How fast never feels slow?
Discussion
I'm fortunate enough to have owned 5 cars with in excess of 300bhp/tonne - a couple over 400. I got used to the power delivery in each case and found myself wanting more. I know everyone's different but is there a level of power/acceleration which one never gets used to?
I realise 400 bhp/tonne in a Caterham will require more getting used to than in a Nissan GTR but nevertheless I found I still acclimatised to the point where it no longer felt remarkable. Seems to me, then, that modifying a car just to make it accelerate quicker is a mug's game - whatever you do it will eventually feel the same as it did before. I reckon it's better to concentrate on handling/theatre or leave your baby in the garage for a couple of weeks and drive something 'ordinary'.
Or am I wrong? Is there a power level/car which remains eternally thrilling at full chat so you never start looking at remaps, exhausts, intercoolers, etc. etc??
I realise 400 bhp/tonne in a Caterham will require more getting used to than in a Nissan GTR but nevertheless I found I still acclimatised to the point where it no longer felt remarkable. Seems to me, then, that modifying a car just to make it accelerate quicker is a mug's game - whatever you do it will eventually feel the same as it did before. I reckon it's better to concentrate on handling/theatre or leave your baby in the garage for a couple of weeks and drive something 'ordinary'.
Or am I wrong? Is there a power level/car which remains eternally thrilling at full chat so you never start looking at remaps, exhausts, intercoolers, etc. etc??
Depends how and where you drive them?
I don't find I drive my cars anywhere near their potential on the road, but on a trackday they never fail to impress me.
It's not about outright speed either, but about pushing the car further and I can feel myself getting better as a driver.
My Caterham is about 260bhp/ton (140bhp 1.6 - not particularly quick on the 7 scale) and I've never felt it's too slow - even on track. Throwing it into corners is hilarious fun, and while it does get passed on straights, the cornering speed more than makes up for it, and gives me the chance to improve my driving to catch the people who were passing me in the morning!
I don't find I drive my cars anywhere near their potential on the road, but on a trackday they never fail to impress me.
It's not about outright speed either, but about pushing the car further and I can feel myself getting better as a driver.
My Caterham is about 260bhp/ton (140bhp 1.6 - not particularly quick on the 7 scale) and I've never felt it's too slow - even on track. Throwing it into corners is hilarious fun, and while it does get passed on straights, the cornering speed more than makes up for it, and gives me the chance to improve my driving to catch the people who were passing me in the morning!
In my very limited experience, I'd say any performance that results from nothing more than road tyre grip levels ultimately comes to feel slow. What little experience I have of slicks and wings leads me to believe I could never tire of 2G+ cornering loads, though; and I suspect proper dragster acceleration is similar.
Lee540 said:
The speed thrill for me comes from acceleration.
I ride a Hayabusa.. going fast at a constant speed doesn't feel fast, but accelerating with wide open throttle always does for me! On most 1000cc+ bikes..
Same here, I get used to going fast at a constant speed and it just feels normal. But the feeling of low gear full throttle acceleration is always a rush.I ride a Hayabusa.. going fast at a constant speed doesn't feel fast, but accelerating with wide open throttle always does for me! On most 1000cc+ bikes..
1200VFR for me.
Funnily enough, the most finger biting exciting car is the one your mate got, it's got the most the power he has ever had and wants to impress you. You get into the passenger seat whilst he says " Shall we do the B3489, that has some good bends"
Being a passenger in those situations never ever feels too slow. You only wish it did.
Being a passenger in those situations never ever feels too slow. You only wish it did.
Gandahar said:
Funnily enough, the most finger biting exciting car is the one your mate got, it's got the most the power he has ever had and wants to impress you. You get into the passenger seat whilst he says " Shall we do the B3489, that has some good bends"
Being a passenger in those situations never ever feels too slow. You only wish it did.
When you mate runs out of talent and you end up going backwards into a telegraph pole.. Being a passenger in those situations never ever feels too slow. You only wish it did.
Fast bikes, an S1000RR or ZZR1400 I expect could never feel slow. Cruising at high speed can almost seem slow on an empty road, but if you rip up through the gears to that same speed you were just cruising steadily at, that speed suddenly feels a lot more frantic and wild.
I can see how cars could certainly become a "more, more, more" experience, as they are so insulated. Even the seriously quick latest batch of madcap Caterhams just can't give that level of oneness with machine and exposure that a bike can. Speed, and our perception of it is all about how connected we are to the acceleration. Anyone who gets into biking, when you come to do your CBT and you're riding a 125, throttle on the stop at 60mph with no wind protection, I guarantee 60mph will never have felt so fast in all your life.
I can see how cars could certainly become a "more, more, more" experience, as they are so insulated. Even the seriously quick latest batch of madcap Caterhams just can't give that level of oneness with machine and exposure that a bike can. Speed, and our perception of it is all about how connected we are to the acceleration. Anyone who gets into biking, when you come to do your CBT and you're riding a 125, throttle on the stop at 60mph with no wind protection, I guarantee 60mph will never have felt so fast in all your life.
In a straightline... for me personally everything, after time, just feels 'normal'. Our Turbo S was laugh out loud fast at first, but now it is simply as fast as it is... no shock.
When told my by race engineer to go find a tenth at a corner can feel pretty damn fast though, and that may be an increase of 1 mph. My point being, the fun is in the corners.
When told my by race engineer to go find a tenth at a corner can feel pretty damn fast though, and that may be an increase of 1 mph. My point being, the fun is in the corners.
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