Rev Ron

As I look for the right Vette, I have driven several C5's lately. Both of them seem to ride pretty hard. How does the C5 compare to the C6? Who knows...

Mcrider

My brother has a C5, I have a C6 GS and the two cars are pretty different and both are stock. His feels more nimble, easier to steer, lighter on it's feet. My C6 feels heavier, more stable in the corners, acceleration is more brutal, and definitely more comfortable of a ride. The car stays planted on it's lines through the curves better than his C5.

That being said, I would love to own his car for tracking.

Tsvetteman

Vetteman Jack

I have driven both C5s and a C6 vert (for about 1500 miles) and my butt-o-meter gives the ride quality edge to the C6. But I really do not have any complaints about the C5 ride, especially with non-runflats.

~Josh

Coyote

Very different between a c5 and a c6. I find the c5 to have a more bigger car, smoother ride. The c6 feels pretty tight and smaller like a c4. I've had a c4, two c5s, a c6 and a c7. My current Vette is a c5. I like the ride of the 5th gen over the others. Plus I now have the magnetic ride on my 50th anniversary and that is pretty darn nice.

jjc508520

At Carlisle I got to sit in somee C7's and I noticed that I lost about 1.5in on either side of my knees - I don't know what the situation is with the C6...

Coyote

The c5 is by far more roomy than the c6 or c7.

jframe

If you think a C5 rides hard, try a C4.

Verrückt ZR1

Disagree. I feel that my '09 is nearly identical in cabin size to both of my C5's. The C7 is a different story. As to the OP: C6 has a slightly better ride, especially with the mag. ride control. Not a night and day difference, though.

jumpmanmb87

Its a sports car not a Cadillac

Phanni

Having the same tires, the two should be almost identical in ride. They are essentially the same car with a different body.
The C-7, although not as roomy, is a lot more comfortable for the long trips.

Coyote

True. My C4 was very much a 'sports car', in that the ride was so unforgiving that I was able to break the roof mounting brackets when going over a rail road crossing at safe speeds. <sigh> Nothing wrong with a responsive ride and with nice road feedback. But I do enjoy being able to have a comfortable drive and also good control (thus why I like the c5 w/mag ride).

KnightDriveTV

First of all, it depends on what models you're comparing. C5 base vs C6 Z51 or C5 Z06 vs C6 base...they are going to play out feeling different in different ways. We currently have a C5Z modded and a C6 (09 LS3 car) base.

C6 rides like a cadillac, has more low end grunt, has better forward corner visibility, but has less upward visibility (traffic lights) and less headroom. C5 and C6 chassis doesn't feel like a different chassis...because...it isn't. C6 steering is improved due to the year, but C5Z on a square setup with a 350mm steering wheel feels way sharper and far superior. C5 has more interior room, ride quality would be fine depending on model chosen, etc.

In my opinion, C5 vs C6 is a VERY hard decision, but for me...only the C5Z/FRC is relevant...the "enthusiast buyer" will struggle with the C5Z vs C6? argument, not a cruiser guy as much. If you're buying the "non enthusiast" car, you have to go newer for more refinement, plushness, etc...because you're a cruiser.

C7...I'm worried about interior space...that car feels tight like my S2k was in shoulder width and leg room. My C5Z and my gf's C6...I'm comfortable in both, though I can see a lot better out of my C5, vs I am always ducking to see things out of her C6.

BRKLYN

Coyote

My c7's seat were very uncomfortable. In fact I developed back pain from it. Thought maybe it was just mine but I kept a friend's c7 for a week and it had the same issues. Just couldn't adjust it to support my back properly. The c5 gets a lot of flak over their seats. And while they may be bad for aggressive driving, they certainly are comfortable. The c6 had good seats though the floppy seat back design was a bit annoying. I guess I'd consider the c6 seats to be slightly better than the c5.

Chris Draper

Opinions are all over the map. Tires have a lot to do with it.

JimHarris4

92GA

I have a C5 with the Z51 suspension, my buddy has a C5 with the magnetic ride and my son-in-law has a base C6. My car has more than triple the miles as the other two cars and it rides and drives the best of the lot. I have Hankook non run flats and they both have stock run flats. My buddies car on soft rides and handles like crap to me, and on sport it is very harsh. My son-in-laws C6 seems to have a little more low end grunt, but it's a 6 speed. It doesn't ride near as well as my car either. To me the perfect suspension for a Vette is the Z51, not too soft, not too harsh.

Koufax

My exact experience. I have the C5 with Z51 suspension . When I bought it with the 10 year old runflats, the ride was terribly harsh. I put on some non-runflat Hankooks and it made a world of difference. A little stiffer than my wife's Volvo but not by a lot.