Need HELP lowering the front!!!!
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Pro
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From: Columbus, OH, USA
Need HELP lowering the front!!!!
OK, my front is not 'settling' after I cranked it down as far as the bolt will allow. Is there any other way to lower it further without going through the process described here?!?
https://www.corvetteforum.com/techti...D=90&TopicID=1
I cut the bushings in the back and it is just right! :cheers:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/techti...D=90&TopicID=1
I cut the bushings in the back and it is just right! :cheers:
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Re: Need HELP lowering the front!!!! (johnso26)
Do not cut the busings in the rear :nono: Just get some longer grade 8 bolts and adjust away keeping the factory bushings in tact. As far as the front, you will have to probably cut 2/3 of the bushings to get any real difference. Good luck :cheers:
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From: Columbus, OH, USA
Re: Need HELP lowering the front!!!! (MilYellow02)
What is wrong with cutting the rear bushings? SOOO many people here have done it and it is in the "tech tips." I cut, lowered, added Bilsteins and the ride is perfectly liveable. The handling is more crisp and it never bottoms! Hell, even with the Z51 shocks it didn't really bottom even though it was harsher than with the Bilsteins........... :confused:
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From: Palm City Florida
Re: Need HELP lowering the front!!!! (johnso26)
Cut the bushings. Buying bolts is another complete WASTE of C5 Owners money. If there was anything we should be able to buy it's for the fronts!
Somebody needs to come up with a Urethane spacer that fits between the spring and suspension. this way you can remove the front bolts all together...
On the rear I Cut the top and bottom bushings (one rib off each) My car is lower in the rear with plenty of djustment left. I have a 2 finger gap between the top of the tire and the wheel well. My ride is Perfect with only the Z51 stock shocks. I never bottom out. There is still plenty of rubber left on the top and bottom bushings for cushion.
The Fronts you need to crank down all the way and cut 1 or 2 ribs of rubber off. 1 rib will give you about 2 1/2 to 3 finger height.
Somebody needs to come up with a Urethane spacer that fits between the spring and suspension. this way you can remove the front bolts all together...
On the rear I Cut the top and bottom bushings (one rib off each) My car is lower in the rear with plenty of djustment left. I have a 2 finger gap between the top of the tire and the wheel well. My ride is Perfect with only the Z51 stock shocks. I never bottom out. There is still plenty of rubber left on the top and bottom bushings for cushion.
The Fronts you need to crank down all the way and cut 1 or 2 ribs of rubber off. 1 rib will give you about 2 1/2 to 3 finger height.
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From: Columbus, OH, USA
Re: Need HELP lowering the front!!!! (chuckster)
Chuckster, so you didn't take it all apart then to cut the bushings up front? My rear drop sounds just like yours....I took out the same amount of bushing. I still would recommend the Bilsteins though. The before and after was significant. They definitely take some of the harshness out of bumps! :cheers:
Melting Slicks
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Re: Need HELP lowering the front!!!! (johnso26)
Johnso,
When you say the front is not settling what do you mean?
What are the before ride height measurements and the after measurements.
Give us some numbers here and we can better help you.
So far I think you have done things backwards from most members who have lowered their cars.
Most are using longer rear bolts and cutting the front bushings. That is what it takes in many cases to get the look right.
In my opinion you never want to cut the rear bushings. The size of those bushings are what GM chose to work on your car. Cutting any off them will increase the harshness of the ride to some extent. I have replaced rear bolts on several C5s. In my area the bolts cost a whopping $6. A very small price to pay to keep the rear bushings.
Before you cut the front bushings please tell us the before and after ride heights or at least the after.
Dave
When you say the front is not settling what do you mean?
What are the before ride height measurements and the after measurements.
Give us some numbers here and we can better help you.
So far I think you have done things backwards from most members who have lowered their cars.
Most are using longer rear bolts and cutting the front bushings. That is what it takes in many cases to get the look right.
In my opinion you never want to cut the rear bushings. The size of those bushings are what GM chose to work on your car. Cutting any off them will increase the harshness of the ride to some extent. I have replaced rear bolts on several C5s. In my area the bolts cost a whopping $6. A very small price to pay to keep the rear bushings.
Before you cut the front bushings please tell us the before and after ride heights or at least the after.
Dave
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Re: Need HELP lowering the front!!!! (corvette dave)
Hey Dave,
Just playing Devil's Advocate for a moment :reddevil , Why is it okay to cut away at GM's engineered front bushing, but a big :nono: to cut the rears?
Wont they both have the same effect on ride harshness? ;) ;)
IMHO, I think that cutting either front or rear will have a stiffing effect on ride. It is just that you don't have any easy options on the front and you can do it with out cutting bushings in the rears if you swap the bolts.
As far a "Setteling" I'm with you, once you make the change and go for a quick ride, all the "settling" is done. We have never seen a car continue to lower itself significantly after we have lowered it.
I love the looks of lowered C5s, but too much of a good thing can cause some real heart ache (speed bumps, driveways, it almost makes you :cry when you can hear the top of a speed bump customizing the bottom of your floor pan.
The coolest part is if you go a bit too much, it is easy to jack it back up, unlike alot of other vehicles that we lower.
:cheers: :cheers:
Just playing Devil's Advocate for a moment :reddevil , Why is it okay to cut away at GM's engineered front bushing, but a big :nono: to cut the rears?
Wont they both have the same effect on ride harshness? ;) ;)
IMHO, I think that cutting either front or rear will have a stiffing effect on ride. It is just that you don't have any easy options on the front and you can do it with out cutting bushings in the rears if you swap the bolts.
As far a "Setteling" I'm with you, once you make the change and go for a quick ride, all the "settling" is done. We have never seen a car continue to lower itself significantly after we have lowered it.
I love the looks of lowered C5s, but too much of a good thing can cause some real heart ache (speed bumps, driveways, it almost makes you :cry when you can hear the top of a speed bump customizing the bottom of your floor pan.
The coolest part is if you go a bit too much, it is easy to jack it back up, unlike alot of other vehicles that we lower.
:cheers: :cheers:
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From: Columbus, OH, USA
Re: Need HELP lowering the front!!!! (corvette dave)
I haven't taken any measurements yet because the weather has been insane and I haven't had a chance to do it yet. I just followed the instructions right here in the tech forum:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/techti...D=27&TopicID=1
I also added Bilstein Sports and the ride is just fine. It MAY be a little more harsh than stock, but not by much. I rode around with just Z51 shocks for two days and it was a little harsher than with the Bilsteins. It is perfectly liveable and not bouncy or bottoming in the rear WITH the cut bushings.
Anyway, it looks like plenty of people here have cut their bushings:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=265292
If it is such a no no, someone should remove it from the tech tips.
C5stein, that is a good question by the way. Cutting the rear bushings is not good, but the front bushings apparently aren't "what GM chose to work" on our cars and are fine to cut?!?!?!?!?!?
:)
https://www.corvetteforum.com/techti...D=27&TopicID=1
I also added Bilstein Sports and the ride is just fine. It MAY be a little more harsh than stock, but not by much. I rode around with just Z51 shocks for two days and it was a little harsher than with the Bilsteins. It is perfectly liveable and not bouncy or bottoming in the rear WITH the cut bushings.
Anyway, it looks like plenty of people here have cut their bushings:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=265292
If it is such a no no, someone should remove it from the tech tips.
C5stein, that is a good question by the way. Cutting the rear bushings is not good, but the front bushings apparently aren't "what GM chose to work" on our cars and are fine to cut?!?!?!?!?!?
:)
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Re: Need HELP lowering the front!!!! (johnso26)
C5stein, that is a good question by the way. Cutting the rear bushings is not good, but the front bushings apparently aren't "what GM chose to work" on our cars and are fine to cut?!?!?!?!?!?
:)
:)
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From: Columbus, OH, USA
Re: Need HELP lowering the front!!!! (racer44)
OK, now I'm lazy?! :rolleyes: I simply followed the directions in the tech tips section and AGAIN:
Yeah, I was really concerned about shelling out $8 for bolts........... :rolleyes:
I also added Bilstein Sports and the ride is just fine. It MAY be a little more harsh than stock, but not by much. I rode around with just Z51 shocks for two days and it was a little harsher than with the Bilsteins. It is perfectly liveable and not bouncy or bottoming in the rear WITH the cut bushings.
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Re: Need HELP lowering the front!!!! (racer44)
So why would you want to cut the rears to double your harshness, when there is absolutley no need to?
But then again most people that have lowered their cars didn't do anything about their bump stops. If you lower more than about 1" or 1.5" you will be riding around on your bumpstops all the time :confused: talk about a harsh ride.
I noticed a major inprovement in the ride after massaging my bumpstops a little, and increasing the shock travel. just my .02
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Re: Need HELP lowering the front!!!! (Flyin'Brian)
So why would you want to cut the rears to double your harshness, when there is absolutley no need to?
I disagree that cutting the rear bushings doubles the harshness. It didn't on mine.
But then again most people that have lowered their cars didn't do anything about their bump stops. If you lower more than about 1" or 1.5" you will be riding around on your bumpstops all the time :confused: talk about a harsh ride.
I noticed a major inprovement in the ride after massaging my bumpstops a little, and increasing the shock travel. just my .02
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Re: Need HELP lowering the front!!!! (johnso26)
OK, now I'm lazy?! :rolleyes: I simply followed the directions in the tech tips section and AGAIN:
I also added Bilstein Sports and the ride is just fine. It MAY be a little more harsh than stock, but not by much. I rode around with just Z51 shocks for two days and it was a little harsher than with the Bilsteins. It is perfectly liveable and not bouncy or bottoming in the rear WITH the cut bushings.
Yeah, I was really concerned about shelling out $8 for bolts........... :rolleyes:
I also added Bilstein Sports and the ride is just fine. It MAY be a little more harsh than stock, but not by much. I rode around with just Z51 shocks for two days and it was a little harsher than with the Bilsteins. It is perfectly liveable and not bouncy or bottoming in the rear WITH the cut bushings.
Yeah, I was really concerned about shelling out $8 for bolts........... :rolleyes:
[Modified by racer44, 1:05 PM 3/27/2002]
Melting Slicks
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Re: Need HELP lowering the front!!!! (C5stein)
C5stein,
You are correct.
I had to cut the front bushings to get the desired look. If I could have gotten shorter bolts for the front I would have. :)
No reason to cut the rear bolts and take the chance of adding any harshness.
Dave
You are correct.
I had to cut the front bushings to get the desired look. If I could have gotten shorter bolts for the front I would have. :)
No reason to cut the rear bolts and take the chance of adding any harshness.
Dave
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Re: Need HELP lowering the front!!!! (racer44)
So why would you want to cut the rears to double your harshness, when there is absolutley no need to?
I disagree that cutting the rear bushings doubles the harshness. It didn't on mine.
But then again most people that have lowered their cars didn't do anything about their bump stops. If you lower more than about 1" or 1.5" you will be riding around on your bumpstops all the time :confused: talk about a harsh ride.
I noticed a major inprovement in the ride after massaging my bumpstops a little, and increasing the shock travel. just my .02
Doubling the harshness means it will be slightly harsh in the front as well now it will be slighly harsh in the back, not double in the back.