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is there any issues putting these shocks on my c5 ? if so what did u run into & is there a part # on these ,gonna try to order them from gene culley ,my car is an 00 & has the factory shocks on them ,there going south in a hurry & everytime i hit a bump i can hear all of them making noises,is there anything else that i may need to buy with the shocks such as the shock absorbers or do they come with the shocks or no ,any help is very much appreciated ,thank you
I bought the rear z06 shocks, gene culley has the part number. I put them on my 1999 cause i had a rear shock that was blown and leaking oil, a super bitch to replace but they fit. I wouldnt say a night a day difference but it was a nice replacement and a GREAT price.
There are people that believe that if they don't purchase that $300 "EACH" shock, they are not getting the "BEST" shock!
How good of a driver are you that you can:
1- Drive your car to it FULLEST CAPABILITY!
2- Actually tell the difference between 5-6 different expensive shocks?
There are a small percent of people who attend special driving events and YEP, most of those people need expensive shocks. For 90% of us C5 drivers, the C6 ZO6 are just what the doctor ordered and will fill our performance needs without breaking the bank!
I have an 02 ZO6. I drive it hard and quickly noticed a weakness in the STOCK ZO6 shocks. They are NOT able to control the wheels very well on rough roads and ESPECIALLY on washboard sweeping turns. The car felt like it was going to vibrate off the road!
SO,,,,,,,,,I purchased FOUR of Genes 07 ZO6 shocks (Paid $240 for ALL FOUR NEW IN THE BOX shocks) and installed them. Installation is 100% OEM and does NOT require ANYTHING different than installing four stock 02 ZO6 or stock Coupe shocks.
The ONLY thing that you will notice that will require some work is compressing those bastards to get them in. You can compress them easily out side the car so, compress them OUT SIDE the vehicle and use some wire or heavy string to HOLD THEM compressed. Once there in,,,,,,cut the string/wire and your golden!!! They fit and bolt in easily!
ON THE STREET DRIVE ABILITY:
The new shocks have a little more pressure in them than new OEM C5 SHOCKS do. So there may be a little more ride height difference only because the extra pressure in the shock makes the car lighter on the springs. My ride height did not change.
Remember!!! A shock if PROPERLY designed and made for your application, has NOTHING to do with ride height! It's there to dampen wheel movement. If a shock bottoms out or limits suspension travel, you have the WRONG SHOCK! If you have worn out stock gas pressurized shocks and you install NEW STOCK C5 gas pressurized shocks, they will probably effect you ride height a little also.
When I first drove the car out of the drive way and down the street didn't really see a noticeable difference in shocks until I drove over some bumps in the road that I have driven over 1000 times in the past. There was a little more firmness and I felt the bumps a LITTLE more. Nothing annoying, just a little more firm than what I was use to.
The REAL improvement came in those sweeping turns!!! WOW! Much better wheel control and no more CRAP YOUR PANTS" vibrating off the road! I feel much more confident carving corners and the car handles much better.
My car is only lowered on the stock bolts. If you have a car that is slammed, the C6 Shocks may NOT be for you and you will need to get those SPECIAL SHOCKS that are able to accommodate a lowered vehicle.
Hell,,for $244. you cant go wrong! If you don't like them, SELL them and you will most likely get all your money back!
Im very happy! My old stock ZO6 shocks were NOT worn out and only had 50K on them so the improvement wasn't because of bad shocks! If your old shocks are shot, holy cow, your going to think you have a new car!
MY SHOCK 2 Cents!
Bill Curlee
Last edited by Bill Curlee; 07-16-2009 at 10:42 PM.
Bill ,ur absolutley right on with the price of these shocks, I will definatley be purchasing the 08z06 shocks front & rear for my 00 c5 ,thamk you for the replies guys
why would you buy a shock that was designed and tuned for the car with different wheels tires and springs?
just because it's off 2008 Z06 does not mean it would work well for your car.
best factory shock for a C5 is 2004 Z06 shock, but even then I would consider getting C5Z springs to go with it.
shocks and springs are designed to work together, you cannot just upgrade one half of your suspention and hope it all works out. sure it will be an improvement over old tired original shocks but you are still making a compromise.
That's why there's a forum for vette owners, I know people who would totqlly disagree with ur statement that u said the best shock for the c5 is the c5z06,this is uropinion,just like guys that run straightline,there gonna probably run lakewoods witH 2 & a half ext,so I really wanna get an opinion from people who have put the shocks on there car.& what they went thru to make it happen along with the overall feel of the car after the install,thanks bill,BTW BILL , why did u decide to go with the 07 z06 shocks instead of the c5 z06 shocks ?
Last edited by fsuforever; 07-16-2009 at 11:37 PM.
look at the differences in suspension setups - spring rates and sway bar sizes and decide for yourself
let's assume that OPs car is a C5 Z51
difference with C6Z:
swaybars: 28.6 mm 23.6 mm vs C6Z: 31 mm 28.8 mm
spring rates: 525 634 vs C6Z: 531 782
keep in mind that on each configuration the shocks are tuned to work with exactly those settings. shock, like any suspesion component is not selected with "bigger/stiffer=better" approach.
effect of swaybar thinkness is not linear with diameter but 5mm difference in the rear is significant
also notice 23% difference in rear spring rate
we have not even started comparing effect of tire sidewall height on the suspension or differences in control arm geometry or weight transfer under braking/power/cornering.
you can disagree with me, but numbers are numbers.
yes, C5Z is closer to C6Z ("halfway there"? :) so if you must use C6Z shocks, at least go with C5Z springs and maybe swaybars.
P R I C E and other forum member recommendations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The C5 04 Z Shocks are a LOT more than the C6 Z shocks. The C6 Z shocks flat out WORK! Trust me!
longdaddy is correct in one aspect. The C5 ZO6 springs, swaybars and metal endlinks are strongly recommended as an up-grade with the shocks!
I got my C6Z06 shocks from Bill. Great shock, great price and I installed all four in about 2 hours. Would have taken less time but I cleaned up inside my wheel wells. My coupe handles like its on rails and it raised the car about 1 inch which I needed to get in and out of my garage..
That's why there's a forum for vette owners, I know people who would totqlly disagree with ur statement that u said the best shock for the c5 is the c5z06,this is uropinion,
Actually there is a very good recommendation to use the 04 Z shocks on previous model Zs. Corvette Engineering made that one of their key recommendations when the 04Z came out. In 2003 I stood in the GM tent at Corvettes @ Carlisle and listened to the engineers make that recommendation while presenting the facts about the then new 04Z suspension which had been tested at Nurburgring. They described why it would improve the handling of previous Zs especially on washboard surfaces. No other shock has as strong of a recommendation.
Bill Curlee's post is an excellent description of his experience but even he states that experience is limited to the road and not the track.
It is very hard to find any equally well written descriptions of how other shocks would affect handling at the limit which is what I am concerned about.
My coupe handles like its on rails and it raised the car about 1 inch which I needed to get in and out of my garage..
if your ride height changed after shock swap, your suspension is not working correctly. no wonder it feels like it is on rails - it is on rails - you are putting weight on your shocks instead of springs. you should have that looked at
if your ride height changed after shock swap, your suspension is not working correctly. no wonder it feels like it is on rails - it is on rails - you are putting weight on your shocks instead of springs. you should have that looked at
Gas pressure in the shock adds some spring to the car. C6 Z06 shocks have higher gas pressure than a base C5 shock (especially one that's worn out). More gas pressure=more spring=greater ride height.
07-15-2009, 09:54 PM
08 z06 front & rear shocks for the c5
I feel much more confident carving corners and the car handles much better. 
