Christi@n

Seen. Pretty good car

Tom400CFI

I'm sure the COG changed slightly as the ride height and equipment/content changed over the years.

It's true though, the C4 is the lowest 'Vette and the COG is also the lowest. Newer cars are higher/taller (and bigger all around) due to
1. Govn't safety standards, then
2. Styling.

For ped x'ing safety, the hoods have gone UP. For side impact safety, the top of doors have gone UP. Those two things pretty much establish your rear quarter panel elevation to rear bumper/deck lid height...which is high. Now, if we maintain the C4 roof line @~47", what does our car look like? It looks like some kind of armored battle vehicle w/slits for a windsheild, door glass and back glass. It would look retarded. So, to keep things in scale*, the roof goes UP, too...and you end up w/a BIG car; today's 'Vette, Camaro, Mustang, Challenger/Charger, etc.

Also note that this all drives wheels size from a styling perspective, too, IMO. Imagine a C6 rear quarter panel (a huge slab), filled w/a 16" wheel/tire combo. You virtually need a 20" wheel now days, to look to scale, w/in the massive rear quarter panels we see now.

*I constantly see new cars today and I tell my friends; "Man...that car looks like a caricature of a _____________." -What ever it is. Too big, boxy form, "styled" w/over sized features/cues (like massive tail lights) from an earlier car to give it the desired identity and reasonable proportions.



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Christi@n

Personally like c6 and c7 style, but c5 rear end is not so beautiful.

Weck86

You've obviously thought about, studied or done car styling design. I have thought about this, but your explanation makes a lot of sense. Especially after I considered it for awhile. Thanks

93Rubie

I parked next to a C7 once. It was stupid how much lower the entire car looks. The roofline looks a good 2" lower. The rear end has to be a good 6-8" lower. You can see out of a C4 you cannot see anything out of C7. Heck the C5's and C6's didn't get better for sight lines.

IMHO, the my C4 looked low and sleek. It actually looks a LOT smaller too. Its longer but you'd never know. Shorter and skinnier.

I understand the "big butt" look for aerodynamics and you have to have high belt lines with the side impact regulations so thus the high rear ends. Too bad they look terrible. Jerry Palmer always preached, "proportion, proportion, proportion." He got it right.

Christi@n

The lowest COG, the better handling...

I would be curious to know if C4 has better handling than a C6 or a C7, to say the true when I move steer fron left to right car is pretty sticked to the ground, seems to be inside a formula car....

c6 or c7 should be no less

Also about proportion the "sectio aurea" is always the right proportion

prinzSD455

Man how I agree 100%. I recently vacationed in Hawaii and rented a new convertible Camaro. Talk about feeling like you are driving an armored tank. The sight line are horrible and there are massive blind spots when making lane changes or backing up at an angle to the Main Street. The Cadillacs are not any better.

crowz

I haven't driven a c6 or c7 but if the visibility is worse than my c4 god help me if I drove one. I feel like I cant see out that great in the c4 compared to my trucks since its so low to the ground. That was thing I kept wondering on the recent trip the wife and I took was if it would of been safer in the truck visibility wise. Course I was being paranoid about some nut hitting us in unfamiliar territory as it was

Tom400CFI

C6 is way worse. I had one before I got my C4. When I first drove the C4, after being used to the C6, I couldn't believe how EASY it was to see out, in all directions.

95wht6spd

I think the C4 is pretty good with visibility, except height wise. There are a couple lights close to the stop line, and if I pull all the way up, I can't see the light. My C5Z is better forward, but the larger B pillars make me uneasy changing lanes, I have to rely a lot more on the side mirrors.

Renfield

http://lightinsight.com

I bought one of these years ago for my Miata. You won't regret it! No affiliation.

I find the C4 to have brilliant visibility, though the side rear views are too small. When I drove a friend's 2014 Camaro, I felt like I was in a bunker looking out through tiny slits.
Whenever I see a C5 that old sir mix-a-lot song comes to mind. Except I do NOT like big butts.

95wht6spd

Thanks, I might try that, have never seen one before. I wonder how if it works well with a tint strip. I don't like big butts either, on anything, but I hint the Z looks smaller because it doesn't have the glass hatch. Z has a lot more headroom too. I think the 6/7 look even bigger/worse, but that is another thread.