Too Many Cars Are Too Fast

[Tom K.]

A good read. Not being a track guy, I find it to be spot on.

Several years ago, I took a pretty long test drive in Toyota's Scion version of the BRZ and flat out loved it for public road use.

Too many cars are getting too fast

Too often, a car's sheer speed is a distraction from the real enjoyment of driving.

www.autoblog.com

 

[Dakine]

I'd rather drive the wheels off a Miata than be scared by a 600+ horsepower beast.
My Hayabusa is fun to ride but it will kill you in a heartbeat if you do something foolish which only takes a couple of seconds.
Riding something that has a serious hit when you shift it into sixth at 150 does get the blood flowing though.

 

[bbbradley]

Never understood this...if you just use less of the throttle, any car can be driven slowly. I'd much rather have the power on tap if/when needed than be stuck in a sloth of a car and have nowhere to go. I wish my Miata was fast...it is not. It is fun slow, it would be more fun fast. I've been in heavily modified Miatas, they are a blast! I've been in a friend's E63 wagon, it is insanely fast, but also a damn fine ride at any speed.

Take your fast car and put four unbalanced, dried-out, oxidized tires and it will feel more "alive" and require far more input as your push the car.

 

[Philpug]

If you notice, I have a couple of replies there. Yes, I would prefer to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow. I agree with Colin Chapman in that I woud sooner add lightness verses more power.

 

[Dakine]

If you notice, I have a couple of replies there. Yes, I would prefer to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow. I agree with Colin Chapman in that I woud sooner add lightness verses more power.

He also said that "If it doesn't break at least once a season it's too strong."

 

[ScotsSkier]

He also said that "If it doesn't break at least once a season it's too strong."

and he made sure to over deliver on that on the road cars!

 

[bbbradley]

and he made sure to over deliver on that on the road cars!

And for the road cars there are 4 seasons, so their goal was 4 catastrophic failures per year.

 

[anders_nor]

my sportscar is 1305KG and has more than 700hp naturally aspirated, but its still hard to keep up with the PDK downforce ESP monsters on road, and track.

 

[scott43]

This is an old debate in motorcycles. Personal responsibility vs nanny state. I think...young people getting 180hp motorcycles is probably irresponsible and needs to be limited. But once you're have your license for a few years and you're over 18 or 21, let'er rip.

 

[Philpug]

While one of my Miata's was getting some body work done to it, I had a Honda S2000 as loaner car. As much as I loved it. it wanted to go too damn fast. Where the Miata was was fine doing 80 on the highway, the S2K wanted to do 100. If I had the Honda, I wouldn't have a license, so there was no reason to have the Honda.

These cars now a day s are crazy fast. I remember talking to a guy with an older Vette, he said the new ones weren't that much faster, just 3 seconds 0-60..I tried to explain to him that that was twice as cast...moving over 3000lbs...to the same speed twice as fast...that's crazy. we also have 5000lb SUV's getting to 60 MPH in three seconds, that used to be motorcycle range.

 

[Tom K.]

Never understood this...if you just use less of the throttle, any car can be driven slowly.

Mostly agree, with really just one exception.

I like the feel and sound of winding through the gears. My last pure road motorcycle went 83 mph in second. So.....wind it through the gears up to fourth, and you are at go to jail, lose your license for awhile speeds.

Similar in my current fast "car". But that power is sure fun for passing, now that I live in an area devoid of freeways and four lane highways.

 

[scott43]

It's the Golden age for fast cars.

 

[Philpug]

It's the Golden age for fast cars.

I think we are coming into the Golden age. I think the electric cars are going to raise the bar..even now we are sub 2 sec with the Tesla Plaid.

 

[bbbradley]

I think we are coming into the Golden age. I think the electric cars are going to raise the bar..even now we are sub 2 sec with the Tesla Plaid.

Driver training is bad enough as it is without these types of cars... Piloting a sub 2 sec 0-60 car takes more skill than most people currently have.

 

[Dave Marshak]

Modern cars are definitely too powerful. If not for all the electronic nannies, the median driver wouldn't be able to keep them on the pavement. Once you transfer all the skill from the driver to the software, they all end up pretty boring compared to a bugeye Sprite.

Our 2L turbo Accord is a perfect example. It's so powerful that you almost always light up the tires when you most want a fast launch. I don't know what they were thinking putting so much power into an ultra low first gear. It makes it a real PITA in the snow, or merging onto the BQE on a rainy day, I actually wanted the smaller motor, but my partner doesn't like to press the gas pedal downn more than about a quarter of the way.

Who was the guy who said if you can't go fast with 90 hp, 900 hp isn't gonna help you?

dm

 

[anders_nor]

I do my track driving with everything 100% off, I'ved dared som GT2RS and GT3RS friends to do the same.. big noooop.

 

[Dave Marshak]

Track driving is a whole different thing. If I were gonna do that, I'd start with Miatas and work on skills until I could compete in real races, then work may way up to more and more powerful cars until the money ran out.

dm

 

[Bad Bob]

If we are making the 'go' pedal sub 2 seconds, what are we doing for the 'whoa' pedal?
That is going to be a lot of force being let loose at a 4 way stop sign during rush hour. We know the drivers aren't getting an upgrade.

Have not driven an electric car yet, other than a golf cart. Do they have retrarding when you let off of the accelerator? Have driven transmission retarders, they are an absolute kick in the pants; they are also capable of kicking you in the ass on a slick surface.

 

[scott43]

Remember you can't exceed the speed limit..... So it won't be hard to stop for that stop sign...

 

[Seldomski]

Being a passenger in a car (Tesla) with instant torque can suck, depending on the driver. Many of the high hp cars have different modes to reduce the sensitivity of the accelerator and/or move shift points so all of that power is not as accessible.

Whether that excess power is abused or not comes down to the driver. It can be addictive - but eventually, zooming to the next stop light gets old (for most people). All of that power doesn't really help you go around a corner in the city...

I think the excess power is really for the test drive. The sound of the engine and acceleration helps sell the car. Is that extra power really useful over the years of ownership? Depends on the driver. It can be helpful on the highway -- merging, passing, and generally getting away from other cars.

Some of the nicer interior trim and handling features get bundled with the bigger engine. Sometimes you can't get the better suspension, brakes, stereo, and seats with the 4 cylinder and have to get the 6.