Ride comparrison Z51 and Non Z51

EZERUSS

EZERUSS

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Ok Guys

I need your help
I have to make a decision on the 2 cars available to me. Colour aside the difference is Z51 and non Z51. Most of my driving will be touring and I have driven a Non Z51 the ride in touring is better than I expected. have never driven a Z51.
How does the ride compare? Any help will be greatly appreciated but I need to know ASAP. Decision day is tomorrow.

Lets hear from anyone with experience here please.

 
Ok so no replies yet so.... Anyone who owns a Z51 C7 how is the ride quality in touring Mode?

Is it smooth or is it really firm?
 
EZERUSS said:
Ok so no replies yet so.... Anyone who owns a Z51 C7 how is the ride quality in touring Mode?

Is it smooth or is it really firm?
Click to expand...

I would go for the z51. More items included on the car and better resale value, not only my opinion but from most others as well. To get everything the z51 offers, you'd spend more then $5,000 or so extra. The ride is not harsh of too firm. I don't have the magnetic ride control, but for a sports car, I like the ride better then my wife's MDX.
 
EZERUSS said:
Ok Guys

I need your help
I have to make a decision on the 2 cars available to me. Colour aside the difference is Z51 and non Z51. Most of my driving will be touring and I have driven a Non Z51 the ride in touring is better than I expected. have never driven a Z51.
How does the ride compare? Any help will be greatly appreciated but I need to know ASAP. Decision day is tomorrow.

Lets hear from anyone with experience here please.
Click to expand...
I would go for the Z51 the ride is great in touring mod, gets stiffer in sport and yet stiffer again on track, but for normal every day driving tour is very smooth, depending on roads in Winnipeg they have only about 10% great roads to drive on, 40% passable and the other 50% are classified as non corvette roads.
 
I also have the Z51 without Mag Ride Control, and I like the ride, it's not harsh, just very firm. If I was to buy again, I'd still go with the Z51 but probably get the MRC, but from my perspective so I could get the stiffer ride in track mode and the benefits it gives in handling. I could definitely feel the difference between the two on the track at Spring Mountain
 
I would concur with the observations above, particularly that for the money the Z51 and MRC factory options are a bargain. I have the Z51 option with the MRC and I can definitely feel the suspension difference between Tour and the other more aggressive modes. Through my research on MRC I found out that GM (before spinning off Delphi) was the inventor of the technology, so this is a case of getting a leading edge performance component from an expert manufacturer.
 
I only use mine in Sport and Track.
Track, and in "Race" mode (of course) for autocross, and Sport mode for regular driving.
None of it seems too harsh for us.... maybe we are just so used to racing that we
just don't think about ride comfort versus handling.
 
Don't think there is a difference between the z51 and non-z51 suspension, the z51 option gives you the MRC option, that isn't available with the base model. Have a z51 with the MRC option and in tour mode the ride is very comfortable. I agree with others here about choosing the z51 option it is a bargain and better for resale.
 
At least with the Z51..you have choices..... when switching between Tour, Sport and Track modes...it's like driving 3 different vehicles...the steering/suspension/handling changes significantly ... I can't speak for the non-Z51... but I am not sorry that I opted for the Z51.
 
Sargon said:
Don't think there is a difference between the z51 and non-z51 suspension,
Click to expand...

Quote from Josh Holder, Program Engineering Manager, answering the question "...What are the core differences between the standard car and the Z51?"
The biggest difference is roll stiffness. The base car has no rear anti-roll bar and a smaller front bar for a better ride. The base car also comes with a taller [aspect ratio] tire. Overall diameter is the same. The base car has an 18-inch front/19-inch rear setup. The Z51 has 19-inch front/20-inch rear. The Z51 has more on-center feel and more response, but it’s more sensitive to road disturbances. The standard passive dampers are tuned largely for the track. The Z51’s optional MR dampers, in their extreme setting, are just a touch stiffer than the passive damper, while the softest setting is much, much softer. We look at the active-damper-equipped Z51 as the no-compromises car. You get the ultimate in track performance and handling without a harsh ride.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for all the input.
I got a chance to drive a Z51 Coupe today and the ride is quite different from the base car but I am sure purely from the tires. Just some freeway driving and a bit of side road to compare the ride with a base car. The first Z51 car I ordered doesn't have the mag ride control. Like I said before won't track the car so mainly concerned about touring in it and comfort.
You know what shocked me the most was how loud the Coupe is inside compared to the convertible with the top up. Twice as loud. No Coupe for me. And who put that silly skip some gears stuff in this car. That sucks in my humble opinion.

Salesman is giving me final pricing tonight and I will make my decision. Love the yellow.......love the Z51 wheels.......not sure about the DOSM
 
If your not going to track the car it is pointless to buy the Z51. If you like the look get the ZF1 package and save your money. If you look at the performance in handling the Z51 provides very little improvement, based on Car & Driver articles etc.. The base 'Vette is one of the best handling performance cars when it comes to handling on the skid pad tests.

If you drove a base vert vs a Z51 coupe it may be the tire noise you are hearing, different tires and not so much the differing design. The z51 tires are much noisier according to those who drove both. You can easily Dynamat the trunk area and wheel wells to eliminate most of that.

Google base vs Z51 C7's , lots of discussion on the U.S forums regarding this subject, might help.
 
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The coupe I drove was the Z51. After we got home my wife tells me that the car had magnetic ride control and I have no idea how .it was set. Does it change when you move from Touring to sport to track on its own or do you have to set it? I have no plans to track the car and both cars will be here in a week or so.
it is about colour and ride quality. The Z51 was definitely stiffer in touring than the base car I rented
but I believe that was tires ....but then I find out about the ride control.

Car #1 first build last October. Z51, 2Lt Velocity Yellow black interior convertible
Car #2 second build because I was told cannot get a Z51 or Yellow for 2015 and would have to change colour to get a 2015
so car #2 Base model 3Lt DSOM with Kalahari Convertible.

Both cars got built so I have a choice.

The noise was cabin noise and the different pavement was really noticeable in terms of tire noise. The convertible is so quite compared to the coupe it is amazing.
As I said before its about looks and ride quality for road trips 3 days to 14 days.
I really appreciate the feedback.

Later....
 
EZERUSS said:
The coupe I drove was the Z51. After we got home my wife tells me that the car had magnetic ride control and I have no idea how .it was set. Does it change when you move from Touring to sport to track on its own or do you have to set it? I have no plans to track the car and both cars will be here in a week or so.
it is about colour and ride quality. The Z51 was definitely stiffer in touring than the base car I rented
but I believe that was tires ....but then I find out about the ride control.

Car #1 first build last October. Z51, 2Lt Velocity Yellow black interior convertible
Car #2 second build because I was told cannot get a Z51 or Yellow for 2015 and would have to change colour to get a 2015
so car #2 Base model 3Lt DSOM with Kalahari Convertible.

Both cars got built so I have a choice.

The noise was cabin noise and the different pavement was really noticeable in terms of tire noise. The convertible is so quite compared to the coupe it is amazing.
As I said before its about looks and ride quality for road trips 3 days to 14 days.
I really appreciate the feedback.

Later....
Click to expand...

If the Z51 had MRC and if the default settings had not been played with, the MRC should change the ride in the each mode, ECO/WEATHER/TOURING have the softest ( and closest to base stiffness), then stiffer in Sport then the stiffest in Track mode. Only way to tell if it had MRC is when you change the drive mode to Track, if you have MRC you have 5 Track settings, if non MRC you just have the one Track mode. The non Z51 I believe the suspension is comparable to the MRC Sport mode.

The ride is going to be different due to many things:
- tires
- shocks base has 35mm & Z51 has 45mm Bilsteins
- bigger stiffer stabilizer bars

So if your not going to track it and want a great cruising car save your money and go with the base, still a fantastic car.
 
And..... CAGS (Computer Assisted Gear Selection)
The "Skip Shift" is something that GM has put in the Corvette Manual transmission since the C6.
It allows them to certify the car as having a lower fuel consumption so they don't get classed as a "Gas Guzzler".

In any event, that is easily, quickly, cheaply circumvented.....
A $30 part that is just plugged in to the connector at the transmission... tada... fixed.
(You still see the light come on the dash, but the forced shift to 4th is eliminated... you can put it in any gear you wish).

Google "CAGS Skip shift eliminator"
 
My C5 had it as well. What at PIA but as NTMD8r says easy to eliminate. Manny at Dasilva did mine, I don't even get the light any more.
 
The noise was cabin noise and the different pavement was really noticeable in terms of tire noise.

Almost all cabin noise is tire noise in the coupe as I said you can eliminate most of that with a $200 mod. The convertible by design separates the wheel wells from the cabin as the trunk is separated, so cuts off a lot of that noise. Smaller luggage space though so a trade off and of course the extra $5k isn't nothing to sneeze at. The base model tires are said to run much quieter than the tires on the Z51/ZF1 which add to the noise in those coupes. I like the look of the 'vert with the top down but not so much with the top up. Everything is a trade off. I'm not big on yellow so would likely go with the DSOM orange 'Vert. I like the orange , course mine is Crystal Red so they are similar. I might swap out the base tires for a different looking rim depending on what is on it. I went with the ZF1 because I liked the Z51 wheels but wont be tracking the car. Decisions, decisions, first world problems eh :)
 
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Well Folks
The yellow Z51 is what we chose. In the end it was all about the price protection or lack of it. The yellow had some and the Orange had none. Not really happy about the deal but want the car.
Hope the ride is Ok for us. The car is great and I will know this weekend how well we like it in Z51 trim.
Take delivery Friday afternoon.
Thanks again for the input very valuable.

Later....
 
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