going to upgrade the sway bars and end links in my 97. I see at gmpartsdirect I can buy c6 zo6 , z51, or zr1 bars. Are the zr1 bars worth the extra money or is there not a lot of difference between them and go with the cheapest, the zo6. for street only.

 

I'm really curious to see what answers you get from forum owners. When I talked to my "mechanic" about changing my shocks that are 18 yrs old ('97), he immediately mentioned changing the sway bar, did you change your shocks?

I'd like your feedback, please......

 

The z06 would be thicker and stiffer than the z51 if they are both c6. zr1 even stiffer yet.

None of it is worth a damn if you've got old worn out shocks, which means you've got uncontrolled suspension movement. Shocks first, then sways.

by the way, GM is not the only option. Sam Strano makes a great front bar for our cars. Hotchkis makes a pretty decent one too.

 

agree with above, shocks first and then I vote for stock c5 zo6 unless you track car......all things should be made/designed to work together and big is not always better, just bigger. many make this mistake so if this street car only stay with c5 stuff and you will be fine. my opinion of course.

 

I am running the C6 Z06 bars with the DRM Bilsteins and really like the combo. See review here: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...c6z-sways.html

I do not find these sways a problem on the street at all, including some rough roads I drive on a daily basis. Can't compare to the ZR1 sways, though ...never tried them.

Barry

 

I paid the big bucks and went with C5 Z06 shocks and sway bars. I don't regret it. The car handles much better with no sacrifice to ride quality.

 

looking at the c5 z06 shocks and sways on gmpartsdirect and they give you a choice of "with special suspension" or "with sport suspension" or "w/o sport suspension" any idea what all that means?

 

I called GM Parts, told them what I had for a set up and I installed what they sent me. Not sure about the options you refer to. I would call them.

 

Last summer I installed C6 Z06 shocks along with C6 Z51 sway bars and metal end links on my '97. I left my base suspension springs in the car to help deal with the POS roads here in MI and I am glad I did. Car still delivers a nice ride, but corners absolutely flat now and handles great.

 

I put C6 Z06 bars on one '99 Z51 and C6 Z51 bars on another '99 Z51. Both had low mileage and I did not replace the shocks. They are still fine. (Both of these C6 sets use the same front bar and the only difference is the rear bar.)

The results were great. The car corners much flatter and there is very little difference in ride quality (harshness) between the C6 bars and the stock '99's.

I have read that the C6 Z06 bars will produce oversteer with the stock size C5 tires (under 325), and the C6 Z51 bars are better for the stock tire sizes. Both of mine were on the stock size or 285 rear's and they felt the same. I have pushed the C6 Z51 bars and I did not find an oversteer. I have not pushed the C6 Z06 bars as much, but I so far they feel the same to me as the C6 Z51 bars. Maybe if I push it harder I would notice a difference?

The sizes and some part numbers are shown below.

-----------------------------mm------Inch-------part numbers
C6 Z06 / GS / Z51 front------31------1.220------25919502 was 10323434
C6 Z06 / GS rear-------------28------1.102------20777536 was 15262804
C6 Z51 rear------------------25.4----1.000------10339124
C6 Base front----------------25.5----1.004
C6 Base rear-----------------17.5----0.689

C5 Z06 front-----------------30------1.181
C5 Z06 rear------------------23.6----0.929
C5 Z51 front-----------------28.6----1.126------('00-"04)
C5 Z51 rear------------------23.6----0.929------('00-"04)
C5 Z51 front-----------------25.4----1.000------('97-'99)
C5 Z51 rear------------------21.7----0.854------('97-'99)
C5 Base front----------------23------0.906
C5 Base rear-----------------19.1----0.752

Good luck.

 

So just to add the ZR1 sizes (C06 all):

C6 Base: ..25.5mm front, 17.5mm rear
C6 Z51: ...31mm front 25.6mm rear
C6Z06 & GS: ...31mm front, 27.9mm rear

C6 ZR1: . .33mm front, 31mm rear
C6T1: .....38.4mm front, 27.5 rear

I opted for the C6 Z06 bars front and rear, but on coil overs. 18x9.5 275 front/ 19x12 325 rear wheels and tires.

 

Same here !

 

'03 Base M6 Coupe here. Coming from a Z51 to the '03, the cornering was disappointing to say the least.

So It's currently having C6 Z06 shocks being put on it. I'm not currently adding the C6 Z06 sway bar. I thought I'd try the shocks first and then add the sway update if the cornering isn't tight enough.

Make sense or should I just bite the bullet and do the Z06 sway at the same time.

The '03's already have metal ends of course.

 

A sequential mod process is always best because you can see the value of the individual mod before you add another. I would recommend shocks first. Drive the car and then add the bars.

 

Thanks Ajay, that was my line of thinking as well. It's not like I 'cross' it or race. Just some spirited corners at times. I think stick with just doing the '06 shocks and go from there if I'm not happy.

Unless of course someone comes up with a reason that it's a bad idea

 

Your approach is not a bad idea, other than losing the convenience of doing it all at once.

Going to guess you will want the sway bars before you are all done...

 

Definitely do shocks before bars, or do both at the same time. I did C6Z shocks (FE4 with Euro-valved rears) and C5Z bars (very close to C6 Z51 bars in size) with my FE1 springs and I love the way the car drives. Turn-in is immediate, but controlled. The ride is firm, but not harsh. It's perfect for the street.

One thing to keep in mind about bars is that bigger is not always better. If you've ever driven a car that has bars that are too big for the tires, they'll induce over-steer (sometimes snap oversteer which can be scary) or understeer with little warning. If you're on stock C5 (non-Z) tire widths, and don't plan on changing, I'd shy away from anything much bigger than C5Z or C6Z51 bars. Those you can pick up used for pretty cheap, and it's a great way to go. If you want to go with wider tires, you could probably handle larger bars like the C6Z or ZR1 bars, but you may or may not like the handling.

 

Interesting about the bar sizes. I'm running stock tires and don't plan on changing that. I was contemplating putting C06 Z06 bars on it if I wanted bars but maybe I need to do some more research before/if I decide to switch the sway.

 

Giant bars require a large contact patch for enough traction to get the increased lateral grip to the ground. Stock C6Z tires are 275 front and 325 on the rear, compared to 245/275 (front/rear) on the stock C5. That's an additional 30mm on the front and 50mm on the rear! Some of the rear is to help get the power down, but it's also there to assist with lateral grip.

Without that much contact patch, the tires will have trouble gripping the road under heavy cornering, resulting in a tenancy to lose grip and slide (which some consider fun if you know what you're doing). If you want to stick with stock C5 tires, I really think C5Z or C6 Z51 bars are the best choice. I love them on my car with stock tire sizes, and you can save a lot of money by buying them used off the forum.

 

One thing to keep in mind about bars is that bigger is not always better. If you've ever driven a car that has bars that are too big for the tires, they'll induce over-steer (sometimes snap oversteer which can be scary) or understeer with little warning. If you're on stock C5 (non-Z) tire widths, and don't plan on changing, I'd shy away from anything much bigger than C5Z or C6Z51 bars. Those you can pick up used for pretty cheap, and it's a great way to go. If you want to go with wider tires, you could probably handle larger bars like the C6Z or ZR1 bars, but you may or may not like the handling.

This is very good advice.