Here’s one for you: what kind of Corvette looks like a spider, but isn’t a convertible? It’s this hillbilly-assembled C4 on 44-inch Bogger tires, of course!
Turning Corvettes into off-roading machines has become a bit of a trend last decade. And while we can say this about many sportscars, the rugged terrain world of these Chevys is the opposite, of, say, what certain lifted 911 builders will have you pay for their cars (think: deep six-figure range).
For today, we’ll focus on the most basic of such transformations, which involves the ingredients mentioned in the intro, along with a set of adapters.
Of course, when you pay $3,000 for an early C4 Corvette and simply add the new wheel/tire combo to it, you’re going to face some mechanical issues—avoiding the more complex path of a proper build has its costs.
YouTuber Street Speed 717 has a habit for such shenanigans
The issue mentioned above didn’t stop YouTuber Mike Hyssong (aka Street Speed 717) from doing the said work and then taking the car for some dirt thrashing. After all, the vlogger does have serious experience with this sort of shenanigans. From his infamous Ram TRX jump that saw the man getting a $53,000 fine back in 2021, to more recent 6×6 adventures of the sort, Mike likes to sacrifice iron on the rugged terrain altar for the sake of the audience.
The YouTuber attempted some land exploration, but while he did pull some rather wild slides, he stopped short of jumping. After all, the C4’s front transverse fiberglass single leaf spring (yep, this is the generation that started it, with the solution being used through the C7) already delivers a somewhat rough ride on stock wheels and tires.
And the 200-something horsepower (80s ‘Vettes couldn’t escape the Malaise Era shortcomings) seems enough to turn this into more than the car can handle.
With all the abuse, the rear suspension eventually gives in, but not before the vehicle gets seriously drifted on dirt and even spends some time on the road. So yes, this is the kind of shenanigan that’s best left for social media.
Speaking of which, if you’re looking to spend time away from the beaten path inside a speed demon that was conceived for the road, there are many reasonable paths, with this 1972 Bone Dog Chevelle (hey, we’re sticking to the Chevy arena) being an example as good as any.
