How fast will cars get?
Discussion
the vayron proved that 250+ is pointless as there is only 3 or 4 places on the planet that you can go that fast and somebody else owns them 
(the les fezza, P1 and 918 do not chase ultimate top speed because of this)
cars can accelerate faster but you start to chase diminishing returns on that, i suspect most gains will come from weight, tyres, electronically adjusted handling and aero
there's no need to ban them since if you have a car with the performance of an M car or faster you are only ever a few seconds away from jail time
(the les fezza, P1 and 918 do not chase ultimate top speed because of this)cars can accelerate faster but you start to chase diminishing returns on that, i suspect most gains will come from weight, tyres, electronically adjusted handling and aero
there's no need to ban them since if you have a car with the performance of an M car or faster you are only ever a few seconds away from jail time
Funkstar De Luxe said:
I'm not sure where you live, but here in the UK restrictions definitely are in place. No matter what you buy, you cannot travel faster than 70mph.
Of course you can. You just aren't allowed to and who cares about that?Besides, that doesn't restrict a car's potential top speed at all. Only the driver's.
For me the most important part of a cars performance is the mid range grunt, handling and braking. Top speed is not really that important but manufacturers will continue to push the max speeds as people love to talk about how quick their car is.
I work with teenagers and if they find out what car i own the first question is "how fast does it go?". A pointless question and doesnt really tell anyone how quick the car is in real terms but the kids and pub talkers love big numbers.
Its like horse power. My car has around 300hp and its more than enough for getring about and even when on runs with big power cars i am never left behind because it cant be used on normal roads in the uk. That wont stop manufacturers pushing for bigger numbers though.
I work with teenagers and if they find out what car i own the first question is "how fast does it go?". A pointless question and doesnt really tell anyone how quick the car is in real terms but the kids and pub talkers love big numbers.
Its like horse power. My car has around 300hp and its more than enough for getring about and even when on runs with big power cars i am never left behind because it cant be used on normal roads in the uk. That wont stop manufacturers pushing for bigger numbers though.
Funkstar De Luxe said:
I'm not sure where you live, but here in the UK restrictions definitely are in place. No matter what you buy, you cannot travel faster than 70mph.
I am from Nottingham originally but live in Sydney. I used to drive 100 mph on quiet motorways no problem at all in the UK, but in Australia the police seem to be relentless little blighters, can't get away with anything, and the most common car out here (the Ford Falcon, used as taxis and workhorses in general) is equipped with a 4.0 litre straight six! Such a waste, never get chance to stretch their legskambites said:
The current limiting factor seems to be tyre construction rather than power or aerodynamics.
I would concur.Tyres are one of the reasons for electronic speed limiters, as the manufacturer must supply the car with tyres rated for it's maximum speed, and 300 kph rated tyres are not exactly common.
Also tyres are relatively fragile, and prone to both wear and damage. The consequences of failure or even just pressure loss at 300 kmh plus are not pretty!
Difficult one... manufacturers cars will get faster just to prove that they can, but I think they've gone as far as they can in the production market.
As said the Veyron is fast but you can't use all of it. It's starting to get a bit like watch manufacturers, yes it'll work 500m down in the ocean but no owner is going to test it, they're just happy to know that it can.
It seems (to my naïve eye) that supercar makers have realised this and have changed tack moving over to handling prowess and lap times which don't actually require 1,000,000hp and a top speed of Mach 1.
This is good, a car that corners like a fly without spitting you into a hedge is always good.
Yes, speed matters... not just in a straight line
As said the Veyron is fast but you can't use all of it. It's starting to get a bit like watch manufacturers, yes it'll work 500m down in the ocean but no owner is going to test it, they're just happy to know that it can.
It seems (to my naïve eye) that supercar makers have realised this and have changed tack moving over to handling prowess and lap times which don't actually require 1,000,000hp and a top speed of Mach 1.
This is good, a car that corners like a fly without spitting you into a hedge is always good.
Yes, speed matters... not just in a straight line
I think over the next 10 years emphasis will step change from more power to more performance through the same power, but with less weight in order to gain more efficiency.
I expect to hear manufactures talking and marketing cars far more on bhp/tonne than we have heard to date (mainly because the new kid on the black as 30bhp more, yet has also pile on 150kgs whilst nobody was looking...)
So congratulations Caterham, you were ahead of the game on that one!
I expect to hear manufactures talking and marketing cars far more on bhp/tonne than we have heard to date (mainly because the new kid on the black as 30bhp more, yet has also pile on 150kgs whilst nobody was looking...)
So congratulations Caterham, you were ahead of the game on that one!
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