Reckless people or DUIs will defeat every safety measure one can devise.
I'm a big fan of the words of Herbert Spencer, the English philosopher who also allegedly coined the phrase "survival of the fittest".
This should be written on the entrance to all major highways:
"The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools."
I'd rather see the tech go into passive safety equipment that cannot be defeated by being foolish. Calling AH a "safety device" sounds to me anyway, as nothing much more than a rather convoluted means of justification for selling it to us.
Now, if you want to represent AH on a C5 as "trainer wheels", I'm okay with that.
I know you can't fly a modern jet fighter without a computer but every true pilot still loves a biplane.
Love promoting personal responsibility and agree with survival of the fittest. It's just that "we" have to out there with "Them" and since I don't have a lot of confidence in 'them' it seems prudent to encourage some self help, computer intervention, call it what you will. Having spent the last 16 months getting time on 5 different road courses in vehicles with 4 different performance levels I'm glad to have started out with some 'training wheels'. As for encouraging people to buy the technology, unabashedly Yes! Errors, accidents, mistakes can all be educational, gets more tragic when they turn fatal and very tragic when it's fatal for a bystander.
I don't get major car conversions. When done, the cost is far beyond any value in an objective sense, I think. I happen to live where there is a very large interest in hot rods and they are fun to see around town, etc. On any given evening there are in some cases, dozens, of then tooling around, great fun. But, when people get tired of them they try to recoup some of the cost and almost always seem disappointed when it turns out that the benefit is in the creation and once done the value to others is minor. JMO Hope the guy with the Vette conversion enjoys the fruits of his labor. I'd rather spend the money taking a fairly stock vette out to the track.
Conversions are really a reflection of a) wanting something different and b) the builder's skill.
In the first case, there are a LOT of Corvettes on the road, so having something a little different is appealing. In the second case, it's an ego thing, but in the case of the '58 conversion, at least an ego that has some reason to be inflated.
I'm sure money-wise, he'll lose his shirt on the car. Most customizers do unless they have a national reputation.
I am located in Southern California and I don't know where you are, but you can check with the big dealers like bigmike5 replied in 1032. In my case, I used the GMBuyerpower web site to locate dealers in my area that had the Corvette that I was looking for. These dealers were all very competitive and I didn't want to deal with the car being trucked in from out of state. bigmike5 is right about the coupe going for $9-10K off with rebates, the convertible and the Z06 in my area was about $9K off, and the Commemorative Z06 came in for just over $9K off MSRP. So there are still good deals out there in Southern California depending on what you are looking for.
The dealer that did my deal was Mossy Cheverolet in Encinitas and they were great to deal with. Let us know how things go for you and good luck.
I just saw the Top Gear review of new C6 Vette and I am deeply disappointed that it got beaten by both TVR, which has 50hps less and NSX, which has 100hps less in 1/4 mile drag race and it does not handle well at couple of corners on a track in the show. However, the track time is pretty close to Lambo and Mitsubishi Evo VIII MR FQ-J20
The one part that was shocking was when he pushed in the rear panel of the car. What the hell was with that, completely plastic.
The final verdict is "If you want a left hand drive plastic car, with Vietnamese suspension, corvette is your car"
It is pretty funny in how they dislike Vette so much even it beats Porsche GT3's track time.
Well it wasn't a very nice or very fair review but even allowing for all the hyperbole and the pandering to the need to insult (the plague of modern journalism world-wide actually) , it is still really a good idea to "listen to what your enemy says about you", even if it is painful. There may be nuggets of wisdom amid all the trash-talk.
I can see why European gear-heads might not like a car that drives and feels like a Corvette, which is much the same reason why an American V-8 motorhead might not like a Porsche 911!
It has to do more with what you are used to than what is really "better".
Best defense of the Corvette? It gets the job done big time, end of story. You wanna nice ride, buy a Lexus SC430.
I really was amazed they didn't also launch into the DOHC mantra vs (before Christ or) BC. "Vietnamese" pushrods also!?
But then as the Corvette does 1G with the "Vietnamese" "leaf spring" suspension, it might be painfully obvious the pushrod engine outperforms all but their most "exotics" DOHC'engines. I would guess they would want to keep current and future customers paying 2x-10x what a Corvette costs for less performance? There is a method to their madness?
Looking at the tenor and tone of the editorial portion of the piece, it appears to be a dig. As in the "bailing wire and chewing gum" variety.
In so far as your "toughness" metaphor, during the Vietnam War the enemy was resourceful in using our "dud" munitions against US. So applied to the Corvette, they went to their "old parts" bin and dusted off some old pieces.
Yeah, I think the thing that would actually drive them totally crazy would be to get a Porsche 911 interior for a Corvette price; since they (Corvette) have already almost decimated them in the so called more important "performance" categories. The Euros could ignore the C5 for its almost its entire production run, but I think they could be accused of being stupid if they ignored it much longer.
Actually, I like both cars Corvette and say a Porsche 911. Like aside, the Porsche 911 has almost no utility as a road car.
Two years ago, app the early Sept time frame, my wife and I took our Corvette Z06 through the Southwest of the USA. (ala Route 66,CA, NV,AZ,CO,NM,UT,)The trip was probably a myth, dream, "blast to the past" fantasy come true for some. Since we had no professional committments, we didnt have to bring "those" kinds of clothes. But I have got to tell you, to pack 2 weeks of stuff in a Z06 cavernous trunk was a packer's nightmare. This is not a "woman's" packing lament; as both I and my wife each had a normal (carry on the airplane, under the seat or in the over head compartment) ballistic nylon small overnight suit case) and one plastic ice chest as 3 main pieces. I think we'd wind up having to share underwear and clothes in a Porsche 911, given the same trip and time frame. (Yeah would could have driven one of our Toyota Landcruisers and brought golfing buddies and 4 bags of clubs, but this is a Corvette thread. )
Regardless of who Top Gear likes or dislikes, they appear to be totally non-objective. The NSX and the Corvette are within 2 pounds of each other and the Corvette has 100 hp more, yet it gets beat in a 1/4 mile drag race by the NSX? Why anyone anywhere would want to trust Top Gear's test results is beyond me.
My 2003 Corvette rear skin around the tail lights do the same thing that I saw in the Top Gear test. I've never seen what is behind the skin on the Corvette rear end, but I believe it is like virtually every other modern car on the market that doesn't have chrome steel bumpers. There is a plastic skin somewhat loosely covering some energy absorbing structure that is fastened to something much more strong. I'll bet I could find a surface to bend in like that on just about every modern car out there.
I also think this also alludes to "porky" cars being OK! Just on a price point issue, the M3 (was) pretty close to the Z06. I remember the 2001 BMW M3 being 3400#'s vs 3150?#'s for the Z06.
Without getting into a discussion on the weight issue, every racer knows they have to work with the HP/weight issue and the less pork the better!!??
Top Gear is definitely bias toward non-British car. However, THEY DO LIKE OUR FORD GT.
The truth is Vette is a car that is designed for track and that is just what people like. From this issue of C/D, Vette has changed a lot, which is good for the Vette.
I wonder what will happen when 2006 M3 with rumored 400hps comes out. It sure will be interesting to see how M3 is stacked up against Vette, which has been untouchable by any car with $20,000 price range.
I think the issue has been finding that fine balance among Mercedes-Benz's interior finish, Vette's performance, Porsche's handling, Toyota's quality and Kia's price. And, frankly speaking, I do not think any car company has figured out what that magic formula is, yet.
"I wonder what will happen when 2006 M3 with rumored 400hps comes out. It sure will be interesting to see how M3 is stacked up against Vette, which has been untouchable by any car with $20,000 price range."
I would also agree! But as a price issue point, I think the obstacle is the sub 3100 # issue. Also as you know they can not go from 333hp and whatever the torque is to 400 hp/torque, since the frame among other things like transmission and suspension etc, is at the higher end of the balance point already.
proe-- Loved your comment in your last paragraph (post #1058). Would we all love that or what!!! I didn't check the links out as to the NSX beating the Vette in the 1/4, but I can tell you, "IT AIN'T GOING TO HAPPEN"!!! The NSX is an absolutely wonderful car in my mind. My son had one and I drove it a lot....even on the track. So easy to drive, and drive fast BUT I can guarantee you, it won't hold a candle to the Z06 in the 1/4. I suspect they are at least 1+ second apart. Don't have time to look into a digest of 1/4 times in various cars but I bet I'm close on the one second+ bit. As to the C6, I've seen nothing but good press on it. Limited testing so far but the newest Car and Driver had a good test and they were impressed. As to a 400 horse M3, all is good in these H.P. wars. The M3 is also one helluva car but it remains fat. I personally am patiently awaiting the C6 Z06 which should hit in about a year. Consensus has it at 500+ ponies and under 3000#. I'm salivating at the prospect at owning one, and I will....just a question of whether I want to get hosed on the price when they first hit or whether I'll have enough patience to wait well into the model year for some discounts. I usually wait for discounts, but the older I get the more instant gratification I want. What gets better than a man and his toys?
Perhaps two of the leads to the spark plugs were disconnected on the Vette? That would cartainly provide an opportunity for an NSX to beat the Vette. Nothing like a handicap.
Looking to get an 04 coupe. I live in the Northeast...What kind of tires do I put on for winter driving...Are they also run flat..Do I need to have the chevy dealership put them on...Thanx for any help.....
If you are wanting to drive in snow & ice - fuggedaboudit. There are a number of A/S (all season) tires that can extend the driving season into light snow conditions. Regardless of which tire you go with, be sure that the installer knows how to install the tires so that the pressure sensors are not damaged.
Listing from BG Plant of VINs on commerative editions produced in 2004, includes coupes and verts as well as Z06's. Just FYI.
Production stats from 2003 per CorvetteActionCenter includes 35878 produced and with 8613 Z06's for 24%. Stats for 2004 not available that I can find but from link seems like 32k total. With same take rate, I'm guessing it was higher in '04, you get about 8k Z06's. Just a guess.
Link to older production info not put up by another site with forums: http://www.idavette.net/facts.htm They only have '02 and older data. FWIW
I believe I need new shocks. I'm somewhat partial to Edelbrocks--I've used them on other vehicles. Has anyone tried them on a vette? Any other brands that anyone might suggest as being particularly good?
I've heard good things about Edelbrock. I think the '95 that I've just sold had Bilstein (?) and in talking to several others they get good reviews as well. I was told not to replace but to rebuild and they would be good for another long stint.
I am gettings omewhat desperate and I hope there is somebody out there who knows an answer to my question.
We recently purchased a 1996 LT1 after months of reading these kinda boards, sifting through the Corvette museum and local car shows. We love this car, its shape its performance (using a Hoinda Odyssey otherwise) and intend to keep it for a long time.
What we were kind of surprised is the lack of information on C4 Corvettes out there, especially on the 1992-96 models, the last model year LT4 Grand Sport. While we love the performance and leaving BMWs in Boxsters in the dust, we would like to know the exact performance specs of it - nothing out there. Does anyone know where onecan get the acceleration and top speed data for the LT1?
You should indeed be able to beat a Boxster S 0-60 (on a track of course, as we do not race on the street do we) as you have more HP; however, the diff is only 1/2 a second, on paper anyway, so not quite a "dusting" there. A baseline Boxster you should be able to walk away from no problemo. Ditto a plain ol' BMW sedan. A BMW M3 however, would be troublesome, as you and he should run absolutely neck and neck.
But still, given that you can get a very nice '96 coupe for $14K-15K or so, that's an awful lot of bang for the buck you have to admit.
Corvetteforum.com also has lots of help specific to the C4.
As with my 2002, sometimes getting performance specs after an engine has been on the market for a few years requires going back to when it was first released. I drove a '95 for a year or so and the grunt torque with the performance rear end was really nice. Enjoy.
A total of 34,064 Corvettes rolled off the end of the Corvette assembly line for the 2004 production model year. Coupes still proved to be the most popular model ordered with 47 percent of total sales. Convertibles held a steady 36 percent with the Z06 claiming the remaining 17 percent. Le Mans Blue, a color named to commemorate the Corvette win in the 24 race, also won the race for most popular color at 20 percent, with Black finishing at a close second at 18 percent. Torch Red came in third at 15 percent. Only one option was chosen by all Corvette owners, air conditioning with auto temperature control was installed in 100 percent of the cars. Automatic transmissions were popular with 63 percent of sales. Excluding Z06s, which were all manual, 20 percent were equipped with the manual six speed transmission.
Comment, since the auto was standard and the manual $900 higher I still want to see if making them both the same cost boosts the manual percentage in 2005.
Only way manual percentage will go up is if the ages of the buyers goes down, or the condition of aging/spasming backs improves, so shifting becomes easier [not likely]. Now, if they included an autostick feature in the C6, IMHO that would probably skewer the stats to 75% auto and 25% straight stick. It would be the best of both worlds for us older folks.
Hope to see any posters from here at the Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit on Saturday. Biggest car event ever. I'm going up there tomorrow, and will be cruising in the 04 Medium Spiral Gray Coupe with Commemorative striping pattern done in Copper with a Medium Blue edge stripe. The windshield has "CORVETTE" done in the same Copper stuff. Give me a holler if you see me. My 300M gets a weekend off this year.
Thanks guys for the C4 info! I guess I will have to dyno it to find out the hp and top speed, without racing it on the streets, which I never would consider.
Haven't had the pleasure with an M3 so far, but Boxsters are fun to play with. I got a real nice example of a 96 C4 for a bit more than $15K, but doesn't have a single chip or scratch on it, and just 18K mls. Racing likely will be a rare occurence, but I am itching to know where the top speed is - while it is likely to be somewhere in the 160 range.
I drove a very nice '95 for 17 months, only 18k miles as well last year, to keep miles off my '02 coupe that I track some. I had the alingment reset, which was needed and at least put new rubber on the front. All that said, the C4 didn't feel as stable at 90mph as the C5 feels over 130mph. I've gotten the '02 up to 148 on the speedo but was probably only at about 145 since I was running Z06 wheels and rubber on a coupe. Nither car can make much of a turn over 100mph. Just FYI
starrow68, if you had reset the EBTCM (Electronic Braking Traction Control Module) when you installed the Z06 wheels and rubber, your indicated 148 would have been pretty close to accurate (unless you put on tires that had a different circumference than the Goodyear tires that come with the Z06). I have the Z06 wheels and Michelin Pilot Sport tires on my coupe (and reset the EBTCM module settings) and the speedometer is pretty much on point (at an indicated 120 mph, a freeway mile marker came up in 30 seconds and the odometer added the mile on que). If you have not reset the EBTCM, you should seriously consider resetting it as Active Handling uses the setting as part of its algorithm to determine whether the car is about to spin (differential between the front and rear wheel speeds).
I switch from OEM wheels with Michelin PS run flats for the street to Z06 GY Supercars for the track and then back again. For what I calculate as less than 1.5% difference in rear tire diameter I can live with the 1mph difference at normal cruise. I've never noticed any difference at the track unless it makes the AH less intrusive and I thought that was my getting smoother, hum ...
2000 Conv, 6 spd, Looking to replace my Goodyears with something more "mileage friendly". I've always replaced the tires with as close to original as I can. Now that I'm getting older I would like something that lasts more than 25,000 miles. Any suggested tires?
I am not sure if this will directly translate to and for you, but I have Toyo Proxes T1's in oem sizes. I really like them a lot. It is more balanced in favor of the wet and is not as ferocious in dry grip, handling and steering as the GY E F1 SC's. It also is far smoother and "ride" comfortable than the OEM tires. These were reasonable alternatives because I do a lot of touring and can not control specific conditions. As you know it NEVER rains in the desert, but this is the second trip I have made in the desert with almost flash flood rains!! I routinely go through temperture extremes as much as 20 degrees in snow storms to 104 in Death Valley, all in the same trip.
Starting with 8/32 in, I got 56,000 miles with 3.5/32 left on front and 3/32 on the rears. 220 UTOQ A AA or app 12,444 per 1/32 fronts and 11,200 rears.
The Toyo's starts with 10/32 in, or 2/32 more than the GY E F1 SC's. So given the same variables they should last longer. They are also slightly harder tread at 280 UTOQ. I have app 8-9k on the Toyo's and they are a much better touring tire. They are more quiet and in theory will last longer, given your particular situation.
It was also a benefit that the Toyo's were far cheaper than the OEM's. I can do 5,366 miles of touring with the cost savings!
I have 2002 Coupe and run stock size tires and considered GY or Michelin and for awhile Kumho. The Kumho's, All Season Ecsta, are lots less expensive and get high marks from many on the web. Next question is run flat or not, many switch away from them to cut tire noise, I stuck with them but went with the Micheliin's in A/S form and they are a little quieter. The Michelin's are a 400 rating vs. 300 for the GY's so I expect them to last longer, depending how I drive, in this case a lot longer since I now have dedicated track tires. They are more expensive. For comparison the Michelin non A/S are rated 300 and the performance version is a 220 rating like the OEM Z06 tires that ruking1 is referencing. Tire rack is a great site for info and for good pricing to get a little discount at Discount/America's Tire where I find they know how to work with the tire sensors which can be messed up by shops that don't know the drill. Something else to consider.
I've heard over the years that the C5 has a nasty problem with the steering antitheft system, especially in the 97-01 model years. Has anyone had the recall work, NHTSA campaign 04v06000, completed for the 6 spd? What does the dealer actually do to fix the problem?
Pure opinion. I've read about the infamous steering column lock since before I got my car in 2001. Discussed with many as well and seems to me it's an electrical timing issue. Now, I've previously had diesel trucks and am used to waiting to start a vehicle. That's what I do in my Vette, let the electronics completely cycle before starting. I've never had an issue with the steering column lock, pure chance, I don't think so and my dealer agrees. Most people are used to just turning on the key, ok that should work, but seems it doesn't in a Vette.
As I understand the recall, they disable the lock by taking out the locking plate, not really great for theft deterence. The issue is written up several places on the web and seems to be due to a low voltage issue in some circuit, not a tech here, good luck deciding what to do.
I would agree with Starrow68. While I am NOT saying that it NEVER or does not happen, I have 65k on my 2001 and it has not happened. Earlier this month, (August 2004) I received the July 2004 ltr recall notice. The notice's non technical explanation is for the manual transmission, the dealer will reprogram the pcm and check physically to see if there is any binding concerns if so the lock will be replaced.
Not sure what is current but back in May we ordered for June delivery and got $4k off from GM, then another $1k off GM Visa Card and the dealer chipped in with $6.8k off a car with $51.2 sticker. That made it $39.4k out the door, before tax and licence. My wife just started it up to goto the gym and the Corsa Indy sounds great! I'm working from memory so if it's off some prior posts I know the discount was $11.8k. That was one of the last builds so now instead of getting exactly what you want you have to search inventory and see what's available. Some dealers on the internet have bigger inventories but most locals have only a few cars and if they sell the last one they won't get a replacement to sit on the floor for several months. In some cases that will impact how they bargain. Seems to me that $10k off would be fantastic but I don't know what the GM rebates are at this point so working from the $6.8k discount is at least a starting point.
Comments
I'm a big fan of the words of Herbert Spencer, the English philosopher who also allegedly coined the phrase "survival of the fittest".
This should be written on the entrance to all major highways:
"The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools."
I'd rather see the tech go into passive safety equipment that cannot be defeated by being foolish. Calling AH a "safety device" sounds to me anyway, as nothing much more than a rather convoluted means of justification for selling it to us.
Now, if you want to represent AH on a C5 as "trainer wheels", I'm okay with that.
I know you can't fly a modern jet fighter without a computer but every true pilot still loves a biplane.
Having spent the last 16 months getting time on 5 different road courses in vehicles with 4 different performance levels I'm glad to have started out with some 'training wheels'. As for encouraging people to buy the technology, unabashedly Yes! Errors, accidents, mistakes can all be educational, gets more tragic when they turn fatal and very tragic when it's fatal for a bystander.
In the first case, there are a LOT of Corvettes on the road, so having something a little different is appealing. In the second case, it's an ego thing, but in the case of the '58 conversion, at least an ego that has some reason to be inflated.
I'm sure money-wise, he'll lose his shirt on the car. Most customizers do unless they have a national reputation.
The dealer that did my deal was Mossy Cheverolet in Encinitas and they were great to deal with. Let us know how things go for you and good luck.
The one part that was shocking was when he pushed in the rear panel of the car. What the hell was with that, completely plastic.
The final verdict is "If you want a left hand drive plastic car, with Vietnamese suspension, corvette is your car"
It is pretty funny in how they dislike Vette so much even it beats Porsche GT3's track time.
Here is the link I got from trev0006 at www. superhonda. com http://www.sleepy-fish.com/sleepy/T...Corvette_lo.wmv
BTW, it is a pretty good website for just relaxing and seeing cars that you will not get at US run.
I can see why European gear-heads might not like a car that drives and feels like a Corvette, which is much the same reason why an American V-8 motorhead might not like a Porsche 911!
It has to do more with what you are used to than what is really "better".
Best defense of the Corvette? It gets the job done big time, end of story. You wanna nice ride, buy a Lexus SC430.
But then as the Corvette does 1G with the "Vietnamese" "leaf spring" suspension, it might be painfully obvious the pushrod engine outperforms all but their most "exotics" DOHC'engines. I would guess they would want to keep current and future customers paying 2x-10x what a Corvette costs for less performance? There is a method to their madness?
Or did they mean out-sourcing or something? Is that the dig?
In so far as your "toughness" metaphor, during the Vietnam War the enemy was resourceful in using our "dud" munitions against US. So applied to the Corvette, they went to their "old parts" bin and dusted off some old pieces.
Two years ago, app the early Sept time frame, my wife and I took our Corvette Z06 through the Southwest of the USA. (ala Route 66,CA, NV,AZ,CO,NM,UT,)The trip was probably a myth, dream, "blast to the past" fantasy come true for some. Since we had no professional committments, we didnt have to bring "those" kinds of clothes. But I have got to tell you, to pack 2 weeks of stuff in a Z06 cavernous trunk was a packer's nightmare. This is not a "woman's" packing lament; as both I and my wife each had a normal (carry on the airplane, under the seat or in the over head compartment) ballistic nylon small overnight suit case) and one plastic ice chest as 3 main pieces. I think we'd wind up having to share underwear and clothes in a Porsche 911, given the same trip and time frame. (Yeah would could have driven one of our Toyota Landcruisers and brought golfing buddies and 4 bags of clubs, but this is a Corvette thread.
My 2003 Corvette rear skin around the tail lights do the same thing that I saw in the Top Gear test. I've never seen what is behind the skin on the Corvette rear end, but I believe it is like virtually every other modern car on the market that doesn't have chrome steel bumpers. There is a plastic skin somewhat loosely covering some energy absorbing structure that is fastened to something much more strong. I'll bet I could find a surface to bend in like that on just about every modern car out there.
Without getting into a discussion on the weight issue, every racer knows they have to work with the HP/weight issue and the less pork the better!!??
The truth is Vette is a car that is designed for track and that is just what people like. From this issue of C/D, Vette has changed a lot, which is good for the Vette.
I wonder what will happen when 2006 M3 with rumored 400hps comes out. It sure will be interesting to see how M3 is stacked up against Vette, which has been untouchable by any car with $20,000 price range.
I think the issue has been finding that fine balance among Mercedes-Benz's interior finish, Vette's performance, Porsche's handling, Toyota's quality and Kia's price. And, frankly speaking, I do not think any car company has figured out what that magic formula is, yet.
I would also agree! But as a price issue point, I think the obstacle is the sub 3100 # issue. Also as you know they can not go from 333hp and whatever the torque is to 400 hp/torque, since the frame among other things like transmission and suspension etc, is at the higher end of the balance point already.
Loved your comment in your last paragraph (post #1058). Would we all love that or what!!!
I didn't check the links out as to the NSX beating the Vette in the 1/4, but I can tell you, "IT AIN'T GOING TO HAPPEN"!!!
The NSX is an absolutely wonderful car in my mind. My son had one and I drove it a lot....even on the track. So easy to drive, and drive fast BUT I can guarantee you, it won't hold a candle to the Z06 in the 1/4. I suspect they are at least 1+ second apart. Don't have time to look into a digest of 1/4 times in various cars but I bet I'm close on the one second+ bit.
As to the C6, I've seen nothing but good press on it. Limited testing so far but the newest Car and Driver had a good test and they were impressed.
As to a 400 horse M3, all is good in these H.P. wars. The M3 is also one helluva car but it remains fat.
I personally am patiently awaiting the C6 Z06 which should hit in about a year. Consensus has it at 500+ ponies and under 3000#. I'm salivating at the prospect at owning one, and I will....just a question of whether I want to get hosed on the price when they first hit or whether I'll have enough patience to wait well into the model year for some discounts. I usually wait for discounts, but the older I get the more instant gratification I want.
What gets better than a man and his toys?
Listing from BG Plant of VINs on commerative editions produced in 2004, includes coupes and verts as well as Z06's. Just FYI.
Production stats from 2003 per CorvetteActionCenter includes 35878 produced and with 8613 Z06's for 24%. Stats for 2004 not available that I can find but from link seems like 32k total. With same take rate, I'm guessing it was higher in '04, you get about 8k Z06's. Just a guess.
Link to older production info not put up by another site with forums:
http://www.idavette.net/facts.htm
They only have '02 and older data. FWIW
Both historical and future product info.
Hope the link works, if not cut and paste.
We recently purchased a 1996 LT1 after months of reading these kinda boards, sifting through the Corvette museum and local car shows. We love this car, its shape its performance (using a Hoinda Odyssey otherwise) and intend to keep it for a long time.
What we were kind of surprised is the lack of information on C4 Corvettes out there, especially on the 1992-96 models, the last model year LT4 Grand Sport. While we love the performance and leaving BMWs in Boxsters in the dust, we would like to know the exact performance specs of it - nothing out there. Does anyone know where onecan get the acceleration and top speed data for the LT1?
Answers much appreciated!
Here's one site that gives some interesting specs and production figures:
http://www.netvettes.com/1996.html
And here's 0-60, 0-100 for LT1 and LT4
http://corvetteactioncenter.com/specs/1996/96perf.html
You should indeed be able to beat a Boxster S 0-60 (on a track of course, as we do not race on the street do we) as you have more HP; however, the diff is only 1/2 a second, on paper anyway, so not quite a "dusting" there. A baseline Boxster you should be able to walk away from no problemo. Ditto a plain ol' BMW sedan. A BMW M3 however, would be troublesome, as you and he should run absolutely neck and neck.
But still, given that you can get a very nice '96 coupe for $14K-15K or so, that's an awful lot of bang for the buck you have to admit.
http://www.idavette.net/techno.htm
http://www.idavette.net/facts/96.htm
Corvetteforum.com also has lots of help specific to the C4.
As with my 2002, sometimes getting performance specs after an engine has been on the market for a few years requires going back to when it was first released. I drove a '95 for a year or so and the grunt torque with the performance rear end was really nice. Enjoy.
2004 Corvette Production Numbers
A total of 34,064 Corvettes rolled off the end of the Corvette assembly line for the 2004 production model year. Coupes still proved to be the most popular model ordered with 47 percent of total sales. Convertibles held a steady 36 percent with the Z06 claiming the remaining 17 percent. Le Mans Blue, a color named to commemorate the Corvette win in the 24 race, also won the race for most popular color at 20 percent, with Black finishing at a close second at 18 percent. Torch Red came in third at 15 percent. Only one option was chosen by all Corvette owners, air conditioning with auto temperature control was installed in 100 percent of the cars. Automatic transmissions were popular with 63 percent of sales. Excluding Z06s, which were all manual, 20 percent were equipped with the manual six speed transmission.
Comment, since the auto was standard and the manual $900 higher I still want to see if making them both the same cost boosts the manual percentage in 2005.
Hope to see any posters from here at the Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit on Saturday. Biggest car event ever. I'm going up there tomorrow, and will be cruising in the 04 Medium Spiral Gray Coupe with Commemorative striping pattern done in Copper with a Medium Blue edge stripe. The windshield has "CORVETTE" done in the same Copper stuff. Give me a holler if you see me. My 300M gets a weekend off this year.
And I would very seriously consider purchase.
They have adapted the GP 4-speed automatic - available last year on the CompG version. I have no idea why the C6 does not have this feature. . .
- Ray
Driving a 5-Speed autostick / man-u-matic now, and enjoying it!
Haven't had the pleasure with an M3 so far, but Boxsters are fun to play with. I got a real nice example of a 96 C4 for a bit more than $15K, but doesn't have a single chip or scratch on it, and just 18K mls. Racing likely will be a rare occurence, but I am itching to know where the top speed is - while it is likely to be somewhere in the 160 range.
Starting with 8/32 in, I got 56,000 miles with 3.5/32 left on front and 3/32 on the rears. 220 UTOQ A AA or app 12,444 per 1/32 fronts and 11,200 rears.
The Toyo's starts with 10/32 in, or 2/32 more than the GY E F1 SC's. So given the same variables they should last longer. They are also slightly harder tread at 280 UTOQ. I have app 8-9k on the Toyo's and they are a much better touring tire. They are more quiet and in theory will last longer, given your particular situation.
It was also a benefit that the Toyo's were far cheaper than the OEM's. I can do 5,366 miles of touring with the cost savings!
For comparison the Michelin non A/S are rated 300 and the performance version is a 220 rating like the OEM Z06 tires that ruking1 is referencing. Tire rack is a great site for info and for good pricing to get a little discount at Discount/America's Tire where I find they know how to work with the tire sensors which can be messed up by shops that don't know the drill. Something else to consider.
As I understand the recall, they disable the lock by taking out the locking plate, not really great for theft deterence. The issue is written up several places on the web and seems to be due to a low voltage issue in some circuit, not a tech here, good luck deciding what to do.
I would agree with Starrow68. While I am NOT saying that it NEVER or does not happen, I have 65k on my 2001 and it has not happened. Earlier this month, (August 2004) I received the July 2004 ltr recall notice. The notice's non technical explanation is for the manual transmission, the dealer will reprogram the pcm and check physically to see if there is any binding concerns if so the lock will be replaced.
That was one of the last builds so now instead of getting exactly what you want you have to search inventory and see what's available. Some dealers on the internet have bigger inventories but most locals have only a few cars and if they sell the last one they won't get a replacement to sit on the floor for several months. In some cases that will impact how they bargain. Seems to me that $10k off would be fantastic but I don't know what the GM rebates are at this point so working from the $6.8k discount is at least a starting point.