I couldn't agree more. The unjustified paronoia of the el cheapos is mind boggling when the fabulous technology of the mag ride is available for a relative pittance.

 

You've got a lotta nerve using research, facts, and actual price quotes on the internet. Don't you know that innuendo and hearsay rule on this forum. How can your research trump something someone heard from a person they know who is related to a guy who's friend once had to replace a mag ride shock?

 

 

Thank you for finally debunking the myth concerning mag shock replacement. We can now put that boogie man to rest.

 

I got magnetic ride... but how are you supposed to know you have it? or how do you activate it?

 

My pleasure. It was getting old listening to the keyboard jockeys talking out their a$$ as if they actually knew what they were talking about. $4500.. Sheesh.

 

 

It changes automatically based on the driver mode. Weather, Eco and Tour modes are the softest settings. Sport is reasonably stiffer feeling than the former where as Track is substantially more firm feeling. The difference should be very noticeable on any rough pavement let alone hart turns. I liken track mode to a go kart. It's very firm feeling and I can notice the difference very clearly even on straight flat ground.

That said, if you look at the front shock towers under the hood, the Mag Ride shocks have a wire coming out of the top of them that plugs into the factory harness. It should be very obvious even to the untrained eye and the suspension feeling and responsiveness should be fairly obvious as well. Especially when switching from Eco or Tour to Track mode which the shocks are at the firmest.

 

MSRC, replacement called Chuck Fairbanks in Desoto TX, cost of each shock full price $580X 4 is $2320 labor $750,their best book price tax 8.255 on shocks $191 total replacement cost no discounts would be $3261.This is the true GM cost full price.R

 

I would call the police because that is a quote for violent rape.

 

That means I got a hell of a deal then since GM only charged me $1795 plus I got all the wiring, module to run it, and Performance Traction Management software to top it all off.

 

Mag Ride technology has losts its shine. Check out the new Z28 and the better track performing multimatic shock setup. I would not be surprised if this comes to the Z06 in a year or two. GM will continue to sell mag ride to the faithful because they think it is superior.

 

I fail to see the logic here. How has MSRC "lost it's shine"??? Since (based on your statement) you seem to position yourself as an expert on the subject, I would like for you to substantiate your claim and tell us all why Multimatic is so much better for the typical use that 99.99% of our Corvettes will see. Good luck with that! While you are at it, why don't you tell us how much seat time you have in an MSRC equipped C7 on varying road conditions as well as track time to make such a bold statement.

For general use, you can't compare the two shocks and in my opinion, your statement above is ludicrous. There is a big difference between the dedicated track Multimatic DSSV suspension of the Z28 vs the MSRC on the Corvette which is designed for street use first.

The Camaro's Multimatic suspension is not electronically controlled like the MSRC on the C7. It will not adjust itself for road or track conditions for that matter like MSRC. It's adjusted manually by turning and tuning 4 separate screws. While it may be better suited for track use than the mag ride due to it's more infinite adjustments, you need to know what you are doing when it comes to adjusting suspension before you start turning the screws on it. Something that 99.99% of Corvette buyers don't know let alone want to do. It would certainly have it's place and upside on a track dedicated Z06 but for the Stingray or even for the Z06 from a production standpoint, I think the Z28 shocks has no place on the car short of track dedicated applications.

Mag ride with it's electronic controls can be adjusted to suit conditions with the turn of a **** in conjunction with the driver modes. As such, it offers much greater flexibility and is much better suited for the masses that the C7 appeals to. It's a technology that has been refined and improved generation after generation and the C7's version of MSRC is leaps and bounds better than it's predecessor. If the Z07 variant is slated to be a track only type of car or if GM releases a track only version of the Z06, then certainly Multimatic would be warranted.

I've spent enough time road racing motorcycles competitively to know the advantages of good shocks but racing suspension has major pitfalls when it comes to varying conditions of public highways, roads and canyons. The electronic controllability offered in MSRC and it's ability to mitigate rough surfaces and keep the car flat and in control has major advantages over manually adjustable shocks when it comes to street use. Manually adjusted shocks are adjusted for track conditions and those settings are changed from one track to the next.

If your intents are to race a Corvette then by all means get some Multimatic shocks or trational coil overs. For a car that is driven primarily on the street with very minimal if any track time, give me MSRC as it's much more flexible without needing a degree in high speed, low speed, rebound, dampening suspension setup.

Now an electronically controlled version of the Multimatics could be a different story but fact remains that MSRC is proven technology that works VERY well and unlike the Camaro suspension, the MSRC on the Corvette takes all the rocket science out of the equation and gives you the best of both worlds in a clean, reliable little package that is fully computer controlled and engineered to work very well for 99.99% of the use that our Corvettes will see.

 

While I do agree with some of what you have written there are a lot of Corvette buyers that don't come close to using their suspension capabilities whether they have MSRC or even the base suspension. For these people that spend most of their time washing and waxing it would not matter if the suspension was made of elastic bands. I have never disputed the control that MSRC gives you over crappy road surfaces but for the majority of people who don't drive their Corvette over bad roads or even when it is raining I feel this option is largely overrated by people that have it. I strongly encourage those to drive a car with this suspension before getting caught up in the hype.

 

Fair enough. That said, given your location, I would think somebody like you who has to contend with snowy winters, pot holes, rough roads, smooth highways etc would see plenty of benefits with MSRC. Heck, I live in California in an area with relatively smooth roads and even on a really smooth highway, the difference between track mode and tour mode is startling. You can not only feel the difference but you can hear it as the road noise changes. There is something to be said about a nice smooth highway ride and not having your teeth jarred when you cross a bridge at highway speeds and then be able to turn a **** and completely transform a car when you get into a canyon or decide to take a sharp turn at a high rate of speed. All of which are something the average Corvette owner can appreciate if they have experienced the technology. It's easy to say it's "lost it's shine" if you haven't experienced the technology under varying conditions but if you have experienced in the C7, you would certainly sing a different tune. Trust me when I tell you, it works and it works damn well and absolutely shines when you are faced with varying road conditions or desire to use your car both for street driving and the occasional track use.

 

In my area we have pretty good road surfaces. Drove a C7 with MSRC and one with the base suspension. Could barely tell the system was working. I don't doubt that it has its advantages and if you live in an area with roads like the surface of the moon it could very well be one of the best options you can have. But reality is that most people don't have these kinds of roads. I am glad that you find it worthwhile but there are just as many that don't.

 

I'd surmise that for the most part, those that don't find it worthwhile are those that don't have it, can't afford it, didn't try it over varying surfaces and have anything to compare it to, those that intend on using their car as a track only car or those that only drive their cars down the freeway or down the block. In my experience, it literally transforms the car. The difference between tour and track or even tour and sport are drastic but track is so much different that it's pretty remarkable. I guess I am pretty lucky in that the roads here in So. Cal offer lots of different types of roads with smooth highways, lots of canyons and plenty of tracks to push the car to it's limits.

 

Forget all that crap...anyone with a bad back will tell you otherwise!

 

* The MSRC in the C7 works completely different from the version in the C6. I had MSRC in TWO C6's and changing settings were hardly noticeable. In my C7 it's night and day when going from Tour to Track. So any comparisons between MSRC in the C6 vs. MSRC in the C7 are totally invalid.

* Regarding longevity, all four MSRC shocks in my 2005 C6 lasted 69,000 miles, then I traded it in for a 2010. Also, all four MSRC shocks in my 2010 C6 lasted nearly 40,000 miles, then I traded it in for my C7. From my experience, MSRC shocks are very reliable.

* Finally, for my C7 I again went with MSRC. My choice, my opinion, my happiness. Your mileage may vary.