Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikamaro
No. They weren't available at the time.
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While the upgraded damping and coils are important parts of the 1LE handling package, the key components are the rear sub-frame bushings and the sway bars. The ZL1 has a 28mm rear bar with a 25mm front bar. The ZL1 also uses a staggered wheel and tire setup. Withe the combination of bars and wheels it exhibits dramatically less under-steer compared to a SS. If you put the ZL1 bars on a square wheel and tire setup the car is neutral. Too neutral for sale by an OEM.
With the introduction of ABS there was a corresponding decrease in advanced driving skill. Without ABS, the driver had a lot to do when the car they were driving started to slide. Ina car with understeer and abs all the driver needs to know is mash the brake pedal to the floor, let abs slow the car and things will get better. That is how the overwhelming majority of drivers understand vehicle control. OEM's build to that type of driver.
Put the ZL1 bars on a 1LE. In a turn when the rear start to come around if you lift to use the ABS the car will spin as you lift. Stay in it, modulate the throttle, make a few steering corrections and drive right through it. That is perfect on a road course. To sell these at retail, GM added a 27mm front bar to move the needle between oversteer and understeer a bit towards understeer.
That brings us to your earlier review when you experienced snap oversteer. I suspected you had not installed the upgraded sub-frame bushings and now know they were not available for you to install. Those sub-frame bushings are mission critical. Without them, the increased loads from the sway bar, new springs and dampers magnify sub-frame movement. Installing the 1LE sub-frame bushes of my sub-frame bushes will increase the stability and predictability of your 5th Gen.
Our preference for those that use OEM 5th Gen bars is to buy the ZL1 bars. We are doing a booming business with 1LE owners in 1LE balance bars a.k.a. our 32mm rear Z bar and now you know why. I look forward to hearing from you next season with upgraded sub-frame bushings.