My experience was with a 1989 with the digital dash which I absolutely loved. After they made the change to the analog/digital I was not too sure how I felt about it. I am in the market for either an 89 or 92. There is a nice 92 on here.

Here is my dilemma,

I like the 89 digital dash better but would rather get the LT1 motor which cannot be done in an 89.

Has or does anyone have or had both and could shed some light on this for me.

Thanks.

 

You can put an LT1 intake or miniram on your 89 and have it all.

 

Don't for get about the HSR


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this is the first i've seen of this Vortec HRS. will it work on a L98? and if it really does, how much does it help in the way of HP and TQ? i like the look.

as for the original post... not sure what to tell you, the LT1 is not as easy to mod, and the L98 is. i love my 90' L98.

 

Mods just burn money. If you absolutely have to have the atari dash, get an 89.
If I were shopping for a C4, I'd get a 96.

 

I wish I could afford a 96.

After looking at the torque numbers of both motors the L98 makes more from what I read. Assuming this is true, even though the LT1 makes more HP, I would think the L98 would perform as well as the LT1. I have not driven the LT1 only the L98 and it has a ton of torque down low and in my experience after supercharging it there was no worry in the higher rpms.

I would think they are very close in stock form.

Then again, I could be wrong.

 

The L98 might be easier to mod... but you need all of those mods to be comparable to a stock LT1. There is still a decent amount of aftermarket out there for the LT cars.


You are wrong. Stock for stock LT1 > L98. Period.

 

The l98 makes 5 more lbs of torque than my 94 lt1. Trust me I have owned both and the lt1 is superior by far. My previous was an 87 conv and my current is a 94 conv. Both are autos. Look around and you can find a low mileage lt1 at a reasonable price. In my area you can get a nice lt1 corvette in the 10k range give or take a grand.

 

Yes but its a little too tall. Sooo.. http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4-t...r-hsr-mod.html

The HSR come in standard and Vortec version. The standars works on standard heads. The vortec on vortec heads. I have GMPP Fastburn heads they are vortec. Vortec heads are pretty much bang for the buck heads.
They now have Vortecs like mine (mine are aluminum about $1500 per set) non aluminum that will make 400HP on a SBC Gen I with the right cam. If you plan on making monster power don't bother with them.

http://popularhotrodding.automotive....tec/index.html
http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/ho...458/index.html

 

Your right the last year L98 made 355lb ft i believe vs 340 for the LT1(92 has 330 due to slightly different valve timing i believe). The printed numbers dont matter so much when you apply real world... eh hem... racing... through the rpms. Look at a dyno sheet comparrison of both. Maybe up till about 30 mph due to the amount of off idle torque the L98 will be ahead, but after that from what I hear you have to short shift at less then 5000 rpms. The lt1 makes almost as good mid range as the L98 and then continues to pull to redline much harder. By now the L98 has to shift to third to keep in the bulk of its torque(but suffers due to having to be in third gear) but the lt1 still has good low end and in 2nd gear winds it all the way to redline again, pulling way ahead of the l98. All due to the intake manifold for the most part. So you could switch it out on the l98, or since lt1s and l98s are pretty close in price, just pay more for the lt1 since to switch it out would probably cost about the difference. Plus you get a better base to start with if your modding. For reference if you ran about 8psi on an otherwise stock 89, an lt1 with headers, new cats, cat back, actual "cold" air intake, and a good tune would keep up and probably pull ahead pretty easy in the long run. And I actually like the 92 and up analog tach with center digital speedo better. The 94 and up is white lettering vs yellow for older years and I think it looks much more modern then the yellow.

 

No substitute for my 85 digital dash. The seat is comfortable, I love the red rugs and leather. I've driven half a dozen or so other C4s. Interior of my car almost sealed the deal when I bought it. My paint is garbage but that isnt as important to me until everything else is perfect.

 

Like RedLS1GTO said, you are wrong (no offense). Just look at magazine times from the day. 50-60hp is not trivial.

Nothing wrong with L98's, but the idea that the LT1 is the same because of the torque figure is wrong.

Also, since you asked about the dash. I had an '87. Great car, loved the dash. Now I have a '90. I have never once missed the dash of the '87. Though I have wished the '90 gauges were better then they are.

 

I prefer the later year dashes myself. But it's a personal thing.

Unless you're going to track it there is no difference between the L98 and the LT1 in performance. The only time anyone can tell a difference is on the track lined up side by side. But I'm constantly amazed at those who always compare a vette to other vettes and, other cars as well, with drag strip times.

These cars are sportscars and were not built nor designed for a drag strip. They were built for overall performance both roadcourse and top end. The biggest difference between the two cars, in this scenario, will always be the driver. But if you do drag it, or are going for top end, the LT1 will run away at higher RPM's from the L98. The L98 will hold neck and neck until that point. But I've heard stories the L98 has taken more than one LT1. I have no personal knowledge so I can't comment on the validity of that.

The difference in published numbers of the two engines is about .5 seconds. A lifetime on the drag strip but nothing on a roadcourse.

The LT will give you a little better MPG.

 

i drove an 87 every single day for the past 3.5 years and loved it.

about 6 months ago, i upgraded to a 92 and its night and day. performance wise, comfort, and general driveability.

i was also a fan of the Atari dash, but the combo dash isn't too bad and sort of refreshing after staring down at the rainbow so long

 

This is a great point that I know I lose sight of sometimes. The L98 is a stoplight warrior, lots of torque, it feels fast, it's fun. If an L98 fits your budget, there's no shame in that. I know lots of people that wish they could afford an L98.

The reason I say a 96, is that there are improvements to the car, not just the motor. If you're buying, it's just a couple grand more to get an LT1 car, but if a couple grand makes or breaks a deal, an L98 is a fine car. Every year is a little better, but I'd suggest 88-91 because of the suspension geometry. You can put later model wheels on those cars. On the 84-87, you need 36mm offset, vs. 52mm for later models. If you really want a manual, I'd go 89-91. I've never owned a ZF6 car, which is the shifter in the 89-91, nor have I owned a 4+3, which is the manual shifter in the 84-88 cars. But I have read the ZF6 is superior in reliablity. Someone with a 4+3 will come in, read this get their knickers in a twist and tell you 4+3 is great. I'm just telling you what I've read. I'm not selling you my car, I don't have a dog in this race, I'm just trying to objectively share what I've read. As for the dash, both are good, but the atari dash is unique. I can't imagine the dash being a deal maker or deal breaker one way or the other. And the L98 has no opti, it's not a deal maker either, but it is a nice bonus.

Here's the bottom line. I have an 87 L98. I'm going to my golf league tonight, and I'm looking forward to driving my car. I get compliments on my car, and I like that. My car feels fast to me, and it's paid for.

 

The problem is when you multiply that .5 seconds times the 3-4 fast sections on a road course and then add in that the longest straights are usually more than a 1/4 mile so the L98 falls even farther behind.

On a fast track (like VIR or Mid Ohio) an LT1 car vs. an L98 car with no other differences could easily be a few seconds in a single lap which is huge.

I love the L98 and it is a very capable engine but the LT1 is a huge step up in the same way that the LS1 was a step up, then the LS2, LS3, etc... With advancements in technology things get better (or at least they should).

 

I've never owned a 4+3 so I am not going to compare it directly but I will say that the ZF6 is an absolutely incredible transmission.

The ZF in my track car gets it's *** kicked and hasn't even thought about letting me down. If I could fit a ZF6 in my C5Z there would be one there too.

 

A lot of great information, thanks to all who replied.

 

my 90 interior is so clean an new at (42k) miles. It got to the point where i stopped even opening the doors. I had 2 buy an 84 just to keep on drivin a c4. I love theses cars but i never liked the crowd who own them

84-96 only


weird crowddddddddddddd



i drive my 84 daily

 

Truth is, the later LT1s made 340 pounds of torque vs. 350 for the late L98s. That in itself really isn't much difference, especially since the REAL story is the L98 torque is "peaky" whereas the LT1 makes 90% of peak just off idle and is virtually flat all the way to 5500ish! That is to say, the LT1 has more grunt under the curve than the "peaky" L98s. And, for about $1500 you can have the rear end changed to a 4.10 gear and take advantage of the 5800 rpm redline of the LT1 so you can have your cake and eat it too!

I've driven both, and the LT5 too. Of the three, for just everyday street driving situations, the LT1 has by far the better all-round driveability, IMO. You can hammer that LT1 at any rpm and the torque is always there - you never have to wait for it.

As for supercharging...FI vs. NA and all bets are off with either motor. But, now were not fussing over 10 pounds of peak torque either.

P.