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I have a 2005 coupe, it is sitting slightly lower in the right front. About 3/16" different than the left front. I just purchased the car about a week ago, only 39,000 miles and 1 owner, a woman. It appears to have been back to the dealer for all it's service work and I think the shocks are original. I just pulled the left front wheel but can't see anything obviously wrong. The car drives and stops straight and the tires appear to be wearing evenly. Before I get new shocks, is there any common problem I am overlooking?
I have a 2005 coupe, it is sitting slightly lower in the right front. About 3/16" different than the left front. I just purchased the car about a week ago, only 39,000 miles and 1 owner, a woman. It appears to have been back to the dealer for all it's service work and I think the shocks are original. I just pulled the left front wheel but can't see anything obviously wrong. The car drives and stops straight and the tires appear to be wearing evenly. Before I get new shocks, is there any common problem I am overlooking?
Ok, I forgot a couple things. This is my first Corvette, it is a base model, manual trans, Z51. I said I pulled the left front wheel, I meant right front. Also after I put the wheel back on and lowered the car to the ground I noticed the front end on both sides was sitting quite a bit higher. Gradually it sank back down and is lower on the right side. I also noticed the back is lower on the right too, slightly more than the front. Both front and rear springs look good, not broken or cracked that I can see. The car is extremely clean, even underneath for a 12 year old car. I am hoping 12 year old shocks are the problem here. Finally how much ground clearance should the front air dam have? Mine is LOW and the only part of the car that is beat up. I know lots of questions, hoping you all have some good advice!
Drive the car and recheck the measurement. 3/16" is no big deal on a 12 year old car. 3/8" would need some attention. The air dam will have a shave here and there so don't worry. I would recommend you put the car on a lift and have it inspected for worn suspension components. Enjoy your car.
The Z51 cars do sit lower than non Z51's and I also find that I have to watch a little closer at the sharp dips and raised manhole covers with my Z51 optioned car. The front dam can't even clear the top of my shoes when I'm washing the car. But I think after time and mileage, the car probably sits lower now.
The shocks should not contribute to the ride height of the car though, unless there's a problem with stiction in one of them.
BTW how many miles are on the car?
Last edited by extrapilot; Apr 13, 2017 at 10:18 PM.
You can adjust the ride height and it is part of a good alignment that includes corner balancing.
My '06 was aligned and corner balanced with a weight in the drivers seat to approximate the effect of my fat *** on the suspension.
And the car sits a little lower on the right when I'm not in it.
Getting an alignment is something you should do with a "new" car. There are 'street/track' specs from PFADT that are popular with C6 owners and will improve both handling and tire wear.
You just need to find a competent shop that understands that the numbers must be nearly exact, not just in the big ballpark that GM allows for, and dealers will tell you that it "meets spec".
The Z51 cars do sit lower than non Z51's and I also find that I have to watch a little closer at the sharp dips and raised manhole covers with my Z51 optioned car. The front dam can't even clear the top of my shoes when I'm washing the car. But I think after time and mileage, the car probably sits lower now.
The shocks should not contribute to the ride height of the car though, unless there's a problem with stiction in one of them.
BTW how many miles are on the car?
Only 39K on the odometer but I am pretty sure all the suspension parts are 100% original, so 12 year old shocks.
Thanks for all the replies, I didn't know the ride height was adjustable. A 4 wheel alignment was done at the dealer about 6,000 miles ago. That doesn't mean it was done correctly or that they paid any attention to the ride height.
Shocks on a stock suspension C6 bear no weight of the car. All the weight both front and back is carried by a front and rear leaf spring. Each spring has adjustment screws on each end that control ride height. These adjustment screws have 1" of rubber pad that gets worn down and disintegrates over time. Over time, the ride height will always lower unless adjusted at the time of a wheel alignment.
Pic of a new set and pic of a worn one:
Last edited by BlindSpot; Apr 14, 2017 at 07:54 AM.
Thanks blindspot, I will check into this. I had the car up on a lift today and did not see anything physically wrong with the shocks or springs. Probably just needs an ride height adjustment and possibly the adjustment screws you are referencing.
Shocks on a stock suspension C6 bear no weight of the car. All the weight both front and back is carried by a front and rear leaf spring. Each spring has adjustment screws on each end that control ride height. These adjustment screws have 1" of rubber pad that gets worn down and disintegrates over time. Over time, the ride height will always lower unless adjusted at the time of a wheel alignment.
Pic of a new set and pic of a worn one:
Curious, How many miles are on the worn out adjusters?
I have a 2005 coupe, it is sitting slightly lower in the right front. About 3/16" different than the left front. I just purchased the car about a week ago, only 39,000 miles and 1 owner, a woman. It appears to have been back to the dealer for all it's service work and I think the shocks are original. I just pulled the left front wheel but can't see anything obviously wrong. The car drives and stops straight and the tires appear to be wearing evenly. Before I get new shocks, is there any common problem I am overlooking?
Hate to state the obvious, but did you check your floor to see if it is level? Car could be sitting level and next to the tire, there could be a low spot.
Hate to state the obvious, but did you check your floor to see if it is level? Car could be sitting level and next to the tire, there could be a low spot.
Curious, How many miles are on the worn out adjusters?
the pic of the worn one I just googled an image. Actually that one was on ebay seller was selling a leaf spring and calling that adjuster good. I have seen them completely worn down to the metal plate. Hard to relate to miles but more how hard driven. Also simply an age issue with rubber drying out over time. The entire weight of the car rests on these 4 screws.
The ride height specs varied from year to year, but the Z51 specs I've seen were only a couple of mm lower. Here's a copy of some 2009 and 2010 numbers.
As others noted, be sure the floor is level and flat, drive it around the block and measure. Have a full tank of gas but no baggage or people, new tires or compensate for tread wear. Repeat until you are satisfied the measurements are accurate. I use a level/yardstick combination to be sure I'm doing it right.
The only time shocks will effect the ride height is if they have a gas precharge. The Z51 shocks and Bilstein Sports do have that, and a "dead" shock will allow that corner to droop slightly (~1/4"). Base shocks do not. Bilstein Heavy Duty (actually, a kind of medium duty) shocks have gas in the rear units but little or none in the front.
After lifting the car and especially after adjusting the height, be sure to drive a couple of hundred miles for everything to settle before measuring.
Suspension Problem?
