Suspension upgrade, is it possible
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 6,149
Likes: 11
From: Greater Detroit Metro MI, when I'm not travelling.
For the past couple of months, I have also have been researching various options in hopes of upgrading my '08 C6 that has this same F55 suspension. My hopes are to come up with less cornering roll while spending time on the tracks @ Infineon, Thunderhill and Laguna Seca. But I know I must be careful. GM has had > than 55 years to make this great car what it is today.
These things are great! Fortunately I have a pretty good base to make this comparison, so let me explain. 13 months ago, I spent 10 hours on the track driving a new Z06 during a two day Bonderaunt School of High Performance Driving event. 5 days after my return, the pre-ordered C6 had arrived. Shortly there after, I was able to take this through some local corners at speeds that were well over 90 mph and I was happily surprised to discover how much more responsive they were than the suspension on the ZO6.
I had the same experience when I rented a Hertz ZHZ with the F55 suspension. The body roll was phenomenal. The swaybars on the F55 car are 25mm front, 17mm back (with softer springs to boot), whereas the Z51 has a 31mm front (like the Z06) and a 25.6mm back (Z06 is 27.9mm).
So here I find myself looking into upgrades. What I don't want to get myself into is a corner where I have no room for adjustments. If I go with either the Z06 or Z51 roll bars, there is no room to adjust. So I just ordered the Pfadt street sway bars. These have 3 different settings in both front and back. I feel I have done my homework, but they have not arrived yet. The word is that they should be here next week. Shortly after that I plan to install and should know how good my research has been.
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 10,436
Likes: 4
From: Everett Wa
There is absolutely nothing more responsive about your F55 suspension than a Z06's suspension. Sorry. The Z06 is much more tightly sprung, has much stiffer shocks, much larger swaybars and much bigger tires and brakes. It will stop turn and accelerate much faster and at a much higher performance than any base car ever could.
Maybe responsiveness is not the right word. Lets say the F55 will keep the tires on the ground at times where a traditional suspension won't. No one will say though an F55 C6 will handle has well as a Z06 on anything resembling good roads or a track.
There is only one reason I ask the question about the possiblity of a ZR1 controller for the F55 and that was the possiblity of doing a spring swap. The ZR1 has better skidpad numbers and slalom numbers than the Z06. It seemed to me that upgrade to the F55 program, springs and sways would provide a major handling imporvement for little cost. Wayne has been down this road and that is not the case.
What is interesting about the F55 shocks is the possiblity of infinite tuning capability though no one has figured that out yet. Change springs, sway and adjust the program, you have a new balanced setup. In my mind that is the future promise of this system.
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 10,436
Likes: 4
From: Everett Wa
So here I find myself looking into upgrades. What I don't want to get myself into is a corner where I have no room for adjustments. If I go with either the Z06 or Z51 roll bars, there is no room to adjust. So I just ordered the Pfadt street sway bars. These have 3 different settings in both front and back. I feel I have done my homework, but they have not arrived yet. The word is that they should be here next week. Shortly after that I plan to install and should know how good my research has been.
Dirk I am now going down the same road you are but my setup is for autocross. Over the next 2 years though I am stuck if I want to stay in the stock class with either the Z51 or Z06 sways.
I ordered a set of Kuhmo XS tires, 180 wear rating. This was about the stickist tire I could find that was not a compition tire. But the tires have to be stock sizes. This has me leaning to Z51 sways. I would love to put the Pfadt sways in but that will take me out of the stock class.
Pro
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 627
Likes: 20
From: Ann Arbor MI
Dirk I am now going down the same road you are but my setup is for autocross. Over the next 2 years though I am stuck if I want to stay in the stock class with either the Z51 or Z06 sways.
I ordered a set of Kuhmo XS tires, 180 wear rating. This was about the stickist tire I could find that was not a compition tire. But the tires have to be stock sizes. This has me leaning to Z51 sways. I would love to put the Pfadt sways in but that will take me out of the stock class.
I ordered a set of Kuhmo XS tires, 180 wear rating. This was about the stickist tire I could find that was not a compition tire. But the tires have to be stock sizes. This has me leaning to Z51 sways. I would love to put the Pfadt sways in but that will take me out of the stock class.
