C5 test driving woes....
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Le Mans Master
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From: Kingston Tenn.
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St. Jude Donor '03 & '06
C5 test driving woes....
Well, The big decision has been made. My wife and I have settled on finding a Used C5 coupe. With that being said, we have test drove several. There is a repeat problem that I am running into with vettes with over 50000 miles. They shift extremely hard. I have owned cars with four speeds. Banging gears in them was a blast. Banging gears in a automatic vette...OUCH
Is this a common problem for you guys who have a lot of mile on your cars?
How common is a sluggish takeoff in a C5?
Jim482
Corvette owner wannabe.... :confused:
Is this a common problem for you guys who have a lot of mile on your cars?
How common is a sluggish takeoff in a C5?
Jim482
Corvette owner wannabe.... :confused:
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2001
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From: Lincoln, CA
Re: C5 test driving woes.... (jim482)
I'm only at 42,000. Changing the Tranmission oil should help smooth it out.
I had problems getting into first and second is still sticky when cold. Redline ATF helped alot and fixed the first gear problem.
Also the Ripper made it easer to tell when I was in gear all the way.
I had problems getting into first and second is still sticky when cold. Redline ATF helped alot and fixed the first gear problem.
Also the Ripper made it easer to tell when I was in gear all the way.
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2000
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From: Central CT
Re: C5 test driving woes.... (ddawson)
Cold weather makes our fairly new C5 shift hard until the lube warms.
Our BMW was stiff for 5000 miles; now like warm butter, except again when it's cold out it's stiff as heck until warmed.
Oil that doesn't stiffen (synthetic??) may help, unless there is an underlying damage issue.
In the old days of our musclecars, hard shifting in later days was attributed to worn or damaged synchro rings..... and they were never repairable to "as good as new". They always seemed to refail sooner than the 1st time.
[Modified by Pepper, 7:54 PM 11/12/2001]
Our BMW was stiff for 5000 miles; now like warm butter, except again when it's cold out it's stiff as heck until warmed.
Oil that doesn't stiffen (synthetic??) may help, unless there is an underlying damage issue.
In the old days of our musclecars, hard shifting in later days was attributed to worn or damaged synchro rings..... and they were never repairable to "as good as new". They always seemed to refail sooner than the 1st time.
[Modified by Pepper, 7:54 PM 11/12/2001]
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2000
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From: Grapevine Texas
Re: C5 test driving woes.... (jim482)
jim482
you said "Banging gears in a automatic vette...OUCH" are you test driving automatics if so you wont be happy manually shifting them. There are tuners who can reprogram them to shift at higher rpm's and with less slip. Also find out what rearend gear it has, the weakest is a 2.73 the performance unit from the factory is 3.15 and some people have added 3.42 or 3.73 these will make a huge difference in standing starts. You may want to look at a manual for the higher degree of control of your powerband, they come equipped with the 3.42 gear from the factory and I believe the highest stock 0-60 numbers come from these cars.
[Modified by Vette-Racer, 7:11 PM 11/12/2001]
you said "Banging gears in a automatic vette...OUCH" are you test driving automatics if so you wont be happy manually shifting them. There are tuners who can reprogram them to shift at higher rpm's and with less slip. Also find out what rearend gear it has, the weakest is a 2.73 the performance unit from the factory is 3.15 and some people have added 3.42 or 3.73 these will make a huge difference in standing starts. You may want to look at a manual for the higher degree of control of your powerband, they come equipped with the 3.42 gear from the factory and I believe the highest stock 0-60 numbers come from these cars.
[Modified by Vette-Racer, 7:11 PM 11/12/2001]
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,117
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From: El Paso TX
Re: C5 test driving woes.... (Vette-Racer)
Like others have stated, the gearing has a lot to do with the sluggish take offs you may be experienceing. 2.73 gears really bite. :nonod: A lot of people here on the forum upgrade to 3.42 for better overall performance. Synthetic lube will help a lot. You may want to check the C5 for sale section here on the forum and by a slightly modded car from the start. It will save you the hassle, and most likely will have been well taken care of (being on the forum and all). Also, maybe get in touch with other A4 vette owners in your area who have the bigger gears and all the goodies and see if you can drive theirs to really get an idea of what you want. Just a thought. :yesnod: Good luck! :cheers:
Here is a link that may be of interest to you:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=160479
[Modified by Viprklr, 7:39 PM 11/12/2001]
Here is a link that may be of interest to you:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=160479
[Modified by Viprklr, 7:39 PM 11/12/2001]
Drifting
Joined: Aug 1999
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From: Altamonte Spgs Florida
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Re: C5 test driving woes.... (curtowens)
Also remember that when test driving a vette, the tranny will not get a chance to really warm up to operating temperature. The autos do shift more stiffly until fully warmed up.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,292
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From: Md
Re: C5 test driving woes.... (jim482)
A lot of A4 vettes have had a pcm program done to enhance the driving pleasure. :yesnod: After I installed Steve Cole's Power Loader II in mine, it shifted much harder :D I always managed to spin the tires on the 1st-2nd upshift :D :D
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 1999
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From: Round Rock, Texas Texas
Re: C5 test driving woes.... (curtowens)
Vette Racer, how do you find out what gear you have? Is there an indicator digit in the serial number or something? :confused:
Look in the glove compartment
(under the drivers side rear storage lid for ealier models)
For this code G92. G92 denotes the performance axle option.
Otherwise you have the 2:73
Manual trannies (MN6's) are 3:42 standard
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 1999
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From: Virginia Beach Virginia
Re: C5 test driving woes.... (Scott97)
I traded in my C4 ('94) basically because the transmission had "gone soft" at 23K miles (i.e. very smooth shifts...the older she got the smoother the shifts). I then ordered my C5 with a six-speed and I can tell you that I will never go back to another automatic Vette. (I test drove a C5 with a 3.15 rear end and I still noticed that the shifts were too smooth for me). Again, just my opinion.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2001
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From: Kingston Tenn.
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Re: C5 test driving woes.... (Vette-Racer)
my days of "banging" gears are limited to my hot rods. The vette will be an everyday driver. No banging here:p:
The concern I have is the "smacking" gears. I have driven a vert that shifted perfectly. It only had 25000 miles on it. The coupes I have driven with more miles seem to have sloppy shifts.
I am still new to the vette world. These hard shifts in normal driving though scare the hell out of me when it comes to purchasing....
The concern I have is the "smacking" gears. I have driven a vert that shifted perfectly. It only had 25000 miles on it. The coupes I have driven with more miles seem to have sloppy shifts.
I am still new to the vette world. These hard shifts in normal driving though scare the hell out of me when it comes to purchasing....