When I finally got my long awaited Corvette it was and 84 Z51 version. At first I was thrilled how quick the steering response was. I started taking some fast turns and was impressed. Then one day on a fast turn I noticed the back started to slid on me. I pulled it out of the spin but a new respect was learned for my 84. This car can get you into trouble if you were not careful. Shortly after i came across the video which most Corvette owners probebly have seen by this guy named Jeremry Clarkson shooting up a early C4 with a macine gun from a helicopter. Of course before that scene he starts telling his viewers how easy the C4 spins out. He shows a few examples on wet pavement but that is to be expected on rear wheel drive cars on wet roads. But as I lived with my C4 I have noticed even accelerating on a turn with not much throttle will cause the back to slid. All this makes me wonder is the C4 Corvette the worst and tuffest to handle of the lot. I would think the worst of the lot of Corvettes would be the C1 with the solid axle but most of the guys who own those near $100,000 cars probably are not daily beating them through tight turns. They dont even have power steering. I was just wondering has any one driven or owned newer Corvettes then the C4 . How do they compare to the C4. Is the C4 the one the worst and easiest cars that will get you in trouble because of its back sliding out ? What has been your experince with your C4?

 

I like Top Gear, but it's well known that Jeremry Clarkson can't stand any car from America especially Corvettes! Although in one show they came to America and he drove a C6 which he ended admitting that he enjoyed.

That being said the C4 has a near 50/50 weight distribution and the first stock American car to be able to achieve 1G on the skid pad was the 84 Z51 Corvette.

Moral of the story...the C4's backend doesn't swing out that easily and if it's doing so then I would look at tires first...the number 1 reason any backend of any car will slide when hitting a corner hard!

 

The C4was so competitive that Porche and all those Europeans wouldn't race against it. That's why they started the Corvette Challenge. If you've got problems with the rear end skating out, you might consider your tires. They get hard and slick.

Jim

 

Maybe we need someone here to kick an MGA over a cliff to get his attention.
Whatever the case you'll find that a fresh set of tires and shocks will help tighten the rear.
Also sooth the ride some.
Don't forget you have the stiffest rear spring made from the factory.
Before you even ask. You can kiss those cheap crap KYB's goodbye.

 

My '85 corners great. I agree with the tires.

 

One word. Torque.

 

Never had any issues with mine while cornering. Cloverleaf interstate ramps are fun and you can feel some nice G's without doing something foolish. It seems to me a couple years ago someone messed up their C-2 because they were more used to their C-4 or something. Probably was on C1-2, not C-4. Anybody remember the thread?

 

So much of the on the edge handling of the C4 is going to depend on the condition of the various suspension bushings being intact and in good shape. How's the condition of the of the rear control bushings in your 84? Everything up to snuff?

 

Could be as simple as improper tire pressure. Or cheapo brand tires. Or worn out tires.

 

So maybe your just over driving your car. Slow down and stop pushing it so hard or maybe take a competitive driving course so you can handle it on the edge. Some track time would be great place to have some safe fun.

 

Yes the back can slide out very easilly and the steering is very direct, that results in way too much correction and the back will slide out the other way with a vengance and it just gets worse with every correction till you slide of the track (or highway).

However it is not all doom and gloom...
You can practice on a closed track, i have found by restricting the oposite lock you can get a corvette under control from a slide.
The Z51 has a more direct steering rack so that is one thing why some experience the pendulem effect more than others.

We all tend to throw the steering wheel 45 degrees to almost 180 degrees of opposite lock which is way too much, even 45 degrees unless you have sharp reflexes. You have to learn to restrict the oposite lock to around 20 degrees maximum when you feel the back starting to slide, then with practice you can do very dramatic powerslides but that is the slow way around a track.

When driving on a highway you are not expecting the car to slide so it is easy to be caught off guard, i have found sharp corners tend to unsettle the car where as sweeping bends not so.

You must get really good rubber on your vette, that will make it much safer.

When i first got my vette i thought my god these things are dangerous, where as in some previous cars they were so predictable you could really play sideways with them with no risk of loosing control.

The locking type limited slip diff has a part in this, if you accelerate hard around a tight corner or back off on the accelerator one tire is already loosing traction. The more locking the diff does the worse the effect, i have come to an understanding with my vette.
I have adjusted the suspension, less stiff rear springs and more stiff front and it has really helped a lot in conjunction with the tires.

When you first get your vette you will learn to respect the beast that will hurt you if you drive it like most cars, as they say in nascar loose is fast but on the edge of out of control. The designer made these cars to go fast but in unskilled hands they can be deadly.

A steering rack change to non Z51 really helps, we are so used to throwing the wheel in opposite lock without thinking of how finely balanced these cars are. In an experienced hands they are fast and stable but not to the average person.

I still think the EARLY C4 vette is not as well balanced for normal road use as we are used to in other cars, that is just me but i have an 85 and i am sure they have tuned these bad behaviors out with the later C4's

 

..... Get rid of the Sumitomo's ............

 

You never want to nail it on a corner unless you know how to drive it and the front wheels are pointed straight.

 

I thought my Corvette was a deathtrap when I first got it. I'd spin tires going around corners my mom's Versa could handle way faster. I replace with good fresh tires and I can hook corners very well now. It opened up the performance envelope a lot- I have to try to spin the wheels.

 

Yeah, a lot of it has to do with tyres.
When I first bought the C4, I was sliding everywhere. And I mean everywhere.. even with the engine running on 7 and the timing all messed up.
Then I bought new rear tyres...... and my C4 wasn't as fun anymore.
I was really "at one" with my C4 with the old tyres on. I really done some incredible things in it around roundabouts and u-turns while playing with the footbrake and throttle.....


I believe the '85 was rated as the worlds best handling car at the time.. and some had it tied with (a) Porsche.
It feels well balanced to me.. and is well balanced.
I've noticed you have to be very quick to "catch it" sometimes. My previous car felt slower and smoother while going sideways. The C4 at times feels brutal.. like you're clocking up some serious G's. I've also noticed that it grips up a lot easier and quicker when you back off the throttle a bit while sliding as opposed to other cars. I guess it's because of the fat tyres and low centre of gravity and good front/back weight distribution.

 

Hahahahaha!! That's what I had on the back! I loved those tryes!! (because they were so bad lol)

 

Clarkson always disses American and Australian cars at the start of an episode or when he doesn't drive one.. but (after/during) every time he drives them he can't stop smiling, putting his foot down, going sideways, praising the power/torque, handling, sound/noise, simplicity, price-tag, lack of stupid flappy pedals... His only real problem with them = cheap looking/feeling interior and plastic panels. Big deal.
I just saw him the other day (for the 5th time) just about having an orgasm while driving some late model Vette in Utah (salt flats episode)..
then there's that Ozzy Monaro episode on the beach/sand..
then that Ozzy Monaro episode with Hammond drifting with that tall Japanese drifter.. and complimenting it afterwards
oh yeah, then buying a GT40 (which he later sold because.... it's a Ford.. but still..)

Deep down, he LOVES US and Aus cars. He knows they = best bang for buck.

 

Everyone seems to be saying tires are the problem not the car. I have a pair of Yokohoma ties on the back with about 2,000 miles on them. They were not cheap. Should I consider these tires trash? Should Goodyear be the only tire to be put on a early C4? The impression i am getting is if i change my ties my car sliding tail issues will generally be over. I have also noticed as one owner wrote it I gas it even a little while turning the back slides. What is the recommed tire pressure to get better traction.

 

• Your tires age means as much as tread wear - perhaps more.
• Temperature will affect grip. At 40ºF on down, summer/performance loose much of their grip - substantially more than an all-terrain type tires on the family grocery-getter!
• Suspension loose? Worn out or brittle bushings will have a substantial affect on how the car handles - or doesn't.
• If the rear wants to kick out (typically toward the right) under hard acceleration, it could be the C-beam bolts are either not torqued or the holes in the beam (especially at the differential) my be wallowed out of round, allowing the differential to squirm around. (Something to check before doing an 4-wheel alignment is torque those C-beam bolts first!!). Bill Boudreau (ZFdoc.com) provides "Beam Plates" which greatly improves the clamping at each end of the C-beam. I had them on my 95 LT1 car and it tracked straight under hard acceleration, and after installing some of the same plates on the ZR-1, it too now tracks straight on (much harder!) acceleration.

Oh, and BTW... I turned the traction control off during a test ride in a new C6 a couple years ago. And, when I gassed it on a corner, that puppy did a "180" so quick you'd think you were riding an amusement park ride. No park, but it was amusing!

Jeremy Clarkson is sometimes just another outspoken but ignorant azz, in my opinion. But, on the other hand, he often calls out and has spats with Piers Morgan, which is OK by me too! I hate to admit it, being a Corvette fan myself, but the guy can be pretty blunt in a humorous way. He has style...I guess!

 

How old are your rear tyres?
Do you know how to drive (properly)?
When you have these wheelspin/sliding problems, are your tyres warm(ed up)?
Does your car sit level front/back, or is the rear jacked up?
How are all your suspension components?
Have you or the previous owner done any suspension work?
Does your rear stabiliser bar look factory or fatter?
You have an '84. From what I've read about them, their suspension is very/overly stiff. Perhaps your rear is very stiff (from factory) and the previous owner installed a softer spring in the front, making your car wanna oversteer.
If your tyres profile = 40, put 40psi in them. If you have 45, put 38psi in them.

Going over what you wrote again... your "problem" sounds pretty normal. Seems like you just pushed it a bit too hard one time and the a$$ came out. Big deal.