sway bar help
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 863
Likes: 3
sway bar help
i am need of some info. i just bought a set of used Z51 sway bars from a very nice forum member... my mistake was that i didnt check the size that i had on my car!! i bought my 06 with 4500 miles last year. the previous owner i have found out tonight upgraded his sway bars! after i took off the rear bar and put the new one on i measured the old bar against the new one. they were exactly the same! i checked the front and they were the same also.. the car is a base coupe with the f55 setup it has the mag ride suspension. so my question is this: what size difference is there between the base coupe and the Z51 when it comes to the sway bars? and if i can find a set of Z06 sway bars am i going to see that much of a difference?
PHOTOSHOP SPECIALIST
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 16,433
Likes: 40
St. Jude Donor '07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
Last edited by *FAÇADE*; Nov 3, 2009 at 11:56 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,359
Likes: 6
From: Los Alamitos California
St. Jude Donor '09
i am need of some info. i just bought a set of used Z51 sway bars from a very nice forum member... my mistake was that i didnt check the size that i had on my car!! i bought my 06 with 4500 miles last year. the previous owner i have found out tonight upgraded his sway bars! after i took off the rear bar and put the new one on i measured the old bar against the new one. they were exactly the same! i checked the front and they were the same also.. the car is a base coupe with the f55 setup it has the mag ride suspension. so my question is this: what size difference is there between the base coupe and the Z51 when it comes to the sway bars? and if i can find a set of Z06 sway bars am i going to see that much of a difference?
Rear Sway Dia (mm) 17.5
C6 Z51 Front Sway Dia (mm) 31.0
Rear Sway Dia (mm) 25.6
C6 Z06 Front Sway Dia (mm) 31.0
Rear Sway Dia (mm) 27.9
Unless you're going with a wide rear tire the Z06 rear sway may be a bit much. I went with Hotchkis bars as the rear is adjustable.
San
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 53,282
Likes: 3
From: God Bless America
If you have a base car, the Z51 rear bar is a nice upgrade and I agree with the other comment that the ZO6 may be more than you can use. Using the Z51 Rear bar and keeping the stock base front bar gives you a nice ride with improved control.....
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 863
Likes: 3
sway bar
do you thinkthat i should replace the springs also? the guy i bought the sway bars from has the springs also. and how can i tell before i buy the springs which ones i have on just in case they were replaced also
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 16,557
Likes: 2,106
From: Peoria/Phoenix AZ
C6 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
The relationship of front vs. rear springs on all but the Z51 option is close to the same. Assuming that the previous owner didn't change the springs, your front to rear ratio is on par with the Z06 and ZR1. Considering that the ZR1 also has the mag shocks (F55) it would be prudent to keep the same relative spring ratios. If you do decide to change springs, don't bother with the rear as it's nearly identical to the Z51 already.
Advanced
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 72
Likes: 0
From: Winnipeg
I intend on upgrading to the Z51 sway bars also as I have a base 1LT 07 coupe! So you are saying to just replace the rear bar and not the front for best results?
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 2,067
Likes: 1
From: --- N.E., Pa.
--
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 802
Likes: 6
From: Oro Valley AZ
i am need of some info. i just bought a set of used Z51 sway bars from a very nice forum member... my mistake was that i didnt check the size that i had on my car!! i bought my 06 with 4500 miles last year. the previous owner i have found out tonight upgraded his sway bars! after i took off the rear bar and put the new one on i measured the old bar against the new one. they were exactly the same! i checked the front and they were the same also.. the car is a base coupe with the f55 setup it has the mag ride suspension. so my question is this: what size difference is there between the base coupe and the Z51 when it comes to the sway bars? and if i can find a set of Z06 sway bars am i going to see that much of a difference?
I have a 2007 with F55. I took my car to Dick Guldstrand and had the
F51 sway bars installed and had the car corner balanced. The ride is a tiny bit stiffer, but the cornering is just an amazing improvement. On the track you can get into the corners a little later and come out a little sooner without exercising the suspension. Great mod!
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 53,282
Likes: 3
From: God Bless America
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 53,282
Likes: 3
From: God Bless America
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 940
Likes: 1
From: Long Island NY
The sway bars will not impact ride quality IF both tires (left and right at that end of the car) hit the exact same bump at the exact same time, since then the swaybar is just rotating in the mounting bushings. However since this almost never happens, anytime the right and left tires hit different bumps, the swaybar flexes, so a stiffer bar will give a firmer ride.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 53,282
Likes: 3
From: God Bless America
The sway bars will not impact ride quality IF both tires (left and right at that end of the car) hit the exact same bump at the exact same time, since then the swaybar is just rotating in the mounting bushings. However since this almost never happens, anytime the right and left tires hit different bumps, the swaybar flexes, so a stiffer bar will give a firmer ride.
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,307
Likes: 26
From: Miami
Wow... I wanted to stiffen my base ride and eliminate body roll so I found a set of z06 bars and threw them on. Only to hear that z51 rear bars are better.. NOW I hear that the base rear bar is better. Can someone put a rest to this?
Let's do categories. Those that have had more than one set up can fill them out.
1) Stiffness over bumps
2) Body roll/steering response
3) Faster around the corner.
How does that sound guys??
Just to add something... I installed the bars with the OE bushings and went through a local curve pretty fast. After installing the PFADT bushings in the front(only) I smoked that curve and felt much more planted.(before and after was one day apart)
Let's do categories. Those that have had more than one set up can fill them out.
1) Stiffness over bumps
2) Body roll/steering response
3) Faster around the corner.
How does that sound guys??
Just to add something... I installed the bars with the OE bushings and went through a local curve pretty fast. After installing the PFADT bushings in the front(only) I smoked that curve and felt much more planted.(before and after was one day apart)
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,359
Likes: 6
From: Los Alamitos California
St. Jude Donor '09
Wow... I wanted to stiffen my base ride and eliminate body roll so I found a set of z06 bars and threw them on. Only to hear that z51 rear bars are better.. NOW I hear that the base rear bar is better. Can someone put a rest to this?
Let's do categories. Those that have had more than one set up can fill them out.
1) Stiffness over bumps
2) Body roll/steering response
3) Faster around the corner.
How does that sound guys??
Just to add something... I installed the bars with the OE bushings and went through a local curve pretty fast. After installing the PFADT bushings in the front(only) I smoked that curve and felt much more planted.(before and after was one day apart)
Let's do categories. Those that have had more than one set up can fill them out.
1) Stiffness over bumps
2) Body roll/steering response
3) Faster around the corner.
How does that sound guys??
Just to add something... I installed the bars with the OE bushings and went through a local curve pretty fast. After installing the PFADT bushings in the front(only) I smoked that curve and felt much more planted.(before and after was one day apart)
San
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 802
Likes: 6
From: Oro Valley AZ
As I said above, I made the Z51 sway bar change on a F55 and the ride changed. When the suspension is exercised, you'll notice the stiffness right away. The four corners are continuously flexing to some degree and that is telegraphed to the ride quality change. I spend more driving time in the Tour Mode than I did before the change. Sport mode diffidently is tighter and track friendly. This is an inexpensive Mod, however, if yor not putting your car on the track, don't mess with it.
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,307
Likes: 26
From: Miami
What wheels and tires are you runnning? A local Z06 roadracer here had his car corner-weighted and aligned and the rear sway bar was replaced with a base C6 sway bar. He swears by the change and can't break the rear end loose. I swapped out my suspension and sways at the same time so I don't have an objective "sway bar only" comparison. I also installed the Hotchkis sways.
San
San
Im running stock wheels with stock sized invos and 1/4 spacers. I wanted stiffness so went with the z bars but may put my base back on the rear now. Was that the best set up?
I also heard from an expert that a Z06 is faster around the track with a z51 sway in the rear than with the z06 bar.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,359
Likes: 6
From: Los Alamitos California
St. Jude Donor '09
Hey bud,
Im running stock wheels with stock sized invos and 1/4 spacers. I wanted stiffness so went with the z bars but may put my base back on the rear now. Was that the best set up?
I also heard from an expert that a Z06 is faster around the track with a z51 sway in the rear than with the z06 bar.
Im running stock wheels with stock sized invos and 1/4 spacers. I wanted stiffness so went with the z bars but may put my base back on the rear now. Was that the best set up?
I also heard from an expert that a Z06 is faster around the track with a z51 sway in the rear than with the z06 bar.
San
