Handling

[NIN881]

How well can a C3 go around the corners? I have a 94 mustang gt and I am not sure if I want to switch to my dream of the corvette or just keep upgrading my mustang to perform like a vette.

[mikeweyman]

well my 75 stingray can take a corner at 50 m.p.h. that i wouldn't try with most older cars. that being said the new cars mitsu's and bmws,etc would beat it with sheer innovation. as far as a newer mustang , the vette has a much wider stance and sits a lot lower (center of gravity) the front to rear wheel weight ratio is about 60/40 a pony car (or most other r.w.d. cars) are about 70/30.this helps in traction at takeoff and in hi g turns. the rear end (although it sucks a few h.p.)is independant with a single rear spring, and is posi. this would help in a rough inside to a turn , the inner wheel may hop but the other stays firmly planted and helps keep the power to the wheels.
they have 4 wheel disc brakes, each caliper has 4 pistons to work smoothly.
the best part of all these innovations is they are standard in every c3 vette. it is a good platferm to start from.
also , a big block isn't a big pain as it would be to shoe horn a 460 into a stang.
i did all this before i bought my vette, but what i didn't realize was the cost diffrence for parts towards a mustang. vette parts are priced with the audis of the world. my 75 is over 17,000 and i haven't driven it since i boughtit 2 years ago.granted it's not too excessive but i wanted to spend 10 and would have with a stang

[NIN881]

Are vette parts that expensive compared to mustang parts. if I bought one I would have to do some a lot of horsepower jacking. Its almost worth it to just buy a c5 or just make the stang perform like a vette

[ec437]

hey mike, wtf are you talking about? Most FWD's are around 70/30. Hell, 60/40 on a RWD is borderline sucky. My 17 year old BMW had weight distribution of 52/48! And if you'd like the stats on my Lexus I'd be more than happy to find them.

[mga]

Originally Posted by NIN881

How well can a C3 go around the corners? I have a 94 mustang gt and I am not sure if I want to switch to my dream of the corvette or just keep upgrading my mustang to perform like a vette.

you are comparing an older vette.....C3 (below 1982) to a newer mustang (1994)

but, i own an '81 and i've taken some sharp curves and the car feels like it's glued to the road. i've become confident in it's handling of curves.

as mikeweyman said, the low center of gravity along with the suspension makes it an awesome car on corners. in fact, i can show you where my wife's fingers have squeezed the interior door handles so hard she left impressions...LOL

[NIN881]

Originally Posted by mga

but, i own an '81 and i've taken some sharp curves and the car feels like it's glued to the road. i've become confident in it's handling of curves.
LOL

That is exactly what I want out of my muscle car. Is it possible to make my mustang drive like that without rattling my teeth out?

[NIN881]

Or would building up a corvette be the best solution? I have loved them since I was little and I couldn't afford one until now.

[mikeweyman]

ec437,if you read what i said , most rear wheel drive cars are 70/30. front wheel drive cars are also 70/30 but the 70 is the motor over the drive wheels, not like a rear wheel drive. in either case, the 60/40 is far better than 70/30 because the weight is more centered and you don't get as much oversteer as compared to a front wheel drive.as far as your lexus,comparing a 30 year old design towards a new lexus,i'm pretty sure my 75 can outcorner any original 1945 car.
i may have mislead you as far as expense of parts go. small block chevy's hi po parts are cheap as fords, but i paid $45.for door handles, hood emblem was 112. dollars. rear view mirrors are 135.00 engine parts are the same price as any 350 .
i'm not sure if the 81 being talked about is a vette . from 68 to 82 all vettes are essentially the same underneath.mike

[mga]

the '81 in question.......


http://home.rochester.rr.com/my1981/1/

again, as mike stated, there is alot to consider in suspension modifications. balanced sway bars, springs, shocks, weight distribution, etc all need some fore thought before simply buying them and installing. for example: mismatched or the wrong size sway bars can make your car worse than it is now.

[mikeweyman]

four new stainless calipers and brake pads cost me about 400 dollars.i would imagine to change a rear drum car over to 4 wheel disc would be of imposing cost.
i liked the mustangs but after looking around, there is lots of pony cars to every c3 vette, the cost of the project car vette versus the extra cost of redesigning a mustang makes the vette a no brainer. Although the stang has it's place giving young guys an affordable (and formidable) hot rod,they would be expensive to bring up to the standard of the basic c3 vette.
I live on the east coast of canada and what the ocean salt doesn't rot away, the road salt does.therefore there are few older cars for the guys to rod out, hence almost every flowmaster you hear is attached to a 302.
I had to travel 1,100 miles to find a vette with a good frame.mike

[NIN881]

Also, how high are the insurance rates on these vettes?

[mikeweyman]

ahhh. insurance, the only thing that helped me was that mine's an antique and can be insured cheap with a company that specializes in antique insurance like haggerty or silver wheels, but there is criteria you must fit into.most importantly being liscensed for 10 years.
there is 5 catagories of mustang (at regular insurance venues)the most expensive being the 5.0 wich is concidered as a "sports" car.
unfortunately all corvettes are concidered sports cars.
my regular insurance runs about 900$. a year. to transfer it to the vette (liability only)would have cost $1,400 more for the remaining 8 months of the policy.
I forgot all about that.i guess that's another good reason to buy a c-3 vette .it can be insured as an antique.mike

[hexonxonx2000]

Originally Posted by NIN881

Also, how high are the insurance rates on these vettes?

Depending on your age... I have a 84 and 90 c4 style with full coverage for my wife and I on both cars and pay only 140 bucks a month for both drivers on both cars... We are in our 30's.... and clean driving record...