calgary_z28

Well, took the SFC's off and it made a difference but not nearly as dramatic as I was hoping for. We did have some warmer weather the past few days (low 70's) and I'm still not satisfied with the ride quality. Particularly from the rear. I figure this is as good as the 295/35/18's are going to feel on warm roads. Unsprung weight is a bitch! The best way I could describe how it feels is "slow reacting." i.e. when I hit a crack,manhole cover or other roadway imperfection the rear end deals with it very poorly.

I think I may have to suck it up, take the wide 18/17 vette wheels off and get some quality all season rubber on my stock 16's. The ride quality is so bad that I am honestly debating selling the car. It's awesome pegging redline on smooth highway but it's straight up unliveable for daily driving through the city in my current configuration! The wide tires tram lining everywhere are driving me mental so I think it's time to go back to 16's with some 245's.

I honestly didn't think that going from 16" tires to an 18" 35 series would have such a negative impact on the ride quality. It makes me wonder how in the heck a C6 Z06 can run 325/30/19's. Does IRS make that much of a difference over our solid rear axles to compensate for rubber band sidewall tires on big hoops?

RevGTO

iTrader: (12)

Yep. That and everything else that makes a Vette different from an f-body. Apples and oranges. Hopefully you'll feel the difference with 16" tires. I may have said it earlier in the thread, but I'm pleased with the General Altimax HP for ride. Not a handling tire, to be sure. But they do a good job of absorbing the road jolts. I guess that's why they're a "Grand Touring" tire.

slowpoke96z28

iTrader: (2)

yeah, it does. My only argument against pulling the SFCs is whatever improvement you feel in ride quality is at the expense of your car's body taking the torsional stresses. in effect, imo, you feel better but you're killing your car to do it. Basically the harshness has to go somewhere, for a given road surface its always the same. the tire sidewall can eat it, the car's body can eat it, or your butt can eat it lol. like a medicine, SFCs have a side effect, a harsher ride. but you dont stop taking a medicine saving your life because its side effects make you lose weight or make you drowsy.

FormulaJoe

iTrader: (5)

SFCs as car saving medicine? Lol no. Sam Strano for one won all his championships in AUTOX without using SFCs. Now think about it, autox is waaaay more stressful on chassis/suspension components then you really ever will subject your car to on the street. Imagine the torsional stress you talk about that Sams car was subjected to while competing and winning championships... Haven't heard him talk about it being a problem and if I'm not mistaken his car still runs and drives great with the person he sold it to. There is no proven data in a handling scenario that SFCs help the car at all and definitely none for comfort.. Drag race is a different story... But don't make SFCs out to be a "life saving medicine" that will save your car from anything lol.. Nobody is killing there car without SFCs...

guppymech

iTrader: (7)

Nobody has mentioned it but if you guys have lca relocation brackets, the lower you mount the rear of the lca the harsher the rear suspension gets. It's like night and day to me from the stock lca position to even the middle hole on the relocation bracket.

calgary_z28

I hope so too! I'm going with 245/50/16 Firestone Firehawk Wide Oval Indy 500's. A friend of mine also has a 98 Z28 and his rides nice and smooth. Well, as smooth as an f body can be I guess.

libertyforall1776

iTrader: (2)

I am keeping my SFCs, by far, the pros outweight the cons on a Vert, IMHO.

My '01 SS door jamb says 30 PSI, and I tend to hover around 32 PSI -- what PSI were you running on your 18/17"? I am running 18" Grand Sport replicas on all fours w/Michelin Pilot Super Sports -- pretty happy.


Also for the rear end, look into the Fays2 Watts Link:

http://www.stranoparts.com/partdetai...D=67&ModelID=7

http://www.fays2.net/fays2_watts_link_21_.html

calgary_z28

^29-30 psi in the rear, 30-32 in the front. The roads here are in
really rough shape due to all the trucks and the harsh winters.

slowpoke96z28

iTrader: (2)

First, its just an analogy, i didnt mean it literal. Still, we're talking street cars that deal with pot holes, crazy driveway angles, etc, day in and day out, not hitting the cones on a nice surface. Funny too how sam strano SELLS subframe connectors, and he's not one to sell snake oil. Come drive your car in dallas county with no SFCs on a t-top car and let me know how many car washes you get through with no leaks or windshields you crack. These are things I've seen happen from chassis twist. You drive as much as some people do, I give you a year before any kind of high pressure water finds its way in. The data for me is my own experience and observing other's experience. I don't expect that to change your perspective, but i just want you and anyone else reading this to know where I'm coming from.

JD_AMG

Not to say they don't do anything but ask him how much of a noticeable difference they really make, and im betting you will get the same answer many of us say: "little to no difference". They're nice to have for jacking points and security, but thats really it. Ask the guy Sam sold his car to, he put SFC's on and was running SLOWER times so he took them off and his times improved. Why? They were dead weight.
I have 3pt SFC's welded in, and I noticed absolutely nothing. I race the car (autox and drag), and the streets around me are terrible. However before the SFCs went on the car I fixed the real underlying issue: the stock shocks. It wasn't chassis flex I was feeling, it was lack of rebound all around and too much compression dampening in the rear, causing a loose floaty ride while being jarring too.

Poor poor comparison.
These cars can leak under high pressure washers strait from the factory, the window seals are poor quality and the window alignment is always iffy. That has nothing to do with flex. With that said why are you taking your car through a car wash in the first place???
I have never heard of one of these cars windshields cracking from just driving on the street. I could see if it slammed down hard after a high wheel stand, but not under normal circumstances.

FormulaJoe

iTrader: (5)

Dude pot holes and crazy driveway angles? Really? Have you ever witnessed an autox event or a road racing event? We're talking the kind of driving that cracks and even completely rips out the stock sway bar mounts. Burning through brakes at an amazing rate and going through wheel bearings on a nearly bi-yearly basis... Have you ever heard of that with day in and day out driving up a sloped driveway? lol. And sure, pot holes suck for ANY car depending on the size of it. You don't have to tell me that man I live in Minnesota. Pot holes that hurt your soul just as much as the car. SFCs aren't going to protect your k member, control arms, bushings, ball joints, tie rods, wheel bearings, or wheels when going over a serious pot hole. Which take the biggest hit when going over a large pot hole.

Sure Strano sells them.. Easy way to make a few extra bucks by adding a product that people buy to the inventory, why not? Not saying it's snake oil.. Only bad things with them are comfort and added weight. But they aren't going to save your car from ANYTHING.