chimneyguy

I HAVE A 01 COUPE AND AM ABOUT TO ADD 18" MALLETS ALL AROUND..I DONT CARE TO MUCH ABOUT RIDE COMFORT ONLY PERFOMANCE AND DURABILITY..DO I NEED COIL OVERS AND SWAY BARS AND I AM GOOD, OR DO I NEED MORE; LIKE A ROLL CAGE OR WHAT? PLEASE HELP NEED NAMES AND IDEAS ...I DRIVE ABOUT 15,000 MILES PER YEAR STRICTLY PLEASURE, PLUS 15 OR SO AUTOXs, BUT I PLAN ON DOING MORE RACING IN THE FUTURE...I WANT TO DO IT ONCE AND DO IT RIGHT...THANKS FOR THE HELP

WestCoastCorvette

(chimneyguy)
The best thing to start with is shocks and sway bars, this will give the most handling change to the car. After that then you can go to coil overs, but I think you will be happy with the shocks and bars.
We have a special right now on a Hotchkis Sway bar set up, I can give you some special pricing on shocks also.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=707620
Email me for info paulm@westcoastcorvette.com


[Modified by WCC PAUL, 5:29 PM 12/17/2003]

chimneyguy

THANKS FOR THE INFO I WILL BE IN TOUCH BUT FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND COIL OVERS ARE THE ULTIMATE AND I HATE TO SPEND THE MONEY ON JUST SHOCKS IF I HAVE TO RIP THEM OUT IN A YEAR OR SO FOR COILOVERS...LIKE I SAID I AM LOOKING FOR THE BEST BUT YOU GUYS NO BETTER THEN ME :confused:

John Shiels

look in the road race section

ArKay99

:iagree:
Also, you could lower it, drive 100 miles, get it aligned. Coil overs are nice, but you have to set them up, for height, over/under steer, etc. If you have the Z51 suspension you might want to put a Z06 spring in the back and change the shocks to Bilsteins. Get as much weight off the car as you can. DynaBat battery, 2002+ Z06 mufflers, aluminum flywheel. A set of Brembo's would be nice for stopping. Since you are going with Mallet 18's all around I assume you are getting new rubber. Probably the most important mod for what you want to do is getting the right tires. Check Hoosier, Goodyear F1's, BFG-KD's.

chimneyguy

WHAT EVER I GET WILL BE PROF. INSTALLED I HAVE THE BASE SUSPENSION ONLY AND LG LONG TUBES ARE GOING IN AT SAME TIME PLUS I WILL BE GETTING THE KDs WILLWOODS NEW BIG BRAKE KIT TO FOLLOW SHORTLY


[Modified by chimneyguy, 7:15 PM 12/17/2003]

blown in n.c.

That $799 deal from WCC on the shocks and sways is KILLER!!

tcmc5

I'd forget about the coilovers. If you really want to go fast autocrossing use the money to buy a set of race wheels and R-compound tires. You'd be amazed what a C5 can do with 315 Hoosiers front and rear. If you want to spend more go for a really nice set of shocks ie Penske adjustables or Konis. Stiffer sway bars are nice. I have the Hotchkis set-up and it works well while being more liveable than T1 bars. And, at some point you'll also need to replace the stock bushings with poly. Have fun.

chimneyguy

SO THE COIL OVERS REALLY ARN'T BETTER?????? :confused: I KNOW WHAT SLICKS WILL DO AND AM GOING TO USE MY OLD RIMS FOR THIS PURPOSE...I DRIVE VERY HARD ON THE STREET THOUGH.....EVERY DAY IS AN AUTOX 4 ME


[Modified by chimneyguy, 8:47 PM 12/17/2003]

speedjohnson

I agree with tcmc5.

BTW you'll probebly need wider rims than stock for those slicks. sj

tcmc5

Set up perfectly the coilovers probably are better at least insofar as they allow so much tuning flexibility. But if you look at the results at the national level Vettes w/ leaf spring suspensions can't be beat in their classes. I suggest there are very few of us who can drive well enough to get all there is out a C5's suspension. Another good place to spend money would be on a harness bar (ie Hardbar) and a 5-point harness. Be safe.

leaftye

Check out the suspension mods by 3R. It lowers the front by 1" while keeping stock geometry, and has upgraded rear tie-end rods that help eliminate bump steer. Chevy has been refining it's suspension for a while. To throw it all away for a coil-over kit doesn't seem right. Anyway, if you were going to make such drastic changes, you might as well do it right and get shocks with remote resevoirs that can be adjusted from the driver's seat. I don't think you can do that with the coil-overs, but you can with the 3R kit.

With the kind of results 3R has been getting on the track, I think they have a great setup. I'll definitely go with them when the time comes if it means I don't have to go crazy with spring rates or swaybars. They're expensive tho.

chimneyguy

THANKS FOR ALL THE TIPS SO FAR...ALREADY WAS LOOKING AT THE BREY CRUISE, OR HARD BAR, OR 4-6 POINT CAGE..ANY RECOMENDS. ON BEST BUSHING BRANDS, SWAY BARS- T 1 , OR HOTCHKIS, AS WELL AS BEST SHOCK/SPRING SET UP :)

xtream1

As long as it's not ONLY a track car, I'd go with T-1 bars, Penske ADJUSTABLE shocks with remote resevoirs (sp?), and '02-04 Z06 springs along with BF Goodrich KD tires. If it's a track car, poly bushings and some R compound tires. Don't forget the harness/rollbar.

John Shiels

Figure what you have to spend first. You can go through thousands & thousands of dollars. The best money you can spend is on track events where you can really see what the car can do. Good Luck!

leaftye

The rollbar/cage and harness sounds like a good idea. You should consider swapping out to racing buckets too. Those will actually be part of my first round of handling mods. My goal is to be able to best utilize what the car can provide. Being able to stay in my seat, and not die if I accidently roll the car means a lot to me.

You don't want the T1 suspension. That suspension rides too hard for anything but the track. Unless you drive only on smooth roads, skip the T1.

Here's my list for a dream street/track suspension setup:
Momo steering wheel, opt. quick release hub
Roll bar
6 point harness
Sparco Evo seats
Z06 swaybars and metal end links
Bilstein sport shocks
3R front and rear suspension kits
Black polyurethane bushings, but only where I'm already taking a bushing out.
Z06 wheels or lighter....Racing Hart has a good history of making super lightweight quality wheels for imports, but I've never seen specs for their Corvette wheels.
Kumho autocross tires (not sure which model)

EFI-1

What's 3R? :confused:

leaftye

Something to consider in my setup is that I don't care to adjust anything. I just want to install some decent shocks and leave it alone. I like the way my Vette handles, except for the rear end float and bump steer. If I can get rid of those two problems, and get more handling, then it's doing everything I want. The kit above should do just that.

leaftye

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=702626

tcmc5

I'm using the bushings and springs from Vette Brakes.