I recently purchased a 2008 Vert that has the Z51 option.
Would it be practical to convert the suspension to "base"?
If so, what would be the process? I've been a GM Master Mechanic most all my life, but have been away from 'Vetts since restoring a '69 Vert quite a few years ago.
I'm strictly a "street" driver and prefer the softer ride.
I'm located in the Northeast Dallas area.

 

For suspension only, just swap sway bars, springs and shocks. I'm sure there would be plenty of base guys that would be willing to trade their base setup for your Z51.

Throw a thread up on the For Sale action to see what you get.

 

I'm not sure that the ride difference would warrant so much hassle.

you may want to consider putting in a comfy seat rather.

 

I agree.

San

 

I agree with the above two posts. Before you commit yourself to such work, if you have some contacts or friends, drive/ride a non-Z51/FE1 car. Make sure that the car has the same tires as yours.

If you have someone kind enough to swap, I'd try some other tires on your car. The OEM runflats tires by themselves impart a fair amount of harshness. Swapping tires on my Z06 made a large change in the ride characteristics (so did swapping shocks). The Bridgestones I went to damped out the impact harshness on potholes/frost heaves.

 

 

Don't laugh but my wife says that coilovers provide the best ride.

 

Actually the ride isn't all that bad, I just thought I might improve it. My wife is used to a Honda ride and not thrilled with the sports car ride.
I'm running Michelin run-flat tires.

 

I have a base C6 & added Phadt coilovers. It was way to stiff. I went back to the C6 base & added Hotchkis sways & the car is fantastic over bumps & handles very well. Going from the Z51 to stock c6...I think you will feel a nice difference. Mainly in the front end, not as much the rear. All you would have to pay for would be the install as guys on the forum will swap you out. Or do the install yourself its pretty easy.

This is what you should do if you are considering the swap:
* Change out the front leaf to the base C6 (Plenty of guys will swap you on the forum, even give you cash)
* Change out the 4 shocks to the base C6 (Plenty of guys will swap you on the forum, even give you cash) They are only about $350 new I think. Call Kevin at Partstaxi.
* You can keep your rear leaf as it is extremely close to the Base C6 (See graph below)
* Keep your Z51 sway bars or upgrade to Phadt or Hotchkis (VERY IMPORTANT NOT TO USE THE BASE C6 SWAYS. THEY ARE THIN AS SPAGHETTI. THE CAR HANDLES LIKE CRAP WITH THEM.

So...BASE C6 SUSPENSION (keeping your rear leaf too) plus UPGRADED SWAYS (Maybe the z51 sways are good enough but i wouldn't know)...Your car will still handle great on the street & be a pleasure to drive over any bumps. I removed my Coilovers for the same reason you want to go to base C6 suspension.


Here is a link to a thread I started that you may find interesting:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-tech-performance/3130859-to-do-coilovers-or-not-that-is-the-question-my-opinion.html#post1581840338

 

Thanks Steve,
This information sounds like just what I need to do.
Education is great.
Seems like there's some great people on this forum.

 

I would start with just replacing the runflats w/ nitto invo's or some other coushy tire

 

There have been some success stories with just a shock swap to an aftermarket. Unfortunately I can't recall the brand though I did read about it on the forum. The forum member lived in the Boston area noted for its pot-hole ridden roads. Now that I think about it they were Koni's but can't recall the model number.

 

I second ditching the run flats. Makes a huge difference in ride and handling.

 

Remember, if you change out your suspension it is wise to get it aligned=more cost$$

 

I'll trade you for the rear brake calipers

 

Thanks, but I don't think changing out the calipers will help the ride.
I'm mainly looking at changing out the shocks and front leaf as suggested by Steve.

 

The z51 calipers are the same as the base C6. The rotors are bigger & there are z51 caliper brackets which move the calipers further out to accommodate the larger discs

 

Keep your sway bars as they don't effect the ride. Really the only difference you'll see in the chart is the front spring rate of the base vs. the Z51. You can put in the base spring and have a softer ride.

As others say, changing to non-run flats will also improve the ride but you can do that when yours wear out. No need to spend a bunch of money on this.

 

Just in case you want the base sway bars I can give you mine off my base at no charge. I have them laying around with oem bushings and all in perfect condition. I upgraded to the z51 sways way back.

 

My take, based on my own Z51 convertible and Gearhead Jim's experience is that the springs would be the last thing to change. To me, the sways DO have an effect on ride, but possibly not as much as the shocks. For that reason, and due to my own experience of going from the original Z51 shocks to Koni FSDs (with no noticeable change in ride or handling), I'd suggest you might try Gearhead Jim's method. He replaced his shocks and went with new, base shocks substituting for the Z51 shocks. In a way, it is the simplest, and relatively least-costly way to go. Don't forget to let them settle in a bit before making a judgment.

I would have suggested changing out Goodyear Supercars for Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 ZPs, but it sounds like you've already got those. That, for me, was the biggest difference in increasing ride comfort, with a very small increase in handling.

If the shocks aren't enough of a change, then I'd look at possibly base sways from the poster above.