Very good. The only thing I would add is to ensue that you note the torque on the rear bolts is quite a bit more that the front bolts. I missed that little tidbit and ended up busting a front bolt which then had to be drilled out. Expensive mistake!

 

I used my smartphone camera to take sequential pictures as I rotated and removed the front sway bar. It paid dividends during the installation of the new bar for the spatially challenged guy that I am.

 

Informative write-up. Hope you can out there soon and test your handy work.

 

All right, the rain stopped, the sun came out, so I put the top down and went for a drive!

I definitely like the change. My prior fun car was a 2009 Miata GT. Much lighter, and probably more contact patch per pound than the Stingray. The lighter weight let Mazda get away with less power assist in the steering. I love the Stingray, but the Miata had much more direct steering, with noticeably better feel. And the lighter weight made a big difference in really tight, twisty stuff. It was simply more nimble and handled side-to-side transitions with more aplomb than my Stingray.

Adding the sway bars makes up a fair bit of that difference. The Stingray is much more poised in side-to-side transitions now, and the difference in body lean in a fast term is significant. I can take a fast turn with much more confidence. It'll never be as nimble as a Miata, but it's definitely more fun than it was before. (And has other benefits the Miata doesn't, of course.)

And the trade-off in terms of rider quality on bad pavement is very small. If I drove a car with and without back to back, I might notice the difference more, but the Stingray still isn't what I would call harsh, eve with the sway bars installed. Chevy should include a rear bar as stock on the base model.

If you're on the fence about this, and like to drive in a spirited manner, DO IT! Money well spent.

 

I added the Z51 bars about three months ago. The past few days I have noticed a thump sound when I hit a bump. It doesn't happen all of the time and I have heard it from the right front and left rear (I think). I have checked all mounting hardware for tightness and I can't see anything underneath that shows signs of striking anything. I'm not certain it is related to the sway bars but that is my best guess at this time. Any thoughts?

 

If you made sure both ends of all the end-links are tight, and the clamps are tight, I don't see how the bars could be hitting anything. Have you checked the lug nuts to make sure they're all tight?

 

Nuts on the link studs likely loose

 

All lug nuts are properly torqued. The end links seem tight but I haven't checked the torque. I will do that next.

 

While doing that, might as well check the torque on the control arm mounts and shocks too. Can't hurt, and you'll already have the car up on a lift or jack stands anyway. Wouldn't be the first time a different issue coincidentally cropped up after working on a car.

 

I've checked everything I can see and touch. I still can't isolate the issue. My best guess at this point is a bad shock because it sounds like the car is bottoming out on bumps but it clearly is not. Taking it to the dealer tomorrow.

 

Please update us with the dealers' diagnoses. Good luck.

 

Thank you very much "meyerweb" for this "adding Z51 sway bars" thread. And thanks to others who have added additional good suggestions. Can anyone please add the recommended torque amounts for this install, and/or any pics?

Thanks all!

 

These are from the 2014 repair manuals. Note that the front clamps are 22 lbs torque and the rears are 43 lbs. Very important detail.

 

Yes, the angular component is very important. If you torque the front clamps only to 22 ft-lbs they won't be near tight enough. The manual says that after you torque to 22 plus the rotation, ensure that torque is at least 37 ft-lbs. I'm not sure why the don't just say torque to 37, but there you go.

This reminds me of two other things: Torque to Yield bolts are designed to stretch when being tightened. Tightening them feels really weird, like they're going to break at any moment. Also, there really isn't a lot of room for one of those dial gauges. I ended up just eyeballing 50 degrees as slightly more than 1/8th of a turn, then putting the torque wrench back on making sure they were 37 ft lbs.

 

That is interesting, does anyone know why the setup is torque + angle and then check torque to be X?

 

I added the Z51 sway bar a few months ago.
For the way I drive, it was a complete waste, but it bugged me everytime I had the car on the lift and saw the open brackets on the car to accept the sway bar.

No longer bugged. I also feel that now I have a complete car....
Jack

 

Jack, is this the bracket you are referring to?

Never bothered me until I read your post :topsy_turvy: Now I will just have to stop looking under RedHot :smile-new:

 

I installed the 26mm non-MRC Z51 rear bar about three months ago, leaving the stock front bar in place. Knowing the stock bar is only 2mm smaller in diameter I posed the question of oversteer in the tech section of another site, hoping there would be someone listening who'd actually made the same mod. Based on that input I decided to go rear only. After the change I've noticed no final oversteer behavior when power is not applied, so I consider the decision to be a success. The main difference I sense in the ride quality is that the rear has a slight tossy feel in corners with uneven road surfaces, but overall ride is no worse, IMO.

I didn't really need to engage in this project at all, as I will never track this car, but at the time was looking for a cheap mod that might sharpen the car's handling a bit.

 

I installed the 26mm non-MRC Z51 rear bar about three months ago, leaving the stock front bar in place. Knowing the stock bar is only 2mm smaller in diameter I posed the question of oversteer in the tech section of another site. hoping there would be someone listening who'd actually made the same mod. Based on that input I decided to go rear only. After the change I've noticed no final oversteer behavior when power is not applied, so I consider the decision to be a success. The main difference I sense in the ride quality is that the rear has a slight tossy feel in corners with uneven road surfaces, but overall ride is no worse, IMO.

I didn't really need to engage in this project at all, as I will never track this car, but at the time was looking for a cheap mod that might sharpen the car's handling a bit.

This sounds very intriguing... sounds like something I'd enjoy also... where should one look to purchase such a rear bar (for a 'base' suspension). Any supporting vendors sell this at a reasonable price?
I had a 1LE Camaro that had a very comfortable initial oversteer (sort of a 'flick' of the rear), at turn in, that I'd like to duplicate in my 2014. That Camaro would go 'neutral' upon application of power just before mid turn... felt really good, and stable... if 'over cooked', would just run out on the rumble strips... exiting onto the front straight at Summit Point (WV). A most fun feeling! Sorry , got carried away in memories

 

Some SRF related, same subject threads:

http://www.stingrayforums.com/forum...sions/14819-benefit-adding-z51-sway-bars-2015-base-stingray-terms-handling.html

http://www.stingrayforums.com/forum...corvette-accessories/16968-added-z51-sway-bars-front-rear-my-base-corvette.html

http://www.stingrayforums.com/forum...stingray-corvette-discussions/17439-added-z51-sway-bars-today-few-thoughts.html

 

I got my bars, with all necessary parts, from Cultrag. I don't think they're a supporting vendor here, but you can Google them.

Trunk Monkey / Suburban Chevrolet is a supporting vendor here, and also sells the complete kit. I'm sure either can sell you just the rear parts if you contact them.

Whether adding the rear bar without changing the front will give you the initial oversteer changing to neutral I can't say. I recall a post on one of the forums from someone who added just the rear bar and wasn't happy with the results, but I don't remember why.

OTOH, there was at least one owner who put the bars from the mag ride (FE4?) suspension on his base car. This is the same front bar as the non-mag ride Z51 (which is what I added to mine), but a larger rear bar. He reported very neutral handling, neither understeering nor oversteering. Cultrag sells kits with either the mag-ride or regular rear bar. I think Suburban does, too.

You pays your money and takes your chances. If you add only the rear bar now, and don't like the results, you can always add the front bar later

For the rear bar, you need the bar, 2 end-links, 4 end-link nuts, two bushings, two clamps, and 4 clamp bolts.

To change the front bar, you need the new bar, new bushings, and 4 new clamp bolts (the old ones cant be reused). You can reuse the end-links and nuts.

 

Can't answer the question above, I'm afraid, but after having the bars in place for a while now, with lots of vigorous driving, even more daily driving on highways and surface roads, and some hot laps around the NCM track, I'm more glad than ever I did this mod. The car is just much more poised during cornering, and I notice no real impact on ride quality in normal driving.

 

What if the car has the mag suspension? Do sway bars even make sense at that point?

 

Z51 Mag Ride cars have the same front bar as the 'regular' Z51, and an even stiffer rear bar than the regular Z51. I think the mag ride base car still has the same front bar and no rear bar as the base car without mag ride, but I'm not 100% certain.

Putting a larger rear bar on the car without a larger front will result in less understeer (or more oversteer) than the smaller rear bar. With the regular Z51 bar set, the car still understeers, but less than with the stock setup. One person who put the mag ride bars on his base Stingray reported the handling is close to neutral, with maybe a bit of oversteer at the limit. For most drivers, terminal understeer is much safer than terminal oversteer.

If one confirms that the mag ride base Stingray has no rear bar, my recommendation would be to go with the regular Z51 bars, not the bigger mag-ride rear bar. Note that my advice may be worth exactly what you've paid for it.

 

What is the definitive give away you have mag? Beyond the feeling of a firmer ride in S mode?

 

I guess having 'wires' connected to the top of the shocks is a dead give away, at least it's not in the mind alone at that point.

 

I have a Stingray with mag ride and I can confirm there is no rear sway bar on the car.

 

I finally had the Z51 sway bars installed today. As just about everyone else has said, I cannot feel any difference in ride quality but the car feels more planted with less body roll. I wonder about the rationale for GM not including a rear sway on a base Stingray. It was standard on my '04 Corvette.

 

Congrats on the sway bars Paul! I told you I couldn't feel any ride difference in my butt meter! I just noticed the black chrome wheels in your signature, can you share some pics?

 

My understanding is that base rear spring is designed to provide additional 'anti-sway' properties (compared to Z51 rear spring) so a rear bar is not necessary. Adding a Z51 bar to base gives more 'anti-sway' than a Z51 rear set up.

 

FWIW, the Corvette leaf spring acts as an anti roll bar in all C7's. Paraphrasing some info on the subject:

"The extent to which a leaf spring acts as an anti-roll bar bar is determined by the way it is mounted. Beginning with the C5 model, the Corvette has had widely-spaced double mounts on the front and rear springs. The spring is allowed to pivot about these two points. When only one wheel is compressed the portion of the spring between the mounts assumes a horizontal "S" shape. An impact that compresses the left wheel will tighten the bend radius of the right half of the spring, thereby lowering the spring rate for the right wheel like an anti-roll bar.

For example, in a sharp right turn the left spring section is in compression and increases from say 500 to 600lbs while the right side would decrease from 300 to 200lbs.

With the Corvette's suspension configuration, the effects of the anti-roll bar and leaf spring add together at the wheels. This additive property allows Corvette engineers to use a smaller, lighter (or no) anti-roll bar than the car would otherwise require if it used conventional coil springs."


Note, all C7 springs use wide double mounts in front and rear. Don't think adding the Z51 bar to the base car provides "more" anti-roll than the Z51 since the Z51 spring rate is higher.

 

First, I don't know any way the spring can provide more "anti-sway" other than being stiffer, and it's not. The springs on the base model are softer than those on the Z51. And having driven a Z51 on the track at Ron Fellows, and my base + Z51 sways on the track at the Corvette museum track, I don't think my car has more anti-sway than the Z51.

 

The only handling characteristic that really bothers me about my base C7 is the understeer. I wish it was more neutral.

 

Adding the mag-ride Z51 sway bars will do that.

 

Keep an open mind... Just because you can't see it... and others agree, doesn't mean it isn't so... I had a finite element analysis engineer friend explain it to me (much of it going over my head) a long time ago. The anti-sway properties of the FRP transverse spring have been used on the Corvette since the 1984 model. The spring rate and anti-sway are designed into the spring (and it's mounts) independently of one another... as one goes up, the other can be designed to go go down. Google Corvette leaf spring, and read the Wiki page (more in depth info can be found). The base car HAS more anti-sway designed in, than the Z51 REAR spring. This is complex engineering, designing the profile of the spring, both outboard of the mounts, as well as between them. Putting the Z51 bar on a base car will give more TOTAL anti-sway THAN Z51 total. And your handling computer programing will NOT know you made this mod. Though it may FEEL good in 'normal' driving... when you exceed limits of tire traction, you will be in for a big surprise (potential 'snap' spin)... THAT'S why Chevy recommends this not be done (as someone else had noted).

 

Putting the Z51 bar on a base car will give more TOTAL anti-sway THAN Z51 total. And your handling computer programming will NOT know you made this mod. Though it may FEEL good in 'normal' driving... when you exceed limits of tire traction, you will be in for a big surprise (potential 'snap' spin)... THAT'S why Chevy recommends this not be done (as someone else had noted).

Just to make sure I understand your points, regarding the 2nd, are you saying that Chevy does not recommend the Z51 sway bars be installed on the base car? I'm surprised, since Chevy dealers market the upgrade kit nationally, including on this forum. Chevy Performance also sells the T1 suspension package for the base and Z51 Stingrays - it substantially changes the suspension, but there is no change required to the EBCM or StabiliTrak program.

My understanding is that StabiliTrak is an extension of the TC system, and constantly monitors driver input, wheels speeds and vehicle accelerations. If you get into an serious oversteer or understeer situation, StabiliTrak will come to the driver's aid, and modulate braking and power (to the extent it can) to correct the situation. This is all done independently of suspension stiffness characteristics.

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