Hello all,
I recently purchased a 1997 corvette with the suspension mode option. When I bought I had a few things fixed. One of the front wheels was bent, so I replaced with an original one, and with 2 new front tires, as well as a full alignment.
At 65+ the car shakes excessively. Since it does have the F45 suspension option, could this have anything to do with the shaking? I don't believe the suspension mode is working, as I've never felt an difference, and the suspension looks to be original. The car has 127k miles.

 

I doubt the suspension (shocks) have anything to do with shaking...
I would take it back to the alignment shop and tell them it's shaking...
could be tire out of balance... could be something wrong with the front end... tire out of round... etc... lots of dynamics
WAS it shaking before the NEW tires/Rim and alignment?
The C6 Z06 shocks are a bolt on upgrade for the F45 shocks... many threads on HOW TO delete the F45 suspension.

 

Thanks for the info! Yes it was still shaking the same before the wheel tires and alignment was done

 

can you tell then for sure if the shaking is coming from the front end or the rear end? is it a shake the whole car... or more of a vibration...
The Harmonic Damper wobbles on the LS1 and can cause some vibration... not sure if it can actually shake the car... might look at it and see how bad if any wobble exits...

 

The whole car shakes, at about 65 and the faster I go, the more it shakes. I don't believe the rear wheels have been rebalanced since I've bought it. I know of the fronts since the tires were replaced.

 

Could be rear tires out of balance... did they align the rear when they did the front?

 

They did align the rear as well as the front, but I don't think the rears were ever taken off, and balanced on the machine.

 

Does the shaking feel like your going over rumble strips? I'd say torque tube couplers/bearings then.

 

I was able to really drive it last night, and now I was able to really feel it in the rear. I might start with rebalancing the rear wheels/tires this week and see how it rides

 

Feel your tires all the way around to see if there is a problem

 

Did that already, they're all straight, and no air bubbles which is what I thought, but nope

 

I may be completely off base here but I will ask in any case. Are the front wheels stock or aftermarket? I know you said you replaced one bent one with a stock rim. Have the brakes ever been done on the car? If not and if the rims are not factory originals do the front rotors still have the speed nuts holding the rotor in place? If the rims are not factory and the nuts are still there the rim will not seat itself and cause an unbelievable vibration.

The factory wheels have a recess in the back to allow them to slip over the nuts allowing the wheel to sit flat on the mounting surface.

Worth a look and good luck.

 

Brakes are new, both pads and rotors all around, and the wheels are OEM. Tires in the rear are also fairly new with a lot of tread, and the fronts are brand new with about 40 miles on them.

 

Until you have the rear tires balanced, your just guessing and throwing money at it. Have the rear tires checked and balanced. Let us know what you find after that..

As for the F-45 suspension and those SHOCKS!

Brother,, they were most likely SHOT at 65,000 miles !!!!!!

If it were me,,, IMHO,,, GET RID OF THAT JUNK SUSPENSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Its WORTHLESS!

Find some good used, Z51 or ZO6 springs, sway bars and metal end links and to it off with set of C6 ZO6 shocks.

Also purchase a small pry bar.... You will need it! To pry the GRIN off you face when you have everything installed and complete the first spirited drive!!

Once you have everything ready to install, have the F45 RPO removed from the BCM and then install all the new performance components! THEN,,,,,LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!!

 

Not sure of your location but alot of members have a Tech2. Very simple to delete

 

Bill,
Thanks bud! I did search around the forum and saw that the F45 is better off throwing out and swapping in Z06 suspension for it... It's currently for sale, so I don't really want to dump a lot more $$$ into it.

 

Hello, as this is a 97 year car, very likely the rear tires are not original...but do you know how old the rear tires are?

How Old Are Your Tires? Check the Born-On Date

The "DOT" symbol certifies the tire manufacturer's compliance with the U.S. Department of Transportation tire safety standards. Below is a description of the serial number. Starting with the year 2000, four numbers are used for the Date of Manufactuer, first two numbers identify the week and the last two numbers identify the year of manufacture. Prior to year 2000 three numbers are used for the Date of manufacture, first two numbers identify the week and the last number identifies the year of manufacture. To identify tires manufactured in the 90's a decade symbol (a triangle on its side) is located at the end of the DOT serial number.

Tires are just about the most important part of your car. If they're in bad shape, the car's ability to accelerate, stop, and turn in all conditions is greatly compromised. Everybody knows to replace tires when the tread gets down to the wear bar, but what about when they get too old?

The rubber in tires deteriorates over time due to UV and environmental exposure. The resulting "dry rot" leaves tire structure brittle and leads to sidewall damage and eventual failure. This isn't "Oh I'll just fill it up and drive on it." No, this is complete loss of function.

As a precaution, the Department of Transportation recommends changing even new-looking tires once they hit 10 years old.

Post up you born on dates for the rears as they may be aged and causing your vibration issues.

Cheers,
Goose

 

Great! I'll check the tire dates sometime this week.... Thanks so much for the info!

 

So in addition to C6Z shocks, you'd also suggest the Z06 (C5? C6?) leaf springs, sway bars, and metal end links?

 

I didn't see this mentioned anywhere else but when the car hit something hard enough to bend the rim it's very possible there are some damaged suspension or steering linkage as well