What type of suspension mods?

[Zeanster]

I love my vette, however, I am not fond of the 'floaty' nature of the factory suspension. Also I find that my Z06 does not feel as glued down to the road as my STi. I realize that the Z will pull more G's.

I am wondering if the 04 shocks give more of a locked down to the road feeling.

I know that DJWorm has suggested many time that expensive double adjustable shocks are far superior to the factory setup.

Is there a alternative to the Penske type shocks that would improve my 2002 Z?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Dean

[Nocturne]

What are you current allignment settings?

What is the car's rake set at?

What size tires are you using?

[fcar]

Lower car as recommended, do '04 shocks and get alignment. You'll be happy..for awhile! It'll cost you $325 for shocks and maybe $150 or so for alignment depending, I guess, on where you live.

[Z06Machine]

I feel the same way about the locked down feel. My G35 feels lighter, tighter and more nimble until...

I re- aligned the car, a very slight toe 1/16th total or even 0 toe OUT makes the car feel easier to steer and lighter. Try 1 deg neg camber up front and .8 neg in rear with a slight toe in 1/16th total. Get as much positive caster as you can. The car will feel much better around town and at speed.

Rake is important at speed, if you lower it on the factory settings use the same number of turns all around and it should retain the same rake. It needs to be 1/2" lower in the fron than the rear..........measured from the frame rails to the gound.

BTW the seats are not nearly as good as the ones in your STI or My G35. That makes a big difference. I have the Corbeau Forza I bought for track use, but I have been leaving it in except for out of town trips. Sit in these and you feel much more locked down. The Hotchkiss sway bars are a nice compromise as well, a noticable improvement. The T1's are not for the faint of heart on crumy roads. Mine is an 04 it rides firmer , but not really rougher...than my friends 02.

[DJWorm]

As above, lower and align more agressively. Make sure tire inflation is correct.

The '04 shocks are a good shock for a street driven only car.

However if you have serious wheel hop and/or are going to track the car or compete with it then the Penske's are the way to go as they give a higher level of performance and tunability

[DJWorm]

[quote=DJWorm]As above, lower and align more agressively. Make sure tire inflation is correct.

The '04 shocks are a good shock for a street driven only car.

However if you have serious wheel hop and/or are going to track the car or compete with it then the Penske's are the way to go as they give a higher level of performance and tunability.

The Penske's are especialy needed if you lower past the factory recomendations. If you are competing with the car and the rules allow then lowering further than the factory bolts allow will give you better performance and handling.

[PriestYates]

Originally Posted by DJWorm

The Penske's are especialy needed if you lower past the factory recomendations. If you are competing with the car and the rules allow then lowering further than the factory bolts allow will give you better performance and handling.

What are the Penske shocks called and where can you find them?

Thanks, Randy

[tahoe Z]

go penskes/like day amd night.best mod

[Zeanster]

Thanks for the responses.

If I had more time in the summer I would like to do some track days, however at this point it is strictly street driven.

The suspension is completely stock at this point, including tires ride height, and alignment.

I will try the shocks and lowering.

[Zeanster]

In regards to the Penskes, I will be watching the new Z06, if I decide to keep my current car I will be installing a Magnusen, and upgrading the suspension with the Penske's.

[DJWorm]

The model # of Penske's shocks that are applicable for the C5/Z06 is 8100.

I recommend the Double Adjustables with Remote Reservoirs. New will cost just over $3,000

[01ZEE06]

I've slightly( ) modified my suspension and it's like a Racing Kart with a good ride.

Penske's triple adjustables, 800# Hypercoil springs up front with a T1 swaybar using Hal end links. Rear has 700# Hypercoil springs and no sway bar.

Polygraphite bushings everywhere. 10x18 Fikse's up front and 12x18's in the rear(LPE tubbed). Right now it's tuned for Michelin Pilot Sports 285x30x18 front and 335x30x18 rear. As soon as I wear these tires out, I'm going with MPS Cups 295x30x18 and 345x30x18 as I'm traction challenged on the street. Also, I'll be getting some CCW's and Kuhmo's for DE days(as soon as Kuhmo makes the bigger sizes in the V-710's) and want to do do more auto-cross. Use nitrogen rather than air in the tires. Oh, I almost forgot, I've got a stainless ceramic coated backbone, which is used in the new C6, Vipers, and our beloved C5R's. If they feel it's necessary in these cars, I'm sold

Suspension tuning by Guy Ankeny @ Ankeny Racing Enterprises. Man, does this "Guy" knows his shift. He specializes in Penske's for race car setups and he's an Auto-X champ. Fortunately for me, he's about 30 minutes away

Guy and I did extensive testing on the skidpad, auto-x course at the Streets of Willow. Guy was very pleased with his setup and we didn't need to change a thing. With new tires, we start all over testing and will probabily need to make some changes.....

The street ride is excellant, but of course it's no Caddy. I just got a 2005 STI and it rides a lot better and really sticks, but it can't keep up with my Z. Prior setup was totally brutal on the street and was coming off the ground (at speed at Willow Springs.....accelerating on turn 6's little hill on the big track at about 100mph and it was air born).....not any more

This was very expensive and time consuming creation, but I'm extremely happy with the final result. I solved my problem by throwing a lot of time and $ at it

I bought an off the shelf coil over kit and wasted a lot of time and $ trying to get it to work, to no avail. In my frustration, I decided to take DJ Worm's advice and get the best

[Elite Engr]

Originally Posted by 01ZEE06

Oh, I almost forgot, I've got a stainless ceramic coated backbone, which is used in the new C6, Vipers, and our beloved C5R's. If they feel it's necessary in these cars, I'm sold

Yes, it's a great mod for the price. We have sold a ton and everyone loves the results the Tunnel Reinforcement Plate gives.

Jeff
www.eliteengineeringusa.com