Has anyone added the Bilstein B8 shocks to their Stingray and kept the factory OEM ride height? I want to go with the stiffer B8 shocks but do not want to lower the car. I suppose I could lower the car slightly like 1/4" or 1/2" only, but don't know if the B8's need more lowering. If I keep the factory ride height, does anyone know if the B6 shocks are comparable in stiffness to the B8? I'm tired of the base FE1 suspension on my Stingray. Perhaps I should just go with the OEM Z51 shocks. Just can't decide! Ugh! Thanks for any input.

 

I cant comment on the B8 but the B6 were a huge improvement over stock which were non mag ride with the soft ride shocks. Feels more planted and less floaty.

 

Thanks us3rname. Could you tell the car felt much stiffer with the B6 shocks. I also have the base non-Z51 shocks and it's so darn soft and floaty at higher speeds. I'm still trying to decide on the B6 or the OEM Z51 shocks and simply want the stiffer of the two. Surprisingly, Autozone sells the four B6 shocks about $100 bucks cheaper than the OEM shocks from Cultrag. Please let me know. Thanks.

 

I have the OEM Z51 Bilsteins on my base C7. They are much stiffer than the base shocks. I also added the OEM mag ride rear sway bar. Between those two mods, my car rides plenty firm now. No more roll and no floatiness. You can get the OEM Z51 shocks from RockAuto at a good price. Sometimes you can get them on Amazon as well. I got mine from Amazon for such a great price I could not pass them up.

I have not used the Bilstein B6 shocks so I cannot comment on how they compare the Bilstein Z51 shocks. Bilstein B8 shocks have shorter bodies so they would top out if the car is not lowered.

 

it’s a night a day difference stiffer all around, cornering is much flatter however bumps and dips are more pronounced. I haven’t tried the z51 non mag ride so I don’t know how they would compare to the b6 but for I think less than 400 from rock auto it’s probably the single best mod I’ve done.

 

Thank you all for your input.

 

Good question about the difference in damping rate between the B6 and B8. I wish someone with experience would chime in on that. I did the B6 swap on my FE1 C7. The ride is far better in keeping the car settled in he road. I did the rears first and found the the front would oscillate up and down twice after going over road bumps and dips at interstate speeds, while the rear would just follow the the rise and fall and dampen the harsh transition. Once I changed over the front shocks to B6 as well, my car really started hugging the road. I suspect the B8’s would limit the down travel of the suspension and provide a even firmer damping rate. I wish I had a breakout comparing the damping force rates of all four the shocks discussed here. BTW, I got my set of B6’s from Rock Auto for around $80 EA.

Keep the rubber side down.