redrckt97

could it be that its still pretty cold outside and the shocks are just stiffer than the last time you drove it
it the fall??

I lowered mine on stock bolts (did not cut bushings) and backed fronts off 1/4 turn ... VERY little difference
in the ride.

Fast one

After I lowered my car the ride quality suffered so Bilstein shocks were installed, they lasted 20k miles before the rubber spacers inside the shock dust boots were destroyed by the hammering. Edlebrock shocks were tried but the rubber on them degraded and welds on the dust boot retainers failed. The ride quality was bad from the time the car was lowered about an inch regardless of the shocks, the roads aren't the best in New York but the ride over them was ok at the stock ride height. Last year coil overs were installed at the same lowered height and the ride quality came back, no more hammering or bottoming out of the suspension. The big difference was an increased spring rate of 50% over the stock springs. From all this it seems that the stock springs are designed for the stock ride height only, lowering the car causes the need for stiffer springs to keep the suspension from hammering on the shocks due to the reduced suspension travel. Changing the shocks didn't seem to compensate for the need of stiffer springs in my lowered car. There is a railroad crossing here with one set of tracks lower than the other two sets and is a good test of suspension performance. The suspension used to be hammered into the shocks at 35 mph, now at 45 mph the car rides over the tracks without bottoming out, it's actually fun now like being on a roller coaster. The difference in ride quality now is like night and day and the car never handled better.

ALEXAMES

If your going to lower the car you really need a good set of shocks to help the ride quality. I ordered Bilsteins based on what I have read.

Vega$Vette

In what way?

The front ride height bolts rest on the spring the rears hang on the spring.

So maybe due to lower CG a little different cornering but the actual change in ride is negligent. Unless your bottoming on the shocks.

So on stock bolts not cutting bushings you loose a little shock travel and maybe preload the sway bars by the slightest amount. About the same as putting a 200 lb in the pass. seat

dobewillie

didnt notice any ride difference but looks much better

BoiseVette

Which Coilovers did you go with? Pfadt?

I lowered my Z51 on stock bolts and it definitely compromised the ride quality. I was shocked at this since it only dropped the car about 3/4". It still looks like a darn 4 x 4 IMO, so Id like to drop it even further. After reading several threads on the subject of lowering the C5; and the resulting rough ride, it seems that this is a very common problem. I've read about many folks that swapped their shocks for Bilstein sports or HD, kyb, konis, C6 z06 and many others costing MUCH more, but were never able to completely get rid of the harsh ride or handling problems. If the compromised ride bothers you, there seems to be only one alternative that really works well on lowered cars, and the opinions are unanimous for all that have done it. Go with Coilovers.

Although rather pricey, I'll be picking up a set of Coilovers in the near future. I don’t plan on selling the car so I consider it an investment for something I'll be enjoying many years from now. I'm going to do it right the first time and be done with it. I'm also looking forward to the better handling as well.

Fast one's story of lowering with different shocks and then later switching to Coilovers - is one of dozens you'll find from others that did the same. Do the research and see for yourself.

JEEP/C5

This is the exact setup that I have ('01 z51 with HD Bilsteins). Plus c5z sways with aluminum end links and poly bushings.

I lowered my front all the way on the rubber bushings but I was only able to go about .5 inch lower. My rear is about .75 inch lower and the wheels look like they have the same clearance front to back - so it look right - looks even. I think it looks much better than stock (.5 to .75 does look lower than stock) and I didn't notice any difference in handling on any roads. In fact I feel like the rear end hold better since its lower - but that could be in my mind. Since I didn't lower it too much I have not had any issues with scraping any more than before.

BoiseVette

You just destroyed the "rake" of your vehicle necessary for good handling. You're supposed to have the front lower than the rear by about 3/8" - 1/2" (measured at the frame, not the fenders). Going even lower will introduce a host of other problems. You can find a hundred other posts if you search regarding this subject. The way that most of us drive our cars, we'd probably never notice the detriment to handling.

Greg MFn Z

Just lowered mine. Ride is rougher but not terrible. I need to log some more miles tho before I decide if I will go back up a notch in the back or not.

99 hardtop 08

I had a chance to talk to a Corvette engineer from GM. I asked him about lowering my 99 hardtop. He told me I could lower it 10mm which is equivalent to a 1/2". I did exactly that and have not sacrificed any ride quality. Good luck. Save the wave!

JEEP/C5

What are you talking about dude. My rear is still about .75 inch higher than the front. I mimic what the factory had on my ride measured at the fenders (easier to check).

BoiseVette

Im not looking for a contest because there is none. Im just pointing out a potential safety issue Id never live with in my car. Read what you just wrote again... you removed your rake -dude. Also, rake is not measured at the fenders because the panels are usually not precise or symmetrical... as has been stated a zillion times in other threads. Take your measurements from the frame.

The factory set it up with roughly a 1/4" rake. You took the rake out of your car when the resulting drop lowered the rear more than the front by 1/4". You stated that "the wheels look like they have the same clearance front to back" because they probably do! Also, looking right is irrelevant, and so is measuring from the fenders. Read other threads, learn & measure. Once you've done this, you might start to rethink returning it to stock ride height or going with coilovers. Most people that dont race spend the money for coilovers to remain lowered and maintain the ride quality and handling. This is usually after they have tried all the different shock combos and tinkered with ride heights. IMO, the nubs live with the new shocks trying to convince themselves it isnt that bad, till they put on enough harsh miles with busted shocks/flattened bump stops/smashed rubber mounts to make the change. People that drive on less than glass smooth roadways get tired of the crappy ride. But IMO that is a personal choice, and many here apparently dont mind the harsher ride or know enough about their cars performance to tell that they just destroyed a huge chunk of their handling and safety potential.

If you're happy with your car, then that’s probably all that matters. It'll still outhandle 99% of anything else on the road. Im a pilot so my mechanical things tend to live in as close to a perfect world as possible. FYI, after lowering on stock bolts, I can definitley feel a harsher ride in my cars ride at any speed and any road condition. In cornering, its much worse. "Fun" high speed corners, that Im VERY used to, are no longer safe at the same "fun" speeds.

JEEP/C5

Im not sure were the confusion is but i assure you my rear is higher than the front. Perhaps I did not type out complete thoughts earlier. I used the fenders as a reference point (i know its not ideal but it is easier and very relevant since I was trying to decrease what you "see" at the fenders and I measured before for a baseline. The factory had my z51 right around 27.5 inches in the front (measured at the center of the wheel up to the center of the wheel well) and the rear was 28 inch on the RL and 28.5 on the RR. So if I lower it .5 inch aprox. in the front and around .75 in the rear (I had to even out the rear since they were off quite a bit) the rear is still higher (measured last night 27.1 front and 27.8 or so rear). My front tires are slightly taller than my rears (275/35/18 F vs 305/30/19 R) so that will make a slight difference in my case as well.

This seems to be in line with what others have done as well. And I have not noticed any bad handling side effects at all. When I get a chance I will measure at the jacking points to confirm actual heights.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...things-ok.html

AU N EGL

and your car will ride like chit, and handle even worse.

Slight lower by about an 5/8"to 3/4" is OK and KEEPING the proper rake to the car. and a new alignment when lowered slightly.

Dominic Toretto

Maxed mine out on stock bolts and didn't notice too much of a difference. I have the F45 suspension also. The biggest difference I noticed was from going from runflat to nonRF tires.

-Alex

Vega$Vette

The only change to the suspension is shock travel. You are lowering the BODY on the chassis. So other then shock travel how does the change the suspension geomety?

Fast one

You're right Vega$Vette, the total suspension travel is unaffected by lowering the car and is limited by shock travel. I should have said reduced effective upward suspension travel because of the new lowered ride height. Also the various C5 spring rates produce different ride qualities after lowering. I had the base spring rates of 440 front/ 577 rear which explains the terrible lowered ride. The Z06 spring rates are 525 front/ 714 rear and would be less harsh. T1 spring rates are 700 front/ 900 rear but cost $800 each from GM parts direct. Stock spring rates and aftermarket springs can be found on Google, ( C5 spring rates ).

Butters00Vet

Don't forget that if your driving in cold weather your suspension is going to act differently then when it's let's say 80 degrees out. Your tires are going to to be stiffer, your suspension not going to be as responsive as well as your shocks. I'd say wait until the weather gets warmer before making any other changes to the suspension.