HI! I'm Carol and this is my 2004 Corvette Convertible in beautiful Torch Red. It was a birthday gift from my husband.

We have added Z06 Front Screens, Side Vents, Brake Cooling Ducts, Chrome Z06 Wheels, Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar Tires, Red Calipers, Cross Drilled Slotted Rotors, a 4.10 rear gear, and a few other features:

3rd brake Light "CORVETTE" Decal:

Hood Weatherstrip Seal:

Trunk Lid Mirror Kit:

Lloyds Mats:

Chrome Rollbars:

Stainless Screens:

Matching Helmet and Fuel Rail Covers:

Door Bottom Seals:

BB Tri-Flo Exhaust:

Drilled Slotted Rotors:

Cowl Air Filter:

Z06 Front Screens:

Z06 Chrome Rims

Heads Up Display:

"Waterfall"

We added this RK Sport hood in February 2005 at 3,000 miles:

Here it is on the day I got it:

GM says:

All 2004 Corvettes benefit from the continual pursuit of performance enhancements that have characterized the C5 era. The enhancements for 2004 are subtle in terms of physical parts, but significant in terms of the car�s performance and feel.

GM engineers have refined the shock damping characteristics to provide improved handling in the most challenging conditions, while maintaining good ride control for the demands of daily driving.

Continual analysis, development and refinement of the shock valves in particular resulted in more damping control and force, delivered more smoothly. This new tuning is aimed at diminishing the impact of yaw and roll on the car, particularly in quick, transient maneuvers such as �S-turns� or a series of tight corners.

�While the Corvette already had an excellent blend of extreme handling capability and surprising ride quality, we�re never satisfied,� Hill says. �The enhancements for 2004 provide a bit more poised and smooth response, connecting the car better to the driver�s input, without the penalty of ride harshness.�

These refinements are a result of extensive testing and development, including several high-speed test sessions at Germany�s famed Nurburgring circuit. Corvette is one of only a precious few cars to have broken the 8-minute barrier for lap times at Nurburgring. Corvette testing at Nurburgring isn�t just about raw speed. Engineers gathered important learning on tuning the chassis to enhance the poise, confidence and smoothness of response, attributes that are of great importance under the severe demands of a 14-mile course that has approximately 170 turns and virtually constant elevation changes.

�Nurburgring, at the extreme edge of the envelope, provides conditions that can�t be easily duplicated anywhere else,� says Hill. �But, even for the Corvette, we spend considerable time ensuring we don�t make adjustments that compromise the normal daily driving character of the car.�

Key features include:

350-hp, 5.7 Liter LS1 V8 engine
Standard 4-speed automatic transmission
Goodyear Eagle F1 GS Extended Mobility Tires
Active Handling System
Optional Magnetic Selective Ride Control System
Cloth convertible top in Black or Light Oak with heated glass window
Largest convertible trunk in its class

C5 Info:

The C5 Corvette structure, consisting of a strong perimeter frame combined with a center backbone, provides an impressive level of rigidity.

This robust design allows Corvette's independent suspension to be tuned precisely for driver control and freedom from impact harshness.

The C5 Corvette was designed to be a convertible, even though the convertible didn't actually debut until a year after the coupe. As a result, the C5 convertible has received accolades for its structural integrity, great noise isolation and relatively low level of wind buffeting during top-down operation.

In 1999 a fixed roof hardtop model was added to the lineup - becoming the stiffest, lightest and quickest Corvette available. It was offered only with the 6-speed manual transmission and the Z51 Performance suspension. The Corvette Team indicated right from the beginning that the hardtop would be further developed in the performance dimension, and with the introduction of the Z06 that promise has been kept.

Double Wishbone Suspension
An SLA (Short and Long-Arm) suspension with aluminum double wishbones and knuckles is used at each corner. This suspension design contributes to a compliant ride, while providing impressive response, especially during aggressive cornering.

Control Technologies
Variable Effort Steering: All Corvettes come with Magna-Steer, a speed-sensitive, variable-effort power steering system. This computer-controlled system, combined with a rack-and-pinion steering gear, provides maximum steering assist for parking and precise steering feel at higher speeds.

ABS with Four-Wheel Discs: A premium four-wheel disc brake system with ABS is standard on all Corvette models. The brake rotors are large and well vented for powerful and robust braking performance. Premium non-metallic linings provide smooth, quiet braking.

Standard Traction Control: A full-function Traction Control system is also standard on every Corvette. It works in conjunction with ABS and electronic throttle control to optimize traction by reducing tire slip on many surfaces. An on-off switch is provided.

Active Handling: A sophisticated stability control system that utilizes special sensors to measure yaw, lateral acceleration and steering wheel position, then brings into play the combined power of Corvette's standard ABS and traction control system to smoothly assist the driver in maintaining vehicle control in oversteer or understeer situations.

THANKS FOR LOOKING!

SAVE THE WAVE
There's one item of standard equipment that comes as a pleasant surprise to every new Corvette owner. It's an instant wave of recognition he or she recieves when they meets one of their fellow Vette owners on the road. Ever since Corvette No. 00001 first met Corvette No. 00002 on the road, their drivers saluted each other with waves. A good Vette owner relishes encountering other Vettes as he drives. At first he experiments with his waves, running the gamut from the gaping "yoo hoo" to the ultra cool "two finger flip." He perfects his timing, making sure he affects neither a too-early wave, nor the jaded "oh brother" too-late variety. Determined not to be one upped, he even developes a defense mechanism for non wavers, usually settling on the "Wave"? My hand was just on the way to scratch my head" approach. (This is especially useful when you're not driving your Vette, but you forget, and like a dummy, you wave anyway.)
Indeed, one of the most perplexing problems facing a would-be waver is what to do when driving next to a fellow Vette owner. Passing him going in opposite directions is one thing. Greetings are exchanged, and that's that. But what happens when you pull up next to a guy at a light, wave, nod, smile and then pull up to him at the next light, a block later? Wave again? Nod bashfully? Grin self-consciously? Ignore him? Or take the chicken's way out and turn down the next side street? If you're expecting an answer, you won't find it here. Sad to say, some questions don't have any.
Girl-type Corvette drivers also have a unique problem: to wave or not to wave. This miss or misses who borrows her man's Corvette for the first time is immediately faced with this quandary. Should she wave first and look overly friendly, or ignore the wave and look like a snob? Most ladies who drive their own Vettes prefer to suffer the latter rather than take a chance of being misread. For this reason, all girls are excused for occassionally failing to return a well-meaning wave. So are new owners who are still learning the ropes.
There is no excuse, however, for a guy who refuses to return the wave, not out of ignorance, but of arrogance or apathy. While this type of behavior is the exception to the rule, it seems a few owners of newer models refuse to recognize anything older than theirs, while some others simply won't wave, period. Boo on them. These ding-a-lings don't seem to realize that they are helping to squash a tradition that had its beginnings back when most of us were still driving tootsietoys.

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