Hey guys Im having a hard time trying to decide what suspension to go with. this car will not be tracked. althought I want it to handle as best as it possible can. Im thinking about going with the base suspension and upgrading to z51 or z06 sway bars and adding some Blistin shocks. HOw will this drive compared to a z51. Im scared of the z51 tires in the rain I have heard bad stories of loosing traction and spinning out easy.

"includes extra cooling, stiffer springs and stabilizer bars, specific shock absorbers, larger brakes with cross-drilled rotors" do i really need the cooling if the car isnt going to be raced the hell out of all the time? stiffer springs would be the same thing as blistin shocks correct? stablizer bars are sway bars z51 or zo6 right? then specific shock absorbers what are those and cross drilled rotors with the little holes in them that always rust up and look gold looking. and last buy not least larger breaks? how is the stoppping distance compared to z51 and base can the z51 stop a lot faster and has much better breaks? if so I may end up going with z51 to not have to hassle with all the BS of adding this crap onto the car. the different gear ratio's the specific z51 gears are they better than non z51 do you have to shift faster is a z51 faster 0-60 than a non z51 what is the difference in gears and what do people prefier more? I know I just asked a bunch of questions if you guys could throw your opinions out there it would be great thanx

 

I had the same question's. I wanted a z-51 but didn't want to order.
Wanted the JSBw/z-51.settled for a great price on a base JSB.Figured I
will drive this one more. Plus I like the light idea.Lite in the payment book. and weight. I have the lightest possible combo.Making it lighter yet with the Drilled a/c rotors.Headers should save some weight too. Don't like the high gearing.Of the base 6 tranny. So I'm getting 3.73's.

 

The gears have no effect on 0-60 as all they did is shorten the gears. Just get the normal car if you don't plan to track it, no point of making the car noisier and rougher than needed. The stock Supercar do suck in the rain

 

Don't be fooled for a second in to thinking the base suspension doesn't handle.

The added cooling, larger brakes and stiffer springs certainly help out on track but around town they don't do crap. If you have no intentions of tracking your car at all, save some money and go with the base suspension. Spend what you saved on the z51 bars and upgraded shocks as you have stated.

 

thanx for your thoughts guys keep them coming

 

For what it's worth, my car is a basae suspension car and it performs brilliantly out on track. no brake fade, coolant stays within good range, though the oil gets a bit hot if you're out for a long time.

Obviously there's some driver difference here, but my last track outing I lapped neck and neck with a c5 z06 equipped with vararam, cat-back, T1 sway bars and upgraded shocks. We battled back and forth. My best record lap was a 1:55.545 to his 1:55.59x

So, trust me, it may not have quite as much grip as the z51, but it still handles.

 

A few responses for you...

• You absolutely do not need the extra coolers, especially if you're not going to track the car.
• Based on the info in your post, I recommend that you drive one of each suspension (base, F55, Z51); see which has the ride and handling traits that you like best.
• Z51 tires will wear out sooner than non-Z51 tires. Having said that, remember that their life will depend largely on how you drive the car. I have 12,500 miles on my Z51 runflats and they're nowhere near finished.
• I'm told that the Z51 tires are less desirable on wet / cold pavement than non-Z51 tires but I don't know if it's true or not. What I do know is that it's very easy for the car to get away from the driver (regardless of tire choice) if the driver does something stupid such as nailing the gas with the traction control turned off. Treat the car's power with respect and you should be fine.
• Z51 feels great as long as the pavement isn't excessively rough. Be assured, though, that if the pavement sucks (I'm talking rough, choppy, uneven), so does the ride in a Z51.

Having said all of that, I went with Z51 and have no regrets. Everyone's preferences are their own, though; you really owe it to yourself to drive the cars before you decide. Good luck.

 

If it were between the base and the Z51....I'd go with the Z51 in a heartbeat. If you throw the F55 into the mix...IMO that complicates the decision (especially as you seem willing to make some minor mods). The F55 is a superior 'all around' suspension option IMHO. I drive a modified F55 equipped C6 both on the street and the track and I'm very pleased with it.

I would not be scared of the Supercar tires...that's what I'm driving with now and even in the rain accidents happen mostly due to driver error. If you're not being stupid you shouldn't have any problem.

The Z51 was designed for the parking lot autocross enthusiast. The extra cooling on the Z51 option is nice but FWIW I live in Arizona and I also run my car on road course events. I've never had an overheating situation....the base cooling handles the job well enough.

The larger Z51 brakes are nice except for the drilled rotors. The drilled rotors were done just for looks and some have problems with them. The drilled rotors may not be a problem in normal street driving and rotors are easy enough to change if you ever wanted to.

Some people prefer the closer gear ratio of the 'base' C6 (same as Z06) transmission as you can keep the car closer to the power peak in flat out road racing. The wider ratio Z51 supposedly will give you about a 1/10 second edge in a quarter mile drag race...pretty negligible. In your case (not tracking the car) I don't think the gearing difference will make much difference.

The stock brakes aren't too shabby. You can enhance the stock brakes with different pads, using better fluid (such as Motul 600) and adding stainless steel brake lines and caliper pistons. Although I may end up upgrading my brakes, for now I use my 'enhanced' stock brakes on the track and they do decent enough.

IMO if you're not considering the F55 (with some minor mods) go with the Z51. There are pros and cons to each option but the Z51 is a nice option and it certainly is a step above the base C6.

 

thanx for the info man Its kinda making me lean more z51 now. for the brakes on the Base like you discussed you can upgrade the fluid and also the pads, by doing this with upgraded pads is there a big gap is stopping distance between a base with upgraded pads vs a z51 car?

 

Please read my posts on this topic from a few months ago. I traded a '06 z51 a6 coupe with 6k miles for a '05 m6 non z51 coupe because I liked the way it drove and handled better than the z51. The z51 steering was too quick and had no road feel. 6 months and 10k miles later, I couldn't be happier.

Make sure you drive both and get whats best for you...........

 

 

I also debated the Z51 vs BASE, and after test driving both I decided to go with the BASE, I liked the ride better as the Z51 had some "bunny hop" over minor bumps, I do not intend to track vehicle, the only thing I miss from the Z51 package is the cross drilled rotors, I liked the LOOK

 

would have nothing but the z51 but thats me. love it. also the tires are fine in the rain. don't know what stories you heard?

 

I did it for the transmission ratios, big brakes and coolers. The suspension just sort of came along for the ride.

Right or wrong, I think the extra cooling increases engine longevity. I tend to keep cars for a very long time, so that's important to me. I want to be surfing this forum wondering at the performance the C10 guys have and have them admire my obsolete classic.

Brakes were a vanity thing. I like the look of the drilled rotors. First crack and they are gone, however.

The tires are likely to be replaced with something more like the base rubber and if the Autocross bug bites again, a spare set of rims and race rubber will be the order of the day.

 

I had the F55 and went to the Z51 on my '08. I couldn't be happier. The ride and handling are excellent and the gearing is far superior to the long gearing in the base/F55 IMHO. The car feels much more tossable and fun to drive. The ride is superb and easily could be a daily driver. I'd get the Z51 for the gearing first, the sways and suspension second, the cooling third and the resale fourth. It's only about 1600, you'll get a discount off that 1600 so it's more like 1200 and you'll get at least half of that back on trade in. Drive 'em both and get what you like. If you're buying this as a sports car definitely get Z51...it's absolutely awesome. If you want a boulevard cruiser get base or F55. BTW I don't track cars and never will.

 

The base 2008 handles better than my 2004 Z51 on the street. Plus it rides better as well. I'm just going with the optional gear for the A6 in my 2008.

 

i test drove both yesterday. long straights and some long curves.

the z51 seemed to accelerate faster.

the roads were in good repair, no potholes or bumps. both suspensions (base and z51) felt competent.. the z51 steering seemed tighter.

didnt do this with the base, but was interesting to drive the z51 in 6th with rpms at 1000 at 50mph. very well behaved in city cruising.

as to the suspension honestly, i would have to spend a day with each alone to begin to tell the difference i think. open road, quick acceleration, stop, turn, normal everyday driving the suspensions were very difficult to tell the difference.

 

I've got the Z51 and have found it to be perfect for the way I drive (it is my daily driver). I like the Supercar tires, you just have to be exceptionally smooth with the throttle in the rain.

I have tracked the car on a road course a couple of times and plan to do more in the near future. All of the performance upgrades of the Z51 option package just gave me that extra bit of reassurance that the car could take it (not at all saying the base car could not, it's just more of a comfort-level thing for me more than anything else).

I will say, however, that the ride will definitely not be as smooth as the base model on pavement that is not smooth. Even pavement transitions that you would think nothing about in a "regular" car (i.e., non-Corvette) can be abrupt and quite harsh with the Z51. A lot of my driving is done on the slab here in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and we've got some pretty decent roads so, by-in-large, my daily commute is pleasant. But if I'm in some parts of town with choppy or semi-rough pavement, the ride deteriorates disproportionately, IMO.

Even with that negative though, I do not regret my decision to go with the Z51 option; on 90% of the roads I drive, it meets or exceeds my expectations.

As others have said, try and test drive all three set-ups (base, F55, Z51) and then decide. From a day to day stand point, it really depends on the conditon of the roads that you plan to be driving. If they're good, I'd say go for the Z51. If not, F55 or base.

Good luck with your choice

 

I go with base if you plan on doing mods, its the best out of the two. I can't justify paying an extra 2-3 grand more for options. I can do more with mods, just my opinion.

 

AL