Just looking for some experienced opinions.
I have a 99 frc and an 87 coupe and it feels to me like the 87 handles better than the 99 ??? The 87 does have a sport rack and new goodrich gsports but the frc has z51 active handling , goodyear eagles, etc. What is it about the C4 that gives me that much more solid feeling - the frc feels like the front end is floating sometimes?

 

It could just be perception. The C5 is a great handling car but it doesn't have the sports car feel of a C4.

 

 

I had my 99' Z51 coupe first and then bought my 86' coupe. I believe the 86' has the base suspension, but I was surprised how close it felt in regard to it's handling capabilities to my C5. I think part of it is the C4 being smaller. Another part is that my 99's Z51 feels very soft at first and then gets quite firm at the limit. The 86' feels like it is firm all the time.

 

 

I THINK the C5 handles better but the overall driving experience of the C5 is DIFFERENT very different.

 

I had the oportunity of driving a C5 Z06. I had to take care of it while a friend went to China. There is a big difference in handling. It sticks. However, it does have a more comfortable ride than my C4 which has the camber brace, cross bar and boxed X-frame. My C4 has more of a "track *****" feel than the Z06, but the Z06 does turn, stop and accelerate much better. I love strapping on my C4.

 

While the C4 "feels" better, the C5 is actually better. With a longer wheel base and that nice hydroformed frame, the C4 can't compare. The C5 is more structually sound so it can have a softer ride, yet handle better. I still like the rugged feel of my C4 though.

 

I really believe the early C4's with Z51 are among the best handling Corvettes they ever made. I have had both a C5 and a C6 with Z51. My 85 with Z51 is far more responsive and FEELS like it handles better than either of them. The feedback through the steering wheel is better on the C4. The reality is, at the limits, the C5 and C6 will outhandle the C4 on a road course. At anything up to about 75% of the limit the C4 FEELS like it handles better. So, in every day driving the C4 feels like it handles better. At the llimits, on a road course, the C5 and C6 will outhandle the C4. The C4 just feels more like a rough and ready sports car. The C5 and C6 almost feel too comfortable.

 

I think my '90 ZR-1 feels like it handles MUCH better than my girl's '07 Z51 convertible... If you took them on a racetrack, her car would probably win, but I think the perception is because of the cockpit.


I like being squashed in my C4, I liked it in my dad's '84... Hell, at 6'6" no car is all that roomy for me, but the C4 makes me feel like I'm just strapped into the frame riding around in a go kart.

My Z feels like it wraps around me, it feels like you're almost part of the car whereas C5s and C6s were made to have much bigger cockpits for a more "comfortable" feel.

The sacrifice? The feel of the car.

 

The C5 is longer (by 8.3"), but is that smaller?

 

I think you guys are probably right with respect to high speeds ie over 100, but I have seen built C4s outperform built C5s and C6's at autocross,

.... and damnit I like the C4 seat encompassing me and the constant firm feel around turns and for that matter I like the rear end breaking loose.

Theres got to be some analogy to women here...

 

I think what makes the C5 and C6 better handlers on the edge is the active handling. They are more forgiving on the edge and allow a driver to go closer to the edge and stay in control. The C4 is the only corvette without all the fancy active handling stuff that has a fairly modern high performance suspension.

 

If you install a DRM full suspension/ package you run with any corvette with equal HP & TQ

 

Explain please?

 

If I am not mistaken, and please correct me if I am, the c5 and even more so the c6 have a tough combination to beat. They have a longer wheel base, which smooths out the ride, yet the cars themselves are shorter. In other words the wheels are closer to the corners. This causes less conflicting forces in a turn. The cars are also wider so they won't "stumble" over themselves and less roll. Then the front to rear weight ratio is alot more even than the c4. Finally, the brakes and traction systems allow one to go further into the turn before braking.
Do I sound like a Corvette salesman? I'm not, with gas over $3 I have alot more time to read these days

Now, why I think the c4 "feels" like it handles better. Well, it's just that, in the c4 you actually feel the car better. The interior of the c4 is a cockpit, whereas the interior of the c5 is comparitively more like a cabin. In the c4 we are surrounded by the car, with alot less stuff in between us and the road. Somewhere I saw a pic of the c4 suspension and chassis without the body parts. If the engine were in the back, it would be an indy car. That being said, I don't think it would take too much modification to make a c4 out stick anything out there

 

You're right about the C4 vs C5 in performance. If you read All Corvettes Are Red...you'll see that the C5 was designed to outperform the C4 in all areas of performance in a stock configuration. I think you're dead on in your thoughts about the perception that the C4 "feels" like it handles better. I've said all along that my C4 has more of rough and tumble feel than my C5 but honestly...the C5 definitely is a more refined performance platform.

 

Does anyone remember Calloway or Lingenfelter saying something about the c4 being more stable at higher speeds. Where is that article?