96 vert left front bounce
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 250
Likes: 6
96 vert left front bounce
Took my hardtop off for the first time and drove top down today. Car has a bounce in the left front that wasn't there before. New wheels, new tires and new shocks. No issues with hardtop installed and x-brace is installed and tight. Any suggestions that could point me in the right direction?Thought I may have thrown wheel weights off but they are still there. I am new to the C4. I know how to do pretty much anything once I find out what it is.
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 4,648
Likes: 1,059
From: N.E. Ohio OH
Finalist 2020 C4 of the Year - Modified
push on the left front a couple times to get it oscillating, then let go on the bottom of the down stroke. it should come back up, go down a little, back up a little and stop. if it does more than that the shock is bad.
or you have a bad tire. do you have the option that the tires are all the same size ? even if not, put the swap the left side front to back and see if the "bounce" moves.
or if your new tires are not uni-directional, swap the front tires side to side and see if the "bounce" moves.
if so, you have a bad tire or rim.
or you have a bad tire. do you have the option that the tires are all the same size ? even if not, put the swap the left side front to back and see if the "bounce" moves.
or if your new tires are not uni-directional, swap the front tires side to side and see if the "bounce" moves.
if so, you have a bad tire or rim.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,191
Likes: 158
From: Gilbert AZ
2018 C1 of Year Finalis4
If it only does this when your hard top is removed, I would suspect frame flex. This is something that C4's have. If I remove the targa top from my 96 coupe, it rides like a box of rock. Put it back on and it rides fine.
Pro
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 706
Likes: 47
From: Denver Colorado
Sounds like a tire or wheel issue on the left front. The additional flex you get with the hardtop off may be allowing a harmonic that amplifies the vibration caused by a faulty tire or bent/out of round or unbalanced condition. As suggested, try rotating the tires and try putting the hardtop back on. Also the obvious: good tire pressure?
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
5 Best & 5 Worst Corvette Daily Drivers
Joe Kucinski
The Headlights of Every Corvette Generation Explained
Joe Kucinski
5 Best & 5 Most Overrated Corvette Track Packages of All Time!
Joe Kucinski
Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained
Joe Kucinski
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Verdad Gallardo
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 250
Likes: 6
I have not replaced the hardtop to see the difference. I expected it to be a little different with the top off but not like this. Tore pressure is consistent and wheels lugs are properly torqued. I had the wheels off last week replacing center caps and I thought o may not have torqued them correctly.
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 34,873
Likes: 487
From: Lacey WA RVN 68-69
NCM Sinkhole Donor
Also inspect the wheels for missing wheel weights. Most all wheel weights used on Corvettes are the flexible tape weight design and made from steel. Can't use lead anymore.
Heel & Toe
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 17
Likes: 3
I was involved with a 96 that had a bad shake at highway speed. Like a BAD tire separation. Nothing was wrong with the tire, and a couple years into it, we replaced the tires. One of the Pressure Sensors had a broken band and was just loose in the tire. That thing weighs a lot, and at the outside circumference of the tire, made quite an imbalance.
If you car has the sensors, perhaps this has happened to yours too.
If you car has the sensors, perhaps this has happened to yours too.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 6,314
Likes: 508
From: South-central Missouri
I experienced an elusive vibration after a new set of tires was installed. Took them in for re-balancing twice - no change.
The solution was to have a "road force" balancing done. That only took a few minutes, and it was determined the tire was fine, but the rim had about 1/8"+ of a wobble.
It was just perceptible at around 85 mph - no issue except annoying - mostly because now I'm aware of a problem.
New wheels are on my "to do" list anyway. Options for 17" rims are limiting and I'd like to entertain a wider variety of rubber. (A bent rim sounds like the perfect excuse to me to buy rims (soon as bucks allow)!!
The solution was to have a "road force" balancing done. That only took a few minutes, and it was determined the tire was fine, but the rim had about 1/8"+ of a wobble.
It was just perceptible at around 85 mph - no issue except annoying - mostly because now I'm aware of a problem.
New wheels are on my "to do" list anyway. Options for 17" rims are limiting and I'd like to entertain a wider variety of rubber. (A bent rim sounds like the perfect excuse to me to buy rims (soon as bucks allow)!!