SPANKY LS1

Anyone still racing the "lowly" C4, lol? Got any pics?

I am a newbie to HPDEs, and am contemplating building a weekend racer, and obviously a C4 would be the most reasonable way (financially) to get into this.

Do the C5s and C6s have any inherent advantages over the C4 cars when considering this, such as suspension design, parts availability, etc etc?

Anything other, specifically, to consider when looking for a "project" car?

Thanks, Shawn

0Paul Ruggeri

Hi Shawn,
See picture on the left. This is me at Thunderhill in my 86. I use it for HPDEs. Are C5s and C6s superior? Yes. They have better handling, HP and brakes. But, you can get a C4 much cheaper. There's nothing inherenty wrong with C4s, they're just older technology. If you're buying one, look for the lowest milage Z51 you can afford. This will give you a good foundation for a track car. These cars are a lot of fun on the track and easy to modify. The problem is if you want to compete with C5s and C6s you'll be at a real disadvantage.

Have fun, Paul

Aardwolf

Here is a picture of mine at Road America:



I have some video up here to of Road America:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...05903045&hl=en

It looks better if you download and run it full screen. I put the C5 front brakes on mine, it was under $300 from parts here on the forum. PM me if I can be of any help. There have been a few recent topics on the C4 as a track car to, run a search for lots of reading. A C5 would be nicer to track but it would hurt to much for me to lose that much. There are lots and lots of parts and places to get parts for C4 C5 and C6. If you have other questions try C4 tech. An LT1 would be nicer on a road course.

BrianCunningham

Just HPDE's and autocrosses for me.

Great cars.
Same the mod # and buy seat time, and [i]tires[/b].

Some more pics here, lots of ex SpeedGT cars
http://www.tccracing.com/

Mojave

Check out my site: http://www.mowhineracing.com

YorkL8apex

Buddy and I Low and Hi Speed AX in ZR-1's. C5's have better brakes by far but a C4 can be set up to be competative. For Low Speed AX 89 Z51 6 speed is a great car if you can find one. For HPDE I'd go with LT1 or LT4 (LT5 is my fav of course).

C4 is a great way to go for an inexpensive track car. 99 or 2000 FRC is a great bang for your buck in a C5!

Gary04Z06

I track my 96' 6-10 times a year (HPDE days). I can take a lot more expensive and newer cars in the turns, a lot of the new cars have more Hp though so the straights they can take me.
Kinda fun passing a $110K car with a 11 year old Vette.

astock165

A couple pics of my a/x & track day car.




There has been much debate about C4 vs C5 as far as which is better or worse. The sentiments here that the C4 is good, just getting dated is right on IMHO. And the recommendation to start with a Z51/Z07 you can afford is right on as well.

It comes down to cost and what you like. Personally I could win Powerball this week and my first project would be to build my old girl into the biggest badest BSP car I could.

0Vector Vette

If you are interested in buying a C4 track car that is already done. let me know, I know of several that are for sale.

ScaryFast

Here ya go, old vs new:



This question gets asked a lot on here. The bottom line is this: you need to decide what you plan to do with this car NOW before you spend a dime.

If you're going to do HPDE's or Auto-X then the C4 is a fine platform to start with. Good power in the LT1 cars, good handling, and inexpensive brake upgrades.

If you plan to compete on the open track with just about anyone (NASA, SCCA, NCCC, etc) then you must go C5 or you will not be competitive. TCC has some classes with C4's only but the number of entrants is diminishing as time goes by and C5's get cheaper. The technology leap was just too great between C4 and C5.

astock165

I have to admit to some ignorance here: where do C4s and C5s compete in the same class? Maybe it's more common than I've seen, I've only dealt with SCCA Solo2 and one local TT club.

Scooter70

Here's my old '91 Z07:



This look familiar Brian?




It was nothing special. Just a salvage title, stock Z07/FX3 running Hawk pads and GForce R1s.


Sounds like somebody's feeling a little salty, eh Jon? I agree wholeheartedly though. We ran the above car in COM time trials in the same class with C5 Z06s and got crushed. If your goal is to be competitive in any class of racing, you need to find the "car to have" and buy one. Starting with any thing else just puts you at a disadvantage from the beginning.

ZBRA

Here is a pic of mine.

Carolina C4 Racer

In a C4 you can have just as much fun as the guy who spent 75-80K on a new Z06 but you won't have as much speed. Speed always cost money & for the money C4's are a good deal.

0Vector Vette

TCC runs C4 and C5 cars in the same class. We have allowed the C4 to run 383 engines to compete with the C5 cars. It has worked pretty well. I run the C4 in my avatar against the C5's all the time. I am not going to lie, they are tuff to beat, but I am very competitive. Craig Gelston from North Carolina will be running his C4 again this season and he will be the favorite to win the Championship. Gary Nickerson from New York also runs a C4 and he is always very fast and probably would have won the championship last year if not for a blown motor at Watkins Glen.

Don't get me wrong, it isn't easy to get a C4 to compete with the C5's. But it can be done. Everyone who has driven both tells me the same thing. The C5 is easier to drive, easier to be fast in. That is why I am building a C6. I am hoping it pushes me over the top.

ScaryFast

When you get into the higher HP classes most cars are classed based on pwr / weight ratio. I'm most familiar with NASA as that's what I run, but I know some about the SCCA T1 class as well.

NASA - there are a few classes in which 'vettes can run, but basically they fall into the VVC class. We all know who wins with stock cars, so do some mods to your C4 and you'll find yourself in the unlimited class. In Time Trials the C4 starts one class lower (TTC) than the C5 (non-Z06) but quickly passes it with simple mods like brakes, tires, and certainly any HP mods. The C5 Z06 is one class higher (TTA) than the C5, and it won't take much to get a C4 into a class with stock Z06's. My C4 has a similar pwr to weight ratio to a C5 Z06 and I'm a class higher!

NCCC also classes based on mods. Stock goes against stock, modified goes against modified.

Slalom4me

It may just be the McLaren Papaya Orange paint, but my thoughts
turn to Nuvolari's car when the subject of C4 RR's comes up.

It was posted for sale and may still be available: F/S Corvette Lightweight GT Racecar

Here is a link to more photos.

B-ras

A couple of my dad's:

'96 pro built






'85 home built






See more at banditracing.com

ScaryFast

I actually looked at that car a year or so ago. Nice ride, but just not competitive in most circuits nowadays. Wasn't it an old Speed GT car?

But still, the C5 Z06 came out and just beat the hell out of everything out there. I honestly don't see the C6 Z06 having as much of an impact. It's such a specialty vehicle that not nearly as many will be sold, meaning they won't be cheap 5 years from now.

In addition, the aluminum frame makes it hard to weld a cage in...

cnewman57

Does anyone know anything about the front spoiler on this car? I've been looking for something similar to this for a while.