little pricey. Whatever you get will be a big improvement over the ones you have on the car now.