Chassis flex
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 595
Likes: 38
From: San Jose CA.
Chassis flex
I believe there is a fair amount of chassis flex/twist in the coupe, particularly with the roof off; I'm sure the convertible is worse. I do have the "abs of steel" which helps a little. It is most noticable going slow up a driveway on a diagonal. How does this car compare to the 911 in this regard?
Racer
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 253
Likes: 0
From: Chicago
I'd be very surprised if it were worse than the 911. I'll look for numbers but I think it might even be better. I think the car is well designed. The car seems to be very stable and composed when I drive around on the crappy streets even with my Z51 equipped car.
Always good to search
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1164686
Always good to search
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1164686
Z06 torsional is 28 Hz and bending was something near 23 Hz
Regular C6 torsional is 26.9 Hz and bending something near 22 Hz
Regular C6 torsional is 26.9 Hz and bending something near 22 Hz
Last edited by johnei; Aug 3, 2006 at 02:11 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,837
Likes: 4
Funny, I thought just the opposite, but for the same reason!
I've found it fairly easy to get a wheel off the ground going diagonally up a steep driveway or road, which I take as a sign that the chassis isn't flexing - if it were, it the flex would add to the suspension travel to help keep the wheel on the ground.
And I've always considered the 911 to be fairly flexible - although Porsche has done an excellent job of engineering that flex so that it is well compensated and shows up in the least harmful direction.
Of course the C6 does have a long wheelbase for a sports car, quite a bit longer than the 911, and that's going to affect things quite a lot, especially for long-axis torsion.
It would be interesting to make some measurements, and probably not too hard to do. One quick measurement would be to lift, say, the left front wheel until the right front and left rear are clear of the ground, then measure the torsion between the front and rear "axles", which could be done with a couple of laser pointers and index cards taped to the underside of the car.
I've found it fairly easy to get a wheel off the ground going diagonally up a steep driveway or road, which I take as a sign that the chassis isn't flexing - if it were, it the flex would add to the suspension travel to help keep the wheel on the ground.
And I've always considered the 911 to be fairly flexible - although Porsche has done an excellent job of engineering that flex so that it is well compensated and shows up in the least harmful direction.
Of course the C6 does have a long wheelbase for a sports car, quite a bit longer than the 911, and that's going to affect things quite a lot, especially for long-axis torsion.
It would be interesting to make some measurements, and probably not too hard to do. One quick measurement would be to lift, say, the left front wheel until the right front and left rear are clear of the ground, then measure the torsion between the front and rear "axles", which could be done with a couple of laser pointers and index cards taped to the underside of the car.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,508
Likes: 1,463
From: Pittsburgh PA
2025 C8 Stingray of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2024 C8 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Originally Posted by Sandy S
I had a related question.
Can anyone that has driven both a coupe and a convertable comment on the difference in feel?
Is there any cowl shake on the convertalbe?
Can anyone that has driven both a coupe and a convertable comment on the difference in feel?
Is there any cowl shake on the convertalbe?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 869
Likes: 0
From: Nashua NH
Originally Posted by Scruff Vette
Had both. No difference with top on in the coupe. Top off the coupe and it had cowl shake (reminded me of C4 days, but not as bad). No noticable shake or flex in the convertible.
I am going back and forth considering coupe or covertable while waiting to see how the dust settles on flying top issues. Looks like a vert moves way up on the list if I decide to give gm any more of my money (them making right with _all_ potential flying top owners would make me feel better about this one).
I will try to get the local dealer to let me drive a vert to check for shake before ordering but they generally have a problem with test drives.
Sandy
Last edited by Sandy S; Aug 3, 2006 at 03:44 PM.
