RobDorsey

Hi All,
I apologize for starting this but couldn't find anything on the search to help. I've also searched the vendors and that has just confused me more. My wife has had four vettes, but this is my first. I'm an experienced solo-club champ n GS- and club racing. I'm an older guy, raced---Porsche 73 Carara RS, Supra, Sprigit---but this is my first corvette. I bought a 2007 base car but I wanted a GS, however this thing showed up on FB and the price was fabulous and the car had 10K miles. Super clean, clean CarFax whole enchilada so I bought it. I plan to track the car whenever I can but we live three hours from any track so it will probably be four or five times a year.
Now, finally the point. I want to get the best handling I can commensurate with decent street driving. I'm OK with the 400hp. It's enough for me, more than I've ever had. But, I'm a handling nut. The stock car feels nice, a little bit nebulous, but nice. However, my nerve ends tell me that there is a lot of handling performance to be had, if I know how to get it. Not interested in coil-overs at this stage but I'd like more rubber on the ground and stiffer handling. Any help would be appreciated. My budget is flexible. Sorry for being so long winded but I'm a writer by profession so . . . .you get the idea. Oh yeah, just turned 72 today but still a tiger.
Rob Dorsey

SkittlesRgood

Funny, I have a base 07 and just came on here to ask the exact same question (most of my tracks are 3 hours away too lol). I'll try not to hijack your thread but maybe we can both get an answer.

So far, I've added bilstein sport shocks, z06 front spring, and a heavier rear sway bar. My car is understeering in high speed corners so I'd like to solve that. I tried z06 rear springs (and front) with stock sway bars but the rear end hopped around a lot in rough windy roads so I took it back out. I don't want to go with coilovers yet either, but I want to stop this understeer.

But for you Rob, I'd recommend z06 brake cooling ducts and adding hose to bring the air to the rotor. I'd also recommend getting some coolers. I have a huge oil cooler, medium sized trans cooler (auto), and even though I installed a z06 power steering cooler, my fluid is still boiling over so I'm about to add a plate cooler this weekend. Without all the oil coolers my engine oil got real close to 300F on a 90*+ day.

bigron1212

Bilstein Sport Shocks
Z51 Sway Bars w/poly bushings
New End Links
PFADT Street Spec Alignment

Do all those and the car will be a completely difference vehicle. Also make sure your tires are up to the task...

NYC6

Should have started with a Z51 car. Being a track rat you likely know the things that cars need to handle better, I would start with the Z51 bits, wider wheels and stickier, wider tires. Address cooling of oil, trans, dif the base cars are deficit in those things for the track, big, better rotors and calipers. good luck and happy b-day.

RobDorsey

Ok Skittles, it looks like we may have our answer. I'm planning on doing what BigRon said on his answer. It all sounds doable and affordable and I'll add 19"/20" wheels and tires and big brakes and I'm done. Now to shop for the best prices on all this stuff. Many thanks for the help.

RobDorsey

Your right of course, should have started with a GS, but this car was local, like new clean, lived inside, non-smoker (big deal to me), 10K miles and just twenty large. At that price I can make it perform and still be under all the 40K mile cars I saw with higher spec. Really, this thing is showroom new. Oh, and it's an A6 Auto. I prefer the auto with the paddle shifters. I truly believe they are faster on the track and I've modded this one to the F1 standard and added nice big paddles. Works great.
Thanks,
Rob

Fishy Dave

I'm not sure about going 19"/20"? Maybe 18" all round, staggered would be better? Cheaper rubber, better tire availability, unsprung weight, just go for a larger circumference on the rear to keep active handling happy.

bigron1212

Its very affordable, here's a rough breakdown for cost
Bilstein Sport Shocks 450-500ish depending on where you buy from.
Z51 Sways 300 OEM new, Bushings 40
Endlinks (I prefer Moog Endlinks) 80 for 4
Alignment 150 or so give or take the shop.

For a total of around $1,000 you should be right where you want to be.

pyrodav

May want to look at a set of r888r’s for rubber.

mikeCsix

Doug Rippie sells some specially valved Bilstein shocks you might want to take a look at. Z-51 sways are a good way to go, you probably also want to look at Z-51 springs, IIRC they are stiffer than the base units. You might also want to look at a JOC package, shocks and sway bars (but still get the Z-51 springs) for the adjustable rear sway bar option. The front is stiffer yet over the OEM Z-51 bar. Somewhere on the forum is a sway bar chart from Pfadt. The chart illustrates the various sway bars and their relative performance as compared to each other. What is particularly interesting is the front/rear bias of the sway bars from OEM to aftermarket and the competition bars. You might find it useful as you try to tune out understeer characteristics. Also check out the Road Race/Autocross section. Lots of useful info and helpful people there too. Sam Strano might still be over there too, he's done a lot of work in this area.

SkittlesRgood

Thanks everyone. I have most of what you've suggested but until last sunday, I had stock front swaybar with z06 springs, hotchkis rear swaybar and stock spring, bilstein sports all around. I had the z06 spring in the back but it made the car bounce off the ground when I attacked the twisties. In my effort to fix the understeer I just put the stock front spring back on along with the hotchkis front sway bar. z51 springs might be a good compromise between the base and z06 springs...

Iceaxe

That's exactly where I started and I've not been disappointed.

strano@stranoparts.com

I don't know what heavier rear bar you added, but typically I don't want more rear bar with out some help in the front first.

You already have the shocks, and while I think there are better options for those, they aren't bad. I would skip the Z51 bars, I have a set of bars that are adjustable at both end and really, really well proven on the C5/C6. 33.3mm front, 25.4 rear, both hollow 2 and 3 position adjustable respectively. I team them with AFE links (but they also will work with stock links if you don't want to adjust to remove pre-load/deal with corner weighting). This, combined with a good alignment is where you want to be. The stock bars are designed around balance with a STOCK car, including alignment, tires, tire stagger, etc. As you give it camber and chagne other things it typically loosens up, and the shocks you picked are more aggressive on rear valving then I want when teamed with the fronts you have. More normally I will do Sport front HD rears if I'm forced to Bilstein vs. something adjustalbe like Koni, or even a Ridetech.