dizwiz24

Just curious what the others thoughts are....

Im hoping its going to bring the corvette back to where it was !

(ie. its not meant as a cadillac for the golf-course types hauling golf bags to-and-from tee times).

72MiuraSV

No. I don't think a new Corvette will ever compare to a C4. If you look at the time period that the c4 was in and the model it replaced, the C4 was a MAJOR jump. I love the high sills, clamshell hood it just feels more special when your car is hard to climb in and out of and the hood makes up 40% of the body. The C5 is faster but I never liked them much because they seemed to be a step towards a softer luxuary car and less pure sports car. I'd take bad ride and less technology anyday to be more involved in the driving experience.

zr1fred

God, I hope not. I wish I could be like a Corvette, better and faster every year.

Tom400CFI

This basic kind of question has come up a couple times here recently.

*I* feel that the Corvette needs a radical change to have the effect on the buying public, that the C4 did. The C7 is not radical. It is an awesome car (on paper), but not a radical improvement/advancement. The basic philosophy/architecture of the car hasn't changed since the C4, IMO.

Axial

Bandit's C4

The main transition noticed is from a "road" inspiration to a "race" theme as the technology trickles down to the "civilian" market.
The C4 marked the end of the that trend.

Recall the C5-R, C6-R's technology -shows the true influences on the "hows" and "whys" from the racing technology. Shows the true reason why the areodynamic drag of flip-up headlights were only a catcher's mitt of wind resistance. Same for the new air and cooling vents incorporated in the front, wheel openings, transmission, and venting around the taillight assembly.

Logistically - its a technological improvement.
Aesthetically - its a European flair.
Does it recall clues to the C4? The cockpit and dashboard.
Am I partial to it? - not exactly.

The C7 Corvette had to make a statement just on its reputation... and it did just that.

shakedown067

I think they are certainly making it more of a driver's car again like the C4...when you get it and you just feel "BECAUSE RACE CAR!" Hopefully the C7 will give us that same feeling when we crawl into the cockpit! I think it will anyway.

RedLS1GTO

If you think that is all the C5/C6 is capable of you are clueless beyond words.

RedLS1GTO

The single reason that the C5 and C6 models don't have that feel is the seats. The stock ones are... well... awful. It doesn't take anything more than swapping them out to give the C5/C6 every bit of the "Because Race Car" feel of the C4.

I daily drove an '87 Z51 for 3 years and an 02Z for about 5 years. Once I put some decent seats in it, it had just as much "race car feel" at cruising speed and made the C4 feel like a go-kart when you actually hit the gas.



The seats in the C7 look to be WAY better than the C5/C6 factory seats were... maybe GM actually does listen from time to time.

shakedown067

Couldn't agree more. The cars are simply fantastic, but the seats and some of the interior just feels too roomy for a sports car. I'd DD a C5/6 anyday if I had the budget and room in the driveway. Hell, I'd love to be able to fit two golf bags in the rear with room to spare!

dizwiz24

Im not trying to start a fight here, but is it possible the issue with that fully prep'd c4 you had wasnt totally the car ?

Maybe in the c5/6 platform, you (personally) are going to be faster. Due to the way you interpret/interact the handling / feel of the car. Each person is different.

Obviously a stock c4 vs. stock c5 z06 is going to lose. I just have issues with your 'never will be' & 'never can be made to be' attitude towards the c4. Theres a lot of us that work very hard to make our c4's competitive.



I am a test engineer for a company making automotive parts. When we do tests we like to minimize the number of variables. Best when just one variable is changed at a time.

It would be really interesting to put some of those same c5/6 drivers who would ran faster lap times than you did, into your c4.

Im not saying by any means that you are not a great driver (definitely a lot more racing experience than me).

Ive seen a guy (jeff swerko) generate faster AutoX time driving a beat-up white 95 camaro z28 convertible 6spd (no mods that I could see) vs. a fully prep'd big money, caged, stickered, decal'd track-only c5 z06 at local autoX events in akron, ohio area. This was in ASCC (now defunct - akron sports car club) and NORA in the 2003, 2004 timeframe.

TommyFox

Wish they could get a steering wheeling that looks good and bring back the clam shell.

RedLS1GTO

"totally the car..."? What the f**k are you even talking about?

I'm not talking about my '96. That barely even counts as a C4. The only original parts left on that car were the doors and the rear glass. My comment was with respect to stock, or relatively close to stock cars. The C5/C6 is better in absolutely every quantifiable aspect of performance. That is not debatable. It is a simple fact, backed by near infinite data.

As for the '96, it is a very fast car for what it is. I never said otherwise. There are some faster C4s out there, but it is definitely towards the top of the list of street legal cars. I could run low 2:0X laps at VIR with scrub R compounds on it.

Try to keep up. I never said that my Z06 will be faster than the '96. It has 100 less hp, so I would certainly hope not. With that said, if it had equal power to the '96, it absolutely would be faster.

Again, what is your point in comparing a Camaro to the Z06? If a stock 94 Camaro outran a Z06, it was because the guy in the Z06 couldn't drive, and no other reason. I drove a friend's Miata a few years ago at an ACU6 AutoX in VA and put down a better time than a guy who brought his new Gallardo... as well as quite a few guys in Vettes, WRX, STi, etc. Does that mean that the Miata is a better car than the Lamborghini and the rest?

What you somehow fail to grasp is that ANY person with even minimal driving skill will be faster in the C5/C6 than in the C4. With the same driver skill, whether you are talking stock vs. stock or when equally modified, the C5/C6 will outperform the C4. That is not an opinion.

You like the C4 better... great. You have made that more than abundantly clear with your posts but your constant refusal to admit that the C5/C6 is a better platform with respect to performance is laughable.

Very simple question. If you take a 100% stock 2002 Z06 and a C4, pick any year and option package you want, with the exact same hp/tq numbers (but otherwise stock) to a road course, with the same driver, which do you think will put down a better lap time, and why?

Tom400CFI

No kidding? So THAT was the problem with my C6! I wish someone had told me before I sold the thing! I had no idea that seat would fix:
*Dead-pan throttle modulation/response
*Uninspired feeling acceleration
*Minimal feed-back steering
*Generally dull driving experience (except when on track)

Just one simple mod would have fixed all that? Wow! I guess I missed out then.

mike100

The C6 actually has tons of feedback near the limit. It is a little high to explore on the street. Also, the larger displacement engines make them a little challenging to drive with 285 rear tires- especially when not up to temp.

The c4 is a great street car-I haven't had the opportunity to track mine (and I'm not talking autocross).

Tom400CFI

I agree. As I tried to imply, at the track it was fun. Really fun.

On the street? Not so much. Not "racy" feeling at all, and seat's aren't going to "fix" that.

JrRifleCoach

The C7 is a radical departure from the iconic Corvette lines.
I think that the C7 will help to make all previous years more desirable.

Its not that I don't like the C7.
The C7 just doesn't say Corvette as the previous models have.
Except in name.

RedLS1GTO

The only C6 that I spent any time in on a track was a 100% stock 2005 Z51. It had great steering feedback and feel at it's limits. Maybe if you actually drove it anywhere near it's limits you wouldn't have had those opinions.

And as for the original comment, yes, seats really do make all the difference in feel whether it be acceleration or cornering.

I'm thinking the main problem with your C6 was the person behind the wheel.

Tom400CFI

This sucks. It seems like Dizwiz was attempting to explore a reasonable thought. Whether he's right or not...didn't he at least state the question in a respectful/appropriate way? Look at parts of the response. Yikes.

I'll answer your question Red; The '02 Z06, mostly b/c the limits of the C5^ are more attainable and partly b/c of slightly higher limits and less weight.

Tom400CFI

And here is more of RedLS1's "blessing" to this forum. "Maybe if I drove anywhere near it's limits". Ahh well there is the helpful post that we were all looking for. Thanks! How do you assume that I didn't drive to the car's limits? Did you notice where I already said that at the track it was fun? I guess you didn't READ that part. Anyway, if the "problem" was the person behind the wheel....I AM the owner of the car, and I do get to decide if I like the thing or not.

I'd like to know how seats make the car feel faster, and have better throttle response. When you mash the throttle, and it takes .05 second for anything to happen...how's a SEAT, fix that??