Well, the C8 I bought is pretty much the same thing, last thrill ride. < Unless I decide to sneak a Lambo in the garage> That being said, I have owned mid engine cars for decades. They do tend to get warm in certain conditions, hence I went with Z51 3rd radiator a big yes. Mag ride, gives you full control over the suspension and ride. At the turn of a dial you can adjust for road conditions. Why wouldn't you want that ability? Front lift another big yes,

My view, hell you've ran that race of life, you finished on the upper tiers. Buy what you want load the beasty up, enjoy what you've done, you have earned it. 100 G toy, go for it. Life has been good and that's pocket change, then order your car and smile, you won. Buy your trophy. They are all trophies, just a question of Bronze, Silver or Gold.

 

+msrc

 

Non-Z51 and Non MSRC. The C8 suspension is totally different from the C7, or any other previous generation corvettes.

 

If you're getting a Z51 but still want the ability to have a soft ride for touring then definitely get the MSRC.

 

I agree that soft shocks can't make stiff springs simulate soft springs, but stiff shocks can make soft springs simulate stiff springs.
That is why the C7 Z51 came with softer springs when MSRC was added to the Z51 package.
I expect they do the same thing on the C8 when MSRC is added to the Z51 package but I haven't seen any data.

 

Overall, MSRC shocks are pretty reliable and aren't considered wear item. They are available on Rockauto.com for about $300 each so they aren't that expensive and don't take much more labor to replace than regular shocks.
Many times people (and even service technicians) see shock weepage and think the shocks are defective. It is normal for shocks to weep and collect dust, especially under harsh conditions. Wet or dripping is not normal.

 

Yep, those comments are right! Fact is shocks are designed to control springs, not provide a "softer ride."

SIDEBAR
This is an intro from a technical source about car shocks:
"Despite what some people think, conventional shock absorbers do not support vehicle weight. Instead, the primary purpose of the shock absorber is to control spring and suspension movement. This is accomplished by turning the kinetic energy of suspension movement into thermal energy, or heat energy, to be dissipated through the hydraulic fluid.Technically they are called dampers. Even more technically, they are velocity-sensitive hydraulic damping devices - in other words, the faster they move, the more resistance there is to that movement. They work in conjunction with the springs. The spring are one to support car weight, and they allows movement of the wheel to allow the energy in the road shock to be transformed into kinetic energy of the unsprung mass whereupon it is dissipated by the damper and heat. The damper does this by forcing gas or oil through a constriction valve (a small hole). Adjustable shock absorbers allow you to change the size of this constriction, and thus control the rate of damping. The smaller the constriction, the stiffer the suspension."

Yep my 2014 Z51 without MRC had quality 46 mm Bilstein Shocks. The base car also had quality Bilstein 36 mm shocks. Both shocks had multiple valves to control compression (when a wheel has to move up when hitting a bump) and Rebound as the wheel moved back. We have all probably followed a car with warn out shocks where after it hit a bump it continued to bounce repeatedly. The rebound valves should eliminate that repeat movement.. Shock valving can be very complex. Race teams hire shock engineers who have hundreds of valve combination options they can assemble for a particular track or turn.

MRC is totally different. It has few valves and no need for complex mechanisms to automatically control them. It uses a variable viscosity fluid, which changes how the shock performs. It's like changing from a honey thickness to water goin through a hole or valve. That change in viscosity is produced by applying a magnetic field to what is called a Ferrofluid. Funny, Ferrofluids were developed in the early 1960's by a NASA engineer. Recall at the time (yep I'm and old dude) how those would be widely used. Fact is for car shocks it took a big advance in computer chips to produce the current GM product. It uses wheel position and other sensors and a fast computer chip, software programs to integrate the inputs and change the viscosity. It does that for each shock in real time in milliseconds! Race teams wish they could use MRC shocks but they are allowed by many race series.

Yep they can alter ride quality but mostly like the HD shocks I had added to some of my cars over the years. I added for cornering performance BUT they made the ride stiffer. Understand many swear by them because they can tell the difference in ride. Recall one comment about driving a C7 with MRC in Track Mode saying you could feel if going over a dime! Yep in general you can feel the added stiffness increased compression control can provide. If you are traveling over rough roads they can make a significant difference.

 

MSRC shocks can provide a more compliant ride if they are combined with springs that have a lower spring rate. That is why Cadillac uses them.
The CC statement "Any ride without MagRide will be softer" is incorrect for the C7 and I suspect for the C8 also.
A C7 Z51 ride is not softer than a C7 Z51 with MSRC set to Tour.

 

Coming from a ZO6 my 2021 HTC is non Z51 but with MSRC. In sport and track I do not feel any difference on the road. In touring the ride is so comfortable.

 

I agree the statement "Any ride without MRC will be softer" is incorrect "assuming" the same spring rate with and without. Yep on small bumps the MRC compression setting can be set for low resistance just like the large valves in a conventional shock at slow rates of suspension change. Then the force is primarily the spring rate, which doesn't change. Assuming the spring rates for the Base car are the same with or without MRC, that will govern. However as I said, on rough roads the ability to change compression and rebound forces real time can provide a better, not necessarily "softer" ride.

The video some show of a C5 with MRC on a washboard road GM picked with a bumps at the natural frequency of the suspension is a case in point. May not be "softer" but better.

 

Ditto.

 

If "smoothness" of ride is that big a deal... get another MB. Any real sports car will not ride like what you most likely have.

 

If you don't have MSRC, the ride will be the same no matter what mode you are in. No MSRC = No Ride change.

 

I just agree with GM stating a ride in tour mode on a base model without Z51 and no mag ride will be softer than a ride on tour mode with mag ride and without Z51. Any ride without mag ride will be softer.

 

I had a C7 Z51 with MSRC. I sold it and bought a C6 Z51 that didn't have MSRC and I could really tell the difference when I couldn't change the ride on rough roads. I'm ordering a non-Z51 C8 but I am adding the MSRC even though I will rarely, if ever, track the car. I've seen enough people posting on this forum that they can tell a difference when they use it in their non-Z51 C8s to convince me it's worth it.

 

Wow. Straight from the horses mouth. The "compensate for rough terrain" bit makes no sense but everything else is pretty much crystal clear. Interesting.

 

^^^
Looked for Spring rate and Sway Bar size for Base with and without MRC. No luck. That could provide a clue.

However, as I mentioned in a prior post, folks often post a video of a C5 with MRC on a washboard road. GM obviously picked a road with a bumps at the natural frequency of the suspension . May not be "softer" but MRC was "better" reducing the amplitude of movement. Recall when visiting daughter, who lives East of LA, driving a highway that even with a new rental car had a suspension natural frequency that matched the road bump period. Could get seasick!

 

The problem with all these opinions is that most people here only have driven their car, with or without MRC. Therefore they (including myself) can only report on what we have driven and only imagine how it is on the other side of the fence. That sort of invalidates most if not all of these replies. That being said, I have a Z51 car and DO NOT have MRC. The ride is compliant in all modes and I have zero regrets. I'm glad I kept the additional $$ in my wallet. On the other hand, if I were a track guy I would have ordered it. JMO...

 

^^^^
In my case, bought a 2014 Z51 WITHOUT MRC since I was happy with the ride on my 2008 C6 Z51 without MRC. In fairness our roads in Eastern SC, although not perfect don't have the freeze induced pot holes I had when living ~7 years in NE OH and after that 7 years in CT before I moved South and bought my 1st Vette, a 1988. Then bought a '93 Vette that had console **** adjustable shocks (NOT MRC.) Could not tell much different in ride, hence did not add the complication of MRC to my C6.

When I bought my 2017 Grand Sport had no choice it came with MRC. Frankly I was disappointed until I paid $350 for the MRC software upgrade some months later. Here is why: Drove my 2014 Z51 in Track Mode that had no affect on ride. But I got the faster tip-in and lower nannie intervention. I found prior to the Grand Sport software upgrade I had to drive in Touring to have a ride, perhaps slightly better than my 2014 Z51 without MRC BUT in Sport it was harsh when I hit a bump. Much more than my 2014 non MRC Z51. Then I was frustrated with the slow tip-in in Touring. Had been used to faster tip-in with my 2014. Both were standard shifts and taking off particularly felt different. I bought a Vitesse thrttle controller to get what I had in my 2014 Z51. Didn't like the more intrusive nannies either.

Got the GM software upgrade ($350) as it said the ride in Sport was less harsh when hitting bumps. It was, so drove in Sport 90% of the time. I'd say the ride matched my 2014 None MRC Z51. The Throttle Response in the Grand Sport was also faster and no longer needed the Vitesse throttle controller.. Yep driving in Track with a non MRC 2014 had benefits! Now I get Track throttle and nannies in the C8 by setting Power to Track in Z Mode (where I mostly drive.) I set the ride in Sport, good for me and don't have to put it in "teeth rattleing" Track Mode!

Here are some owner's manual tables that make make the issue clear.




This is not from Vitesse, it's from another aftermarket throttle control company. Vitesse stays their 4 or 5 setting is linear. IMO that is about what I had with my 2014 and where I set the Vitesse on my Grand Sport. Note the throttle response in Touring Mode felt like that shown below, a ~35% throttle peddle depression provided ~15% throttle body movement. Good for grandmas! Note, I never used a 9 setting I call "Boy Racer!"

 

The April 2014 issue of Corvette Magazine did a back-to-back-to-back comparison of a C7 base Stingray, Z51 and Z51 w/MSRC. Unfortunately, FE2 suspension wasn't available when the comparison was made. However, the OP's post was about if he should add MSRC to a Z51 so is it is relevant.

Yes, the C8 suspension is different from the C7 and the comment about the base not being a particularly soft-riding car probably isn't applicable; but the same principles apply. The C8 just has a higher starting point but the differences between them will be similar.

A similar comparison is sorely needed for the various C8 suspensions.

This comparison was done on mountain roads outside of Palm Springs so it is relevant in a non-track environment.

Some highlights as follows:

Base Stingray

...the base suspension (referred to internally as FE1) isn’t a particularly soft-riding car. It’s not unduly firm in terms of overall ride quality, but rather than absorbing sharp bumps, the car passes a lot of them along to the driver, particularly at around-town speeds.

Even with the base suspension, the C7 is a still 1-g car. Quick turn-in? Check. Seemingly endless grip? Yep. Massively powerful brakes? Oh, yeah. Stupendous power on demand? You know it.

Interestingly, the FE1 Stingray works better the harder we push it. To our hands and butts, the car doesn’t feel entirely happy to be driven merely briskly. Driving at a six-tenths pace, we find ourselves sawing at the steering wheel in corners, making minor corrections to the car’s line, and stumbling over the brake pedal, which has a slight dead zone at the top of its travel that makes delicacy a challenge.

But when we up the pace a few notches, the base-suspension Stingray comes into its own. Pushing harder on the brake pedal reveals excellent feel and modulation. Loading up the superb Michelin run-flat tires clamps the Stingray onto our chosen line, and the C7 doesn’t relinquish its grip as we feed in the power—and more power, and more, until the g force is nearly pressing us against the door panel. When the traction control starts limiting the fun, we switch the DMS from Sport to Track mode, which frees up the rear end to move around a bit. As the turns come faster and faster, the C7 simply gobbles them up.

Z51 without MSRC

In the twisties, the Z51 package proves just as desirable as the Competition Sport seats. Compared to the base, FE1-suspension car, the Z51-equipped FE3-suspension Stingray feels more planted, more responsive and, well, faster. While it doesn’t offer noticeably more grip, it definitely allows us to better exploit that grip, with less nose dive under braking, faster turn-in and less lean in the corners—not that the base car leaned much to begin with. In short, Z51 makes the Stingray feel more like a full-on sports car, one that better connects the driver to the road and really encourages you to attack the turns with conviction.

There’s a price to be paid for the extra connection, however: The FE3 car’s ride is noticeably less comfortable than that of the base suspension. While this suspension setup isn’t too extreme, we do think it does make ride quality an issue for those who want to use their car regularly on less-than-perfect roads, or simply prefer to cruise around.

Z51 with MSRC

When these optional magnetorheological shock absorbers are combined with the Z51 Performance Package—the resulting suspension is referred to as FE4 (there’s no FE2)—there is a real increase in ride comfort and no detriment to handling.

Ordering MSRC along with Z51 is the ultimate no-brainer option. First, it offers better ride quality than the base suspension. Second, it absorbs bumps better than either the base or FE3 shocks. Third, its stiffness varies both depending on the Driver Mode Selector’s positioning—soft in Tour, firm in Track—and what the road underneath is doing. Finally, ordering both MSRC and Z51 gets you Performance Track Management, five distinct levels of traction- and stability-control intervention inside Track mode. The only downside to MSRC is that you have to pay extra for it, but that’s part of how Chevy keeps the base price down. Regardless, we don’t think there’s a better $1,800 you can spend to improve a Corvette.