cuengineer

I have been in England for four days and driven almost 900 miles, mostly on narrow, curving country roads. I have been enjoying driving a Renault Twingo rental car but got to wondering how my '88 C4 would compare if I was driving it on the same roads. It seems like heresy, but I suspect the little, lightweight Twingo with a 5-speed manual would handle these roads just as well, if not better than the Vette even though the Vette might accelerate better. I know that there have been lots of comments on the Forum about modern 6-cyl Mustangs and Camaros being faster than C4 Vettes, but don't recall anyone commenting on how our Vettes compare with small 4-cyl sedans on narrow, sometimes bumpy roads that have lots of curves and absolutely no runoff room, i.e., these roads are tighter and much less forgiving than almost all roads in the U.S. even the ones in the mountains. Anybody have any ideas or experiences they can share?

Bendeco

What is the price of gas over there? Also what does a whopper cost is it the same or way more?

dizwiz24

ive never been there, but i imagine tight spots, bumpy narrow roads, sharp turns - not a good place for a vette.

i use to have an 04 bmw 330i with all the suspension packages. it was the more stable feeling car on a bumpy, mildly rutted , hot patched road.

the vette road so bad and was bouncing all over the place.

however, on a race track, the vette was the better handling car.

as for the go peformance, thats up to you. ive had the newer cars in mind and have been keeping pace upgrading the lt1 on mine and am at 520ish (maybe more?) rwhp.

PatternDayTrader

I'm guessing that if speeds are limited to under 60mph then many modern cars would be just as fast or faster than a c4. I'm guessing that things would go even further in the favor of the modern sedan if you have novice drivers behind each wheel.

Ratboy

driving my '89 auto, I got my *** handed to me in a drag from a stoplight by some *** SUV with a v-8. That was a surpise!

cuengineer

Price of gas is typically between 1.1-1.2 GBP per liter which makes it close to $7/gal which is why it is nice to have a car that gets 45 mpg. Sounds like I was thinking right. I think my stock Vette would have higher top end but to get from place to place here, my little Twingo sedan seems pretty stable on curves, has fair acceleration, good braking and the smaller width and length make it more maneuverable on the narrow roads, a lot of them are just barely wide enough for two cars and some are not without someone giving way. I think one would really have to flog the Vette to keep up with a relatively relaxed modern sedan.

BTW, I have seen one Corvette over the last week. It was a C4 in London which was getting a horn blown at it because it was turning around and blocking the road too much. One of the rare times that I have heard the English blowing.

PatternDayTrader

Woha ... that shouldn't happen. lol .

You probably didn't realize the race was on until he had a car length or two on you.

woody41

I had my cruise set at 105 mph (just burning the gunk out of engine) in my 91 a few weeks ago and got passed by a woman in a Kia talking on her phone....

cuengineer

Love it, Woody. I just made my first visit to an English grocery store in a little village. On the way back, I met a big truck on a road that was too narrow for two small cars. Guess who backed up 1/4 mile until I could pull into a driveway and let him pass. Would have hated to do that in the Vette!

PatternDayTrader

I'm sure there will be dissenting opinions, but in a general way, the more powerful a car is, the more difficult it is to drive properly. This is especially true for anyone that might fall into the category of beginner or novice drivers. A perfect example are the folks on this site. From time to time, various peoples will post time slips from the drag strip. There are wild variations in these times even though they have basically the same or very similar cars, and that's in drag racing where you don't even have one turn.

The fastest cars don't always win, its the fastest drivers that usually do.

cuengineer

Amotoxracer, I agree about the fastest drivers vs the fastest cars. As Clint Eastwood used to say, "A man's got to know his limits!" My point about flogging the Vette was that on these roads, I think a driver of a car like my '88 would have to work much harder to beat the pace of the small sedan because of the roads. Of course, a greatly modified C4 with twice as much HP might be different. It was interesting that while on M6 (similar to an Interstate) the other day, I had to slow down so a Ferrari could pass me and my wife could take a picture of it.

cv67

Watch out for the new Ecotec stripped down camaros those things move along ok for what they are.

73n95

If you're going to quote Eastwood, get it right. "A man's GOT to know his limitations."

cuengineer

Obviously, I need to watch Clint again! By the way, here is an example of the kinds of roads I have been referring to.

maddogwyatt

I live in Devon in the South-West of England. A lot of our roads are single-track "lanes" with occasional passing places. You get very good at reversing. I often tow a trailer for work which adds to the fun! Passing in tight places with my LHD C4 is tricky to judge, as you can imagine, and yes, the ride is a bit TOO firm for these poor surfaces. I drove mine home from Wales where I bought it. I was being cautious on 12yr old rubber and a car that hadn't been used for over 12mths, so when I got off the Motorway and into the lanes I was tired. I couldn't believe the ride!! I though there was something very wrong with the car! Since then, we have newer tyres, and have polybushed it, so it's much improved, but still FIRM.

cuengineer

Maddog, I am actually in Devonshire in SW England for a couple of more days. That pic was actually from further north on the other side of Birmingham but seems pretty similar to some of the ones that I have been driving on in south England. While it has been interesting driving on the country lanes, it gives an appreciation for how the roads are so different from U.S. roads, especially the lack of shoulders and with buildings, stone walls, hedges, power poles, etc. at the immediate edge of the road. But VERY beautiful countryside. Very similar to some other back roads I have been on in Europe and makes me if that is partly why very few F1 drivers come from the U.S. We only spent one day in London before heading into the country.

Kevova

IMO It's what you are used to. I learned to drive on little narrow roads which weren't much wider than a driveway with passing oncoming cars required backing up or both parties dropping tires off roadways. A lot of old historic cities have sections where they merely paved the "Horse Path" between the buildings. Which can be unnerving in a wide anything. Driving fast in a maze does require a certain "guts' and confidence you won't meet anything along the way. The other part of the question the C4 can hang with a lot of the "tuner" cars where turning is involved. They are out horse powered (in stock form), but they still have better than average handling.

DGXR

Tight twisty roads may be fun in the C4 but the lighter weight cars will do it just as quickly, more comfortably, and maybe even more entertainingly, and with better fuel economy.

Where our American V8 sports coupes do better is, anywhere over 80mph, and on dedicated racetracks where grip and cornering are always pushed to the limit.

Patsgarage

A few years ago the boss and I were in England and I rented a Ford Mondeo (think Fusion) diesel with a stick. That was one of the greatest cars I have ever driven. I beat the snot out of it and got over 750 miles per tank. I did get smoked by a guy in some kind of Citroen on the M4, he passed me like I was standing still at over 110.
The Vette might be a handful on the "B" roads, if for no other reason than the width. Unless you are on the motorways it is really too much car for the roads over there.

ElisTwoCents

I don't drive my C4 because it's the fastest on the road but it holds its own. I'm on my second C4 and that's because I've grown to love these cars, so to each his own. I drive an 8cylinder SUV and it gets going.

I think C4 ownership has 2 main sides on this:

1. The modders - Always looking to spend on the next mod, at times obsessed with speed in THIS model Corvette, knowing that they will never get back all that money invested, simply paid back by a grin of getting on the throttle.

2. The waxers/cruisers - This crew shouldn't worry much about losing to anyone on the road. Simply wash, cruise and repeat...that's the enjoyment.

I'd like to think I'm part of the former. FRANKLY, what's worse and often gets lost in this redundant, ridiculous conversation and really should be a better question:

How do some new "sportscar" owners feel when they do, maybe not all, but some do...How do THEY feel when they lose to a 20 year old Corvette? Looking at their faces is worth the cost of admission to group #1.