What to do??? My 2001 does NOT have the upgraded stock suspension package. Should I go with the Pfadt JOC Stage 1 or save some money & just pick up a Z06 sway bar and some new shocks??? Do I need better leaf springs??? It's not lowered yet but I do want to lower it on stock bolts. I mostly just have fun with this car in the hills but would like to some day take it to a road track so not that much hard core racing but just daily driving with attitude.
Thanks.

 

A good set of sway bars and shocks are what most do as a street car upgrade. Wouldn't worry to much about the leaf springs. If you want to change both the shocks and springs do a set of coil-overs. But thats getting into allot of $$ for a street car. The bars dont need to be adjustable or anything crazy if you just want to tighten the car up for all around fun and performance. So the JOC set would be great.

 

Budget wise it is hard to beat adding a set of C6 Z06 sways (though some will argue the C6 Z51 sways) and C6 Z06 shocks. I added both the C6 Z06 sways and shocks as well as C5 Z51 leaf springs as I found a set very cheap. While I lowered the car also, I doubt it added much to handling but does look better (again it is not slammed but approximately 3/4 of an inch lower and maintains its rake). Without true comparative tests on a skid pad or road course I cant say what the true quantified difference in handling is, but from the seat of the pants meter it sure feels better. I am also running 18 inch wheels all around with 275 fronts and 295 rears so some of that "feel" may be coming from that as well. Handling is also a result of a combination and balanced addition of different components and I am sure those on the forum with much more experience will chime in with their recommendations.

 

I added a set of Bilstein HD's and Eibach swaybars. My car now corners like it's on rails with very minimal effect on ride quality. Great setup for street and occasional auto X. If you're planning of lowering your car then go with the Bilstein Sports.

 

The thing you should ask yourself is, "Are you a good enough of a driver to know the difference between a C6Z06 suspension and a super high end coil over system. I took my 00 Z51 and realized that I didnt want to spend a butt load of money for something that I may not be able to see the full potential of. I replaced the rear sway with a C5 Z06 one (front z51 is a z06) new C6Z06 shocks and C6 z51 sways with poly bushings. All together 600 total for everything and even with that I am not 100% confident I can use it to the full potential. It is a so much better and I keep trying to push it but I still run out of skill long before the car ever shows signs of running out of traction.

 

Grab some LG coilovers and call it a day. That's what I did and love them. I had C6 Z shocks and hated them. Too firm for me. I love the adjustability of the GT2's

 

FWIW: I bend my car hard and I'm extremely sensitive to handling. I have PFADT 3 piece Street/Track sway bars and was running a well known brand of coilovers. I recently switched out the coilovers to the PFADT Feather Lights. The Feather Lights have more travel so I don't have to spring the car super stiff to keep from bottoming the shocks. The car now handles incredibly well, is flat as a pancake and the ride quality is no stiffer than a stock C5Z06 setup.

I have also run Z06 sway bars and springs and Bilstein Sport shocks which is also a good aggressive street setup and very cost effective.

 

 

I have the same setup as Cybermind. Eibach sways with poly bushings, metal end links, Bilstein HD shocks, and a C6 tunnel plate. Wish I had done Bilstein sports because the car doesn't like bumps after lowering (even lowering on stock suspension).
But there is no cheaper way to go than these components unless you buy use C6Z parts. These are lower budget, but very good upgrade parts. Cant complain at all about the Eibachs. Really woke the car up. 240 bucks new shipped for front and rear on flea-bay. Just saying.

 

Im a fan of Bilstein Sports, especially since my car is lowered. Im also running C6Z sways and the stays super flat on corners. I have wonder how the JOC shocks would compare to the Bilsteins as I might need to replace them in the near future.

 

Our JOC Stage 1 was designed exactly with you in mind. Someone that wants to have more fun with their car without spending a ton of cash in the process. It's a completely plug and play and is designed to work correctly out of the box. It's really what we feel the C6 Z06 suspension package should have been... very confidence inspiring and actually makes the car easier to drive rather than more edgy and less than composed over rough road surfaces.

Keep in mind that the JOC Stage 1 is not a coilover package. It's a very simple plug and play shock and sway bar package. We do however have affordable coilover upgrade kits as well, but the point of the JOC package is that you can be anyone and see an immediate improvement in both track and street manners.

Here is what GM High Tech has to say about the JOC Stage 1 package. They certainly loved it, and we know you will too! GM High Tech reviews the JOC Stage 1 suspension package.

 

I'd consider coil-overs if you plan on going much lower than about 3/4" from stock.

Otherwise, a set of C6Z51 sways and Bilstein sport shocks would be a good upgrade.

 

Your best bet is to go with a pfadt coilover and sway bar package similar to WKMCD....handling has been like horsepower for me, the more you get, the more you want, so you will ultimately save a bunch of money by jumping right to Pfadt's high end street/track stuff.

a good budget minded setup is the Hotchkis Sport adjustable sway bar with Bilsteins...The Hotchkis is stiffer than most of the other sway bars on the market, and stiffer than all the C5 OEM varients except the T1's (if you can call that OEM), and they cost around
$400 bucks so its a good price, they are also adjustable, so you can balance understeer and oversteer, which is just as important as having less body roll from a stiffer sway bar....having said that, I am thinking about going with Pfadts heavy rate sway bar after running the hotchkis for a while, as the better I get at driving, and the more I get use to the suspension, the less roll I want, the Hotchkis are already getting a bit too forgiving for me.

Also, I'm in the process of putting in new poly bushings all the way around, which can be done for a couple of hundred bucks if you are a DIY'er....I've done all the uppers and will get to the lowers next weekend....I went with the cheaper kit without the metal bits included, and its more than doubling an already long instal process, but I am noticing a good improvement with just the uppers done, can't wait to get the lowers done....i HIGHLY recomend spending the extra $200 bucks on Pfadt's bushing kit that includes the metal bit, unless you want to spend 6-10 hours extracting the old metal bits from your current rubber bushings.

I think next on my list is the Pfadt Featherlights and heavy rate sways, and probably their camber kit after I'm done with the bushings....If I had jumped to this right away, I'd have saved $600-$700 bucks and a lot of bloody knuckles. ;-)


if dropping 3-5k on the Pfadt Street/Track stuff is out of your budget for now, the JOC is a great middle ground, and if you are really budget concious the Hotchkis Sport Sways with Bilstein Sports are a good package with good performance.

as another tip....I HIGHLY recomend changing out the rubber steering rack bushing with DRM's aluminum bushing....It's a bit of a PITA DIY but is cheap ($40) to do, and REALLY improves steering....no dead spot and much better road feel....Its one of my favorite upgrades so far.

 

Thanks for all the great advice, bro's.

 

just my opinion, but getting coilovers without upgraded sway bars is kinda like getting a head and cam job without long tube headers and a CAI...H/C without LT's & a CAI loose half their benefit for all the money you spend

I kinda think of the sway bars and a good alignment as laying the solid foundation for your suspension improvements, and the coilovers fine tune it and raise to a whole new level.

Sways first, coilovers second, or preferably together :-)

again, just my opinion

 

Have fun Brother!

 

Tell him to just get the coilovers, he will be much better off in the end. I love the PFADT coilovers on the car. Robert

 

The Pfadt featherlights are flipping awesome. If you go this route, setup your desired height drive it about 100 miles to make sure everything is settled, then check height. Afterwards, go with Pfadt's suggested alignment settings at a shop that specializes in alignments. The guys fm Pfadt provide some great support too. Afterwards, make sure you dial it with front and rear damping to your liking. You may have to do this 2 or 3 times like I did. Once it was dialed in, I was amazed at how much different the ride and handling changed. I've went through 3 different sway bars and shocks fm stock, to C6Z06, to the JOC equivalent sways w/ SA Pfadt featherlights. The Pfadts are just way above the previous 2 setups in both riding comfort and handling.

BTW, selecting the right shop for alignment is just as important. I screwed up when I first put my own and the height changed a little after settling. So, I decided to that the small alignment change could be done locally vice driving a few more miles to the specialty shop. All I can say, is that I wasted my money on 2 of the 3 alignments and there is a big difference between specialized tire alignment places and the Stealership or chain type tire shops. The alignments can make a huge difference, even when you provide the right specs. Again, let the shocks settle and then get the alignment with some professionals. Good luck, and was the extra money worth the Pfadts, heck yeah.
Mike C

 

Have you driven a C5 Z06? If not, that's a good place to start. Easy to find these parts cheap. For a street car, I think the Z06 suspension will make you happy. If you drive one and feel you want more then you can go crazy with all of the stuff talked about. It's easy to throw $$ at things, but how much are you going to use it? Good luck with your path.

 

Thanks for the great feedback guys! We certainly work really hard to help you get the most out of your Corvette. We feel 100% confident that your car will be much more enjoyable with our Suspension components than any of the OEM offerings.

You can reach us at 1-888-972-2464. We are more than happy to chat about how our products can help you reach your performance goals!