Alfa Romeo 4c who has one? | Page 32 | FerrariChat

Alfa Romeo 4c who has one?

Discussion in 'Other Italian' started by ferrari#7, Jul 25, 2016.

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  1. TheMayor

    TheMayor Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    Its an acquired taste!
     
  2. JoeCab

    JoeCab Karting
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    There is some adjustment available but it involves removing the seat and reattaching it to the brackets using a different set of mounting holes. There are 3 positions corresponding to "high, medium, and low'.

    I've found it significantly more comfortable to attach the front of the seat using the highest setting and the rear on the lowest, giving the whole seat a bit of rearward tilt.
     
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  3. IloveGT

    IloveGT Formula 3
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    Well said, well said. just very well said.

    I have the race suspension. In comparison to the lotus and porsche gt cars, I think 4c's race suspension can be improved quite a bit. People in 4c forum were talking about having a softer suspension. What is your thought about it?
     
  4. Dragster

    Dragster Formula Junior

    Jun 8, 2007
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    That’s exactly what I did, and it’s a lot better, IMO. It also makes it easier to see the top of the tach as that was blocked for me when the seat was in the standard position.
     
  5. boxerman

    boxerman F1 World Champ
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    From What i have read the 4c supesion has some designed in toe changes at the rear when compressed. Its also has strut suspension which will bend under stress alterign things like toe and camber(all cars do this, but a strut more so than a wishbone). One has to put this in context, porche 911s have untill this year been strut suspension.

    Possibly due to the really stiff tub swb and tons of grip the effects of this suspension movement seems exagerated on the 4c. Maybe alfa just then made the springs and dampers really stiff as a workaound, same as the germans do. Thats different to the lotus philosophy of lots of suspesion movement through wishbones and softer springs all controlled with really good dampers. The lotus will turn in a pivot easier, that may just bebcasie its shorter still, but the steerign is way lighter yet also sharper geared. A lotus even on track pack suspesion is going to lean over more but still in a controlled not flacid way. That complaince and softer springs makes the lotus feel softer, but it slso means 4 wheels are on the surface more of the time.

    The cost of siff suspesion is motly paid in on road compliance. Stffer suspesion on bumps you can get that skipping stone feeling an pace will be slower to maintain control. On a smooth track hard for any road car to be really siff enough, the 4c seemed ideal there. Could the 4c have been better with wishbones all around, yes that is best practice. But thats not the 4c spec and it is undobtably a seminal superlative car as is, same as porche gt3 with struts is a superlative car, theyre just harder riding and more twitchy.

    From a handling perspective on track I thought the car was great, yes the rear felt twitchy, but you could say its a charateristic and made the car feel live same way people say porche 911s feel live. On road yes a softer suspension would work fine and no one is going near those limits on road. Many scribes are writing that the new alpine 110 is better in stock suspension form than the 110S with harder suspension as its more compliant and fluid.

    There was a company in the Uk a few years back doing some significant changes to the 4c suspension, removing the parts that mkde the rear toe change plus springs and shocks, from what I remember it was an "improvement". Also inokinetic who supplies lots of lotus bits has done some development on the 4c.

    Every car can be "improved" and those improvements usualy improve one thing at the expense of another, it all depends on priorities. I think the 4c is a great car as is. If the road ride is not too punshing for you(and that depends on where you drive) I wouldnt change anything, just enjoy.

    If I were in the market for a drive to track and fun weekend car today, for under 100k the 4c would be at the top of the list.
     
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  6. IloveGT

    IloveGT Formula 3
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    you are an awesome asset to the forum! Thank you for taking the time to provide such useful information!!
     
  7. neth

    neth Rookie

    Jul 4, 2021
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    I have the Alfaworks alignment geometry “blocks” on my 4C, as well as front rose joints, and rear arm upgrades. Combined with swapping from the stock pirellis to contis there is definitely less twitchiness and even better feel and feedback. I didn’t think it was bad at all before the upgrades, just the true nature of the car, but some very simple upgrades make it even better. I also had some custom magnesium 5 spokes made as a little less I sprung weight never hurts :)
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  8. BT

    BT F1 World Champ
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  9. LightGuy

    LightGuy Three Time F1 World Champ
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    That’s the “perfect” spec: Tri coat metallic red, carbon halo, akrapovic exhaust.. etc .
     
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  10. boxerman

    boxerman F1 World Champ
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    Took a run through some backroads on sunday. I was in my elise friend was in his 4c. In the street context theres no corner an elie can go through thata 4c cant, and the 4c has more hp and paddles. Yes if you really push it the elsie is narrower and has better turn in, but that would be pushing it way beyond any sort of sanity, like piling into blind corners at absolute full tilt.

    More tot he point, both these cars rule baclkroads, you can have your 700hp 3000+lbs maclrens and even heavier vettes, theres no way a bigger car can sustain the same pace on backroads, and how fast can you go on highway for how long without getting pulled, whats all that size and 700hp for?.

    there are two otehr cars of similar ability, the new alpine and the Gr yaris, sadly neither are available in the USA.

    As we see with the 4c its becoming collectable already, and for good reason. Its the type of great to drive and actualy workable on a road car ferrai and others used to make before exotics became a supercar swinging dick contest.
     
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  11. fastricky

    fastricky Karting
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    I absolutely think this was one of the most exciting releases of modern times. But no manual was a deal killer for me. Why oh why??? Even if you had to pay a premium for a stick to make it fiscally viable for Alfa I'm sure plenty of folks would have ponied up, me included.
     
  12. neth

    neth Rookie

    Jul 4, 2021
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    Alfa just didn’t have the resources to develop both transmissions, they knew they were losing money on every car already. That said, I would have completely agreed with you before I drove one and now that I have one I think the dct really suites the car and wouldn’t change it if I could. It’s not for everyone, and by no means as good as a pdk etc. but if you haven’t given one a decent drive it’s worth taking a spin. You might be pleasantly surprised.
     
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  13. wrh3

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    From about 2004 until about 2018 every car we owned was a three-pedal car, the kids even learned to drive in these cars. I had the same initial thoughts about the car but think the motor is better matched to the DCT transmission and now I'm not sure I would prefer a manual in this car.
     
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  14. fastricky

    fastricky Karting
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    Thanks for chiming in, I'll keep an open mind and hope to drive one one day soon. I really admire the car.
     
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  15. TheMayor

    TheMayor Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    #790 TheMayor, Dec 18, 2021
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2021
    We've had various discussions on if the 4c should have a manual or not. Part of me says it would be a better car, part of me wonders if it would really be a good match to the engine.

    That engine is really on the boost. It works really well as long as you're on the boost. But if the RPMs drop too low or the turbo spools down it feels a bit laggy. Having the F1 gearbox shift so fast gets rid of the problem. Having a manual, which will shift slower, might exaggerate the laggy-ness. We will never know but for sure the engine and gearbox have been tuned to work well together.

    Alfa built this for a specific price point. They were already losing money on each one so in typical Afla fashion, the re-purposed and re-tuned all the shelf stuff to keep the cost low. The engine was a modified Giulietta with an aluminum block and the gearbox was the same that was in the Dodge Dart. Finding a suitable 6 speed that could fit back there without retooling one might have been impossible.

    That, plus most cars today are not manuals away, may have made them come to this decision.
     
  16. jjmalez

    jjmalez F1 Veteran
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    The 4C seems to be doing pretty well on the 2nd hand market - even before COVID. I'm not saying they are back @ MSRP, but I thought Alfa had something special with this one.

    https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2016-alfa-romeo-4c-coupe-6/

    https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2017-alfa-romeo-4c-5/
     
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  17. TheMayor

    TheMayor Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    Its rare, fun to drive, and rather attractive. Its unique with its CF tub. Its certainly fast enough on city streets to have a lot of fun. But its a limited market because a lot of people cannot fit in it or would not put up with it very long. Also, dealer service is generally horrible.
     
  18. fastricky

    fastricky Karting
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    The rawness of it is what appeals to me so much. Just like a vintage '70s machine. I've thought thru my bias for the PDK-only option and tho' I can see and respect the viewpoints mentioned (of how it suits the motor's powerband), I still believe a manual would (very possibly only to me) be more satisfying still. My rationale is I also own an E30 M3 - a car with a powerband pretty much identical to the 4C (high-revving-over-5k rpm-is-where-it-likes-to-live motor) learning to flow with that setup with a manual is a badge of honor that is really satisfying. I wonder if it's possible at all to mod the car to include a manual? Is that an impossible dream?
     
  19. flat_plane_eddie

    flat_plane_eddie F1 Rookie
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    The 4C's motor is anything but a high revving dream, it's actually quite dead up top and it also doesn't rev very high. It's primarily alive in the 2,500 to 5k rpm range.

    Pretty much every single person that I've spoken with that's purchased a 4C said the same thing about the manual before they got it. If it had a manual I would buy it but it doesn't. Then you drive one and you forget about it. I know cause I was in the same boat and had 2. I might get another next year but I'm potentially moving so I have to wait for that to finalize. Nothing really beats its bang for buck and I think they're a bit undervalued in today's hot market.
     
  20. fastricky

    fastricky Karting
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    Well then IMHO a manual would truly be the biz! :p
     
  21. flat_plane_eddie

    flat_plane_eddie F1 Rookie
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    It's very possible, I honestly just can't imagine what a manual one would feel like after driving my last one so much. The power band is too short so you'd be shifting all the time.
     
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  22. fastricky

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    This is a great watch (I love all of his videos, especially watching with an Oculus) and he does say he wishes it were a manual...

     
  23. TheMayor

    TheMayor Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    That's basically my point. There's not much below 2800 RPMs and it redlines about 6. It goes up the gears really fast. Its fun to drive but would it be fun to drive shifting so quickly all the time? Maybe, but its not for sure.
     
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  24. johnireland

    johnireland F1 Veteran
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    What would it have cost Alfa to keep the 4C around and put in the Giulia engine and ZF 8 speed trans? It would have probably made it a faster car. Or do a fiber glass smaller version of the 8C...call it a Tipo 33, with the same Giulia drive train.
     

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