Hi all,

here is one for some of you gurus...

I have a 2019 base Corvette Stingray with no Z51 package and no mag-ride. I like to drive hard on the streets, but will never race the car. After a few days I realized that the base car is VERY smooth and that the absence of a rear sway-bar was bad for me. Let say that I did not feel secure in my first hard cornering... Choosing the base car was to remain simple (No dry sump, no oil coolers, etc and budget also.) I know it offers a lot for the price, but let's not start that debate here please. I will not track the car, but was expecting something a bit stiffer as a base "sport car", so... the time had come to upgrade the suspension...

I did a lot of reading on this forum and agreed that the sway bars were surely the starting point and so I did. I ordered a GM Z51 Sway bar kit and now the car stays leveled when cornering, feels more in contact with the road and that is a very good improvement. It still feels very soft though and almost bouncy, so the Z51 shocks should be next, but... I also read that the leaf spring design induces a "cross talk" between the 2 opposed wheels and I can feel it when over a bump while turning, that the car has a small, but weird left to right swing. Some say that to get rid of that feeling, the leaf spring should be replaced with a coil-over suspension type shocks. But... From what I see, the stock shocks are supported at the top by only 2 bolts diagonally (almost) and only have to endure the stress of damping (compression and rebound), as the leaf springs support the static weight of the car somewhere else on the frame where it has been designed for that. If I take the leaf springs out and install coil-spring shocks, the whole weight of the car will no longer be on the frame part that was design to support it, but now on only 2 bolts since they will support the static weight with the springs on the coil-overs themselves.

Here is the dilema:

Option 1: Just change the base shocks to GM's non-mag ride Z51's and call it a day and not change the leaf springs since the rate of the Z51's is soo close to the base model.

Option 2: Go with coil-overs and since there is no strut tower, risk that the 2 bolts holding the car on top of the shocks will eventually fatigue... but eliminate the leaf-spring "cross-talk" effect.

Pros? Cons? Anyone... Anyone here have been using coil-overs on the street? Is it worth the price for not racing, but just fun driving? Do Z51 non-mag shocks stiff enough to have fun on the street? Is that "cross-talk" feel of the leaf springs only because my base shocks are too soft and the Z51 shocks will take care of this feeling? Wow, it's like a million questions in a single post,

I know I am at the right place to ask for this technical questions. :-) Surely someone else went through this...

Thanks !

 

 

I don’t know if this answers your question, but my Z51 shocks surprised me on the street. They stiffened up the ride enough to make me even happier with the car. I am known to be a little rough on my car, and have never felt like the car (base with Z51 shocks and sway bars) wasn’t enough for me. I feel better response in the steering wheel on turns, too.

I really felt a difference as the tires seem more planted while going over uneven surfaces and at higher speeds I won’t get the “traction control light” as often as I used to. 10k with base shocks and 20k with the Z51’s has me convinced that I made the right choice.

Hope this helps. The Z51 shocks are cheap enough and easy enough to swap that you may want to give it a shot either way.

 

The tires being planted and uneven surfaces is interesting. I have a couple locations in town where they are somewhat gentle right turns, however in the middle of the turn, there is a bump in the road. If going too fast, over 20 MPH, it feels like the car is being thrown to the left. The faster you go, the more pronounced. I do have the Z51 swaybars installed now. Would a change in shocks help this? Going straight feels well planted until about 115 then seems a bit lighter.

 

Thanks for the reply asc709,

yes, this comment helps me a lot. Very convinging for the stock leaf springs with Z51 shocks and sway bars option.

 

Anybody with coilovers could jump in ?

 

OK, after reading a lot, I've decided to go with the Z51 non-mag. shocks from Corvette Mods:

https://www.corvettemods.com/C7-Corv...t_p_15903.html

I think from what I read, it should be a great bang for the buck mod, without going for a too stiff ride, or pushing my luck for warranty. I ordered them a few days ago and received them today. Just out of the garage and finished the installation. The rear ones were super easy, just 3 bolts (2 at the top and one at the bottom) and the front was a bit different as it needed to be compressed to get out of the suspension arms. It could be compressed by hand but could not manover them while trying to get them out at the same time as I maintain the compression, so I used a binding strap to keep them compressed while I got them out. Beside that, not a big deal at all. I took my sweet time and took me about 2 hours and no special tools needed. I don't have the torque values for the bolts but was surprised at how softly tightened the bolts were for the front shocks at the bottom attachment.

I attached a picture so you can see the diameter difference between the Base Stingray and the Z51 non-mag. ones. Quite a lot... Too late for a test ride now, but I will post again to give you my impressions.

 

You might want to check you alignment as well. That could be causing some of that loose feeling.

 

OK... now I have a sports car! Not too stiff, but no longer bouncy as before. I was ready to sacrifice a bit of comfort, but it's still very comfortable, Feels a lot safer at high speed. The Z51 sway bars fixed the roll issue and leveld the car while cornering. Now the Z51 shocks keep it from bouncing like a 1985 Crown Victoria Station... Still feel the leaf spring effect a little, but not enough to be concerned anymore. Case closed for me

 

Good review
FYI nothing wrong with the leaf spring IMHO - it's just a spring - a good set of dampers make the suspension awesome.
Congratulations, glad you like the new shocks.

 

Good! I knew deep down that the shocks would make the difference. No need to go with an expensive coil over setup.