finding the signal in an industry filled with noise
Nearly two decades ago the Honda/Acura NSX shook up the performance car scene.
This year, the Nissan GT-R is said to be doing the same.
But could the two cars be any more different?
Looking at this picture I stumbled across on the web – is the NSX is too much like a Formula 1 car or is the GT-R is too much like an SUV?
When car companies want to increase fuel economy one of the first places they look is the wheel and tire setup; the less rotational inertia and frontal area the better so the narrowest, smallest tire that will effectively carry and redirect the car’s mass is best.
Would you notice? Some would say no, but as someone in the market for a Prius recently pointed out those with the optional 16” wheels report having a hard time matching the observed mileage of those with 15” wheels. So I’d argue that you can’t break the laws of physics (and tell Prius buyers if fuel economy is what’s most important 15” alloys do best of all).
So when you see someone in a hybrid on larger, wider, heavier aftermarket wheels do what I do…
...shake your head and look at the driver with a mixture of pity and disgust.
Admission: I’ve never followed racing very closely because I’m more interested in road cars or track cars based on road cars.
Fact: Regardless of your enthusiasm for racing or Formula 1, you’ll probably have a newfound appreciation for the factoids listed in this article…
The problem is that the Ralliart is a heavy machine, what with all that transmission, and the SST transmission has an annoyingly tardy getaway. All would be forgiven were the Ralliart a rousing drive, but for all its claimed power the engine never really lets rip. You find yourself revving it to death to goad it along, easily done given the strange shortness of the intermediate gear ratios, and it’s much harder work than a torquey turbomotor should be. It sounds nondescript, too. But it will all come good in the corners, yes? No. This Lancer really misses its tougher brother’s AYC and the resultant favourable torque distribution to each rear wheel. There’ll be no lovely powerslides here; go too quickly into a tight bend and it understeers like the nose-heavy car it is. – evo
Although the [Ridgeline’s] entire engine is carryover, the all-aluminum 3.5L V-6 does have a new Magnesium dual-stage intake manifold that bumps the horsepower and torque up by three and two, respectively. Additionally, Honda keeps the current five-speed automatic, but does offer slightly different gear ratios, in some cases changed only 0.2 percent, to help to improve overall responsiveness. Of note, throttle response off idle is vastly improved, making it feel like the truck has more power off the line because of how strongly it jumps from a stop. A new computer software program works with the new gearing strategy to make it feel like there’s more power than the small gains in hp and torque would suggest. – Motor Trend
Over 3 years ago, I posted on the benefits of using your spare tire before it aged…
Recently ABC picked up on the same story, as you can see here.
Ordinarily I take pride in being ahead of the curve, but this time I’m just despondent at the number of people who not having read my blog have inadvertently put themselves at risk.
Tell a friend…
1) Like Cayman vs. 911, they were trying not to cannibalize the more expensive model – trimming power leads to an outcry, making the cars feel distinct from the driver’s seat via spring/shock/bar/effective steering ratio less so.
2) The 1 series was hammered by the press for its hobbyhorse ride (run flats+short wheelbase) in its original hatchback form, so this midcycle refresh required they stress ride comfort (same happened with X3 and Mini) which in knee jerk engineering terms means lower suspension natural frequency.
3) They were trying to go for more of the vintage BMW feel (long travel, real world compliance, roll to signify how close the limit is and make sure it’s exceeded progressively) – more along the lines of an E30 or a current Xi than an i or sport package car (which feel ‘slammed’ out of the box and mistake grip for handling). There’s a sense that since they couldn’t make it lightweight like a 2002 they wanted a bit of the feeling that died with the last of the trailing arm cars… Also note the narrower tires! More self aligning torque, more progressive breakaway… just what all BMWs need these days!
4) The 1 series has a lot of baked in understeer to protect those not used to RWD - I’ve read many a test that mention cars like the Mini or even the Golf are more neutral (I suppose they can be because torque reversal at the limit can’t upset the chassis so much).
That’s my theory – and I’m sticking to it.