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St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15- '16-'17-‘18-‘19-'20-'21
NCM Lifetime Member
Lowering w/MRC
So if I have the Z lowered on the stock bolts, is the loss in ride height going to drastically affect the MRC ? I have no doubt in my mind that the stage 2 splitter will ground more often no matter how careful I am. Thoughts y'all ?
If you lower a car on OEM shocks, you will be limiting the amount of damping available. It may not be noticeable to you on the street, but it will have some performance consequences, particularly at the limits. Chassis upset may be more prominent due to the reduced shock travel/damping. Increased chassis stability provides more grip.
We've been discussing MSRC tuning on various threads recently, and the TPC Racing/DSC Sport MSRC controller developed by former Rolex 24 Hour winner, Mike Levitas. Mike recommends stock ride height and a specific alignment along with his DSC Sport MRSC controller settings for best performance.
Lowering is certainly OK, but to do it right, a lot of other chassis tuning is necessary to match the other suspension components to the ride height.
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15- '16-'17-‘18-‘19-'20-'21
NCM Lifetime Member
Foosh, very valid points. I thank you. I do not track the Z. It is my long distance pleasure touring car which is what made me ask. If the CTS-V had run flats I'd be inclined to take it. That was the original thought behind its purchase.
I'm not sure there is a "stock" ride height. The cars seem to come different heights, which tend to be on the high side, possibly to facilitate transporting them.
Foosh, very valid points. I thank you. I do not track the Z. It is my long distance pleasure touring car which is what made me ask. If the CTS-V had run flats I'd be inclined to take it. That was the original thought behind its purchase.
Yeah, probably no issues for your use, but I would take it in for a good alignment using these specs. Alignments from the factory are crude and all over the map in the first place, and will change even more once lowered on the stock bolts.
Mike, I don't know if the MSRC is similar to the older one in C6s, but if it is, the dealers may not be all off base. Recall that compressing those shocks provides for less travel yet they still have to do the job. This may have compromised some of the older version MSRC shocks. I do know that the LGM ad says this about its "drop spindles": "this set of four spindles will allow you to lower the ride height of your Corvette 1 full inch over stock while retaining the full shock travel and correct suspension geometry."
It's possible that dealers have been warned about the reduced travel of the shock due to lowering, but I don't know that for certain.
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15- '16-'17-‘18-‘19-'20-'21
NCM Lifetime Member
Could very well be. I know that my servicing dealer flat out refused to lower a new Grand Sport they delivered two weeks ago that came in today for the first oil change.
That's crazy that any dealer would claim it would affect the warranty! If GM was against this practice they wouldn't provide the simple adjustment for it in the first place! Lowering it on stock bolts doesn't even bring it down by a full inch, so it's not like you're talking about a 2 or 3 inch drop here that could have major repercussions.
If you lower a car on OEM shocks, you will be limiting the amount of damping available. It may not be noticeable to you on the street, but it will have some performance consequences, particularly at the limits. Chassis upset may be more prominent due to the reduced shock travel/damping. Increased chassis stability provides more grip.
We've been discussing MSRC tuning on various threads recently, and the TPC Racing/DSC Sport MSRC controller developed by former Rolex 24 Hour winner, Mike Levitas. Mike recommends stock ride height and a specific alignment along with his DSC Sport MRSC controller settings for best performance.
Lowering is certainly OK, but to do it right, a lot of other chassis tuning is necessary to match the other suspension components to the ride height.
^This.
I'm taking my car to Mike soon. He told me to lower using stock bolts, ride height has to be exactly measured; turning the bolts to stop is insufficient.
Also for the DSC, he said the corners have to be weighted.
I'm sure as I've gotten faster at VIR, my lowering via the stock bolts simply to stop has impacted overall vehicle performance in a negative manner.
Lowering is certainly OK, but to do it right, a lot of other chassis tuning is necessary to match the other suspension components to the ride height.
One of the better ways to lower the ride height would be with drop spindles, that way the car sits an inch lower but still has the same shock travel as before. It's just too bad they cost $3000!
I have MSRC and one of my first mods was to lower the car on the stock bolts. When I read about the reaplcement costs for the suspension on theses cars, I have decided to keep it stock. Quite honestly I absolutely love how this car handles in stock form...