RE: Size matters: PH Blog

[anonymous-user]

skyrover said:

Have to disagree there

There is no way a clio is going to outrun something like a GTR, even on twisty little country roads.

Clio would win hands down - not talking about sweeping A roads here, talking about the tight, fun sort of B road and single lane roads where the hedgerows are close, the straights are few and far between and the surface is poor. The GTR is just too wide and heavy for that sort of road. A nimble little Clio would be faster IMO.

[Willy Nilly]

skyrover said:

Lets post some widths to get an idea.

Ford:

Ka: 66.7 in
Fiesta: 67.8 in
Focus: 71.8 in
Transit Connect: 72.2 in
Kuga: 72.4 in
Mondeo: 72.9 in
Ranger: 73.3 in
S-max: 75.4 in
Transit Custom: 78.2 in
F150: 79.9 in
Transit : 83.7 in

Bus: 100.4 in (max legal under EU law)
Lorry: 100.4 in (max legal under EU law)

UK minimum and standard motorway lane width: 110 to 118 in

Many legacy and ancient roads are narrower though.

Are there any legal limits on the dimensions of passenger cars?

[kambites]

On those sorts of roads the performance of a car almost entirely comes down to how idiotic the driver is willing to be. I've been left for dead by a 1.2 Corsa in my Elise on such a road simply because the driver was willing to take risks which I was not.

[kambites]

Willy Nilly said:

Are there any legal limits on the dimensions of passenger cars?

Only the weight limit for a category B licence and the dimensional limits which restrict lorries, as far as I know.

[Willy Nilly]

kambites said:

Willy Nilly said:

Are there any legal limits on the dimensions of passenger cars?

Only the weight limit for a category B licence and the dimensional limits which restrict lorries, as far as I know.

I wonder who will have the first 100 inch wide car?

[kambites]

Willy Nilly said:

I wonder who will have the first 100 inch wide car?

Hmm, just over two and a half meters. I'd like to think that common sense would rule such a vehicle out in the UK, but sadly I'm probably wrong.

[Thorburn]

kambites said:

On those sorts of roads the performance of a car almost entirely comes down to how idiotic the driver is willing to be. I've been left for dead by a 1.2 Corsa in my Elise on such a road simply because the driver was willing to take risks which I was not.

Yep. My daily has 100bhp and weighs about 1000kg and I'll still be lifting off along most straights and taking corners way below the limits of what I or the car could manage with a guarantee that the exit is clear of hazards or speed cameras.

The limiting factor to performance on most roads is the level of risk you're willing to take, way above the drivers car control or the cars performance.

[A Scotsman]

I still own a Clio 182 which I plan to "refresh" at some simply because I love the thing. Took it out for a run recently and happened to park it next to a latest generation Clio Sport .. That thing is huge compared to my ickle 182.. Why?

[skyrover]

Willy Nilly said:

kambites said:

Willy Nilly said:

Are there any legal limits on the dimensions of passenger cars?

Only the weight limit for a category B licence and the dimensional limits which restrict lorries, as far as I know.

I wonder who will have the first 100 inch wide car?

Even the largest of the American land yachts in the 1970's never exceeded 80 inches wide... which incidentally is about the same as modern full sized pickup trucks and SUV's today.

80 inches is the practical limit for a private vehicle width.

1974 Chrysler Imperial: 79.7 in wide
Ford F150 pickup: 79.9 in
Ford Expedition: 78.8 in
Nissan Patrol: 78.5 in
Range Rover: 78.3 in
Transit Van : 80.8–83.7 in

[Dave Hedgehog]

i have had an E class estate for the last month, bloody huge elephant of a dollop

as wide as my parking space and 2 foot longer ... and was great fun to get into the glades

cockpit is smaller than the GLA as well lol

[DevonPaul]

Series 1 Land Rover...
1.52m wide; 3.35m long

2017 Mini 3 door,
1.73m wide, 3.82m long

Maybe they should rename it "Maxi".

[culpz]

skyrover said:

Andy20vt said:

Modern performance machinery with it's sheer bulk + width and being hamstrung by poor visibility (yet despite on paper being lots, lots faster), wouldn't have stood a chance against the Clio that day.

Have to disagree there

There is no way a clio is going to outrun something like a GTR, even on twisty little country roads.

It most definitely will, so long as the driver is competent enough. The GTR is huge, especially on the UK's twisty B roads. The little Renault can use all of it's power with next-to-no braking and not worry about binning it. The Nissan, on the other hand, will be the complete opposite.

Give this a watch, if you haven't already. Funnily enough, he explains a very similar experience, as to the one we're discussing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTTI-aMKn60

[Blackpuddin]

Mrs B and I had to travel in the back of a newish C-Class Estate the other day, along with a third (quite small) lady. Couldn't believe how squashed we were in there. Quite a bit more usable cabin width in the back of our ancient Mk 4 Golf, even though from the outside the Merc looks like a much larger car.

[Kawasicki]

culpz said:

skyrover said:

Andy20vt said:

Modern performance machinery with it's sheer bulk + width and being hamstrung by poor visibility (yet despite on paper being lots, lots faster), wouldn't have stood a chance against the Clio that day.

Have to disagree there

There is no way a clio is going to outrun something like a GTR, even on twisty little country roads.

It most definitely will, so long as the driver is competent enough. The GTR is huge, especially on the UK's twisty B roads. The little Renault can use all of it's power with next-to-no braking and not worry about binning it. The Nissan, on the other hand, will be the complete opposite.

Give this a watch, if you haven't already. Funnily enough, he explains a very similar experience, as to the one we're discussing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTTI-aMKn60

In a world without other road users a Nissan GTR would be quite a lot quicker than a Clio 182, even on a typical narrow B road. The GTR is pretty easy to throw around, so no more binning worries than a hot Clio.

[InitialDave]

350Matt said:

I used to run a Suzuki cappuccino and it was brilliant - however 1 of the main reasons for changing it was other road users simply did not give you any respect / common courtesy

I'd tweaked mine a bit and they're not slow to start with so I'd be barreling up to a roundabout at 80 leptons and soccer mum in a her 4 x 4 would look you in the eye and pull out on you.... cue my cursing and hard braking / swerving to avoid running into her....

maybe because it was so small they thought it was a long way off..... being driven by a giant.....

Haha, yes, I have one and this is true. Amusing when a big bloke gets out of it though.

Kei cars are great fun if you have the more interesting variants.

[Byker28i]

DevonPaul said:

Series 1 Land Rover...
1.52m wide; 3.35m long

2017 Mini 3 door,
1.73m wide, 3.82m long

Maybe they should rename it "Maxi".

be more interesting comparing the largest 'mini' to an range rover

[anonymous-user]

Kawasicki said:

culpz said:

skyrover said:

Andy20vt said:

Modern performance machinery with it's sheer bulk + width and being hamstrung by poor visibility (yet despite on paper being lots, lots faster), wouldn't have stood a chance against the Clio that day.

Have to disagree there

There is no way a clio is going to outrun something like a GTR, even on twisty little country roads.

It most definitely will, so long as the driver is competent enough. The GTR is huge, especially on the UK's twisty B roads. The little Renault can use all of it's power with next-to-no braking and not worry about binning it. The Nissan, on the other hand, will be the complete opposite.

Give this a watch, if you haven't already. Funnily enough, he explains a very similar experience, as to the one we're discussing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTTI-aMKn60

In a world without other road users a Nissan GTR would be quite a lot quicker than a Clio 182, even on a typical narrow B road. The GTR is pretty easy to throw around, so no more binning worries than a hot Clio.

Haha and when did you ever get a road on without other road users? You mean on a track perhaps?

Seriously, on my local B road the GTR would never get into it's stride, whereas the Clio Trophy would dance from corner to corner, changing direction without loosing momentum. The width of the GTR, combined with it's poor (compared to the Clio) all round visibility would be even more of a hindrance in this situation, not giving you the confidence to push as you otherwise could. Similarly in town or in traffic the Clio (or other small fast car), would be light years ahead of a GTR because of it's diminished size and increased agility/visibility.

Yes the GTR would leave the Clio for dead on a race track, or on a wide, empty, open A road - but how often do you ever get that? And by then you're deep into license loosing territory anyway. Mmmmm a wide traffic free A road - can only dream eh?

As a side note, remember in the bad old days (irresponsibly) chasing a friends mildly souped up mini with a straight through exhaust (original mini), in an original Impreza turbo down some country lanes at dusk. Both of us were okay drivers and both of us knew the road. Impreza had well over twice the horsepower and 4WD and could I keep up with the mini - could I hell! That thing darted round corners like it was on rails.

Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 30th November 15:35

[culpz]

Kawasicki said:

culpz said:

skyrover said:

Andy20vt said:

Modern performance machinery with it's sheer bulk + width and being hamstrung by poor visibility (yet despite on paper being lots, lots faster), wouldn't have stood a chance against the Clio that day.

Have to disagree there

There is no way a clio is going to outrun something like a GTR, even on twisty little country roads.

It most definitely will, so long as the driver is competent enough. The GTR is huge, especially on the UK's twisty B roads. The little Renault can use all of it's power with next-to-no braking and not worry about binning it. The Nissan, on the other hand, will be the complete opposite.

Give this a watch, if you haven't already. Funnily enough, he explains a very similar experience, as to the one we're discussing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTTI-aMKn60

In a world without other road users a Nissan GTR would be quite a lot quicker than a Clio 182, even on a typical narrow B road. The GTR is pretty easy to throw around, so no more binning worries than a hot Clio.

In a hypothetical and completely unrealistic scenario, you may be right. Why that needed to be stated, i do not know, as it's completely irrelevant.

So, when it comes to real life and not make-believe, i assume you agree with the point that's trying to be made?

[Rawwr]

skyrover said:

Have to disagree there

There is no way a clio is going to outrun something like a GTR, even on twisty little country roads.

Not a true comparison but you get the idea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0pB_jnLDtw

[Kawasicki]

Rawwr said:

skyrover said:

Have to disagree there

There is no way a clio is going to outrun something like a GTR, even on twisty little country roads.

Not a true comparison but you get the idea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0pB_jnLDtw

Wet grip of the Audi is vastly superior to the Nissan.

Driver of the Nissan hasn't a clue either.