Have we got it all wrong? Are cars too fast now?
Discussion
Was thinking about this recently and it's seems cars in general have had a 50% bump in bhp in the last 15 yrs or so , 300bhp cars in 2001 their equivalents are pushing 450-500 now etc...at some point these power increases just seem pointless will the next generation M4 have low 500's probably unless the manufacturers agree to step it back . V10 Rs6 had 572bhp then the C7 came out with 552 but the performance version has over 600bhp so that was a short lived decrease , Merc and BMW going same with their latest E63 and M5...I have the current RS6 and TBH I am seriously considering downsizing once the time comes it's an epic car but a little frustrating to drive in UK , Germany a diff matter of course. I have a V10+ R8 which I use for the track a few times a year only place where u can drive it properly
The answer is always the same every week when this thread re-emerges. Make a little effort to select an appropriate time and a place if you want to enjoy full performance. I live in London and have no problem finding opportunities to stretch my cars' legs on the road.
You have to be prepared to get up early and to travel of course...and not expect to be able to put your foot down at 5.30 pm on the weekday commute.
You have to be prepared to get up early and to travel of course...and not expect to be able to put your foot down at 5.30 pm on the weekday commute.
Jaroon said:
XFR owner with characterful exhaust. 6 mile commute, redline in 1st, 2nd, 3rd every journey, late odd work shifts and dangerously brief warm up. Travel under 2 bridges. Every journey a joy, accelerative on the dual carriage way, wonderfully sonorous under bridges, thought provoking in the damp, generally not license losing territory but my 26 year clean record does come under an acceptable threat level imo. 650/700bhp and I may call it quits, oh and it must sound right. Mums nets ---->way,
Mumsnet has nothing to do with it. Plenty of cars with lots less power than an XFR are far more fun and enjoyable on road and track.I like super saloons but will never buy one - compromised in every way IMO.
SidewaysSi said:
Jaroon said:
XFR owner with characterful exhaust. 6 mile commute, redline in 1st, 2nd, 3rd every journey, late odd work shifts and dangerously brief warm up. Travel under 2 bridges. Every journey a joy, accelerative on the dual carriage way, wonderfully sonorous under bridges, thought provoking in the damp, generally not license losing territory but my 26 year clean record does come under an acceptable threat level imo. 650/700bhp and I may call it quits, oh and it must sound right. Mums nets ---->way,
Mumsnet has nothing to do with it. Plenty of cars with lots less power than an XFR are far more fun and enjoyable on road and track.I like super saloons but will never buy one - compromised in every way IMO.
Isn't everything less than a pure track car compromised? What I want to express in my post is, I love my car, I love the power and noise, every journey is a pleasure,even starting it up is a pleasure, for me that is, if an MX5 or whatever engenders the same response in you I'm happy for you.
Edited by Jaroon on Saturday 23 September 12:01
Interesting thread and I think the answer to the question, is by and large, yes.
..the current crop of hot hatches have all the performance I would ever need, probably even too much. something like the new Megane RS, 5 doors, 276 BHP, rear wheel steer and a Renaultsport chassis; I cant imagine needing more than that.
I'm also looking forward to seeing how the new Suzuki Swift Sport does. 138 BHP or thereabouts, dry weight of under a ton and about 165 LB FT of torque... I reckon that could hit a sweet spot for UK road driving......
greenarrow said:
I'm also looking forward to seeing how the new Suzuki Swift Sport does. 138 BHP or thereabouts, dry weight of under a ton and about 165 LB FT of torque... I reckon that could hit a sweet spot for UK road driving......
Definitely, just hope you don't get spotted by the police Must admit my old Z4 Coupe wasn't what I would call a good handling car, it didn't really feel all that comfortable 10/10, more like an 8/10ths type of car. That long bonnet and the fact your arse was over the rear wheels certainly give it a distinctive driving experience, but I felt more confident chucking an E46 about if I'm honest.
I qualified quite late in life as an Optometrist, a profession which does not make one a millionaire by any means, but does mean that some very fast cars are within reach. If you pursue this degree straight out of high school, you could be clearing £70K by the time you are about 22 years old.
Ive had many conversations with young Optoms over the years who are going from proper 'first car', mundane stuff to 'Ive just bought a GT-R' in a very short space of time. I often wonder if these guys (and girls) have more potential to get in trouble than I did at that age due to the sheer speed/ power that is available to them.
I mean, when I was 22 in 2004 you couldve treated yourself to an Impreza or M3 for example, but they seem like modestly powered things now.
Having said all that, despite all the power gains, cars have much smarter driver aids and safety equipment than they did then. Does a GT-R even let you crash unless you are being a proper
? Maybe Im naive, but Id imagine much of the extra computing power packed in to modern cars goes towards preserving the drivers life rather than just making them go faster.
Shame really, because if modern performance stuff nannies the keen young driver as much as I think it does, they are probably losing out on some valuable life lessons...
Ill stick to old school RWD stuff thanks.
Ive had many conversations with young Optoms over the years who are going from proper 'first car', mundane stuff to 'Ive just bought a GT-R' in a very short space of time. I often wonder if these guys (and girls) have more potential to get in trouble than I did at that age due to the sheer speed/ power that is available to them.
I mean, when I was 22 in 2004 you couldve treated yourself to an Impreza or M3 for example, but they seem like modestly powered things now.
Having said all that, despite all the power gains, cars have much smarter driver aids and safety equipment than they did then. Does a GT-R even let you crash unless you are being a proper
? Maybe Im naive, but Id imagine much of the extra computing power packed in to modern cars goes towards preserving the drivers life rather than just making them go faster.Shame really, because if modern performance stuff nannies the keen young driver as much as I think it does, they are probably losing out on some valuable life lessons...
Ill stick to old school RWD stuff thanks.
TameRacingDriver said:
Must admit my old Z4 Coupe wasn't what I would call a good handling car, it didn't really feel all that comfortable 10/10, more like an 8/10ths type of car. That long bonnet and the fact your arse was over the rear wheels certainly give it a distinctive driving experience, but I felt more confident chucking an E46 about if I'm honest.
Really?I much prefer chucking my Z4C around than my E46 - get your ar*e by the rear wheels and man up FFS!
To the uneducated the only thing that matters is BHP and 0-60. A cars 0-60 time is a load of bks, a small change in gearing is all it takes to alter the time considerably.
My son has just imported a car from Japan, it is a 1600 16v 4 cyl. N.A. RWD. It is great fun to drive and on a recent trip out with a couple of mates comments were passed at the end such as "fk me it goes well that little thing" (From a lad driving a 400bhp car).
I was talking to someone the other day about the car and this one Herbert pipes up 'er,er what car is it' (thinks)(I wasn't talking to you, keep your nose out).
I explained to him what car it was and he said 'is it a turbo'. I said no.
Herbert chuckles and says 'huh, you need to get a turbo on that mate'.
I said 'why, why does it need a turbo'
'So it is faster' Herbert replies.
Faster than what, what does it need to be faster than?
The conversation was getting too much for said Herbert and he went back to watching something on facebook.
ks, a small change in gearing is all it takes to alter the time considerably.My son has just imported a car from Japan, it is a 1600 16v 4 cyl. N.A. RWD. It is great fun to drive and on a recent trip out with a couple of mates comments were passed at the end such as "f
k me it goes well that little thing" (From a lad driving a 400bhp car).I was talking to someone the other day about the car and this one Herbert pipes up 'er,er what car is it' (thinks)(I wasn't talking to you, keep your nose out).
I explained to him what car it was and he said 'is it a turbo'. I said no.
Herbert chuckles and says 'huh, you need to get a turbo on that mate'.
I said 'why, why does it need a turbo'
'So it is faster' Herbert replies.
Faster than what, what does it need to be faster than?
The conversation was getting too much for said Herbert and he went back to watching something on facebook.
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