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Gymkhana suspension

12K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  bendover 
#1 · (Edited)
How would I know if my '82 has the "Gymkhana" suspension I see listed in the 1982 Corvette specifications? I see they made 5457 cars with this suspension, but I have no idea how I would tell whether or not I have one. My '82 has a 7 leaf steel rear spring. Is that what the Gymkhana suspension is all about? A 7 leaf steel spring? Or did the Gymkhana suspension use a single leaf fiberglass spring? And is the Gymkhana suspension a stiffer suspension? My '82 is pretty rough riding, and I have often suspected my suspension is stiffer than normal. Also, I have heard the car's specifications are on a gas tank sticker. Where on the gas tank would I find this sticker? I bought this car with only 43,000 miles on it back in 1988, and I really doubt the previous owner would have removed the sticker.

I can put my car into a sideways slide and there is hardly any body roll at all. And when I jack it up ANYWHERE on the frame, both left (or right) side tires lift up off the ground at virtually the same time. It's REAL stiff. Gynkhana?
 
#7 · (Edited)
So what does the Gymkhana spring do? Does it give the car a stiffer ride? Is it some kind of high performance option? And does the Gymkhana suspension come with a different set of front springs?

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE. I just went outside and counted my spring leaves. And I have 9 leaves; NOT the 7 that I thought I had.
 
#8 ·
While there are only 7 springs, they are stiffer than the standard 9. The stiffer suspension allows the vehicle to turn sharper and faster without the body "rolling". For performance handling (and braking), you want stiffer, stronger suspension (but your ride will be rougher). For a more comfortable ride, a more forgiving suspension set up is better, at the cost of performance obviously.

As far as stronger suspension in the front, cars with the Gymkhana suspension package also stiffer front suspension. There's really no point in upgrading one with out the other, as you will run into problems with the front and back having different roll rates.
 
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