C5 susp. pkgs in a nut shell - please
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From: Houston TX
C5 susp. pkgs in a nut shell - please
Let me see if I understand this correctly. BTW - it's 3:20 a.m. for me, so don't be too harsh.
F45 is the Selective ride control (the turn **** on the center console). Each OEM shock costs $900, and if you want to use aftermarket shocks or lower the car you have to fool the computer into thinking it's not in an F45 car, which is either expensive or a headache. And any headache easily averted is well worth it.
It sounds like F55 is the same thing except that it's called Magnetic Selective Ride Control and I can only assume, triggered differently? Which would make me assume it has no turn ****?
So from what i've been able to gather, since I MAY lower the car one day, anything that has a turn **** on it/or has F45 or F55 on the RPO code sticker, is what I want to stay away from. So either, FE1, FE3 or Z51 are what I want. I believe FE1 is considered 'base' suspension, whateverTF that is, and I forget how FE3 fits into the equation.
?
F45 is the Selective ride control (the turn **** on the center console). Each OEM shock costs $900, and if you want to use aftermarket shocks or lower the car you have to fool the computer into thinking it's not in an F45 car, which is either expensive or a headache. And any headache easily averted is well worth it.
It sounds like F55 is the same thing except that it's called Magnetic Selective Ride Control and I can only assume, triggered differently? Which would make me assume it has no turn ****?
So from what i've been able to gather, since I MAY lower the car one day, anything that has a turn **** on it/or has F45 or F55 on the RPO code sticker, is what I want to stay away from. So either, FE1, FE3 or Z51 are what I want. I believe FE1 is considered 'base' suspension, whateverTF that is, and I forget how FE3 fits into the equation.
?
Last edited by PRO5OHHO; Jul 3, 2014 at 04:28 AM.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2000
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From: Orlando FL
You have the F45/F55 down. F55 is better, but that was available on 03/04's I think. Z51 is my choice, it adds the Z06 parts (sways, springs and shocks) to the base cars (I think there is a slight difference in the rear sway diameter) and a PS cooler.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
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From: Western NY
Let me see if I understand this correctly. BTW - it's 3:20 a.m. for me, so don't be too harsh.
F45 is the Selective ride control (the turn **** on the center console). Each OEM shock costs $900, and if you want to use aftermarket shocks or lower the car you have to fool the computer into thinking it's not in an F45 car, which is either expensive or a headache. And any headache easily averted is well worth it.
It sounds like F55 is the same thing except that it's called Magnetic Selective Ride Control and I can only assume, triggered differently? Which would make me assume it has no turn ****?
So from what i've been able to gather, since I MAY lower the car one day, anything that has a turn **** on it/or has F45 or F55 on the RPO code sticker, is what I want to stay away from. So either, FE1, FE3 or Z51 are what I want. I believe FE1 is considered 'base' suspension, whateverTF that is, and I forget how FE3 fits into the equation.
?
F45 is the Selective ride control (the turn **** on the center console). Each OEM shock costs $900, and if you want to use aftermarket shocks or lower the car you have to fool the computer into thinking it's not in an F45 car, which is either expensive or a headache. And any headache easily averted is well worth it.
It sounds like F55 is the same thing except that it's called Magnetic Selective Ride Control and I can only assume, triggered differently? Which would make me assume it has no turn ****?
So from what i've been able to gather, since I MAY lower the car one day, anything that has a turn **** on it/or has F45 or F55 on the RPO code sticker, is what I want to stay away from. So either, FE1, FE3 or Z51 are what I want. I believe FE1 is considered 'base' suspension, whateverTF that is, and I forget how FE3 fits into the equation.
?
So what you're saying is, you don't currently have a Corvette, but when you look for one to buy, you want to know "what not to get", is that correct?
FWIW, I'm the original owner of an F45 equipped, '01 coupe. I lowered it "on the stock bolts" back when it was first new, and it's been fine up to now, although I only drive it about 2000 miles per year.
One thing to consider, again assuming you don't already have a Corvette, is that the adjusting bolts, at least the front ones, are bolts that thread into a metal sleeve that's bonded to the spring. Since the earliest C-5s are now going on 17 years old (
), if you happen onto one that's still at it's original ride height, it's a good bet that those bolts are frozen into those threaded sleeves, and they're going nowhere.
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From: Phoenix area, AZ
Instructor
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From: Nashville TN
Caught this thread in passing. Thanks Ron C! for the Z51 info, as it appears I'm headed in the "replace the FE1 with Z51" direction. 
How difficult is it to add the PS cooling loop?
Also, I've heard of folks just doing the spring & sway bar swap without the shocks in trying to emulate Z51 and getting good results. Is the shock swap totally necessary?
How difficult is it to add the PS cooling loop?
Also, I've heard of folks just doing the spring & sway bar swap without the shocks in trying to emulate Z51 and getting good results. Is the shock swap totally necessary?
Race Director
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 15,758
Likes: 3,277
From: Phoenix area, AZ
Caught this thread in passing. Thanks Ron C! for the Z51 info, as it appears I'm headed in the "replace the FE1 with Z51" direction.
How difficult is it to add the PS cooling loop?
Also, I've heard of folks just doing the spring & sway bar swap without the shocks in trying to emulate Z51 and getting good results. Is the shock swap totally necessary?
How difficult is it to add the PS cooling loop?
Also, I've heard of folks just doing the spring & sway bar swap without the shocks in trying to emulate Z51 and getting good results. Is the shock swap totally necessary?
The type of driving you plan on doing will determine what you should do to your suspension. For example, I'd planned on doing the same and adding the Z51 suspension parts, but discovered that the Z51 springs were too rigid for what I plan on doing with my car so I skipped that step and just stuck with upgrading to C6 Z51 sways and end links. I'll be adding Bilstein sport shocks at some point.
