Sully C5

What is the best combo...shocks & stabilizer bars...for road courses & still reasonably comfortable on the street?

63Corvette

First: Go to an acredited drriver's school.
Second: buy real race rubber.
As you mature as a driver, you will learn what suspension setup workss for yoour style of driving.

Please read the September Car & Driver to verify that TIRES are the single most important suspension component.

Sully C5

I understand that.
I am already registered for a school.
I have selected the tires


For shocks I am considering Penkse Adjustable & Hotchkis sway bars, but not sure if this is the best way to go.

Just looking for feedback from more experienced drivers. :cheers:

GTB/ZR-1

I agree, except that I'd wear out a good set(or two) of street rubber before going to race rubber. Learning on race rubber filters too much of charactertics of the car's handling qualities.
Get very comfortable w/ the car as-is, then start playing around w/ tires & suspension--you'll be a better driver for it... ;)

Jim 47

I agree with 63Corvette that tires is the single most important suspension component. I personally think that Goodyear GS-CS and Hoosiers (in that order) are the best tires for road courses.

The complete T-1 system from GM was engineered and tested by GM for all the suspension components to work together. If you start getting springs from ABC, shocks from CBS, anti-sway bars from XYZ, and bushings from NBC, you are likely to have some wonderful high quality components that were not designed to work with the other components.

Second point, you really can't have a single suspension system that is going to be "best" for both street driving and road course racing. It will be a compromise. It'll be a little too stiff for the street and a little too soft for the track.

One of the best overall suspension systems for your C5 is the current one found on the Z06. The shocks, bars, buchings, springs and tires really work well together on the track and it also give you a decent and comfortable ride on the street. Add the Goodyear GS-CS or the Hoosier tires to the Z06 suspension package and you will have a VERY GOOD overall system for the track. If this happens to be too ordinary or mundane for you then go with the T-1 suspension package with the Track Tires. And don't forget the suspension settings of camber, caster, and toe, which will also determine how the car feels and handles.

I drive a 2000 FRC with the stock Z-51 suspension package, except for a set of Bilstein Shocks and the Goodyear GS-CS ( or Hoosier) tires for the track. The street tires are Michelin Pilot Sports. This package represents itself very well on the track and gives me a very good ride on the street.

I'm sure a few others will offer their opinions, which maybe very different from mine, but that's because of personal preferences and experiences we have had with various suspension setups. Im afraid you've asked a question that has many answers. Good luck in finding the right suspension for you. :D

Jim Helm

Sully C5

Thanks for the feedback guys! I am sure the driving school will really help with my skills. But I have run Road Atlanta a couple of times & the car has way too much body roll, so was looking to improve in that area.

John Shiels

I put heavier springs from VB or do LGM coilovers and T-1 bars Lou did the R&D and it works.

SWCDuke

The most important thing is to understand what the car is doing - right or wrong - and then know what tuning changes will make it better. An off-the-shelf kit like the T-1 is a good starting point, but there's plenty left to tune from there.

Get Fred Puhn's "How to Make Your Car Handle". It's an old book, but the basics haven't changed, and it's a good primer for the novice to understand the effects of changing roll stiffness, camber, toe, and other tuning parameters.

The best professional drivers are those who understand vehicle handling and can communicate what the car is doing to the engineers so the appropriate adjustments can be made to make the car better.

Duke

fluxen

If your complaint is body roll, I would definitely just do the T1 bars at this point; they'll absolutely cure the car of that problem. The reality is though the shocks / springs do improve the car, it is a pretty minor improvement for a very large amount of $. However, that's from the Z06 point of view, not the C5.

Having said that, if I were doing it from stock, I would do the bars first on a stock C5, and see how the car felt.

John Shiels

What is it now?

Sully C5

Z51 with Bilstein Z51 (not the Sport) shocks. Car is lowered 1.5".

rbeckham

Sully - I know exactly how you feel. You want to get your car track-ready in one swell foop. Trouble is, it doesn't work - every car and driver is different and there is not a formula to make you go fast. I agree totally with Jim 47, plus:

Tires: If you are actually speaking of track use, the Hoosier A3s will shred in a few laps. These are AX tires and work well for that purpose, but don't last very long even for low-speed events. Depending on your wheels, I would suggest using Kumho Victos if you run 17," or the Kumho Ecstas if you have 18s or the 17/18 combo for wheels. These wear well, and at least have a steel belt, but will heat cycle to death quickly (like any r-compound) if you run them on the street. (I have been known to drive them to events, however, and they might take it for a season).

Suspension: As Jim says, the ZO6 setup is hard to beat. In fact, I have reason to be certain it will beat the GM T1 setup in AX. Once you go over the edge with springs, bars (and especially shocks) you really need to be an expert tuner to make it all work. And at this point you would need to retune everything for every course or track. I am not at this point in tuning, and I sense you are not either, so my advice would be to choose between the ZO6 suspension tuning and the T1 tuning. Try ZO6 to start with, and then start playing with it after 20-30 track hours. Good luck, Robert

Sully C5

That is what a like about this Forum...great advise from those in the know! A lot to think about. :yesnod: :yesnod:

Thanks again guys!!!

Bill Benavitz

I agree with the guys that suggest the Z06 set up. With your z51 based system, going to the Z06 set up is inexpensive and you will see a big difference. Add Z06 wheels and tires and you will see another big difference over the standard C5 wheels and rubber. I personally believe that race tires for a relatively inexperienced driver may keep you from safely finding the limits of your cars handling. Safely testing these limits is how you will learn to be a better and safer track driver.

0to60

There's no need to modify your car. If you're new at this, your skills aren't enough to reach the potential of the stock setup. Until you're experienced, NO mod you make will compare with bettering your skills.

90% of how fast you go is your skills. 10% is your car and car's setup. There are guys who haul a** in bone stock cars past 55 year old guys in 500+hp DRM prepared supervettes.

Sully C5

I have seen that. One of the times we were at Road Atlanta, I saw a young guy in a Probe out-handling two of the Vettes there. :smash: :smash: