Question: C5 cabriolet all season rounder in Sweden?

[TCFS]

Hello,
I'm getting started to look for a Corvette of my reasonable dream. This question is for people who drive in regions where weather can be below frost and snow. I am not set yet, if it would be a late C4 or early C5 cab. I would like to make this car my all season cruiser. Is it possible to use a corvette cabriolet C5 in this case from below frost/snow? Does it exist snow tires fitting on the C5? I saw all season with snow marking, but not sure they are the right dimensions.:W
i also understand the corvette is a powerful rear prop car, is the anti-spin program able on slippery surfaces?
does the C5 exist with heated seats and is the cockpit heater good enough to keep you warm when driving in snow like conditions (say down to -10d Celsius)
thank you for your answers based on experience.
TCFS

 

[LLC5]

Hello,
I'm getting started to look for a Corvette of my reasonable dream. This question is for people who drive in regions where weather can be below frost and snow. I am not set yet, if it would be a late C4 or early C5 cab. I would like to make this car my all season cruiser. Is it possible to use a corvette cabriolet C5 in this case from below frost/snow? Does it exist snow tires fitting on the C5? I saw all season with snow marking, but not sure they are the right dimensions.:W
i also understand the corvette is a powerful rear prop car, is the anti-spin program able on slippery surfaces?
does the C5 exist with heated seats and is the cockpit heater good enough to keep you warm when driving in snow like conditions (say down to -10d Celsius)
thank you for your answers based on experience.
TCFS

All season tires with a snowflake do exist for C5, but these are all-season tires, not the dedicated snow tires you would need. 2) 245/45/17 and 2) 275/40/18 dedicated snow tires are what you would need for winter. The C5 does have traction control and limited slip differential, but as I am sure you already know those electronic nanny's cannot work properly with out good traction, in any vehicle. No stock OEM heated seats in C5, I installed aftermarket 5 way seat heaters in my own vehicle and they work good. I think the heater in the vehicle might keep you warm enough, but with a drop top the top is not insulated as good as a coupe and the windows may not seal out the cold as well also. This vehicle would not be my choice to drive in you part of the world in winter, with the low ground clearance you could get stuck easily. Anything is possible though, good luck with it.

 

[TCFS]

Welcome aboard! Personally, I would not use a Corvette as a year round driver unless the temperatures stayed up above 30* F. I wouldn't purposely drive one in the snow (I'm assuming you have snow there). These cars are so low slung it wouldn't take much to be too much for the Corvette. And even though they have many of the "nannies" (computer controlled traction system) these cars can get squirrelly in a hurry.

Thank you Tom.
I don't have the intention to purposely go on snow to drive. We do have snow, but mostly it is plowed away. The slush would remain. It is more like going out on a beautiful sunny but very cold and dry day, and facing a snow shower on the way. What interrogates me is the availability of approved snow tires (they are mandatory here), the sensitivity of the car (many say not driven under rain or else). All seasons here mean falls and spring with wet roads and abondant showers. Is this a good idea with a soft top convertible...or is there a risk that I finish in a bath tub after 20miles?
thats what I am trying to sense.

thanks for your experience sharing.
TCFS

 

[TCFS]

All season tires with a snowflake do exist for C5, but these are all-season tires, not the dedicated snow tires you would need. 2) 245/45/17 and 2) 275/40/18 dedicated snow tires are what you would need for winter. The C5 does have traction control and limited slip differential, but as I am sure you already know those electronic nanny's cannot work properly with out good traction, in any vehicle. No stock OEM heated seats in C5, I installed aftermarket 5 way seat heaters in my own vehicle and they work good. I think the heater in the vehicle might keep you warm enough, but with a drop top the top is not insulated as good as a coupe and the windows may not seal out the cold as well also. This vehicle would not be my choice to drive in you part of the world in winter, with the low ground clearance you could get stuck easily. Anything is possible though, good luck with it.

Thank you very much for your answer.
is there a way to insulate the soft top? Where did you find your seat heaters?

 

[LLC5]

Thank you very much for your answer.
is there a way to insulate the soft top? Where did you find your seat heaters?

I don't know of a way to insulate the soft top, but if you did I am pretty sure that you could run into clearance/damage issues when lowering the top.

I did my seat heaters a long time ago, it was either ebay or amazon, it was kit that you installed on top of the seat cushions and wired in. They work really well.

 

[Toms007]

Here's a seat heater retro fit kit

Amazon.com: Dorman 628-040 Universal Seat Heater Kit: Automotive

Here's a dual seat option...

Amazon.com: Water Carbon 12V Premium Heated Seat Kits for Two Seats Universal, Electronic Equipment, Dual Settings: Electronics

 

[Bob Chadwick]

Thank you Tom.
I don't have the intention to purposely go on snow to drive. We do have snow, but mostly it is plowed away. The slush would remain. It is more like going out on a beautiful sunny but very cold and dry day, and facing a snow shower on the way. What interrogates me is the availability of approved snow tires (they are mandatory here), the sensitivity of the car (many say not driven under rain or else). All seasons here mean falls and spring with wet roads and abondant showers. Is this a good idea with a soft top convertible...or is there a risk that I finish in a bath tub after 20miles?
thats what I am trying to sense.

thanks for your experience sharing.
TCFS

A good convertible top shouldn't leak in the rain. I've had my C6 and C7 out in heavy Georgia thunderstorms with no problems at all.

 

[LLC5]

Properly adjusted a C5 soft top should not leak any rain water.

 

[LLC5]

Here's a seat heater retro fit kit

Amazon.com: Dorman 628-040 Universal Seat Heater Kit: Automotive

Here's a dual seat option...

Amazon.com: Water Carbon 12V Premium Heated Seat Kits for Two Seats Universal, Electronic Equipment, Dual Settings: Electronics

The dual seat option looks like the one I used. I added two 5 position switch's as they got pretty warm.

 

[TCFS]

Hi,
thank to your answers and some others on the Corvette Forum, I pulled the trigger on a grandma from 2000 and 110kmiles. She has now new winter tires Nokian WRA4 front and Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2 rear.
the soft top was cleaned and sealed this week-end with Renovo product.


Next step is to get used to each other and assess the other elderly issues peacefully.
hvac port seems to be in the lead.
remote CD to MP3 3,5mm jack the second
mats third
seat cover and heater fourth

thank you again.
TCFS

 

[TCFS]

The dual seat option looks like the one I used. I added two 5 position switch's as they got pretty warm.

@llc5 : I am leaning to 5positions switch too. Where did you locate the switches? They look too big to fit on the center console or? Any learnings? Would you do it again if you could redo?
Thank you in advance,
TCFS

 

[LLC5]

@llc5 : I am leaning to 5positions switch too. Where did you locate the switches? They look too big to fit on the center console or? Any learnings? Would you do it again if you could redo?
Thank you in advance,
TCFS

I would do it again. I put the seat heater switches on my traction control lid, but I don’t have active handling so if you do the switches may not fit. The 5 position switches are bigger and take more space. It looks factory, but I did have to do a fair amount of cutting on the lid, it wasn’t a quick process.