ace996

Had some Bilstein Sports installed on my '01Z track/street car whilst it was apart for a new clutch (McLeod twin-disk). On my way home, it was a little strange..I was concentrating so much on the new clutch (unreal smooth/easy pedal) that I forgot about the Bilsteins. After hitting a few of the familiar rough spots on the road, I couldn't help but notice just how smooth the Sports handled the bumps. Then I took my familiar on/off ramps, suburban twisties, and favorite sweepers...I'm amazed that just a set of shocks makes such a difference on this car.
That skipping/side-hop on mid-corner bumps and unsettled feeling on transitions is gone. The car cuts, hits a bump, and just sticks...no drama...no sideways skip/shimmy. I wasn't really expecting such an improvement.

I've had an '02Z, with '04 shocks, and unless I've missed my mark by quite a margin, I'd say these were more settled in the turns and offer a similar level of smoothness/comfort on the street.

I'm going to Monticello on Friday to instruct for NASA/PDA for an HPDE, so I'll have a good chance to test them on track. We'll see how they do.

I'd also like to give a good word for the VetteDoctors, who installed my clutch and shocks. Great job and I'm glad to have such a good shop local to me.

Be good,
TomK

Todd157k

ya, that one IS a bit unnerving. I'll be interested in your findings after you put it through the paces.

~Josh

I'm interested in these shocks for my '01 also.

I'm looking forward to any updates. I've heard (and seen threads with pictures) where the internal rubber bump stops come apart if you're lowered on stock bolts.

I'm fully lowered, not willing to spend on coilovers, but I'd like an upgrade over my 68k mile stockerz.

QUIKSILVERZ

are these just the normal sports or custom valve shocks like DRM has?

ace996

These are the normal Sports...not the custom DRM ones...although I did buy these from Randy at DRM.

MTPZ06

Stock ride height or lowered? If lowered, how much?

madman91

glad you like them man! i put a set on my 01z and i love them as well. best part is they dont cost a fortune

ace996

Lowered...about 3/4 to 1"", not slammed.

ace996

Did Monticello yesterday and the Bilsteins were awesome. I never "thought" about my suspension all day...never thought there was a problem, never thought the car wasn't damped correctly, never thought traction was limited by the shocks....I just "felt" the car ride very smoothly, very composed, and staying in contact with the asphalt quite nicely with an abundance of traction.
Fact is, though, is that Monticello is a new track and there's not really much in the form of bumps or 'patches'...but the drive up there and home, especially through the Bronx, felt very nice. I like the Bilsteins and would do them again if I had the chance to do it over.

ctusser

I thought the Sports were a tremendous upgrade on my 02. Some purists say the 04 shocks are better but I think they are just saying that b/c they had to pay twice as much for them.

Nice octopus tat on you avatar. The largest octopus in the world live in my region in the Puget sound, I've seen a couple big ones while diving.

ace996

Having had the '04 shocks on my prior '02, I really feel the Bilsteins are as good or better. They've totally eliminated the disturbing side-skip during mid-corner bumps - took a few familiar exit ramps today that were perfect testing turns for the shocks and the car just kept the line and tracked true, whereas the stock shocks gave the unsteady feeling of hopping/skipping sideways.

Bottom line, I am much more confident in the car's handling now...and that makes a great difference (either actual or perceived).

And thanks re: the tattoo.

Be good,
TomK

jmoody66

I have to agree....the Bilstein sports made a huge difference to me on my 02 Z06. I would do it again.

z06sicz

Is there a differnce between the bilstein, and the bilstein sports? What part number did you install?

ace996

There's the Bilstein HDs and the Sports. The Sports is what I installed, bought them from Randy at DRM Motorsports.

z06sicz

thanks for the info

madman91

the sports are the better of the two.

shaggy911

I wanted to upgrade my 03 z06 stock shocks with the "improved" 04 z shocks. And i have heard folks either go with teh 04 or the bilstein shocks. None have however given a clear comparison, so i ask.
Are you comparing the 04 shocks and the bilsteins sports on the same car or different cars? It looks like different cars and that one is not set up as the other, so would you say that you are compensating for that difference when comparing the two?

Were your old shocks nearly dead, if so replacing them with bilsteins or even stock shocks would make a drastic difference, no?

Just want clarify... not

Z06supercharged

After running Bilstein Sports on my 03 for a couple weeks I took em off and put stock 04 Z shocks back on. I didnt like the Bilsteins at all for handling. IMHO they were crap.

Geneseo Z06

The first week I drove my 03' I thought there was something wrong! The car only had 3700 miles and untouched. I did some reading on the forum and found out it was the shocks. I went a different route and put on C6 Z06 shocks and had similar results. I have never had a car that shocks completly changed the way the car drove.

shaggy911

Any idea how the C6 Z06 compare with the 04 Z06s?