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Can the Z51 Performance Package be removed, or should I just sell the car?
Paul
Yes, with some work you could swap the sways, shocks and springs. You might even find somebody willing to trade for them. However, even if you get a deal they still have to be taken out and the others put in. After all that you might not get that much of a ride improvement. People complain about the Z51 but it really doesn't ride that much harder than the base suspension so you may still have to contend with a rough ride over the pot holes. It would be a bxxxxh to go through all the work for little to no difference. The stiffest part of the Corvette's ride comes from the run flat tires and not the suspension so just changing tires to a non run flat version may improve the ride far more than changing the suspension.
I suggest you go a Chevy dealer and take a base car out for a test drive or find somebody that has one that will let you drive it. Then you will have a better feel for what you should do.
Anti-sway bars only come into play when cornering. The faster and sharper the cornering, the more the anti-sways will come into play. They do not impact the ride when going in a straight line on a smooth road. Bumps will briefly change the ride according to which anti-sways you have.
Perhaps a better way of stating it is, anti-sway bars do not effect the ride when both the left and right wheels meet a bump or depression such as a tar strip or road crack at the same time. However, by tying the left wheels to the right wheels, when negotiating a bump or depression only on one side of the car, a heavier anti-sway bar in effect trys to raise or lower the opposite wheel a like amount, and thus makes the suspension less compliant just as do stiffer springs and shock absorbers, and with the same effect, namely a rougher ride and a greater tendency to bump steer, skitter and dart out of control. This is why the Z51 optional suspension was recommended for autocrossing on smooth pavements, not for everyday use on everyday roads.
Last edited by laconiajack; Jul 2, 2011 at 05:09 PM.
