Help To lower or not to lower....

[Paul C7 to C8]

As a newbie Corvette owner I have a question for those with more experience with the C7as it comes to lowering. Pretty much all of my past performance cars were ( to various degrees) lowered. I am contemplating doing the same on the Corvette. I would think only aprx 1 - 1.25" in the rear and .75 to 1" in the front. I know that there are stock 'lowering' bolts on each corner and the task seems very easy. Any pros and cons from those who may have done this will be greatly appreciated. I have only put abt 100kms on the car as the weather is not Vette friendly, albeit I did change all 4 tires to (summer) Michelins. Thanks for any input.....

 

[Jeffer2013]

they seem to lower themselves over the first year or so,

I prefer to leave them alone as the 4 by 4 look is in for millennials

they look nice as is to me coming from trucks for over 40 years

Jeff

 

[Paul C7 to C8]

jeffer2013 - thanks for your response. Before lowering I plan on putting some miles on the car as its still basically brand new and see if some time and miles on it do indeed make a difference. I have always been a 'lower it' tastefully (I think) guy so I'm sure it will happen to the Vette as well. A slight drop and an alignment cant do to much harm. And as Im utilizing the stock bolts it will also be an easy reversal if I dont like it.

 

[Nik]

jeffer2013 - thanks for your response. Before lowering I plan on putting some miles on the car as its still basically brand new and see if some time and miles on it do indeed make a difference. I have always been a 'lower it' tastefully (I think) guy so I'm sure it will happen to the Vette as well. A slight drop and an alignment cant do to much harm. And as Im utilizing the stock bolts it will also be an easy reversal if I dont like it.

If it's for looks and your roads can handle it then go for it. If you plan on tracking it, driving to Toronto or taking a trip to San Fran then definitely think twice.

 

[ddgermann]

jeffer2013 - thanks for your response. Before lowering I plan on putting some miles on the car as its still basically brand new and see if some time and miles on it do indeed make a difference. I have always been a 'lower it' tastefully (I think) guy so I'm sure it will happen to the Vette as well. A slight drop and an alignment cant do to much harm. And as Im utilizing the stock bolts it will also be an easy reversal if I dont like it.

There is lots of guys who do exactly that with the lowering bolts. YouTube is full of how tos on this procedure.
I never considered it seriously for my car but it is a popular alteration.

Send us some before and after shots.

D

 

[AllFlash]

How are you going to be driving the car? Is it going to be a garage queen with the occasional Sunday drive and car shows...or do you plan to travel in it? I have been through this conversation countless times, not having lowered mine, and I am of the belief that the only person that will notice it is the person that is pro-lowering....and they can be a tough crowd if you don't follow their train of thought. On the C7, lowering pretty much mandates an alignment as well and can be quite expensive if your car has ground effects. Haven't lowered.... but then again I love driving around the US and Canada...frequently.

Having said that, I have been tempted as it does give it a different look but the cost is much too high for my travel...

 

[Paul C7 to C8]

How are you going to be driving the car? Is it going to be a garage queen with the occasional Sunday drive and car shows...or do you plan to travel in it? I have been through this conversation countless times, not having lowered mine, and I am of the belief that the only person that will notice it is the person that is pro-lowering....and they can be a tough crowd if you don't follow their train of thought. On the C7, lowering pretty much mandates an alignment as well and can be quite expensive if your car has ground effects. Haven't lowered.... but then again I love driving around the US and Canada...frequently.

Having said that, I have been tempted as it does give it a different look but the cost is much too high for my travel...

Thanks AllFlash. My driving will be mainly around town, maybe go for a wine tour in the Okanagan Valley, abt 4 hrs from me. I think you are correct in saying that the ones who will notice the drop are others who are also pro lowering..... until such time as you might see two C7s side by side with one being lowered and the other not. I think most eyes will be able to note the difference. I personally like the slightly more aggressive stance that the drop provides and as its an easy process which is reversible I do believe that at some point it will be slightly lowered. If anyone on this forum has already done this I would love to hear some feedback from you..... thanks

 

[Jeffer2013]

has anyone ever considered just lowering the front and leaving the rear end high for more of a raked look

Raked look. Jeff

 

[Rruuff Day]

Personally I think the C7 has a raked look already. The 19" fronts and 20" rears tend to lessen the fender gap and the sweep back up behind the rear tires tends to give even more of a rake impression... Not quite as much as the shackle lifts we use to mod with when we were young though... lol...

 

[Black 03 Z06]

If I had one I would go the dropped spindle route. Lowers the front of the car while keeping the suspension full and no alignment issues.

I would like to lower my C5 but the reality of where I live dictates it just is not going to work. Nasty road.

 

[Paul C7 to C8]

Rruuff Day........ Shackles, that does bring back memories..... lumpy, bumpy and cornered like s**t , nothing better than that LOL ... Good times

 

[Rruuff Day]

Rruuff Day........ Shackles, that does bring back memories..... lumpy, bumpy and cornered like s**t , nothing better than that LOL ... Good times

Naw Paul.... That's just the difference between a muscle car and a sports car...lol....My buddy has the remake SRT Challenger.... other than somewhat nicer cornering, it feels lumpy and bumpy... much like my Duster did....

 

[Ntmd8r]

I did lower my 2014 Z51 using the stock bolts.
But when I put lower profile and wider tires on it (for AutoX), I rubbed the lip
on the wheel wells... it actually started to wear the lips off.
Extreme cornering with the (limited) body roll, caused havoc.
So I raised it back up to stock height.

Another consideration (if you have a Z06 with splitter)...
bumps and dips in the road can play havoc with the front splitter (and air dam).

For my 2016 Z06, I am going to leave it alone, considering (again),
we AutoX and do some track days with it.

 

[Paul C7 to C8]

I did lower my 2014 Z51 using the stock bolts.
But when I put lower profile and wider tires on it (for AutoX), I rubbed the lip
on the wheel wells... it actually started to wear the lips off.
Extreme cornering with the (limited) body roll, caused havoc.
So I raised it back up to stock height.

Another consideration (if you have a Z06 with splitter)...
bumps and dips in the road can play havoc with the front splitter (and air dam).

For my 2016 Z06, I am going to leave it alone, considering (again),
we AutoX and do some track days with it.

Thx for your input, very valid points. Yes I do have the front splitter which is good enough reason for concern. However, I only plan to lower the front 3/4" and rear 1" and see how it goes. My Jaguar XK with splitter was also lowered and while being careful in certain areas that had speed bumps, I never had an issue. Im not planning on tracking the car. S_ _ _ _y weather out here for couple of more months then I'll prob drop it a bit and see.

 

[Keith Tedford]

Rruuff Day........ Shackles, that does bring back memories..... lumpy, bumpy and cornered like s**t , nothing better than that LOL ... Good times

Same with jacking up the old Chevelles, the ride, handling and comfort went out the window. I was happy with the low look that my old COPO Chevelle had. None of those miseries that can quickly spoil a fun ride. This car sat lower than most but zero wheel hop even when older.

 

[Paul C7 to C8]

Same with jacking up the old Chevelles, the ride, handling and comfort went out the window. I was happy with the low look that my old COPO Chevelle had. None of those miseries that can quickly spoil a fun ride. This car sat lower than most but zero wheel hop even when older.
View attachment 13536

Back in the day, that Chevy was pretty hot stuff.

 

[Keith Tedford]

Back in the day, that Chevy was pretty hot stuff.

From the factory, with the smog jetting and advance curve, it was pretty sad but easily cured.

 

[JCWP]

As a newbie Corvette owner I have a question for those with more experience with the C7as it comes to lowering. Pretty much all of my past performance cars were ( to various degrees) lowered. I am contemplating doing the same on the Corvette. I would think only aprx 1 - 1.25" in the rear and .75 to 1" in the front. I know that there are stock 'lowering' bolts on each corner and the task seems very easy. Any pros and cons from those who may have done this will be greatly appreciated. I have only put abt 100kms on the car as the weather is not Vette friendly, albeit I did change all 4 tires to (summer) Michelins. Thanks for any input.....

The car is plenty low now. Any lower and you will be scrapping the pavement when: going over speed bumps at the ferry terminal, steep driveways - mine scrapes a tiny bit backing out of my garage etc. The engineers built the car for optimal handling - so, I'd say leave it. You have the best handling corvette ever made - so, enjoy!!!! I would have bought one had I known GM was coming out with one in 2017.

 

[Paul C7 to C8]

The car is plenty low now. Any lower and you will be scrapping the pavement when: going over speed bumps at the ferry terminal, steep driveways - mine scrapes a tiny bit backing out of my garage etc. The engineers built the car for optimal handling - so, I'd say leave it. You have the best handling corvette ever made - so, enjoy!!!! I would have bought one had I known GM was coming out with one in 2017.

Thanks JCWP.... very very valid points. But damn, the rear wheel gap, (in my eye) is just too high. From the responses provided, no one seems overly concerned about the act itself of lowering on stock bolts, just the 'roadway' consequences of so doing. My initial thought was 1" to 1.25" in the rear, but, when I do lower it, I may start with .50 - . 75" in the rear and see how it goes. I have had aprx a dozen cars that were lowered (not to extremes by any definition) just a subtle drop depending on the gap on a particular car and honestly, while yes, I have had to be careful on certain driveways I have never had what I would refer to as a major issue or damage...... just luck perhaps. Thanks for the response.

 

[ddgermann]

Thanks JCWP.... very very valid points. But damn, the rear wheel gap, (in my eye) is just too high. From the responses provided, no one seems overly concerned about the act itself of lowering on stock bolts, just the 'roadway' consequences of so doing. My initial thought was 1" to 1.25" in the rear, but, when I do lower it, I may start with .50 - . 75" in the rear and see how it goes. I have had aprx a dozen cars that were lowered (not to extremes by any definition) just a subtle drop depending on the gap on a particular car and honestly, while yes, I have had to be careful on certain driveways I have never had what I would refer to as a major issue or damage...... just luck perhaps. Thanks for the response.

You may be suffering with the color contrast that emphasizes that wheel gap Paul.
I agree it is striking and looks funny on some cars.
I don’t notice it on my car as it blends in. I know lots of guys lower the C7s and frankly it’s a personal choice. For your car the contrast is quite strong to the eye yes. I wonder about warranty and as mentioned above alignment.
If there is no issues there... why not go for it and see how you like it. It’s your dream car so have it the way it pleases you man.

Another vote for black.

PS: they put it in the handicapped spot... not me. My first moment in the car was “anxiously” trying to get out of that spot ASAP.