Before you order Corvette C5 coilovers to make your car lower and tighter, answer two questions. Does it have electronic shock control? And do you want new shocks on the factory leaf springs, or a full conversion? The seven kits below are grouped by those answers, with BC Racing first.
Not sure about either answer? Call us at 1-800-460-9106 and we will help.
Animated illustration. It shows where coilovers sit on a car, not your exact kit. Depending on the car and the kit, coilovers can lean forward or back or stand straight up, and some cars use a separate spring and shock in the rear. Your ride height depends on the kit and how it is set up.
Answer these in order before you choose a kit.
GM's F45 option brought Selective Real-Time Damping, and 2003 and 2004 cars could have F55 Magnetic Selective Ride Control. KW has separate C5 kits for cars with and without these systems. If your car has electronic shock control, the KW kit includes a cancellation kit.
The C5 came with leaf springs that run across the car. KW's shock kits do not mention removing them. Its complete kits say "incl. leaf spring removal."
BC Racing, Fortune Auto and Feal each list one C5 kit. Their kit names do not answer either question, so give us a quick call.
BC Racing makes three series for the Corvette C5: BR, DS and ER. All three come on one kit, listed for 1997 to 2013, that fits the C5 and the C6. Its name says "Extreme by Default", so call us about ride height before you order. Free shipping on BC Racing kits in the continental US.
It is the same kit with three ways to adjust it.
BC Racing BR coilovers have one knob with 30 clicks that sets compression and rebound together. For a C5 driven on weekends, it covers the basics.
DS has the same 30-click knob plus a digressive piston for firmer body control.
ER uses an upright shock with a separate oil reservoir. Its 30 clicks of compression and rebound are set separately, so you can tune each one on its own.
To add Swift Springs to the BC kit, order through the Custom Build for BC Coilovers page and ask us about spring rates.
Three other brands make kits for this car too. Call 1-800-460-9106 with any question.
KW has four sets of C5 Corvette coilovers, all listed for every model, Z06 included. You choose by whether the car has electronic shock control, and by shocks only or a complete kit.
Fortune Auto kits are hand-assembled in Powhatan, Virginia. Fortune's Corvette coilovers on this page end at 2004, the last C5 year.
Feal's one Corvette kit spans 1997 to 2013, so it covers the C5 and the C6.
You want it lower but still comfortable. Keep the drop small and set the damping soft.
GM said the C5's Z51 package was for owners who want to autocross. A tunable kit takes that idea further.
Long sessions build heat. After the install, balance the weight at each corner and get a full alignment.
BC, Fortune Auto and Feal come first, then the four KW options. Each card links to the price and full kit name.
What Corvette C5 owners report most often, from owner forums, recalls and service bulletins, and what each point means for your coilovers.
GM bulletin PI0430 covers 2003 to 2013 F55 Corvettes and says a Service Suspension System message can come from a loose connector on a shock top, so check that before replacing the shock. One C5 owner reports both front magnetic shocks leaking at about 40,000 miles. The fix may be a connector, not a shock.
Before you install: Read the codes and reseat the shock connectors first; if you convert, tell us the car has electronic shocks so we match a kit with a cancellation module.
C5 and C6 owners on CorvetteForum report scraping the front air dam on driveways and dips after lowering, even on the stock leaf spring bolts, and warn hard hits can crack fiberglass or radiator supports. Several settled on a modest drop. Coilovers make it easy to go lower than the car can live with.
Before you install: Lower in small steps, check clearance on your own driveway, and get a fresh alignment once the height is final.
GM introduced the fifth-generation Corvette at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January 1997. Its words: "all-new from rubber to roof."
Two questions came with that design: electronics and leaf springs. They decide which KW kit fits. For the other three brands, a call settles it.
KW's complete C5 kits say "incl. leaf spring removal," so the factory leaf springs come out. The BC, Fortune Auto and Feal kits do not say. Call us and we will walk through the job for your car.
GM sold an optional F45 package with Selective Real-Time Damping, and on 2003 and 2004 cars an F55 Magnetic Selective Ride Control option. If your car has either, tell us, and we will match it to a KW kit for cars with electronic shock control.
All four KW C5 kits are listed for every model, Z06 included. The BC Racing, Fortune Auto and Feal kits do not name a trim level. Check with us before ordering one for a Z06.
Only if the kit name says both. The BC Racing and Feal kits run from 1997 to 2013, so they also work as Corvette C6 coilovers. Fortune Auto and KW list their C5 kits for 1997 to 2004.
It comes in three: BR, DS and ER, on BC's 1997 to 2013 kit.
BC Racing North America currently lists a two-year limited warranty on full kit orders, subject to its warranty terms. Each of the other brands sets its own warranty terms.
Call us Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern.
