Does Your XLR Ride Hard? Read This!!

[XLR ED]

I have my 2004 XLR for a year and from the first day I got it I always thought it rode stiff. If you hit a pot hole or any bumps in the road the car had a very hard ride.

I work for a used Corvette dealership and drive Vettes everyday at work. I was driving a 09 ZO6 with 4K miles on it and I thought this car rides better than my XLR. I remembered that in 2003 Corvettes with the ride control option were shipped from the factory with spacers in all of the shocks it had to do with tie down on the truck. The dealer was to remove the spacers when they did the PDI.

So I pulled my car in after work and put it up on the lift and removed all the wheels. I pulled the top boot on the shocks up and sure enough there was the yellow strap that is attached to the white shock spacer. This spacer is about 2" to 3" high and made out of a hard plastic and is to keep the shock from collapsing during shipping. I removed all of the spacers from the shocks and put the wheels back on and test drove the car. It is like night and day now the car rides like a Cadillac. The previous owner ordered this car new and it was the first XLR the dealer got in 2004. he put 23,000 miles on it and never had the car back for the ride issue. I will bet if he drove it now he would have kept it.

I don't know if all years had the spacers but 2004 sure did. So if you think your car rides hard check the shocks for the shipping spacers. Just pull up the top boot or look for a yellow strap hanging down on the backside of the shock. Pull the yellow strap down and twist the spacer off the shock shaft they are easy to remove. If the selling dealer wasn't also a Chevrolet dealer who sold Corvettes chances are they didn't know about removing the shock spacers.

 

[mtrocket]

WOW!!!! That's actually quite amazing!! My car has always rode like a Cadillac. Good post, though... you never know about dealerships when they get never before manufactured cars...

 

[Comfortzone]

I have my 2004 XLR for a year and from the first day I got it I always thought it rode stiff. If you hit a pot hole or any bumps in the road the car had a very hard ride.

Another huge difference in the ride is getting rid of the run flat tires!!

 

[mtrocket]

Another huge difference in the ride is getting rid of the run flat tires!!

I don't know about that... I have the factory run-flats and I have a very smooth ride. I doubt if I will get rid of the run-flats, I like the safety factor in having them.

 

[richardyoo]

Another huge difference in the ride is getting rid of the run flat tires!!

Amen to that... I'll never go back to run-flats

 

[b_pappy]

That's pretty funny the original snubbers were in there after all these years.
Bruce

 

[james04xlr]

I'm going to check for these this weekend when I'm under there swapping out the gear oil, you never know

 

[Cadiblk]

I checked mine and did not find the spacers as described. I did look up inside the boot and saw what looked like a yellow plastic dial. Is that for adjusting the suspension or is that the spacer you were referring to?

 

[05 GRAND DADDY]

I have my 2004 XLR for a year and from the first day I got it I always thought it rode stiff. If you hit a pot hole or any bumps in the road the car had a very hard ride.

I work for a used Corvette dealership and drive Vettes everyday at work. I was driving a 09 ZO6 with 4K miles on it and I thought this car rides better than my XLR. I remembered that in 2003 Corvettes with the ride control option were shipped from the factory with spacers in all of the shocks it had to do with tie down on the truck. The dealer was to remove the spacers when they did the PDI.

So I pulled my car in after work and put it up on the lift and removed all the wheels. I pulled the top boot on the shocks up and sure enough there was the yellow strap that is attached to the white shock spacer. This spacer is about 2" to 3" high and made out of a hard plastic and is to keep the shock from collapsing during shipping. I removed all of the spacers from the shocks and put the wheels back on and test drove the car. It is like night and day now the car rides like a Cadillac. The previous owner ordered this car new and it was the first XLR the dealer got in 2004. he put 23,000 miles on it and never had the car back for the ride issue. I will bet if he drove it now he would have kept it.

I don't know if all years had the spacers but 2004 sure did. So if you think your car rides hard check the shocks for the shipping spacers. Just pull up the top boot or look for a yellow strap hanging down on the backside of the shock. Pull the yellow strap down and twist the spacer off the shock shaft they are easy to remove. If the selling dealer wasn't also a Chevrolet dealer who sold Corvettes chances are they didn't know about removing the shock spacers.

Well sorry to say but, pulled tires and check today and there is no spacer in the boots. So I got appt. to drop it off Friday eve to get it checked out and pick up a loaner car and wait until I hear back from them!

 

[05 GRAND DADDY]

I checked mine and did not find the spacers as described. I did look up inside the boot and saw what looked like a yellow plastic dial. Is that for adjusting the suspension or is that the spacer you were referring to?

That is the round disc that holds up the boot in place.
Caddy Man Dan

 

[05 GRAND DADDY]

XLR Ride Update

Well sorry to say but, pulled tires and check today and there is no spacer in the boots. So I got appt. to drop it off Friday eve to get it checked out and pick up a loaner car and wait until I hear back from them!

Well it was the driver side shock bottoming out on 05 Grand Daddy Caddy, so got on the internet and order a set from GMPartsCenter.net best price for both front shocks shipped to door for $1233.15 got an email today shipped FEDEX today already! Dealer price at $1020.00 ea. I ask them for best offer and they did offer them at 756.00 ea. Now can any caddy dealer install or are XLR different. I have a Renn Kirby in Gettysburg that can do $166.00
Caddy Man Dan!:seeya

 

[tlongtx]

Hard ride

I have my 2004 XLR for a year and from the first day I got it I always thought it rode stiff. If you hit a pot hole or any bumps in the road the car had a very hard ride.

I work for a used Corvette dealership and drive Vettes everyday at work. I was driving a 09 ZO6 with 4K miles on it and I thought this car rides better than my XLR. I remembered that in 2003 Corvettes with the ride control option were shipped from the factory with spacers in all of the shocks it had to do with tie down on the truck. The dealer was to remove the spacers when they did the PDI.

So I pulled my car in after work and put it up on the lift and removed all the wheels. I pulled the top boot on the shocks up and sure enough there was the yellow strap that is attached to the white shock spacer. This spacer is about 2" to 3" high and made out of a hard plastic and is to keep the shock from collapsing during shipping. I removed all of the spacers from the shocks and put the wheels back on and test drove the car. It is like night and day now the car rides like a Cadillac. The previous owner ordered this car new and it was the first XLR the dealer got in 2004. he put 23,000 miles on it and never had the car back for the ride issue. I will bet if he drove it now he would have kept it.

I don't know if all years had the spacers but 2004 sure did. So if you think your car rides hard check the shocks for the shipping spacers. Just pull up the top boot or look for a yellow strap hanging down on the backside of the shock. Pull the yellow strap down and twist the spacer off the shock shaft they are easy to remove. If the selling dealer wasn't also a Chevrolet dealer who sold Corvettes chances are they didn't know about removing the shock spacers.

I purchased my '04 XLR in January 2015. Just read your article so i went out in the garage and jacked up the left rear. Guess what a shock spacer. I assume its been in there for 11 years! So this may be more common than you would think. Looking forward to removing all 4 and testing the ride.

 

[05 GRAND DADDY]

I purchased my '04 XLR in January 2015. Just read your article so i went out in the garage and jacked up the left rear. Guess what a shock spacer. I assume its been in there for 11 years! So this may be more common than you would think. Looking forward to removing all 4 and testing the ride.

Good thing I guess it should be an easy an inexpensive fix, and now that I think about it may of even helped save the life of the shocks!!! But the poor other owner probably thought the same thing as you!! What a terrible ride! Cruz'On


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Dan & Wendy
"05 GRAND DADDY"

 

[onalaska]

That must be some pretty tough plastic. I would have imagined that anything made of plastic would have been beaten to pieces with the shocks hitting it by now!

What a disappointment the ride must have been to some owners who never knew how comfortable the ride in their XLR could have been. It is also hard to believe the dealers were not informed about the spacers and their removal prior to delivery.

 

[3redc]

Hard ride

I have my 2004 XLR for a year and from the first day I got it I always thought it rode stiff. If you hit a pot hole or any bumps in the road the car had a very hard ride.

I work for a used Corvette dealership and drive Vettes everyday at work. I was driving a 09 ZO6 with 4K miles on it and I thought this car rides better than my XLR. I remembered that in 2003 Corvettes with the ride control option were shipped from the factory with spacers in all of the shocks it had to do with tie down on the truck. The dealer was to remove the spacers when they did the PDI.

So I pulled my car in after work and put it up on the lift and removed all the wheels. I pulled the top boot on the shocks up and sure enough there was the yellow strap that is attached to the white shock spacer. This spacer is about 2" to 3" high and made out of a hard plastic and is to keep the shock from collapsing during shipping. I removed all of the spacers from the shocks and put the wheels back on and test drove the car. It is like night and day now the car rides like a Cadillac. The previous owner ordered this car new and it was the first XLR the dealer got in 2004. he put 23,000 miles on it and never had the car back for the ride issue. I will bet if he drove it now he would have kept it.

I don't know if all years had the spacers but 2004 sure did. So if you think your car rides hard check the shocks for the shipping spacers. Just pull up the top boot or look for a yellow strap hanging down on the backside of the shock. Pull the yellow strap down and twist the spacer off the shock shaft they are easy to remove. If the selling dealer wasn't also a Chevrolet dealer who sold Corvettes chances are they didn't know about removing the shock spacers.

Hi
Do the shocks need to be removed to inspect them?

 

[05 GRAND DADDY]

Hi
Do the shocks need to be removed to inspect them?

No you do not just follow the above direction! Have a nice weekend!
Cruz'on


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Dan & Wendy
"05 GRAND DADDY"

 

[XLRATING]

Hi
Do the shocks need to be removed to inspect them?

You'll probably find grime on them when you jack the car up (we did) - just wipe that off & check back after you've driven awhile to see if they're leaking. The grime on ours looked like it might have come from leaking, kind of like when you see dirt build up from an engine oil leak, but after wiping them off & checking again later all was well.