14.06.2003, 18:40
Hallo Werner - hier ein Bericht, der u.a. Aufschluß bezüglich der Steifigkeit des Rahmens gegenüber dem der C4 gibt (habe auch hier leider nicht mehr die Quelle parat):
"Corvette ride" and "Corvette handling" have long been contradictory concepts. Providing a proper balance between the two was a priority of the engineers who refined the C4 suspension. Even so, Corvette die-hards know all too well how accelerating around a bumpy freeway cloverleaf still produced a ride like a race car (along with tenacious cornering grip). Later models showed improvements in ride quality, but Corvette engineers felt a new car was needed to achieve the grace and poise they knew today's customers want. The C5 team found that Corvette owners loved the predictable cornering they got when the car was pushed to the limit. And they appreciated the suspension's ruggedness when subjected to the rigors of club racing. Meanwhile, owners of other high performance cars said they expected ride comfort with superb road holding. Once again, customer opinion was heard, and remained a powerful influence throughout C5's development. Thus, the 1997 model is the first Corvette to offer purebred sports-car handling with equally impressive ride comfort. This combination comes from a stiff new structure, a wheelbase that is 8.3 in. longer, a wider track, revised suspension geometry and a unique new tire combination. The foundation of the C5 is its structure, which is 450 percent torsionally stiffer than the C4. It consists of two hydroformed perimeter frame rails, with a closed structural backbone. Hydroforming makes the outer rails rigid and light and allows for more precise manufacturing tolerances. Structural rigidity is the key to the suspension's capabilities, because rather than being forced to compensate for chassis flex, the suspension can concentrate on road inputs. The C5 uses SLA (short- and long-arm) suspension with aluminum wishbones and knuckles at each comer This is the most significant change in the C5's suspension geometry and helps dramatically reduce unpredictable handling characteristics during cornering or braking, particularly over rough road surfaces. On the C4, the half shafts played a dual role, transferring power to the rear wheels and serving as part of the upper control arms. For '97, A-shaped upper control arms have been used for a smoother, quieter ride and for better control of rear suspension geometry. This also results in better handling, because the suspension is attached directly to the structure and allows the powertrain to be mounted "softly," for reduced noise and vibration. Part of the overall suspension design included special bushing applications. Because of the control arms' design and positioning, different bushing compounds are used for the front and rear attachment points. Front bushings take the brunt of cornering loads that are transferred to the chassis via the forward-located link of the lower wishbone. For maximum performance, these bushings are hard in order to provide stability and predictability when cornering. Conversely, the rear leg of the arm transfers the most energy to the chassis when traversing bumps and potholes. To provide a smooth ride, rear arm bushings are soft. The C4 contained one of the world's most extensive applications of aluminum suspension pieces. The C5 goes even further with aluminum components manufactured through a hybrid process that combines the best properties of casting and forging, offering strength, precision and light weight. The C5 also features an improved, patented version of the C4's familiar transverse-composite springs. C4 veterans will delight in the new car's smoothness over tar strips and expansion joints. C4 owners will also recall that cars came from the factory with varying ride heights. This problem was solved with an adjustable suspension. A screw-type adjuster, located at each corner, acts on the springs and lower control arms. This allows each vehicle's suspension to be adjusted according to its specific option. Consequently, ride and handling is more consistent in each car produced. The C5 offers three distinct suspension choices: the FE I, F45 and Z51. The base FEI gives a fine balance of ride and handling. It features gas-pressurized Sachs Monotube shock absorbers, a front antiroll bar that is 23 mm in diameter and a bar in the rear that is 19.1 mm in diameter. The F45 package is based on "fast shock"technoiogy, formally known as Real-Time Damping (RID). With F45, sensors (including wheel position and steering wheel angle), shock absorber solenoids and computer controls read road and driver input data and automatically adjust damping forces through a wide range of values, controlling movement at each wheel. The result is a more composed ride on all surfaces, reduced body motion and wheel hop, and flatter comering and improved high-speed stability. While the fundamental hardware is the same as the FEI package, a cockpit-mounted switch allows the driver to adjust the car's "feel." There are three distinct settings: Tour, Sport and Performance. The package controls both damping rates and duration. In the Tour mode, the minimum damping rate will be lower than when in the Sport mode. Likewise, in the Performance mode, the minimum damping rate will be higher than when in the Sport mode. In all three, maximum damping rates will be commanded in order to control body motions. For ultimate performance, the Z51 package includes larger gas-pressurized Sachs Monotube shocks with a 25.4-mm front antiroll bar. The rear antiroll bar measures 21.7 mm. Autocrossers will appreciate that the Z51-equipped C5 outhandles both the 1996 C4/Z51 and the 1995 ZR1. For the first time in history, the C5 has 17-in. front and 18-in. rear aluminum-alloy road wheels, which wear Goodyear Extended Mobility tires - P245/45ZR-17 fronts and P275/ 40ZR-18 rears. The specially developed tires feature a new version of Goodyear's all. weather design and can run without air for up to 200 miles. Quick steering is as fundamental to the Corvette's persona as high-g cornering and V8 power. The C5 builds on the heritage with an innovative rack-and-pinion system with variable-effort boost, called Magnasteer II. It uses a combination of hydraulics, electronics and magnetics to provide continuous speed-sensitive, variable-effort steering. The system calculates lateral acceleration using wheel speed and adjusts the steering accordingly. The result is direct, accurate steering with excellent feedback and the perfect level of assist for every driving situation. Like quick steering, quick stops have also been a part of the Corvette's performance ability. The C5 uses a four-channel, fourwheel antilock braking system that monitors and modulates each wheel's braking performance individually. It has an advantage over other vehicles' more common three-channel systems that control individual front wheels, but treat the rears as a pair The C4 has some of the largest four-wheel disc brakes of any production car. But the team wanted even more powerful brakes with greater durability and less fade under severe use on both road and track. The '97 Corvette boasts 325-mm front rotors, and biting into those discs are new 40-mm dual-piston calipers. In the rear, you'll find 305-mm diameter rotors, as well as 45-mm singlepiston calipers. The brakes are also more resistant to fade, thanks to the presence of cooling ducts from the front fascia directed toward the front brakes. The C5 features a lightweight, cast-aluminum brake pedal with a racing-type metal foot pad. The traction control system on the new Corvette is integrated with the braking system. The throttle relaxer feature has been discontinued, and the inclusion of Electronic Throttle Control allows for quieter, smoother control of wheel slip when accelerating. Overall, with the debut of the C5, "Corvette ride" and "Corvette handling" now actually complement each other And sports cars as we know them may never be the same.
Im übrigen haben mich Deine Ansichten schon mal etwas beruhigt - mal sehen, ob noch weitere Erfahrungen gepostet werden...
Blake
"Corvette ride" and "Corvette handling" have long been contradictory concepts. Providing a proper balance between the two was a priority of the engineers who refined the C4 suspension. Even so, Corvette die-hards know all too well how accelerating around a bumpy freeway cloverleaf still produced a ride like a race car (along with tenacious cornering grip). Later models showed improvements in ride quality, but Corvette engineers felt a new car was needed to achieve the grace and poise they knew today's customers want. The C5 team found that Corvette owners loved the predictable cornering they got when the car was pushed to the limit. And they appreciated the suspension's ruggedness when subjected to the rigors of club racing. Meanwhile, owners of other high performance cars said they expected ride comfort with superb road holding. Once again, customer opinion was heard, and remained a powerful influence throughout C5's development. Thus, the 1997 model is the first Corvette to offer purebred sports-car handling with equally impressive ride comfort. This combination comes from a stiff new structure, a wheelbase that is 8.3 in. longer, a wider track, revised suspension geometry and a unique new tire combination. The foundation of the C5 is its structure, which is 450 percent torsionally stiffer than the C4. It consists of two hydroformed perimeter frame rails, with a closed structural backbone. Hydroforming makes the outer rails rigid and light and allows for more precise manufacturing tolerances. Structural rigidity is the key to the suspension's capabilities, because rather than being forced to compensate for chassis flex, the suspension can concentrate on road inputs. The C5 uses SLA (short- and long-arm) suspension with aluminum wishbones and knuckles at each comer This is the most significant change in the C5's suspension geometry and helps dramatically reduce unpredictable handling characteristics during cornering or braking, particularly over rough road surfaces. On the C4, the half shafts played a dual role, transferring power to the rear wheels and serving as part of the upper control arms. For '97, A-shaped upper control arms have been used for a smoother, quieter ride and for better control of rear suspension geometry. This also results in better handling, because the suspension is attached directly to the structure and allows the powertrain to be mounted "softly," for reduced noise and vibration. Part of the overall suspension design included special bushing applications. Because of the control arms' design and positioning, different bushing compounds are used for the front and rear attachment points. Front bushings take the brunt of cornering loads that are transferred to the chassis via the forward-located link of the lower wishbone. For maximum performance, these bushings are hard in order to provide stability and predictability when cornering. Conversely, the rear leg of the arm transfers the most energy to the chassis when traversing bumps and potholes. To provide a smooth ride, rear arm bushings are soft. The C4 contained one of the world's most extensive applications of aluminum suspension pieces. The C5 goes even further with aluminum components manufactured through a hybrid process that combines the best properties of casting and forging, offering strength, precision and light weight. The C5 also features an improved, patented version of the C4's familiar transverse-composite springs. C4 veterans will delight in the new car's smoothness over tar strips and expansion joints. C4 owners will also recall that cars came from the factory with varying ride heights. This problem was solved with an adjustable suspension. A screw-type adjuster, located at each corner, acts on the springs and lower control arms. This allows each vehicle's suspension to be adjusted according to its specific option. Consequently, ride and handling is more consistent in each car produced. The C5 offers three distinct suspension choices: the FE I, F45 and Z51. The base FEI gives a fine balance of ride and handling. It features gas-pressurized Sachs Monotube shock absorbers, a front antiroll bar that is 23 mm in diameter and a bar in the rear that is 19.1 mm in diameter. The F45 package is based on "fast shock"technoiogy, formally known as Real-Time Damping (RID). With F45, sensors (including wheel position and steering wheel angle), shock absorber solenoids and computer controls read road and driver input data and automatically adjust damping forces through a wide range of values, controlling movement at each wheel. The result is a more composed ride on all surfaces, reduced body motion and wheel hop, and flatter comering and improved high-speed stability. While the fundamental hardware is the same as the FEI package, a cockpit-mounted switch allows the driver to adjust the car's "feel." There are three distinct settings: Tour, Sport and Performance. The package controls both damping rates and duration. In the Tour mode, the minimum damping rate will be lower than when in the Sport mode. Likewise, in the Performance mode, the minimum damping rate will be higher than when in the Sport mode. In all three, maximum damping rates will be commanded in order to control body motions. For ultimate performance, the Z51 package includes larger gas-pressurized Sachs Monotube shocks with a 25.4-mm front antiroll bar. The rear antiroll bar measures 21.7 mm. Autocrossers will appreciate that the Z51-equipped C5 outhandles both the 1996 C4/Z51 and the 1995 ZR1. For the first time in history, the C5 has 17-in. front and 18-in. rear aluminum-alloy road wheels, which wear Goodyear Extended Mobility tires - P245/45ZR-17 fronts and P275/ 40ZR-18 rears. The specially developed tires feature a new version of Goodyear's all. weather design and can run without air for up to 200 miles. Quick steering is as fundamental to the Corvette's persona as high-g cornering and V8 power. The C5 builds on the heritage with an innovative rack-and-pinion system with variable-effort boost, called Magnasteer II. It uses a combination of hydraulics, electronics and magnetics to provide continuous speed-sensitive, variable-effort steering. The system calculates lateral acceleration using wheel speed and adjusts the steering accordingly. The result is direct, accurate steering with excellent feedback and the perfect level of assist for every driving situation. Like quick steering, quick stops have also been a part of the Corvette's performance ability. The C5 uses a four-channel, fourwheel antilock braking system that monitors and modulates each wheel's braking performance individually. It has an advantage over other vehicles' more common three-channel systems that control individual front wheels, but treat the rears as a pair The C4 has some of the largest four-wheel disc brakes of any production car. But the team wanted even more powerful brakes with greater durability and less fade under severe use on both road and track. The '97 Corvette boasts 325-mm front rotors, and biting into those discs are new 40-mm dual-piston calipers. In the rear, you'll find 305-mm diameter rotors, as well as 45-mm singlepiston calipers. The brakes are also more resistant to fade, thanks to the presence of cooling ducts from the front fascia directed toward the front brakes. The C5 features a lightweight, cast-aluminum brake pedal with a racing-type metal foot pad. The traction control system on the new Corvette is integrated with the braking system. The throttle relaxer feature has been discontinued, and the inclusion of Electronic Throttle Control allows for quieter, smoother control of wheel slip when accelerating. Overall, with the debut of the C5, "Corvette ride" and "Corvette handling" now actually complement each other And sports cars as we know them may never be the same.
Im übrigen haben mich Deine Ansichten schon mal etwas beruhigt - mal sehen, ob noch weitere Erfahrungen gepostet werden...
Blake
