Discussion
to be honest, even 0-100 times (which I was always a bit of a nerd on in the 1990's) have lost their relevance a bit
2 cars with the same 0-100 time can actually be totally different in terms of subjective speed and acceleration
take heavy cars for example that take a while to get going ... Murcis, Lotus Carltons etc..
2 cars with the same 0-100 time can actually be totally different in terms of subjective speed and acceleration
take heavy cars for example that take a while to get going ... Murcis, Lotus Carltons etc..
It means a lot to me. It says how fast a car can attain the sort of speed I can do around nice twisty lanes in the locale. I have no interest AT ALL in either how fast a car can go on an unrestricted road or race track, OR how quickly it can achieve 100, since even illegally you can only do that speed on dull roads...
An often discussed topic round my way.
Mates 997 GT3 - 0-60 4 Seconds
My RS4 - 0-60 4.5 seconds
Mates AM Vantage - 0-60 5.2 seconds
Mates Focus RS - 0-60 5.5 seconds
Bugger me, a whopping 1.5 seconds difference between the fastest and the slowest.
Count 1.5 seconds......
That's the difference, and why 0-60 times mean nothing in terms of real world driving.
0-100 is a better yardstick, but there are not many situations where you are going to be able to put that to the test.
All I can say is, point to point all of our cars are roughly the same in terms of comparison.
That's why a car that does 0-60 in 5 seconds, is not going to be significantly quicker than a well steered hot hatch that hits 60 in 7 seconds.
Mates 997 GT3 - 0-60 4 Seconds
My RS4 - 0-60 4.5 seconds
Mates AM Vantage - 0-60 5.2 seconds
Mates Focus RS - 0-60 5.5 seconds
Bugger me, a whopping 1.5 seconds difference between the fastest and the slowest.
Count 1.5 seconds......
That's the difference, and why 0-60 times mean nothing in terms of real world driving.
0-100 is a better yardstick, but there are not many situations where you are going to be able to put that to the test.
All I can say is, point to point all of our cars are roughly the same in terms of comparison.
That's why a car that does 0-60 in 5 seconds, is not going to be significantly quicker than a well steered hot hatch that hits 60 in 7 seconds.
Ferg said:
It means a lot to me. It says how fast a car can attain the sort of speed I can do around nice twisty lanes in the locale. I have no interest AT ALL in either how fast a car can go on an unrestricted road or race track, OR how quickly it can achieve 100, since even illegally you can only do that speed on dull roads...
Just about every decent car ive ever owned or drive or even LOOKED AT, does it in 4 somethingso i'm not sure it means much to me
but then look at the difference between say my old esprit S4 and R500
0-100 was aroudn 8sec. vs. 12.5 sec !
and aroudn say donnington, the little caterham was good for a 1.16/1.17 on road tyres, the epsrit however would struggle to make 1.30 !
Edited by jackal on Saturday 19th February 16:28
jackal said:
Ferg said:
It means a lot to me. It says how fast a car can attain the sort of speed I can do around nice twisty lanes in the locale. I have no interest AT ALL in either how fast a car can go on an unrestricted road or race track, OR how quickly it can achieve 100, since even illegally you can only do that speed on dull roads...
Just about every cars ive ever owned or drive or even LOOKED AT, does it in 4 somethingso i'm not sure it means much to me
Someones' maliciously edited the list of cars in your profile then!!! 
30-50 etc etc are much more relevant i think to real world driving. my 0-60 time (around 6 seconds) isnt all that great to be honest but weighing in at the same as a 3 bed semi with a conservatory its never going to be. once its rolling though it does pick up speed quite nicely. Granted it'll never be a rocket ship though.
60-100 is also a number you dont see banded about much, granted its irrelevant in day to day situations but it can be quite telling. 2 cars could have similar (ish) 0-60 times (within 1-2 secs say) but there could be a whole chasm between there 60-100's
60-100 is also a number you dont see banded about much, granted its irrelevant in day to day situations but it can be quite telling. 2 cars could have similar (ish) 0-60 times (within 1-2 secs say) but there could be a whole chasm between there 60-100's
It's not everything, it is of some relevance though. And that 1.5 second gap might not be much to 60, but compare it to most other cars on the road which take at least 10 seconds to get to 60 and take into account the number of traffic lights and roundabouts we have these days and it soon adds up.
B.J.W said:
That's why a car that does 0-60 in 5 seconds, is not going to be significantly quicker than a well steered hot hatch that hits 60 in 7 seconds.
Sorry, but that's where you are wrong IMHO. IME half a second can make a difference in real world driving. For example the 0-60 difference between a 4 and 5 litre Chimaera is less than 1 second. YET I can assure you that it makes a huge difference when driving - been there, done that and got the T-shirt (and now the 5 Litre Chimaera because of it!).
Ferg said:
It means a lot to me. It says how fast a car can attain the sort of speed I can do around nice twisty lanes in the locale. I have no interest AT ALL in either how fast a car can go on an unrestricted road or race track, OR how quickly it can achieve 100, since even illegally you can only do that speed on dull roads...
But how much would you base your choice of car on a given time difference? Would you really pick a car that was half a second quicker over another? Was there an extra gearshift etc...And how often are you doing zero to sixty on these twisty lanes? I'd have a preference for the one that did 40 to 60 quicker...they're not necessarily the same car by any means...
Notwithstanding the fact most drivers can't get near a stated zero to 60 and certainly not reguarly and without a fair lack of mechanical sympathy.
I know people like easy stats but as yardsticks go it's fairly redundant IMO.
The 0-60 time is just one of many factors that show how well a car performs. Unless you're planning on a drag race each time you line up at traffic lights the 0-60 time isn't much use. I prefer to consider cars by how they handle, the response when you put your foot down to overtake on single-lane roads and the enjoyment of a ride in general.
A car I had previously was always discussed like this on the owners club forum. The RX8 comes in two general variants- the high power (231 PS) and low power (192 PS)- there is a second difference between quoted 0-60 times. However one has 6 gears and the other has 5. This makes them quite different in that respect, but put them both through twisty country roads and there will be no difference.
A car I had previously was always discussed like this on the owners club forum. The RX8 comes in two general variants- the high power (231 PS) and low power (192 PS)- there is a second difference between quoted 0-60 times. However one has 6 gears and the other has 5. This makes them quite different in that respect, but put them both through twisty country roads and there will be no difference.
Jasandjules said:
B.J.W said:
That's why a car that does 0-60 in 5 seconds, is not going to be significantly quicker than a well steered hot hatch that hits 60 in 7 seconds.
Sorry, but that's where you are wrong IMHO. IME half a second can make a difference in real world driving. For example the 0-60 difference between a 4 and 5 litre Chimaera is less than 1 second. YET I can assure you that it makes a huge difference when driving - been there, done that and got the T-shirt (and now the 5 Litre Chimaera because of it!).
We will have to agree to disagree on the other point though, because my experience has been different.
STW2010 said:
The 0-60 time is just one of many factors that show how well a car performs.
I'd agree with that wholeheartedly.0-60 times, when taken alongside other info, tell you a lot about how a car will drive, particularly a light one. If you are primarily interested in acceleration, then it tells you quite a lot. I had a car which could hit 60 in under 3 seconds, but it's top speed was only a shade over 100....
Ferg said:
STW2010 said:
The 0-60 time is just one of many factors that show how well a car performs.
I'd agree with that wholeheartedly.0-60 times, when taken alongside other info, tell you a lot about how a car will drive, particularly a light one. If you are primarily interested in acceleration, then it tells you quite a lot. I had a car which could hit 60 in under 3 seconds, but it's top speed was only a shade over 100....
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