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Depends on your personal perspective of rough but my opinion no it won’t be. My 2024 is z51 with mag ride, track mode will jiggle you kidneys if the road isn’t smooth but handles unbelievably, for normal driving tour and sport are a great balance between handling and ride.
If you posted in the regional section, I’m sure you could find a CF member in the Tampa area to give you a ride along. I have the same setup and wouldn’t hesitate to purchase again. Mine is a daily driver. Also dropping the tire pressure a few pounds can soften it up a bit. Also on next tire replacement you could go with non-run flats to get a little softer. If your roads are bad with big ruts, you might want to reconsider.
Ron Fellows Spring Mountain runs new Z-51 3LT coupes with Mag-Ride and they run them mostly in "track Mode".
On the track, they are amazing and handle very well. The ride is very firm and solid and the conditions on the track i was on there are very good.
My car is a 2023 Z-51 Coupe without mag-ride and I love the way it handles on the street
The Mag-Ride option gives you the adjustment to make it as soft and comfortable as you want and still be able to adjust it to a very hard and stiff setting if you do want a true "track" setting.
The way My Z-51 comes from the factory already has the stiffer springs and I like the way it handles for touring and short trips and city use.
If you have the extra to spend, get your mag-Ride and enjoy it. It is a great option that works very well.
Just be aware that "track" settings can not only be harsh but potholes and impacts can possibly damage your wheels and tires when set this way due to the rigid suspension settings.
I was advised "carbon fiber" wheels can and will crack in extreme cases and you are not supposed to use these setting for regular street use.
Good luck
Tour mode on a Z51 with Mag Ride is Cadillac Smooth. Once you go into sport mode, the suspension tightens up a bit but still smooth unless on a bumpy road and Track Mode is the stiffest and not meant for roads with imperfections.
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Originally Posted by 449er
The best option would be to actually ride in a Z51 optioned car to see if you like it
This is what you should do. Everyone has a different opinion on ride quality so getting an actual ride in a car equipped like you want would help you make an informed decision.
Another dumb question: Can you get the mag ride retro-installed at a dealer?
I have no idea but would you want a dealer's monkeys to tear your front suspension apart and install the switches and computer software and tear your dash apart for such items? And the cost? Yikes!
I ordered my 24 HTC Z51 without mag ride and looking back, I should have ordered mag ride. The ride is a lot smoother and nicer with it. My previous 2002 c5 had the F45 suspension and since I had it so long, they quit making the shocks for it, (they were pretty expensive anyway, when they were available)) I just decided to go without the fancy suspension. I was leery of that happening again. I should have pulled the trigger for the mag ride.
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I have mag ride with Z51. I drove it 400 miles home after purchase with comp seats in touring mode and found it to be a good combo to take on road trips. If I had to do it over and sacrifice one option, I would sacrifice z51 and keep mag ride since I do not track.