Originally Posted by Paul Workman

This thread has come around more times that a carousel pony!

You long term C4 guys, see if this about sums it up:

1. Snobbery: Probably the most prevalent cause - and if you think it is limited to one of the Corvette generations, you should hear the snobbery from the Ferrari or Porsche crowd - that includes ALL Corvettes, new and old! Fuggum.
   
2. Piling on: It doesn't require any actual knowledge to diss something. As long as the one doing the dissing repeats what he believes some other "knowledgeable expert" says, then he's 'golden'. (Same people like to hear their themselves talk. Ever notice that?)
   
3. Ride quality: The early C4 was the first production car in the US to pull 1G on the skid pad. But, (according to on of Dave McLellan's books on the C4) development tests were conducted on test tracks and regions of the country where weather was not an issue. This, turned out to be a mistake, especially on the early C4s, when customers began driving their C4s on the pot-hole riddled streets of the northeast, especially. AND, because of the harshness, there was a lot of problems with dash plastic fasteners loosening up to where squeaks and rattles developed which gave way to (I think) most of the dissing and "hoopty" aspect. This issue was successfully addressed in the later mo C4s, but the reputation of being a hash, squeaky ride had stained the C4s regardless of year or model.
   
4. Cabin dimensions: The average person's height and weight has evolved toward taller, bigger people. The story Dave tells goes that manikins initially used to establish cabin dimensions including leg room and seats were from an earlier era (read: the average person was shorter/lighter). The die was cast, and although the seats and some minor refinements followed, the complaints regarding leg room and seats being too narrow persisted until the end of the C4 run/beginning of the C5 era.
   
5. Horsepower: HP was just beginning to creep out of the doldrums resulting from unleaded fuels and EPA requirements. So, by comparison to Vettes 25-30 years hence, even family grocery getters post hp numbers higher than the early C4s (especially). However, compared to any of the competition of the time, Corvette compared very well. In fact the SCCA eliminated Corvette from their showroom class race competitions because Corvette was always the winner. (This lead to the Corvette Challenge series cars that stood apart from the SCCA - barring nobody from competing: a proud moment in history for the C4 Corvette among all commer sports cars!

Improvements during the 80s in some of these issues engine performance most of all, didn't evolve as quickly at Corvette as they did in Europe. Consequently a gap between the European rivals and Corvette continued to widen in the 80s. But, that was about to change.

Long story short, a select group of engineers within Chevrolet/Corvette set a goal to build a world beater Corvette that could beat the best in class of what Europe was building at the time. Lotus, recently acquired for a time, was charged with building an entirely new, purpose-built (race) engine for the Corvette. And, because of their unique experience with designing and building all-aluminum motors - designed to run at full throttle most of the time, Mercury Marine was given the contract to build the new Lotus DOHC, 4-valve/cylinder design, aka the LT5, and the ZR-1 was born.

It's no secret that, as Dave McLellan said at one of the Bowling Green gatherings; "The LT5/ZR-1 stuck a finger in a lot of GM people's eyes!" Or, as he also says (of the LT5), 'it got GM Powertrain off their (hands) to inspire them to come up with a more competitive design. (The LT1/4 were inspired by the LT5 performance, and the LSx and Northstar motor shares significant DNA with the LT5 architecture.

The C3 had over-run its course, and sales put the entire Corvette line in jeopardy. However, it was the long awaited C4 that saved Corvette, in the early 80s; without which Corvette production might well have ended.

One more thought: For all of those that look back 25-30 years to bash the Corvette, I would venture to say most of them have neither driven, much less owned a Corvette, AND the C4 has more capability than 90% of those mouthy idiots can appreciate.

So...Enjoy your Corvette. Ain't nuttin like um!

Originally Posted by Paul Workman

This thread has come around more times that a carousel pony!

You long term C4 guys, see if this about sums it up:

1. Snobbery: Probably the most prevalent cause - and if you think it is limited to one of the Corvette generations, you should hear the snobbery from the Ferrari or Porsche crowd - that includes ALL Corvettes, new and old! Fuggum.
   
2. Piling on: It doesn't require any actual knowledge to diss something. As long as the one doing the dissing repeats what he believes some other "knowledgeable expert" says, then he's 'golden'. (Same people like to hear their themselves talk. Ever notice that?)
   
3. Ride quality: The early C4 was the first production car in the US to pull 1G on the skid pad. But, (according to on of Dave McLellan's books on the C4) development tests were conducted on test tracks and regions of the country where weather was not an issue. This, turned out to be a mistake, especially on the early C4s, when customers began driving their C4s on the pot-hole riddled streets of the northeast, especially. AND, because of the harshness, there was a lot of problems with dash plastic fasteners loosening up to where squeaks and rattles developed which gave way to (I think) most of the dissing and "hoopty" aspect. This issue was successfully addressed in the later mo C4s, but the reputation of being a hash, squeaky ride had stained the C4s regardless of year or model.
   
4. Cabin dimensions: The average person's height and weight has evolved toward taller, bigger people. The story Dave tells goes that manikins initially used to establish cabin dimensions including leg room and seats were from an earlier era (read: the average person was shorter/lighter). The die was cast, and although the seats and some minor refinements followed, the complaints regarding leg room and seats being too narrow persisted until the end of the C4 run/beginning of the C5 era.
   
5. Horsepower: HP was just beginning to creep out of the doldrums resulting from unleaded fuels and EPA requirements. So, by comparison to Vettes 25-30 years hence, even family grocery getters post hp numbers higher than the early C4s (especially). However, compared to any of the competition of the time, Corvette compared very well. In fact the SCCA eliminated Corvette from their showroom class race competitions because Corvette was always the winner. (This lead to the Corvette Challenge series cars that stood apart from the SCCA - barring nobody from competing: a proud moment in history for the C4 Corvette among all commer sports cars!

Improvements during the 80s in some of these issues engine performance most of all, didn't evolve as quickly at Corvette as they did in Europe. Consequently a gap between the European rivals and Corvette continued to widen in the 80s. But, that was about to change.

Long story short, a select group of engineers within Chevrolet/Corvette set a goal to build a world beater Corvette that could beat the best in class of what Europe was building at the time. Lotus, recently acquired for a time, was charged with building an entirely new, purpose-built (race) engine for the Corvette. And, because of their unique experience with designing and building all-aluminum motors - designed to run at full throttle most of the time, Mercury Marine was given the contract to build the new Lotus DOHC, 4-valve/cylinder design, aka the LT5, and the ZR-1 was born.

It's no secret that, as Dave McLellan said at one of the Bowling Green gatherings; "The LT5/ZR-1 stuck a finger in a lot of GM people's eyes!" Or, as he also says (of the LT5), 'it got GM Powertrain off their (hands) to inspire them to come up with a more competitive design. (The LT1/4 were inspired by the LT5 performance, and the LSx and Northstar motor shares significant DNA with the LT5 architecture.

The C3 had over-run its course, and sales put the entire Corvette line in jeopardy. However, it was the long awaited C4 that saved Corvette, in the early 80s; without which Corvette production might well have ended.

One more thought: For all of those that look back 25-30 years to bash the Corvette, I would venture to say most of them have neither driven, much less owned a Corvette, AND the C4 has more capability than 90% of those mouthy idiots can appreciate.

So...Enjoy your Corvette. Ain't nuttin like um!

Originally Posted by PLRX

Time for the C4 clown

Originally Posted by WW7

Do it Pete, do it.!!!!..........WW

Originally Posted by Frizlefrak

All the girls in the trailer park soak their thongs over the C4.....What's sexier than a middle aged high school janitor driving a 30 year old Chevy?

If you're thin skinned, the C4 (especially the 84) should be avoided like the plague. You will take crap for owning one. If that sets off the Butt-Hurt-O-Meter, I suspect other things do too.

Originally Posted by WW7

Friz,,,C4 Pride is alive and well in West Virginia.......WW

Originally Posted by Paul Workman

This thread has come around more times that a carousel pony!

You long term C4 guys, see if this about sums it up:

1. Snobbery: Probably the most prevalent cause - and if you think it is limited to one of the Corvette generations, you should hear the snobbery from the Ferrari or Porsche crowd - that includes ALL Corvettes, new and old! Fuggum.
   
2. Piling on: It doesn't require any actual knowledge to diss something. As long as the one doing the dissing repeats what he believes some other "knowledgeable expert" says, then he's 'golden'. (Same people like to hear their themselves talk. Ever notice that?)
   
3. Ride quality: The early C4 was the first production car in the US to pull 1G on the skid pad. But, (according to on of Dave McLellan's books on the C4) development tests were conducted on test tracks and regions of the country where weather was not an issue. This, turned out to be a mistake, especially on the early C4s, when customers began driving their C4s on the pot-hole riddled streets of the northeast, especially. AND, because of the harshness, there was a lot of problems with dash plastic fasteners loosening up to where squeaks and rattles developed which gave way to (I think) most of the dissing and "hoopty" aspect. This issue was successfully addressed in the later mo C4s, but the reputation of being a hash, squeaky ride had stained the C4s regardless of year or model.
   
4. Cabin dimensions: The average person's height and weight has evolved toward taller, bigger people. The story Dave tells goes that manikins initially used to establish cabin dimensions including leg room and seats were from an earlier era (read: the average person was shorter/lighter). The die was cast, and although the seats and some minor refinements followed, the complaints regarding leg room and seats being too narrow persisted until the end of the C4 run/beginning of the C5 era.
   
5. Horsepower: HP was just beginning to creep out of the doldrums resulting from unleaded fuels and EPA requirements. So, by comparison to Vettes 25-30 years hence, even family grocery getters post hp numbers higher than the early C4s (especially). However, compared to any of the competition of the time, Corvette compared very well. In fact the SCCA eliminated Corvette from their showroom class race competitions because Corvette was always the winner. (This lead to the Corvette Challenge series cars that stood apart from the SCCA - barring nobody from competing: a proud moment in history for the C4 Corvette among all commer sports cars!

Improvements during the 80s in some of these issues engine performance most of all, didn't evolve as quickly at Corvette as they did in Europe. Consequently a gap between the European rivals and Corvette continued to widen in the 80s. But, that was about to change.

Long story short, a select group of engineers within Chevrolet/Corvette set a goal to build a world beater Corvette that could beat the best in class of what Europe was building at the time. Lotus, recently acquired for a time, was charged with building an entirely new, purpose-built (race) engine for the Corvette. And, because of their unique experience with designing and building all-aluminum motors - designed to run at full throttle most of the time, Mercury Marine was given the contract to build the new Lotus DOHC, 4-valve/cylinder design, aka the LT5, and the ZR-1 was born.

It's no secret that, as Dave McLellan said at one of the Bowling Green gatherings; "The LT5/ZR-1 stuck a finger in a lot of GM people's eyes!" Or, as he also says (of the LT5), 'it got GM Powertrain off their (hands) to inspire them to come up with a more competitive design. (The LT1/4 were inspired by the LT5 performance, and the LSx and Northstar motor shares significant DNA with the LT5 architecture.

The C3 had over-run its course, and sales put the entire Corvette line in jeopardy. However, it was the long awaited C4 that saved Corvette, in the early 80s; without which Corvette production might well have ended.

One more thought: For all of those that look back 25-30 years to bash the Corvette, I would venture to say most of them have neither driven, much less owned a Corvette, AND the C4 has more capability than 90% of those mouthy idiots can appreciate.

So...Enjoy your Corvette. Ain't nuttin like um!

Originally Posted by Z51JEFF

You really need to ask this over in OFF TOPIC,people over there seem to have a handle on it.

Originally Posted by H P Bushrod

Who cares what the others think about the C4. If you like it (like I do), that's all that matters.

Originally Posted by Docderek05

Tomorrow Morning, like other C4 owners, I'm going to go out to the garage, give her a quick look see under the hood, if all is A-ok..gonna climb in, crank it up...feel the idle come down...adjust my seat..my mirrors..relax into my cockpit..and roll her out..put on my sunglasses, slip in my favorite CD, and go have a love affair with my favorite girl...for a few hours...running up and down my side streets..to the highway,, crank up my Bose, let my windows down...and enjoy the living hell out of her...that's what all Corvettes are about, forgetting about your BS work week, ...and enjoying a machine that makes you feel like a kid..all the time..everytime. Everything else is just someone knocking on a door that they haven't even entered...why listen to their BS? Enjoy owning a 'Vette...any model...any Gen...take my advice...Drive....don't talk...Drive.