So I've been a 95 Corvette 6spd owner (most recently) for one year. I have always tried to stay original on a budget but now find myself wanting a little more for a little less so I ordered a full poly bushing kit. I am hoping for better handling and not paying the big bucks for rebuilt arms. Also, will of course replace any joints with good Moog parts that are needing replaced. BUT..........While I wait on the sway bar bushings I am starting to think the lowered cars look pretty cool. Not much more work while I am in there but...... will I regret it? This is a sometimes commuter 6-9 months of the year. Great car but nothing special -----so ----- I am wondering what those of you who have lowered 1 inch think about it. How much of a a hassle are drive ways, speed bumps etc? Also - with stock size tires - does it really make a difference in the handling?
Thanks
Jeff

 

polly bushing did make a difference for me. i track the car alot and my stock rubber ones were completely shot...but i doubt ul notice a difference just drivin around.. lowering 1 inch shouldnt give u any trouble c4s sit pretty high anyway....

 

My front spoiler is about 3.5 inches from the pavement and I can tell you that you always have to be on your toes looking for most anything that can hit it. My driveway is a challenge every time I arrive and leave, plus some speed bumps require a detour. Entrances to some gas stations, etc are also a challenge to negotiate to. You always have to be careful. I love how my car sits, but sometimes wish it was higher. I may take my front spoiler off to enhance road clearance.

 

cut an inch off the bottom of the spoiler, no mo issues

 

Really?

I'm out.

 

Sorry if you are offended - I was comparing my car to any other 95 C4.

 

 

Not knowing how your car is currently sitting can change how you can lower the car. That is to say if the rear is considerably higher than the nose you might be better off just dropping the rear an inch, which will lift the nose slightly. This can even out the front/rear height. The FSM shows that there should be a slight nose down attitude. So keep that in mind.

Dropping the front is some work and is best performed on a hoist if possible. Many here have used floor jacks and stands, as have I. It's a bit of a challenge but with good safety practices can be accomplished without getting hurt. I cut down the mount rubbers on mine and that dropped a good 3/4 off the front stance. The rear has been dropped over two inches as it was very high and looked kinda silly IMO.

I now have about 4" ground clearance and must be careful going over most road hazards and negotiating driveways and other obstacles. The car has been driven cross country and with a few rare exceptions I traveled without tearing the bottom off the car. Anti backup spikes at parking lots will really wake you up when the spikes "rake" the bottom of the car.

One must be diligent to cut back the bump-stops otherwise the car will bounce down the road like a cheap ricer....

Lots of links here with step by step procedures and pics.

 

this means Betty Boop is now worth of $60,000.

Im taking her to Play Toys and get her listed for sale.

 

senior housing speed bumps kill mine, cant drive any where near them

 

Good luck!

 

only issues I had were the cats, and later the headers involved with speed bumps. But I lowered my car as low as I could get it, And it is still not as low as other cars on here.

The air dam hitting never bothered me.

 

3.5 inches! Why so high? My car is low, real low, a pop can laying on it's side will get pushed off the road by the front spoiler. Many will say that it is too low but that's their opinion and they are welcome to it. I usually use up a spoiler every two/three years and have a new one on hand at all times. I have one small dent in a header tube from an incredibly bad bridge approach which is the norm in Hellinois. I have a convertible x-brace on the car that I boxed. It acts like a huge skid plate for driveways etc. Brand new speed bumps are usually a suggestion to take a different route but I can live with that. Here is a pic of my car coming out of a corner at the Autobahn track outside Joliet Illinois. This not a racing pic, I was only running about 60 in this pic.
[IMG][/IMG]

 

mine is also terribly low. i scrape the belly coming in and out of the driveway (x-brace scrapes) but driving around i seem to be fine as long as im careful



yes i love showing pics

 

It looks good but really low. What all did you take out of it?

 

That isn't low, it's just right. Here's a side pic of mine we are right about the same height.
[IMG][/IMG]

 

There are two versions of the stock spoiler. The Z51 version is 1" lower than the "stock" version.

I have a Z51 and I use the Z51 spoiler. It scrapes. I replace it from time to time. Hitting a truck tire tread at 70 MPH and ripping out a foot of it made me do it a little sooner than planned...

 

yeah that is low. how many inches did you lower it?

i am thinking of lowering but think the coilovers are the best route to take....

 

Rear is easy. Front is difficult [ got to get in up high to get the spring out ].

Dangerous if you go about it wrong,[ there is a method and be aware that spring is loaded. ].

And the kits ARE potentially damaging to the front spring.

So if you do it read up, and be careful. There is a thread floating around on the Forum that goes into this subject with a load of pictures.

Dropping the front is also asking for steering issues. Tie rod arms specifically. Look into bumps steer arms just to make extra sure you don't find a wall unexpectedly.

TJM

 

The center of gravity on later model c4s is 16 inches off the ground.An indy car is 12 inches.Lowering your car may drop it to 13 inches only lowering the car 1 inchLowering it will increase handling even more.I am amazed at how mine handles & its at stock height.My questions to you before you lower it is how are the roads near your house/daily commute?Do you drive your vette daily or only on nice days?Do you realize an alignment will need to be done after lowering?I had an aftermarket underbody x-brace on my vette that decreased ground clearance by around 2 inches & never had any issues except speeds bumps which it scraped everytime.And the roads here in Minneapolis are horribleI say do it if roads where you live/drive are "good".It will handle much better.Good time to do a "performance" alignment too.And it will make your car look better.If you do lower it,post some pics for us