Cavi

How do i know if my 1994 vette has the hard or soft springs?

rodj

Suspension options on the RPO label under console lid for what springs it left the factory with

3 letter code stamped on one end of spring for what is actually in the car now

93Rubie

Look under console lid door (applies if you still have factory springs, more than likely do).

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/...usp_chart.html

Either you have Base, FX3, or Z07. Z07 is what you want for handling.

FYI, my 93 with FX3, in touring rides harsher than a base 94. I've driven a base 94 so I know. My FX3 is much stiffer than the base 94 setup especially in sport/performance settings.

Cavi

if I have the base all I need is the front and rear leafs? Are the Z07 leafs something I can still get new or do I or even can I get them used?

Cavi

What about the vbp springs, if i am swapping springs anyway, are they the wayto go for autox? What about vbp lowering kit?

93Rubie

To be a true Z07 you need the front and rear springs, front 30mm bar, and the HD control arm bushings. I would not use old used HD lower control arms. Go poly instead, that is what I intend to do.

To stay in B Stock, you can only go to FACTORY options available within your model year, so Z07 would be the best IF you want to stay in B Stock.

VBP sells complete kits, that is a good way to go, but technically you will be in a B modified or prepared class.

Here is nice quick link on this kind of stuff and SCCA classes.
http://www.sff.net/people/dburkhead/prepcompare.htm

Of course the actual rule book is the final say. That and if the club/whatever actually enforces the rules. I would be willing to guess that unless someone contests it, you can run whatever you want to. It is up to the driver to declare your class, unless someone contests it.

Personally, I'm going to try and piece together a Z07 setup for my car. Gonna take some time, especially since it is not a priority for me, yet. I gotta learn how to drive the crap out of a stock FX3 first.




I WOULD NEVER LOWER THE CAR, EVER!!! It does not work for drag racing and I've never seen it work well for auto-x/track use. Doing so reduces suspension travel, if you bottom out, it WILL cause handling issues. Better have 84 Z51 springs if you intend to lower so you don't hit the bump stops.

Most lowered cars are for looks not going fast. A C4's Center of gravity is 15 inches a 90's Indy car is 12 inches. It is low enough already.

Most lowered cars I have seen run auto-x are NOT the fast guys and the tend to bounce a LOT, too much spring, not enough damper (shocks). Then they hit the bump stops and things get really hairy. You need the car to pitch some to allow for good handling. Race cars don't do this so much, because the have really stiff springs, stiff dampers, and would NOT be at home at all on the street.

My semi-educated 2 cents worth.

PLRX

The VBP sports and extreme are not a lowering kit. Their design would lower the Vette about an inch.

The OEM monospring has bumps at the end, the VBP does not.



The OEM has big lower rubber mounts and the VBP does not.



The OEM has another set of upper rubber mounts that the VBP monospring does not need.





If your RPO is FE1 you have the base suspension.

Cavi

Thanks for all the info. In. The arm rest what codes am i looking for?

Cavi

Are the z07 springs still available nos?

Cavi

Interesting chart, do the springs from earlier years fit the 94? Wouldn't the fe1 from a earlier year be just as good as a z07 from my 94? Btw. Mine is a94 with fei. How much benifit would i get from upgrading shocks to bilstein sports or extremes?

rodj

Rears do
only '88+ fronts interchange into yours
As you can see , the 88 -90 Z51 is stiffer than later ZO7

Cavi

Truth is from the chart it looks like any fei from 88 to 93 would equal a z07 from a 94.
So can they be found brand new? From where? Also, the bilstein sports list as only for the z51. Will they fit my car or not? Also does it make a difference if the spring came from a car with dana 36 or dana 44

Cavi

Ecklers sells a aftermarket z51 spring, made by hyperco, which they say is a direct replacement, so I feel I would still be in stock class. Anyway, does anyone have experience with this brand, are they good or am I better off finding some used ones?

Cavi

this is the link for the Ecklers part, and the rates are almost equal to the z51 springs.

Cavi

Okay, went back and reread the rules for stock class, then did some more calculations. My conclusions are as follows, the stock rules state that I can use a factory option for my year, which mean the z51 springs are out as they were not offered in my year. This also means no on the ecklers as their sport spring rate is equal to the z51, but the VBP sport is dead on for the Z07 spring rate. Keeping n mind that new oem corvette springs are basically not available, I am comfortable ising the VBP as the rates match what those of the oem Z07 would have been.

93Rubie

You answered a lot of your own questions so I won't add lib here on those. Interesting that the VBP springs is the same rate as the Z07 spring. Is that both front and rear?

FYI, I have all the spring codes for the 92-95 Z07, I can post up if you like. I'm going to try and find used Z07 springs and a front 30mm bar. That is all that is needed for me to convert to Z07 specs besides the non-existent HD bushings. Also, the Z07 package included J55 front brakes, which are easy and cheap to find.

Even though the VBP springs are the same spring rate as Z07, the rules (if enforced) my not allow these. Then again only an issue if someone protests your use of them in B Stock class. I'm no SCCA rules expert but this is how I interpret what is in the book.

Cavi

My club is loose on the rules, but if you read the scca book well it states that if tbe stock part is no longer available an equivalent replacement may be used. As for the rates. Twords tbe top of this post someone posted a full chart, it has all the rates but in n/mm. The vbp lists tbeirs in lbs. So you have to convert them, but yes the vbp are equal to the 94 z07. Th ones from ecklers, their sport ones equal the z51 springs

Klondike

I know my springs are stock, but how would anybody else know weather a Vette spring is stock or not, unless it has some aftermarket name on it? I don't autoX so I don't know how they check that stuff. On a coil spring they can usually tell by thickness of the wire and number of coil windings, but how do they tell on a 'glass leaf spring like a Vette has? Just curious.

Cavi

I agree, but still I will go with the vbp which is the same rate as the z0, instead of the ecklers z51 which was never offered on my year.

93Rubie

Spring codes, they are stamped into the spring itself. Only Factory springs have these to my knowledge.

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/...ion-chart.html

See third post...