I have a 2011 GS that has the Z51, FE3, and F55 Mag ride option. I brought the car in 2018 with 54k miles on it. It now ha 60K miles on it and now the rear Magnetic shocks aren't working. There's no DIC code or check engine light indicating something is wrong. When I drive the car the front shock feel normal, but the rear shock is stiff as a board. I want to change the front and rear by installing a set of Bilstein or something similar aftermarket, but I don't know what to go with at this point. I know I will need a set of shock simulators for the replacement shocks. So what suggestion do you guys and gals have? I don't see a need to install coil overs. I don't auto cross or road course, but I will take trips down the drag strip every now and then. For those that have made this change, what did you do?
Thanks!

 

Step one, get under the car, and check the shocks to make sure that the shock transport blocks where removed. Hence blocks are used to keep the shocks from compressing all the way down when the car is on the rack and strapped down via what we use for jacking points after the fact.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-with-f55.html

Step 2, put a tech II on the car, pull up BCM data, and look to make sure that the ride selector switch is changing the BCM data from touring, to sport. Hence selector switch goes to the BCM, and BCM changes the mode in the F55 module. While you have the Tech II on the car, and since it can pull codes down to the body level, check it to see if there is any F55 codes as well,

Next, look at either BCM data, or go to F55 module data, and take a look at the ride height voltage reading. All 4 of the sensors should be reading 2.9 volts with the car on level ground.
If someone lowered the car, but did not re-adjust the ride height sensors to adjust them back to 2.9 volts, then will need to do it now.
Hence higher rear ride height sensor voltage readings that the front ride height readings, will cause the rear end to be stiffer than the front end (comes in handing if you need to track tweak, but for not so much for just road use instead).
Note, could be that either front or rear MRCs where replaced since someone though they where leaking, and put the wrong set of MRC back in the end of the car. So while you are checking for transport pucks still in the shocks, pull the numbers off the shocks to make sure they are the correct ones as well.

As for ride height senor adjustments, most of time you can loosen the sensor bracket bolts to adjust them that way, while other times if ride height has been changed drastically and run out of range on the bracket tweak, then may need to adjust the linkage bar ends instead.





As for if you want to pull the MRC's and go none MRC shocks, then Tech II can be used to shut the RTD system off in the BCM RPO settings (no shock similators needed). The only glitch with this, will not be as good as handling of the GS with the MRC system in play, or in your case, stiffer ride with say B8's in play instead.

Note, as MRC shocks leak their fluid, since it's the fluid in them that is used to control the dampening rate, shocks without fluid would not be stiffer, but less stiff instead.
So F55 module is controlling the shocks piston magnetic field current, to adjust the dampening of the shocks.


Also, double check the glove box sticker for RPO codes, since should be Z16 performance package for the GS 2010 upwards, with the Z51 RPO performance package code an upgrade on up to the 2009 base cars before the GS came out.
Z16 - Z16 PERFORMANCE PACKAGE Z51 - PERFORMANCE SPORT HANDLING

 

Following. I have a similar problem.

 

Let me guess, your car is lowered/slammed as well, and someone did not go back in to re-adjust the Ride height sensors back to 2.9volts with the car on level ground and re-corner balanced, too.

 

Nope! 100% stock with only 8500 miles on it. I bought it last summer with 7800 miles and it had a harsh ride when it showed up at my house. Going to put it up on a lift this morning to see if there are shipping blocks in there.

 

What are the ride height sensor voltages with car on level ground?

 

I don’t know. I don’t have a Tech II. I need to get one.

I did look at the shocks yesterday with the car on a lift and the shipping blocks are not in there. The shocks are also not leaking. The dealership told me they were.

 

I got around to getting under the Vette and find out what is causing the harsh ride in the rear. I removed the rear shocks first. Both shocks were full extended and would not collapse no matter how much force I applied. There was no signs of fluid leaking anywhere. So then I removed the front shocks and found the passenger side shock was extended and would not collapse, but the driver side shock was fully extended and did collapse with some applied pressure. I brought a set of 4 Bilstein B8 shocks to replace all 4 Mag shocks and mag shock simulators. The simulator were a waste of time and money. I returned the simulators and got a full refund. But I still needed to get the suspension inoperative message off the DIC. I figured since I plan on keeping this car I may as well invest in a Tech2 instead of relaying on using someone else's device. So I found online a NIB (clone) Tech2 w/Candi module and with MDI2 device all the needed cables and wires included. I downloaded the Tech2win program, MDI manager which is needed to use the MDI2. So it took me a while to figure out why none of these devices were not connecting to the car's computer. I ran into an issue where the tech2 did not detect the candi module and I haven't figured out why, but there were 2 things preventing the MDI2 device from talking to the car's computer. The 1st problem was the laptop OS I was using (windows 11) was incompatible with Tech2win. I need a windows 7,8,or 10 OS. Luckily I still had my windows 10 laptop, The 2nd problem was the touch screen had to be disable for the Tech2 and MDI2 to work. Once I cleared those hurdles, it only took me less than 5 minutes to deactivate the mag ride module and eliminate the "suspension inoperative" message from the DIC.

 

Contact Jim Mero https://jimmero.com/c6-corvette-gran...sion-upgrades/

 

going to the bilsteins is the way. Forget the mag ride zealots decrying how good they are. They are not and definitely not worth the cost to replace.