Page 199 - Wayne Carini's Guide to Affordable Classics

Roller hydraulic lifters added for 1990 model year increased output to 240 horsepower.
feeling is as much jet fighter as sports car. The high beltline, steep circle. The chassis work that McLellan’s team had done was
windshield and large center console add to the cockpit effect. The digital displays, advanced for their day, are a mixed bag – they have the immediacy of accuracy but take longer to scan than conventional instruments. Chevrolet took notice and in 1990 updated the cluster to a more traditional approach that retained a digital speedometer but reverted the rest of the gauges to a standard format.
Contemporary reviews make note of the classic small-block rumble (why else would you buy a Corvette?) as well as the typical Corvette creaks and groans emanating from various parts of the body (especially on cars with Z51 or Z52 suspensions), but engine noise at speed isn’t that obtrusive, nor is wind noise as long as the wind sealing is in good shape. This makes the C4 a great long-distance cruiser, especially with lots of curves along the way, but less than ideal for short trips with frequent ins and outs. Limited visibility all around means that situational awareness is a constant requirement.
One thing you’ll need on that road trip is relatively smooth roads and a lot of room to turn around given the C4’s 41-foot turning
outstanding – perhaps too outstanding. In one of its earliest C4 tests, Road & Track noted that even with the base suspension and Goodyear Eagle VR50 tires, the C4 “feels the least compliant and adaptable to changing road surfaces.” At the other extreme, the Z51 suspension option is essentially a race-tuned chassis on a street car. It offers extraordinary grip – enabling the C4 to generate nearly 1g of cornering force – though at the price of an extremely harsh ride, making a pre-purchase test drive essential. The Z52 suspension was a bit of a compromise and suspension geometry changes in 1988 further honed the balance between ride comfort and handling. Starting in 1990, the uplevel suspension options were combined with the adjustable suspension system (FX3) that was originally developed for the ZR-1, offering a setting to match almost every driving condition.
For most of the C4’s competitors, the decision on which transmission to select came down to a simple choice, automatic or manual. This isn’t such a straightforward decision on the Corvette, at least with the earlier examples. The Doug Nash “4+3” manual is an acquired taste – some will like the availability of a “kick
ABOVE: Chevrolet celebrated the Corvette’s 40th anniversary with a special edition. All 6,749 examples featured Ruby Red exteriors with Ruby Red leather seats. RIGHT: The C4 interior was completely redesigned in 1990 to accommodate a new driver-side airbag. Most digital gauges changed back to analog design.
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