I noticed a lot of my euro car buddies spouting off about how the Corvette has leaf springs and I was wondering what coilovers I should consider for a 2005 and how much they will improve occasional track duties (1/4 mile and road course) over stock and what kind of life expectancy I should count on for the set and the cost? What other suspension components are a "must have" I would also be going with coilovers because of the ride height, stock is never low enough. What would a proper track/street set up consist of? More street than track by a large margin.

 

You shouldn't always believe everything you hear. I'm not sure what cars your "euro buddies" are comparing the C6 to but leaf springs or not it is a very capable machine. It may be "older" technology but it is not outdated by any means. That's not saying that you can't improve upon it and coilovers are certainly one of the best, and also most expensive alternatives available. So if you want coilovers get them for what they can offer you. Not because your buddie's knowledge of the C6's suspension is lacking.

I noticed your other thread about simple bolt-ons and not wanting anything too expensive or crazy. If you don't plan on tracking the car that much, it's my personal opinion that coilovers are overkill.

CAI
Headers
Tune/ t-stat
Bilstein Shocks
Z51 swap bars(if not a Z51)
Sticky non-runflat tires.

That's a nice simple, relatively inexpensive set up that's been proven by many to really transform the car. However just the addition of the above mods, or any mods for that matter, wont necessarilly improve your times. You have to learn the car.

Good luck

 

Leaf springs- make sure you correct your buds and let them know it's a single leaf spring per end, and it's not what they might picture- a piece of spring steel rolled on the ends with a bushing in it.

It's a fiberglass composite, single, transverse spring, and it's a very good setup. Put some good shocks and sways around it (don't forget poly bushings for the sways), and you've got a heck of a setup.

And you can adjust your ride height with the simple turn of a wrench with your "leaf spring" setup- as easy or easier than a coilover, in most cases.

But if you go the coilover route, which is more exotic, and will give better performance, you're looking at around 1800 and up for the cost. Some are more user friendly, some more technical. There is a vendor on this board whose coilovers seem very practical for a less than 100% track-focused guy like myself. This is not to say they're a "lesser" coilover, because they are very nice units, to be sure. They're just easy to use, and offer some unique features.

The Pfadt coilovers offer a couple of cool features- ride height is set indepently of spring preload. This means that you can "slam" your car, without increasing the spring preload- you still have great ride quality, and the cool looks of being lowered.

Then, when you hit the track, you can dial up the spring preload for increased ride stiffness.

On the dampening end of things, the Pfadt coilovers combine compression and rebound into one simple setting. Maybe not great for the super techy track guru, but for an everyday Joe, much more than adequate, and eliminates the errors us non-techie guys would undoubtedly make setting compression and rebound independently of one another. Dial the shock up for the track, dial it down for your commute.

HTH, and let us know if you make the swap.

 

Do a search. Lot's of good information out there. Seems that the above posters are correct. A good set of sway bars and tires will make a huge difference in the handling of the car. Coilovers are definitely overkill.

 

The leaf springs in the Corvette are not like the leaf springs your Euro snob friends are thinking about and they are showing their typical ignorance and "sheeple" mentality by repeating what they read/hear in the media...aka Moron Trend, Road and Crap, Car and Dumbazz.

The leaf spring they are thinking about is a heavy steel material in a longitudinal semi-eliptical configuration that serves double duty as a suspension link. A very crude but very cheap suspension to manufacture.

The leaf spring in the Corvette is a very lightweight composite material in a transverse quarter-eliptical configuration that serves double duty as a "roll stiffener" (or anti-roll bar) via its' dual pivoting mount design. When both wheels rebound/compress the same amount, the outer portion of the spring deflects upward the same amount on both sides and the middle portion (between the two mounts) essentially does nothing. But if one wheel rebounds/compresses (like in a curve when the car leans), that side of the spring deflects upward as the other side is deflecting downward and the middle portion is bent into an "S" shape (if you can visualize the reaction between the two mounts) to resist the "leaning" motion and act as a roll stiffener. This allows lower spring rates while achieving the same overall roll stiffness if a coil spring had been used...imagine having a much better ride on the street yet you can hang with the best on a track. The transverse composite monoleaf (TCM) in the 'Vette is lighter, gives a lower CG, allows better packaging, but is more expensive than a coil spring. The TCM does not serve double duty as a suspension link and the better packaging allows whatever suspension design you want. GM chose a double wishbone suspension front and rear...the same as Formula/Indy cars. The 'Vette suspension is very high-tech especially compared to European sports cars and even more so compared to "German engineered" sports cars. Ask your Euro snob friends what they're "high-tech" BMW M-car or Porsche 911 car uses for their front suspension...McPherson struts. Yep, that's right. The cheapest econbox type suspension available, even cheaper than the leaf spring suspension they're thinking about. The irony is hilarious. They use to have equally cheap rear suspensions that made the cars very unstable at the limit...think unrecoverable whip spin. When the 'Vette came out with a 5-link rear suspension in the C4 with compliance understeer, Chevy proved to the world better handling at the limit was available through technology. The Corvette kicked butt in the SCCA Showroom Stock racing series through the '80s culminating in the final season with winning the pole at every race, leading every lap at every race, and of course winning every race and the championship. The series ended because the 'Vette had no competiton and people were tired of seeing it win all the time...the next year it was renamed the Corvette Challenge and only Corvettes raced in it. The Porsche finally changed the 911 rear suspension in the late '80s or early '90s after getting hit with lawsuits for a dangerous rear suspension design. Euro cars achieve "good handling" mainly through the use of sticky tires. You'll see Bridgestone tires with a treadwear of 140 while a Corvette is 220 at best and typically 300. When equal track tires are used, the 'Vette simply walks away from those cars. To put things in perspective, I saw a mildly prepped Chevette kicking a mildly prepped BMW 318 all over the autocross course with both on equal track tires...the BMW guys' reaction was the funniest thing I ever saw. Even though he was a good driver, people were convinced he was a lousy driver because the BMW is such a good handling car. They owe their reputation more to the tires than any superior "high tech" "German engineering". Now go give those ignorant sheeples an education!

Coilovers are mainly for the really serious track person. If you're just doing limited tracking and mostly street, you're better off with a very good set of shocks, bigger anti-roll bars, better tires and a very good street/track alignment. You should find a car with coilovers and go for a ride, you may find the increased spring rates of the coilovers unbearable to live with on the street where you'll spend most of your time. It would be a shame to spend that much money and end up with a car you don't like to drive because the ride is so harsh. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

1-Get youself a windshield mounted G-meter and challenge your friends to a skid pad duel. See who has the last laugh.

2-Also ask your simple minded friends what their cars run the Ring in.

3-Find new friends.

 

I loved each one of these points but when I hit #3 I busted out laughing. Read my mind man

 

No long winded explanations needed.