nice write-up. I agree with most of opinions here including that FRC is favorite for looks C-5! Haven't committed to next Vette yet but have really enjoyed 16+ years of C-4's!!

 

Thought I might get your attention!!

 

As Skyvette stated I had the 9.5 all the way around.

I was wondering if the MGW wasn't the culprit, I know a lot of the C5 owners use a C6 shifter. I'll keep what I have for now but I also have the stock shifter and I may swap them out at some point just to see what, if any, difference there is.

I will definitely do the clutch fluid thing. I think it's more of my lack of experience with the C5 tranny/shifter than anything. I haven't driven a manual performance car since I was a kid. Seems all my cars were always auto's after my 56 Chev. Never really thought about it much till lately but my TA, Z28, Roadrunner, and Chevelle SS were all autos. And to be honest there was always something missing, that's why the manual was important to me. I wanted a manual when I got the 90 but it wasn't a deal breaker. Goes to show ya that you should never veer from your wish list.

 

And how many C4s won at Le Mans?? How many won the overall at the 24 hours of Daytona? I could go on and on listing things that modified C5s did that C4s never came close to doing and it still proves nothing.

Comparing cars modified like that is pointless.

It wasn't long ago that I said that same thing to a certain Taurus driver.

I have a C4 that is modified about as much as you can possibly modify one. It is easier at this point to name the things that are still stock as opposed to the other way around. ...and I absolutely love taking it to the track and driving it in anger.

With that said C5 > C4. PERIOD.

Rather than leaving it as a blanket statement I will actually go into detail as to what I am basing that on. I am not going to go into the engine aspect of it too much but as far as making reliable power goes, the LSX is way better than the LT1/4. The LS6 might be one of the greatest 100% stock road racing engines ever created. They have a great power band and are absolutely bulletproof. When stock (again, comparing modified is pointless) I would take an LS6 over a LT5 at the track any day. Before anybody brings up the 24 hour endurance testing... there are countless LS6s that have been raced for years on end and have proven to be incredibly reliable. With road racing, I am not even going to go into the F/I side of things because it is pretty much not applicable.

The suspension aspect is where the C5 starts to show it's real strengths when compared to a C4. It isn't a matter of shocks or springs. It is the overall geometry that is lightyears ahead of the C4. If you take my car for example... the only stock suspension part left is the A-arms. It is fairly comparable to a 100% stock C5 Z06 on equal tires. Even with all of that, the C5Z still rolls the middle of the corners a lot better than I can. A pretty much maxed out C4 suspension isn't much better (if any) than a stock C5 Z06 suspension. When you start throwing bars, shocks, springs, etc on a C5 there is nothing a C4 can do to keep up without a complete suspension geometry change. At that point it isn't really a C4 any more. Stock for stock the C5 has better brakes as well.

Long story short, there isn't a single aspect of performance in which a C4 has an advantage over a C5. Stock for stock... the C5 wins. Modified to a similar extent... the C5 wins by more. On the same note, the ZR-1 has the same disadvantages as the rest of the C4s so no matter how cool the LT5 might be, a stock C5Z will hand a stock ZR-1 it's *** on a road course.

I am not saying any of that to bash the C4. I love mine and love taking it to the track. It's no surprise that the C5 is better in these aspects. The C4 was a better performer than the C3. The C5 is better than the C4. The C6 isn't really much of a jump because it is on the same frame as the C5 but I fully expect the C7 to be a jump again. It's just the way things work. They move forward. It happens with everything. Ferrari, Porsche, Viper, etc... what was among the best in the World in it's day soon becomes obsolete. The Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale F1 was in it's day an incredible car. Now, the 458 Italia is over 20 seconds faster (an eternity) at The Ring. Progress is a great thing.

When I first got the Z06 I was actually disappointed with the way it handled. It just didn't feel as planted as my old Z51 C4 did. Then, I looked at the speedometer and realized I was going through the same corners at about twice the speed. The C4 feels faster. The C5 IS faster.

 

 

First off I sold my 95 z51 black on black 6 speed for a brand new 98 z51 6 sp convertible....

I love the C5 BUT I missed the "feeling" of sitting in the cockpit of the 95 right away... it just "fit" me and gave me the feeling that I have to call the control tower to get permission to take off...that feeling is completely lacking in my 98 ...

I also own a 64 ..72..76..79..Corvettes and FINALLY in December of last year purchased a 88 35th ANC and I'm almost back in the saddle again so to speak when sitting in the 88... Maybe its nostalgia but I feel at home again... Just wish the 88 was NOT an automatic..

Anyhow do not laugh but my favorite all around Corvette is my underpowered 4 sp L47 low optioned 76 ... that car does everything good but nothing great... what can I say...

No desire to buy a C6 ... IF I buy another Vette it would be another Mid Year or a 96 Grand sport...

Bob G.

 

It's been a long time since I was in a C5 coupe, but I would almost venture to say that the regular C5 6spd > C4 ZR-1 on a road course. Maybe the ZR-1 would have faster lap times, but as an owner of one, I can tell you that the extra 200 lbs doesn't help the chassis feel compared to a regular c4.

They pull on the highway and are very smooth-you gotta give the LT5 a little nod there.

 

Z was more of a touring GT type car...endurance champ.

Wasnt made for road courses for sure. THey were heavier and felt it. Slow steering, etc. My 89 couple would whip its azz on a tight course.
Long stretch of highway is where those cars shine.

Like the above poster said the C5 will feel slower in turns almost like its got more bodyroll or something but it will stick where the C4 will start to get loose.hit a rut in the middle of a turn the C5 soaks it up, in the C4 could cause ya problems.

 

 

probably inevitable, but I've had several guys, who are considering a C5, ask me what my opinions were in comparison of the two.

Thought I would share it with everyone.

They are both really great cars and it all depends on what one wants out of one and what they do with it.

I'm good with either but so far I really like my FRC.

 

I had both '88 and '93 convertibles and loved them. I had a lot of truly great cruises in those cars and wish that I still had one. I had an '01 Z06 and my current car is an '03 Z06. My Z06's have several things that I like better than my C4's. That said, the column lock problem on the C5 is one problem that can strand you even if you have installed the column lock bypass. GM and the aftermarket have both failed to come up with a 100 percent sure fired solution. Every time I go out in my Z I wonder if today is the day that I'll have to flatbed my car to a dealer that probably doesn't have a clue how to repair the problem permanently. This is one of the reasons why my '03 only has 12000 miles on the clock. I still miss that beautiful Polo Green with tan leather on my '93. I plan to someday replace my Z with a '96 LT-4 car and I'll be able to relax and not worry about the column lock or breaking a valve spring which is also a serious concern with these cars. I love both generations and still think that the C4 is a gorgeous car. I wave at any Corvette generation and will always pull over if I see any Corvette that appears to be in trouble. I guess I never read that C5 code of conduct.

 

How many cars have left people stranded with an aftermarket CLB? That's like being worried about your fuel pump going out every time you drive. Can it happen? Of course... but it is incredibly unlikely. On a side note, I would love to see how many 2002-2004 Z06s have left somebody stranded on the side of the road because of a valve spring.

If you want to get an LT4 because you like them better... by all means go for it. We all have our preferences. If you are getting one because you think you are less likely to get stranded, that is pretty ignorant. Each generation has it's own issues. I am not going to get into them because I don't want to turn it into a thread where I get accused of C4 bashing but all you have to do is scroll through the tech section. There are every bit as many things that could leave you stranded in a C4.

I have absolutely no fear that my C5Z is going to leave me on the side of the road when I drive it. I have made more 600-1,000 mile trips in it than I can count. The only time it has ever let me down in that regard was when I ran over a razor knife and destroyed a tire to the point that fixing it wasn't an option. Luckily I was within walking distance of my house when it happened.

If you are honestly concerned about breaking a valve spring in your Z06 or being stranded by the .0001% failure rate of the aftermarket CLB you need to sell it and lease a Civic.

 

Should we start listing all the ways a C4 can leave you stranded? You got a couple hours?

 

Mike, thanks for your honest opinion of both cars, i have enjoyed reading your comparisons, but it's posts like these that usually start the bashing of generations unfortunately.

 

I think the thing to remember is that they are two completely different cars. When the C5 started in in the initial design work, the designers and engineers basically started with a blank sheet of paper. Very little was carried forward from the C4 platform.

Dave McLellan and Dave Hill had two entirely different views of the C5 and from that, they had big differences.

So it's like comparing apples to oranges; the cars aren't the same and it really would be impossible to place them in the same "class" in terms of performance, handling, or ride. Same way if you tried to compare a C1 to a C2, or C3 to a C4.

 

Sorry. No Civic in my future. I'm too old to go that route. A nice Polo Green '96 though........to each his own.

 

Nice write up Mike.....of course, I'm jealous....some day I'll have one. I must say I'll bet it must be easier getting in and out of your C5 without that C4 "I beam" in your way.

 

sorry, i dont like the looks of the frc c5, i paased up a great deal
for that reason and bought a 95 coupe

 

There is a sure fire way

1.) Remove locking pin (2nd recall)
2.) Install COH CLB
3.) Have ECM tuned to include changing kill-speed from 2mph to 200mph.

 

Really? I've owned and loved C4's much longer than I've owned a C5 and I've always been a C4 supporter. Don't even get me started on C3's I have my share of them as well. I make one comment responding to a C5 bash and you get your feelings hurt? It's post like yours where C4 drivers start getting all sensitive and start reaching for the Kleenex.