Flip Lights on Corvettes?

Question

I hate how the Corvettes have "ferrari Lights" which are actually the same lights they use on a Viper, they just don't say it.
What i want to know is, since the beginning of Corvettes they have always had Flip-Lights. Which i thought was the Corvette trademark, So why did they change the lights and make the Corvette ugly. I used to love Corvettes, but now they look like crap. Why did they change, Does it help them in some why or is it purely cosmetic. Is there anyway to buy a new Corvette and convert it to Fliplights or do i have to purcase an older model.....
P.S. sorry about the long paragraph i'm just really frustrated at Chevy right know, I starting to like Dodge more and more each year....

Answer 1

There are a few reasons why they did it. Pop-up's require a longer nose for the mechanicals that did not fit with the C6 design. The motors and mechanism add weight. The C6 lights use Xenon low-beam projector-style lenses and tungsten-halogen high-beam projector lenses, which could not be packaged into a pop-up design and due to the fairly fragile nature of the HID bulbs they need to be solid mounted and would likely not last very long in a pop-up assembly.

Even though I know why they did it, I'm with you on this one, I always liked the hidden lights, even though the relays did go out on my last C5 twice.

Answer 2

First of all you are not a real Corvette guy, untill 1963 Corvettes had fixed headlights. And nobody liked pop-ups when they introduced them initially.
I am not a Corvette guy and I knew that....
Second of all, it has been proven the pop-ups are a prevelent danger to pedestrians, as they pass over the front of the car there bodys momentum will cause them to break limbs, such as arms and legs as they contact the headlights. So starting around 1999-2002 pop-ups were TOTALLY phased out of ALL production cars. Or at least those in the United States. I own several cars with retractable headlights, I realized that nobody produced cars with retractable lights anymore. And wanted to know why. So you will need to purchase an older model my friend.

Answer 3

I have a Firebird with the flip lights. I'm on my third motor now in 9 years. At $300 a pop it gets annoying after a while. And they bounce whenever you hit a bump, so the lights seem like they're flickering when you drive down the road. They might seem neat at first, but they're not practical.

Answer 4

You sound like a real Corvette guy, well the new style I don't like to much either, I would go with the older models they can be bought for 35K or near that anyway. Good Luck and GOD Bless

Answer 5

Had nothing to do with looks or pedestians or maintenance. When they came out, several magazines explained it..Big Brother and Aerodynamics. Those lights up cut the aerodynamics of the car by 15% with increased wind resistance and so hurt gas mileage..Same as the stupid first to forth skip shift system.
Yes, I liked them too. Restored a 1971 big block..three vacuum relay valves,,but fixed them..Ha Ha.

Answer 6

C'mon people! First of all, it hasn't been proven about flip lights causing injury. You are thinking hood ornaments and they still put them on Jags as an option and they aren't illegal.

It's all about aerodynamics. Whoever "that guy" is that makes the design decisions just decided to get rid of em.

And my flip lights are on a vacuum that controls the wipers, wiper cover, AND the head lamps - not a bunch of motors.

Answer 7

because the little motors that run the lights usually DIE and cost a lot of money to replace. People get tired of replacing the same parts over and over... Not to mention they make a LOT of wind resistance. Puting in flush, stable lights, make for a more aerodynamic car.
That way they can also give you Zenon lights.

Answer 8

Sometimes you can't get the lights to flip up, thats a problem. They get stuck in teh winter