jdk541

So this morning my car was up on the lift at my performance shop getting my new Baer Drilled and Slotted Rotors installed. They let me in the shop to watch the whole process. Rotors look great and are a huge improvement visually. Well it just so happens that the vehicle on the lift right next to mine was a Z06 getting some major work done. I had to check it out and was noticing the huge difference in the diameter of the swaybars.

We talked about options to upgrade my swaybars. He is going to look for some that they take off a Z06 or a Z51. This could be pretty inexpensive and quick upgrade.

If I were to just put the thicker swaybars from a Z06 or Z51 on my stock coupe would I feel and difference in stability, etc... or would there need to be more done?

red2012

I am far from a expert on this stuff but I can tell you I put the JOC suspension ( shocks and sways ) in my '12 coupe and it was a little subtle change. I have read comments where guys have changed bars and stated " it totally transformed the car " or it was like driving a different car. Transformed my ***. Half the people BELIEVE the car was drastically changed just for the simple fact they changed to a performance part. The other half know what the real deal is. The only way to tell for yourself is to possibly drive one and see if YOU can feel a big difference or any at all.

gdc

A lot of folks are replacing old worn out parts which makes it feel like a more drastic change.

Knob Jockey

I changed to Z51 sway bars w/OEM rubber bushings on my F55 equipped Vert. I really like the compliance of the MSRC suspension, and I think urethane bushing might have made it a little too stiff.

The difference was quite noticeable, much less body roll and just slightly stiffer overall.

This was done at the same time I went to Z06 brakes and bigger wheels and tires, so un-sprung weight was also increased.

From what I've read from the "track guys" this change to Z51 bars may not be the best approach for a base coupe, making the car over-steer a bit.

I have 275/35/18X9.5 and 345/30/19X13 wheels/tires and IMHO it's balanced well enough for any antics I might pull on the street.

Of course YMMV and PFADT has some options you could also consider.

LJD51

I did the same thing to my '05 coupe and I would recommend this upgrade to every base/F55 equipped Corvette...stay away from the urethane bushings as they can induce bump steering in curves and corners.

vig1116

I wouldn't put the Z06 on a base suspension, it will be too stiff IMO and not perform well. I put the Z51 bars with PFADT bushings in my base for $200 plus an additional $100 for new end links and they made a pretty good difference over stock. I like the way it handles bumps better too, more smooth IMO....

wrh3

I had my GS for about a week before upgrading to the JOC Stage 1. I guess it depends how you drive the car as to whether you'll notice a difference or not but both myself and a friend thought the car felt a LOT better in transitions, less nervous and more planted with reduced body roll.

For under $1k I felt it was a worthwhile improvement.

RocketDawg

My '03 C5 had a base suspension. My '09 C6 has the Z51 package. I can tell a lot of difference in cornering. Going straight ... not so much. But the ride is stiffer.

The improved cornering could be due to the newly designed C6 over the C5, or it could be due to the Z51 option. I don't know, but the C6 is definitely better. But it hits bumps harder too.

peter pan

I also had a base suspension C5 and C6. On C5 I did C6Z sways, Pfadt Coilovers and entire bushing upgrades. I set it up stiff for tracking, Vette was stiff around town and on rails in the Texas Hill Country.

C6 I changed my base setup to Koni FSD shocks and C6Z Sways, I do run 275 tires up front and 325 out back. The Koni shocks are great for a daily driver and with the Z sways I have been a tad over 1g in the turns. With Koni shocks not a stiff ride even with the sways.

If I was staying stock size tires I would not go with stiffer sways than the Z51 unless I was on the track.

1Sikstik

I've got Hotchkis sway bars on mine. I never experienced my car with oem sway bars so I can't give an opinion on the difference between the two. Did a couple of 2+ hour road trips in it and is very comfortable. Very good cornering ability too.

LFZ

You'd be better off getting a complete package of shocks and sways in order to take control of the handling and feel any difference. Sways alone won't come alive until you take turn; however, the "upgrade" could always use other upgrades as well in order to take full advantage.

Homer3D

The complete JOC package is a great value upgrade. I did just the JOC sway bars because I have MSRC and didn't feel like changing out the shock just yet. But just the sway bars really make a noticeable difference on my 2013 GS. If/when my stock shocks go out I will probably get coilovers.

gbranham

When I had my base 2008 coupe, I upgraded to Z51 sway bars, and reused the stock end links. While I noticed some marginal improvement in handling, I also noticed a TON of racket coming from those end links. Going over any bumps at slow speed, they made all sorts of clacking noises. I tried to retorque them countless times to no avail, and ended up spending $300 for some nice aftermarket end links from a vendor here on the forum (can't remember who it was). THAT made a bigger difference than the sway bars in terms of driveability and handling. It sounds crazy to spend $200 for new sway bars and $300 for the end links to bolt 'em up, but it's a necessity.

In the end, I think I would've been better off putting the $500 toward aftermarket exhaust, as it would've been a bigger 'bang' for my buck, so to speak.

Greg

berk4422

Base to Z51s made a noticeable difference. I was very pleased. I like the way the car felt in corners and seemed much more "on the rails".
I could have stopped there, but I decided to go with Koni FSDs and now the handling is outstanding for my type of driving, touring with the wife and occasional track day without the wife. Good luck with your decision.

edit: stock end links, stock bushings - no issues

MikeinAZ

I have the base suspension and had upgraded to Bilstein HD shocks and went to a performance driving/racing school last year. I did not enjoy the way the car handled at all and it had a lot of understeer in turns. I came home and 4 days later had Eibach sway bars put on and it did make a drastic difference, the car handled much much better in turns, very neutral. If you do not push your car or ever plan on taking it to a track the stock bars are most likely fine but if the car is driven hard, the stock sway bars are very inadequate. I have mine set to just a tad over the Z06 stiffness and love them.

vettejbb

I put Z51 Sways on my base 2010 and definitely felt the difference when cornering.. The car seems more planted.. However the other thing I did was change the base shocks to Bilstein HDs which made really made a big difference.. While it is not a Z51, spirited cornering feels more compliant and confident and it was a relatively cheap upgrade..

wayback

Same thing happened to me. I was at LG having some work done and the were putting on some T1 sways on the Z06 next to me. It was a brand new Z so I asked if they were for sale. They gave me a great installed price.

I love the way the car rides now and have over 80,000 miles with the z sways. At first I was running with Pfadt inverted adj sport shocks but just replaced them with Bilstien sport shocks. Very happy with this set up.

And for those who say it does not make any diff you are welcome to come drive my car.

06 C6 vert

I put the Z51 sways on my base Vette . Huge upgrade . Turned my Vette into a proper sports car instead of the blvd cruiser it was.

I also went with the poly bushings. Prolly one reason of the huge difference in cornering power .

I also got the free upgrade to the 2011 end links installed at the Chevy dealer. ( I have a good dealer )

This combo made my Vette very tossable and much more fun.

I live in the mountains and do a lot of turn carving.

Vette Lag

A noticeable change in handling requires a significant change in the suspension. All OEM equipment, even on the Z06 and ZR1, has shortcomings, due to the broad nature of the target audience. I put coilovers, GM T1 swaybars, poly bushings, and lowered the car (C5 Z06)and a more agressive alignment, and the results were dramatic. Racecar type levels. I lowered my 427 Vert, and GM T1 swaybars, and it handles somewhat better. Definately more settled coming into a corner.

truckplay

I run Z06 sways on my F55 coupe. the factory ones made it ride ride a Buick

I was told not to run these sways unless I have 325 tires but I like to HANG THE TAIL OUT with my sticky Bridgestones. DO NOT RUN GY'S or they will KILL YOU