ramaccc

I'm looking at replacing my F55 suspension on my base 05 (123K kms). The reason is it seems to me that the ride is not as smooth as it should be in tour mode. For example every bump I hit feels like the car is bottoming out. I'm not looking for aggressive shocks for cornering or track, what I'm looking for is a decent shock for touring with a little performance (if there is such a thing). Anyhow I realize there are numerous threads with many different options / opinion, however I'm interested in getting advice from someone who has replaced their F55 shocks with non F55.

I have read that swapping out shocks with Z06 shocks and swapping out stock sway bar with Z51 makes a big difference. If anyone has done this I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks for your time and Look forward to any suggestions.

raztek

I can't speak to the Z06 shocks, but I have a C5 that came with Z51 suspension and replaced the shocks with Bilsteins and found a noticeable difference in performance. The car felt more compliant to the road (i.e. absorbed any bumps without bouncing/bottoming out - hard to describe, and felt less of the cross chatter inherent to the spring design).

I have since put on LG GT2 coilovers, removed the Z51 Springs and swapped the Z51 sways with C6Z06 sways and LOVE them (everything feels like a straight line lol). Ride is harsher, but the compromise was worth it.

I had F55 on my prior C5 and for me, not worth the expense as I set it to the firmest setting and kept it there - can't speak to later versions of it. So, if I were in your shoes, I would go with:

• Doug Ripple valved Bilstein Shocks
• Z51 Springs
• Z51 Sway bars (if you go to wider rear tires, go Z06 sways)

Will be a stiffer ride, but the benefits will put a smile on your face often enough assuming you use your car as summer toy.

I am not a take your car to the track person, but I would not hesitate with the combo above having had enough seat time with the set ups I mentioned for a street driven car (in fact, I would probably have the mentioned set up, but I got a Corleone type offer on the GT2s). Hope you find the above useful.

ramaccc

Raztek,

Great insight, appreciated and I will look into the setup you had suggested.

Thanks.

raztek

Ramaccc,

To be clear, the above WILL be a harsher ride. You mentioned you want something similar too the Tour setting on the F55. If so, go wth the Z06 shocks as I think anything more may be to rough for you. The Z51 sways will make the car flatter when cornering (less body roll). Just wanted to balance what you are looking for vs. something a bit more aggressive which is what I posted.

For perspective, I was coming from a Z51 setup on a car lowered to the point of front bushing removal on the springs and rear dropped using longer bolts.

I was coming from 15 yrs of quite harsh, so I am used to not so civil suspension manners .

ramaccc

Thanks,

I came across a set of low mileage Z06 shocks so I grabbed them. Next I 'll be looking for sway bars either z06 OR z51.

Enuzio

Ramaccc … On my base 07, I upgraded the shocks to Koni FSD (frequency sensitive dampening shocks) the sway bars to the Z51 bars. The car stays flat and shocks are terrific. Koni says that the FSD shocks out perform their adjustable shock at soft settings. The main benefit is they offer more control than the base shocks, with far greater comfort. I'm older than dirt, so I really like a comfortable car, and these work very well; no tail wag over off camber whoop-de-doos.

Jlang1

I have an '08 1LT w/Manual Trans, 14,000 miles.... the stock suspension was WAY too soft and floated like a Cadillac. I replaced the original Goodyear Run Flat tires with General G-Max RS tires and replaced the shocks with Bilstein B6's... OH WHAT A DIFFERENCE! Night & day! Ride and handing is much more controlled and feels WAY more secure without any additional harshness. Next step is the replacement of the standard sway bars with the Z51 sway bar upgrade kit from CULTRAG performance, for only $300. I'll post again after this is complete....

raztek

See if you cant get a hold of C6Z06 sway bars (got mine for $100) on the used market. Put them on my C5 and combined with the LG GT2 coilovers (replaced the Bilsteins) the car is FLAT, the ride is harsh but for a non daily driver who cares lol.

Jlang1

Thanks for the info Raztek.... everything I read about upgrading the sway bars says to avoid the Z06 rear bar UNLESS you also have the wide rear tires.... since my car is NOT a Z06 or Grand Sport I have 285/35-19's in the rear....
The kit I'm getting has the same size bar up front as the Z06 (31.0mm) but the back bar is a bit smaller to account for the narrower rear tires (25.4mm instead of 28mm). From the info I can gather this will make for a more balanced and neutral setup.
The other sway bar upgrade options I'm considering:
- West Coast Corvette Stage 1
- Hotchkis Sport,

Does anyone have any experience with any of these sway bar combos ? Both of these have adjustments for the rear bar; I assume I can adjust for the "narrow" rear tire setup I have with the standard C6 and get a balanced handling scenario.

I'm gonna order a kit in the next month or so... either the WCC Stage 1, the Hotchkis, or the Z51 setup from CULTRAG performance. I'd appreciate any experience you all can share !!!

raztek

FYI - I havent had a problem with balance, but I did decide to run 265/35/18 front and 305/30/19 rear.