Well,
I finaly was able to get out and drive the car yesterday, logged a little over 70 miles. It was a short ride.

1) The cars stabilty without the targa top on..........
I think this is the only downfall to the C4 Vs. the C5. The car over bumps had alot of FLEX. When I say alot of course I mean compared to the C5 without the top on. Non the less, awsome feeling without it on.

2) Speed
I live in a rural part of Illinois so believe me, if something went wrong it would have been months b4 they found me in a corn field!!!!
Being able to do 55mph in 1st gear is awsome. The higher redline than the LT-1 and the LS-1 is very noticable. I found myself at times throwing shifts like I was in my old C5 and not letting the engine open up all the way.
Hit 125mph with the targa off in no time flat. My ear drums hurt from the turbulance!!! Time to dig up that old vent piece that I have.
Passing cars was no problem, although I need to reaquaint myself with down shifting again. I don't want to hurt the car so I wasnt going from 4th to 2nd or so on, I'm sure I realy would have been able to pass if I was shifting 2 gears down!!!

3) Suspension

This is no CADILLAC!!!!!!!!!
What can you say, EVERY bit of the road was felt.
Again, without the Targa on the car was a bit loose, no big deal when cruising around town or with someone in the passenger seat. When it comes time to do some road coarse type manuvers, it aint happening. Over all not a complaint though, it's the nature of the beast.
The F45, couldnt realy notice a diffrence. Maybe because I wasnt on a road coarse but its a nice feature to have just to say you got a fully loaded car!
Overall the car road great.
On good roads its very responsive, you can feel the tires planted, the steering is on the money and throttle response is very sensitive!!!
On bumpy roads you can feel each axle move as you go over it, larger wider pot holes make the car seem a if it shifted left or right. No top on multiplies the effect! man hole covers feel like a very sharp jolt to the vehicle, deep pot holes made the car seem as if it was gonna fall apart.

Build quality

Guess what.........It has squeks and rattles!!!!!!!!!
Over all the car is solid. a few things I have to do is fix that caliper problem, replace a few seals, and tighten up the door panels that are a bit loose. I noticed some rust on the neck of the gas opening right under the gas cap. Can't figure that out??
Also getting some scratches in the windows from the up and down motion. Cant tell if it was dirt inside the door or if it's rubbing against something inside the door. But both windows have it.
Couple of bolts getting a little rusty under the hood but no big deal, I think I'm just picking the car apart now!!!

Anyway.............. comment away guys, and if you have any ideas on the few things I gotta fix please give me those tips!!

 

Sounds like a good road test.

True these cars aren't Cadillac's which is why I stay away from the C5, some I've driven feel like they are going to flip over going around a turn and that's 45 mph in a 45 zone!

Other C5's I've driven are stiff and hard like the C4.

What's amazing, my '95 is supposed to have the "soft ride" but it sure doesn't feel like it.

I will agree with having the top out it can be a bear on your ears and everytime I run a feather over in the street my CD will skip. But I rarely take the top off anyway, I travel to too many places where it would be a pain to install and remove at each stop.

But you still can't beat the good looks of the C4 and the LT4 is awesome. I got a chance to drive Arisa's LT4 and that sucker screams!

 

I have the Z51 option on mine. I cruise with my top off quite a bit. I guess I am getting used to it LOL. Sounds like a pretty nice LT4. Working on them is half the fun. Enjoy

 

You're right about the flexing. I've only taken the top out twice all summer long because of it.

 

Check out: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=878331

Their parts are top notch quality!! The Cross Bar and Camber Brace will help with the flex and improve the handling. The Targa Truss http://r-dracing.com/targa-truss.htm goes in place of the top and allows for open air driving. The Cross Frame is probably best for a pernament solution, can leave it on all the time. http://r-dracing.com/CROSS-FRAME.htm

 

Yeah, I seldom take the top off because of flexing. I want the x-brace but will have to wait until I can come up with $300. That was a good test, though.

 

HC96LT4, great report. when i installed my camber brace, it minimized the shakes a little. it's a cheaper (and lighter) option than the x-brace.

by the way, i replied on the c-clip on your other post. the part number's 10132842. it's the same PN as my 92.

 

Thanks!!!!

 

Just remember that the Camber Brace and the Cross Frame serve different purposes. The Camber Brace will help with some flex, but its designed to improve handling by keeping the upper a-arms from flexing. The Cross Frame will help the most with body flex.

 

But,
????? I've had the limiter raised in mine and it'll never hit 55 in 1st.

 

I'll check it again, I was redlining gears to see what they would do. I could have sworn I saw 47MPH with about 500-600 rpm left. So 55 was a guestamite. I might just go home and find out for sure.

 

Having driven a '96 coupe and owning a '95 convertible I will say that the convertible, thanks to the x-brace I guess, feels a lot less flexibale than the coupe did. I drove the coupe with targa top removed...

 

I think mine hits the limiter at 48 or 49.

Regardless, LT-4s are pretty darned fun.

 

Limiter hit on mine at 51mph!! You caught me!!!!!!!!

 

Get RD racings products. The camber brace helps most in lateral transitions(quick lane changes). I can jump in front of other cars with seemingly no body roll what so ever. You just point and shoot with none of the roll like stock. The cross bar helps with the squeaks that come from riding over uneven pavement. I instantly noticed a difference when backing out of my drive way and with the diagonal expansion joints on bridges. I have purchased the Crossframe but have not installed. Dont worry about the extra weight. These cars are not lightweights in the first place. And if the weight is too much just get some AFR heads and pump a 100 shot and your worries will quickly go away.