Quote:
Originally Posted by nicknaz
You should drive a 3000lb / 600hp car to validate that assumption..
Power is good and more is better!  |
I am surprised that here in 2013 some people still think like this.
Of course, if we could easily lower the weight of our cars by 25-50% and increase the hp by 25-50% with no cost, problems or headaches, then everyone would do that. But you can always find something faster, and eventually you would have to switch to a superbike or F1 car.
Here is why you do not want to or need to do that
1) The car would start to fall apart. And when your car breaks down you will be unhappy. One thing is the cost of repair, another is having to wait while the car is in. Also it will cost more just to run and maintain.
2) I tried the 997 turbo coupe just before buying the Z4. It was definitely less fun to drive because it grips too well and its AWD. Go past its limits and you will probably die. At least I didn't dare to.
All it can do is fast acceleration and cornering, and that feeling of sheer G-forces does nothing extra to me. The excitement is already there with less power, and below 100kmh the extra G-forces just add the same sort of annoying feeling that braking hard does. It strains your neck, and don't tell me that is a nice feeling. Because it just isn't.
OK I admit it would add some extra fun when accelerating past 150kmh, but how often do you do that? I also admit that it would generate some pleasure killing other cars from a stop light, and a 997 turbo would kill almost anything. But then one day you would meet a GT-R... or a superbike... and then you would loose, and then you would feel bad for weeks...
3) In other words, you do not need more hp to go sideways. But a GT-86 does, so that is why a car like the Z4 is exactly right. Its powerful, front-engined, and has rear-wheel drive and almost 50/50 weight distribution. Another 200hp would just end up in wheelspin anywhere below 100kmh.
4) When your car has enough hp to make you go "holy cow this is exciting" then that is enough, and the rest of the fun must come from elsewhere. Such as learning driving technique, ie controlling oversteer and understeer. I drove a dirt motorbike for 5 years. Also I was a pilot student for 2 years. Driving a dirtbike on sand or flying and airplane, half of the fun is actually learning how to to master the machines in different situations. A very small part of the fun comes from the G-forces. Most of the time they just make you sick.
If I had to choose I would prefer you gave me a great passenger over 200 extra hp and associated reliability and cost issues. Or a nice location. Or no traffic jams. Good music. A track within 1 hours driver. Nice weather. Admiration from other road users, pedestrians and so on...
5) This speaks for itself (jeremy clarksons "powered up" dvd)
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzIyMDc1NjE2.html
6) Also try and look at the videos of Hammond or Clarkson driving F1 cars. Then try and see if you could convince me that they were having fun. Then look at the episode where they tried autocross in rather horrible cars.
Ok, you probably already knew 90% of this, but I had fun writing it nonetheless.
