If you're happy and you know it....
Sounds like your suspension is in fairly good shape. My 94 did flex quite a bit but got better when I put in new ball joints, tie rods, hubs and went through the suspension in general.
You can really notice quite a lot of flex, and even lateral 'hop' on performance cornering, etc. with an out of tune suspension. But if your suspensions in good shape, then you should still have some weird little unexpected jerks, twists or other things that tend to spook a Vette owner until they get used to them.
If you listen to racers like Ron Fellows and others, they refer to it as driving an uncomfortable car. But they learn what the car will do and where to go ahead and push it anyway even though in a 'normal' car it would be a sign of something wrong. In the vette coupe, especially with the top off, you have to come to expect it.
I haven't tried one of those flex bars, but I'm thinking about it. However, I don't like the idea of them because you are putting a structure back over your head when you were trying to go open top in the first place! So you've got to decide what you want. Open top and breezing down PCH1 or thru the canyons....or total 'comfortable' performance inside your closed in cockpit?
I would like to see some sort of 'flex' eliminator that could be installed elsewhere, maybe like a roll cage along the lines of the cockpit before and after the driver. I.e., like a race setup. But obviously much more expensive and while you would be able to have a completely unobstructed top view, you would sacrifice to a more permanent modification in the cockpit.
Here is an interesting idea!
Last night I was watching the 'Monster Garage' show where they were making a 'bucking bronco' car out of an old Ford 'sedan' pickup (I don't remember what Ford's version of the El Camino was called). They installed a large X or cross members under the bottom of the car to prevent it from flexing too much while it was 'bucking'. Otherwise the car would have flex to the point were it became permanently 'twisted' or flexed.
Typically, I don't think we cause anywhere near this much potential flexing in our Vettes when performance driving.
But, it could be a reasonable costs and hidden alternative to fixing the flex problem and would probably add quite a bit of handling performance to boot. It would probably stiffen the ride some, but it's a trade off as with anything.
Besides, the best handling Vettes feel like you're riding on plywood anyway.
I just would like to get rid of the 'break loose' and wheel rumbling feeling that the flex causes when I take the top off.
What ya' thunk?
