97 vs newer; active handling
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,058
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From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
Some thoughts about 97s and newer C5s. I have had two Corvettes a 97 that I ordered in 97 and an 03 Z. When I got the Z I played with the Active Handling on the track and while autocrossing. It offered some advantages and some disadvantages. Most Corvette owners will never realize they have it as all they do is putt putt from one show to another and never/ever push their cars. Where Active Handling will probably benefit most owners is in daily use when that unexpected emergency happens and you need to avoid something. The things it can do by applying the brake to just one wheel to yaw the car quicker can make the difference between a crash and not being in a crash.
Becoming a Vette owner you will have to get used to owners of other performance cars kidding you about your car getting wet and whether it will melt in the rain and whether it will break if pushed a little. The BMW guys are particularly hard in this area as they daily drive their cars and then push them on the track.
The reason I traded the 97 for the Z was I was getting passed on the track by newer cars. With the Z that problem went away for 6 seasons. Now I am looking for a more powerful Vette as C6 Zs are getting quite numerous on the track. The 97 had advantages over the Z because it was a hatch back. I can't get anywhere as much stuff in the back of the Z as I could the 97.
One feature that most Vette owners like is the HUD. It is worth while getting a car with the HUD.
There are really only five major features that differentiate between a 97 and a 2004. They are the rag top, the FRC/Z06, the HUD, Active Handling, and Telescoping Steering. Despite all of the so called experience with first year build cars the 97s are probably the best assembled versions of the C5. You can tell when under the car by how the small details are finished Vs later year cars. The problems that are common to 97s are common to all C5s so they tend to have fewer problems. If you are looking at a 97 through 99 and you push the seat forward and use your hand to push on the bulkhead behind the seat you will not hear anything. On 00s on up the bulkhead will make an oil can popping noise. GM removed the pressed in reinforcements in the panel so it flexes. The fix to the oil canning is to remove the carpet and use a ball peen hammer to put some serious dings in the bulkhead. The dings provide enough reinforcement to prevent the panel from flexing.
Bill
Becoming a Vette owner you will have to get used to owners of other performance cars kidding you about your car getting wet and whether it will melt in the rain and whether it will break if pushed a little. The BMW guys are particularly hard in this area as they daily drive their cars and then push them on the track.
The reason I traded the 97 for the Z was I was getting passed on the track by newer cars. With the Z that problem went away for 6 seasons. Now I am looking for a more powerful Vette as C6 Zs are getting quite numerous on the track. The 97 had advantages over the Z because it was a hatch back. I can't get anywhere as much stuff in the back of the Z as I could the 97.
One feature that most Vette owners like is the HUD. It is worth while getting a car with the HUD.
There are really only five major features that differentiate between a 97 and a 2004. They are the rag top, the FRC/Z06, the HUD, Active Handling, and Telescoping Steering. Despite all of the so called experience with first year build cars the 97s are probably the best assembled versions of the C5. You can tell when under the car by how the small details are finished Vs later year cars. The problems that are common to 97s are common to all C5s so they tend to have fewer problems. If you are looking at a 97 through 99 and you push the seat forward and use your hand to push on the bulkhead behind the seat you will not hear anything. On 00s on up the bulkhead will make an oil can popping noise. GM removed the pressed in reinforcements in the panel so it flexes. The fix to the oil canning is to remove the carpet and use a ball peen hammer to put some serious dings in the bulkhead. The dings provide enough reinforcement to prevent the panel from flexing.
Bill
Last edited by Bill Dearborn; Jun 26, 2009 at 03:51 PM.
