thunder1951

The steering on my C4 reminds me of the Indy racer cars steering, its tight, agile and heavy and very responsive!

aklim

Indy cars do 200 mph, none of our cars do those speeds and make those maneuvers, even in our fantasies on the streets

JrRifleCoach

^^ Your still on your meds? ^^

aklim

Never needed them so I can't give you any. Maybe Obamacare can help you afford your prescription. Besides, it isn't legal for me to give you psychotropic mess even if I had any.

RIC96

I hadn't driven my 96 in six years and when I first took it out to assess it's condition I thought "I'm going to have to get this steering looked at." That thought lasted for all of three minutes!

Paul Workman

Several references to idle rpm... both of our ZR-1s idle is set at 850-950 rpm, mostly b/c it tames the ZF rattle in conjunction with aluminum FWs (in addition to using a sprung clutch disc). There is no perception of heavy steering...as result?? Anyway, higher idle speed be part of the answer. And if so, under drive pullies in conjunction with (600) rpm idle speed
... comes to mind (just thinking out loud).

N227GB

I think the OP should try driving another C4 just to make certain something wasn't going on with the first one he's ever driven.

I'll admit though my C4 seems to expect more control input force than modern cars, and in a good way, to me at least.

I travel a lot and rent a lot of Dodge Challengers, Mustangs and Camaros. Last fall I even had a chance to take a Lotus Evora around some twisty Ohio roads. Even with the "Sport" setting turned on, the steering was lighter than my C4. Dodge Challengers are my favorite cars to rent right now (love the AutoStick shifter) but for the life of me I can't really notice when I have the steering in sport mode. I'm talking about the setting that is changed in a menu on the display, not the "Sport" button on the dash. That button DOES make a difference in overall driving.

FAUEE

Steering was the weakest point of my C6s, it was numb and dead and I may as well have been driving a Prius. The C4 has MUCH better steering IMO, but I like a sports car to have a more aggressive feel to it. Honestly, the lifeless steering in the C6 is what made me end up driving my C4 all the time over my C6 GS, and I ended up trading it for an F150 (which had basically the same steering as my C6 did).

The charm of the C4 is that it's still a sports car. The C5 and C6 are really touring coupes all things considered. A lot of people prefer that about them, GM spends massive amounts of money to soften up their sports car so that old men can drive them around in comfort with things like magnetic shocks and electric power steering and things like that. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

Christi@n

Yes it's true, when you hit some high speed curves, you will feel that is the way to go

TorchTarga94

Well put!

aklim

What really makes it a sports car, touring couple, etc, etc? Who came up with that definition? Is it based of what we saw as a sports car way back when? I hear the same thing with HD. People are upset because the Harley today is different sounding that what they knew growing up. Sports cars have to have manual transmissions because back when, that was how it was. Exhaust noise has to sound like a muscle car of yesteryear which is also how ricers make their cars sound. In fact, they even try to make the same noise in the cabin because the driver is too stupid to understand that power doesn't have to come from noise simply because that was the way it was.

Maybe because those older people have money. When I was young and graduated college, I didn't have 2 pennies to rub together. I needed a car and it didn't matter as long as it could get me to work on time. I HAD TO put up with the discomfort. Now that I am older, I have more disposable income so I can CHOOSE NOT TO PUT UP with the discomfort that the younger and poorer people had no choice but to live with. I don't have to be the tough guy and suffer. I can enjoy the luxuries the money I worked for buys. If I have to suffer because I cannot afford to buy the tool to do a job, so be it. However, even Christ, if the bible can be believed also asked if he could skip the nail job. Even my dog knows how to find a comfortable spot so why should I be the tough guy and put up with unnecessary discomfort?

QCVette

I have never noticed the "heavy" feel in the steering since owning C4's for the last 27 years.

I like the feel of the steering and the feedback it provides.

I have had some heavy steering cars like a '66 Olds 442 that had manual steering. That is a pretty big heavy car with a heavy motor sitting right over the front wheels. That steering was heavy at low speeds. In comparison our C4's are great.

However, I can understand that people with conditions like arthritis or other issues want an easier steering.

cv67

Who needs all that garbage in a sports car

Chevy should just limit all that to the caddies and offer a Vette that has minimal power stuff. Manual climate controls, perhaps PW locks no abs traction nannies, reg old shocks etc. Make it feel alive again

Who needs air conditioned seats a 10 spd trans and 15 way power floormats

All the owners do now is compain about all the stuff anyways esp when it breaks

1985 Corvette

Rack probably needs a rebuild. Many "pristine" C4s rarely have the rack gone through by a company like Turn One. If you're looking for a C4, budget some cash to go towards a rebuild and possible steering pump upgrade. If you're a little worried about the heavy steering by comparison to a C6 though, the rest of the car is going to be equally as disappointing as you spend more time with it. All C4s are practically antiques by today's standards.

aklim

Since we are going to the "NEEDS" thing. Who needs a sports car for driving on the street? Who even needs climate controls? Not like you are driving it in the winter. Why do you even need a 240HP engine? I can drive a minivan to work and back, get groceries, etc, etc.

Many of the owners just complain because they are too lazy, stupid or cheap to fix it but obviously it is important to them enough to complain about.

FAUEE

It's really a matter of personal view.

A coworker of mine fancies himself as a car guy too, but he's young and has only driven inexpensive FWD cars. He has an older Mazda3 hatch with an intake and exhaust, and thinks it's sporty. He thinks that a Mazdaspeed3 or an RX-8 is a fast sports car. He likes to talk about chassis balance and steering feel, but has no idea what any of it really means.

For me, a sports car needs to communicate what's going on to me. If I'm running out of grip, I should hear it in the tires, feel it in the steering wheel, and be able to tell from the chassis. If I swing a little too wide into the rumble strips, I should damn well know.

A lot of people associate a sports car with being something that looks nice and has 2 doors. For me, a (g00d) sports car needs to be closer to a race car than a normal car. Cars like the Boss 302, 1LE and Z28 Camaro, 911 GT3 RS, etc. - those are great sports cars. They have the feel of a race car, and the performance to back it up. They make you work for the performance, and are your companion, not your guide. Cars like the C5-C7 are a guide in going fast, not to the level of the GT-R where you're nearly a passenger in the car, but they simply take a lot of the involvement and work out of it.

ddahlgren

Sounds like the original Viper. I like cars that if you take 1 part off and can't drive them anymore! Did a dash for LSR car 2 lights 1 switch and 2 cables. Shift light shut it off light engine run switch chute cable and fire bottle cable.

Renfield

Steering is stiff. Braking is stiff. Ride is stiff. I'm getting a stiffy just thinking about it.

TorchTarga94

^best post.

cuengineer

I am actually surprised that folks have been so nice to OP after the Camry comment. Some folks might consider my '88 to have "heavy" steering, but it is likely to be based on what you are used to. Compared to my wife's Chrysler 300, it is heavy. Compared to my '59 Mercedes with the BIG steering wheel, it is easy. I also have an '80 Trans Am which has very similar steering to the Vette and is quite different from my '79 Camaro Rally Sport that is very easy. With the big tires at low engine speed and not moving much, the steering will feel "heavy" but it feels good at speed on a road with curves where you really feel in control and in touch with the road.