Was planning to install better sway bars on my 2008 base. Was going to get Z51’s from cultrag or elsewhere. But see Steinjager sways for a little less. Any difference in quality/performance???

 

steinjager is a good deal I use them front/rear helped out alot with the handling

 

Just keep the suspension balanced correctly. GM spent a lot of time achieving such through the different model suspensions, and if you go off script ad get it wrong, then could be a money pit trying to get it right in the end handling correctly.

As for suspensions, in a novices hands, they will turn in fast lap times in a Z51/GS car on a high speed road course, then in a Z06 or ZR1.
The reason for this is the Z51/GS models will give plenty of feed back as you are pushing the car to the edge of grip, while the Z06 and ZR1 don't/just tries to kill you when you push it over the edge isntead.

As for slow speed parking lot racing, hell could pan the car and still get away with it for the most part.

 

For spirited street driving, my base 2005 C6 pushed to much (not completing the turn as instructed). Switched to ZO6 bars and it would become a little tail happy (was on the verge of the back end wanting to lose traction and pass me up). I preferred that as I was ready for it. Not recommended for racing without a lot of experience as said above. Maybe Z51 bars would be just right, also as said above.

 

Z06 suspension only works on a narrow body car, when you get the tire grip to at least that of the z06. So on say a high speed course, running R7's it will work, but on the street with narrow body street tires, you are taking your own life in your hand when the suspension and grip abilities are not balanced instead.

Note, z06 with R7's, will not work with T-1 suspension on either Z06 or ZR-1. The reason is these two does not have enough front down force (even with braking weight transfer) to get the front end to dive correctly in the corner.
I kind of bring this up, since never had problems with Z51 in the corner not sticking, since it just a mater of weight transferring into the apex to keep the front end glued. From there and out of the apex, Thank god that C6 does have a little under steer back plain'd out, since you're really steering the car with the back end on the hard drive out of the corner, and if the car did have over steer when neutral, would be snap hooking the front end back into the inner curb as the back end just over swung out isntead.

So to sum it up, all 4 corner loose as a whole together, it's a thing of beauty and makes the car easy to drive fast.
Its once the front or the back is out of balance with the other end and what is doing (mustang), that makes the car dam near impossible to drive fast isntead.

 

Switched my 09 base to Z51 sways and Z06 shocks, what a difference for a small investment.

Don't track or race the car just some spirited driving on the mountain twisties when we are cruising with our local club. Car feels very good with no body roll at all.

 

I track my base 07 and just went with a z51 setup. Stock rear spring, Z06 front spring, Bilstein shocks. I went with the hotchkis sway bars but the Z51 bars are the same stiffness and you can get a used set cheap.

 

Better ticket on narrow body car with street summer performance tires, is z51 sways with DRM shocks instead.
To take it to the next step, go with poly bushings instead of the rubber ones for both the sway and shocks, but this means that the poly bushings have to be dielectric greased every year isntead.

The DRM's are just B8's with different/stiffer dampening, and holds the car more level in the corners still.

 

Pretty pleased with my Z51 bars and Z06 shocks. Really a nice improvement over stock. I was strongly considering the DRM shocks, but a really good guy on this forum made me a hell of a deal on some lightly used Z06 shocks. I made him a good deal on some GS tires and rims and he reciprocated. I know you can spend more money and get better results (imagine that). I added HP ( an extra 120) and better handling at the same time. Totally transformed the Vette. I've got some catching up to do. My Vette is way better than me.

 

Said a mouth full there, and most of the time, best money spent on a novice driver and his car, it not moding the car yet, but them spending the money on HPDE lessons to better their driving skills from the start instead.

This way, once they do have the driving talent, will know what needs to be moded/changed on the car to better they lap times.