More replies to McLaren F1 questions and comments
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One very quick question - may seem a bit silly but here goes.
The seat is in the middle - so you can get in either door correct?
Which door do you get in?
Also there are 2 passenger seats if you have 1 passenger which seat would you prefer your (lucky) guest to sit in?
Can you feel a difference in the handling with passengers?
May seem odd but im just curious.
The seat is in the middle - so you can get in either door correct?
Which door do you get in?
Also there are 2 passenger seats if you have 1 passenger which seat would you prefer your (lucky) guest to sit in?
Can you feel a difference in the handling with passengers?
May seem odd but im just curious.
dcw@pr is correct: you get into the driver's seat from the left to avoid the gearstick, which is fairly tall.
Frik's non-driving considerations notwithstanding, it's easier to have a solo passenger sit on the left so that his/her leg does not get in the way of gear-shifting. The drawback with the left is that every time the driver has to exit (fuel stops, etc.), the passenger does too.
The car has two interior mirrors, one for each rear window. A passenger of normal height will block the driver's rear vision on that side. The external mirrors remain usable, but the interior mirrors are the easier ones to use if they're available.
The car weighs around 1250 with a full tank and all of one's motoring paraphenalia, and the driver weighs another 70, so one/two passenger(s) will add more than 5/10% to the car's weight while also raising its centre of gravity. In driving you definitely notice the difference that a passenger makes to the car's handling.
A passenger increases the weight, reduces rear vision, compromises the a/c and distracts the driver. Alone is nicer than having a passenger, unless you're in love with her.
flemke, sorry to go off topic...
I think I know who you are, I wonder if you remember me. I've emailed you photos of your yellow Porsche a few times from RMA events, in fact I think you were one of the first people I spoke to at my first trackday a couple of years back at Brands? Haven't seen you around for a while.
Just curious
I think I know who you are, I wonder if you remember me. I've emailed you photos of your yellow Porsche a few times from RMA events, in fact I think you were one of the first people I spoke to at my first trackday a couple of years back at Brands? Haven't seen you around for a while.
Just curious
Hi Flemke, thanks also for taking the time and effort for sharing your thoughts and experience in running the uber-iconic of cars, and answering people questions.
Now, I'm not trying to win the most weird and pointless question award
but this is something I always found odd. Below is a pic of what I think is the speedo in all F1s:
The question is: doesn't it feel strange that the needle just goes horizontal above 120 mph. I mean, I imagine that in most part of the driving the bloody thing barely moves upwards!
Weird?
Now, I'm not trying to win the most weird and pointless question award
but this is something I always found odd. Below is a pic of what I think is the speedo in all F1s: The question is: doesn't it feel strange that the needle just goes horizontal above 120 mph. I mean, I imagine that in most part of the driving the bloody thing barely moves upwards!
Weird?
Gazboy: As I recall, no one has said that his or her experience in the car was "too much". I have no interest in attempting 0-100 blasts; the car's in-gear acceleration in third or fourth is a lot more impressive and fun and a lot less abusive.
I should think that one is more likely to get a "this is too much" reaction from some hard driving on a circuit, especially at the Nordschleife.
dcw@pr: You may be right; I was at Brands once or twice in 2002 in a yellow P. I have been there this year in the same car, and probably shall be there again before the year's out.
raftom: That's the instrument cluster from an LM. One difference is that it has a "9000" instead of the standard car's "8000", which is fair enough - the LM engine is limited to a tad over eight grand, while the standard car is 7500. The other difference is that the standard car's speedo stops at 240. It's funny that the LM's goes to 260, insofar as the LM's maximum speed is less than the standard car's.
Ergonomic questions are always interesting, at least to me, so I appreciate yours. The orientation of the speedo numbers has never been a bother, or even stood out. As with most things, you just accept what's there and if necessary work around it.
I should think that one is more likely to get a "this is too much" reaction from some hard driving on a circuit, especially at the Nordschleife.
dcw@pr: You may be right; I was at Brands once or twice in 2002 in a yellow P. I have been there this year in the same car, and probably shall be there again before the year's out.
raftom: That's the instrument cluster from an LM. One difference is that it has a "9000" instead of the standard car's "8000", which is fair enough - the LM engine is limited to a tad over eight grand, while the standard car is 7500. The other difference is that the standard car's speedo stops at 240. It's funny that the LM's goes to 260, insofar as the LM's maximum speed is less than the standard car's.
Ergonomic questions are always interesting, at least to me, so I appreciate yours. The orientation of the speedo numbers has never been a bother, or even stood out. As with most things, you just accept what's there and if necessary work around it.
raftom said:
The question is: doesn't it feel strange that the needle just goes horizontal above 120 mph. I mean, I imagine that in most part of the driving the bloody thing barely moves upwards!
Weird?
I once had a test drive in a R34 Skyline with a Japanese 320kph speedo that had been converted to read mph for the same numbers i.e. a 320mph speedo. It barely moved at all
As for F1's, I am a huge fan, I got the Driving Ambition book when it came out and have read it about 10 times. Only seen an F1 moving once and that was at Knockhill, it was a silver/orange GTR that sounded spectacular.
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