Just a quick question re performance cars and how best to drive them

[Daff_Duck]

Ok so scenario is, say you have a sub 6 sec manual car in order to hit the button so to speak do you max out the revs on each gear in order to get as much acceleration Or do you get through the gears as quickly as possible.

On my travels I often see what you would call standard 140bp cars zip past performance cars whose drivers don't seem to know how to get the best out of the car

So what is the best way to hit max acceleration in the shortest time?\

 

[Dave85]

When you have a fast car we normally do not bother with the peasants in over 6sec cars

 

[On Holiday]

When you have a fast car we normally do not bother with the peasants in over 6sec cars

Very much this.

My 400hp Impreza was circa 3.5 seconds and top speed was... off the clocks. There's very little worth bothering with at that power.

I did have an unexpected grand prix race with a DB9 in that Impreza though and that was the only time I bothered putting my foot down by being spurred on by another car, now that was a fun day

 

[Housey]

Ok so scenario is, say you have a sub 6 sec manual car in order to hit the button so to speak do you max out the revs on each gear in order to get as much acceleration Or do you get through the gears as quickly as possible.

On my travels I often see what you would call standard 140bp cars zip past performance cars whose drivers don't seem to know how to get the best out of the car

So what is the best way to hit max acceleration in the shortest time?\

It depends on the car but good acceleration typically requires a perfect get away followed by perfect and very very quick gear changes. How you get a car off the line depends on the car and isn't something you can do by spreadsheet, it's all about the feel of what the front, back or both sets of wheels are doing. Likewise where the car delivers it's best is dependent on the car but again how you get from one gear to the next will determine how fast you go. Finally in gear times comes down to how you use the gears and if you ensure you have the best gear for what you're trying to achieve.

 

[Vince]

Ok so scenario is, say you have a sub 6 sec manual car in order to hit the button so to speak do you max out the revs on each gear in order to get as much acceleration Or do you get through the gears as quickly as possible.

On my travels I often see what you would call standard 140bp cars zip past performance cars whose drivers don't seem to know how to get the best out of the car

So what is the best way to hit max acceleration in the shortest time?\

As others have said it is probably less about the owner not getting the best out of it and more about not wanting to floor it everywhere. Most performance cars I have driven are infinitely better at getting power down than any 140bhp hatch or family wagon might be, generally with the exception of some older turbo cars they have more usable torque through the whole rev range.

Getting from a to b in the fastest time will differ from car to car but some come alive at the top end like the vtec cars, some cars will drop off before the red line so changing a bit earlier will be faster. Big engine N/A cars with lift might have a much more linear power curve with usable torque available everywhere in any gear with a boost in power towards the readline. It is of course engine dependant, however it is safe to say that if little mid power machines are zipping past 300hp+ monsters, then the drivers simply are not trying.

 

[Frozennova]

Shifting at the red line is nearly always the best option for making the quickest progress. Although the engine torque will be tailing off the wheel torque will be less in the next gear due to how a gearbox works.

This video explains it really well

 

[Lashout_UK]

Always amuses me when people try to goad me on when I'm driving something hot. I'm just going to work and back! I've still got to abide by the same rules of the road!

Plus there's something perversely satisfying about driving something attention-grabbing in a sociable, sensible manner - from time to time, at least...

 

[[TW]Fox]

I am often beaten off the lights by '140bhp cars' in my car, which does 0-60 in 5.8 seconds.

This is because when the lights go green I just drive away normally, rather than in full throttle launch control mode, which I suspect is the same for most people.

 

[kindai]

I am often beaten off the lights by '140bhp cars' in my car, which does 0-60 in 5.8 seconds.

This is because when the lights go green I just drive away normally, rather than in full throttle launch control mode, which I suspect is the same for most people.

Boring!

If I don't get at least 2 wheels spinning from a standing start at lights it feels like I've wasted my money buying the car

 

[xs2man]

I love how this thread makes the assumption that faster cars must be driven fast all the time, and that if they are ever slower than slower cars, then it must be the driver "not doing it right".

Generally, the faster car has nothing to prove, so why bother proving it? Just get on with the task at hand. Driving safely to where you're going.

Sure, I sometimes drive my cars fast, but never in a "traffic light GP". Usually I just hang well back before a nice series of corners, and exploit its power then. I certainly feel no need to drive at speeds well in excess of the speed limit. But near the limit on a nice series of bends? Yes please. Preferably with zero other traffic in the vicinity in case I make a mess of it, I don't want anyone else suffering from my mistake.

 

[Housey]

I had a chav hounding me last week. Blue Focus, spotted him puling out of his drive, you know the sort, roll up in his mouth, cheesy chav grin and I just knew he would be on my bumper as soon as he could. What is it with these people, what the **** is he expecting me to do. He sits there moving from left to right, all over his steering wheel. Inbred tool from the low IQ gene pool.

 

[paradigm]

Occasionally I'll "have someone" from the lights, but most of the time I'll just... set off, normally, you know, whilst commuting. There's not much pleasure (nor real skill) in just planting your hoof at the green light, especially in something that puts it's power down through four wheels, and a semi-auto gearbox.

Just because you have a performance vehicle doesn't mean you either want to (or can) drive it at 10/10ths all the time.

 

[Dav4]

Is it just me that's noticed it's no longer really boy racers that try to mug you off at the lights, ride on your bumper or perform dangerous overtakes its middle aged men in there diesel 140-160bhp mid range cars that think they are driving some kind of supercar. Always driving angry and aggressively!
You would think my ST in performance blue would attract idiots and chav's but it really doesn't as there is no longer as many warm/hot hatches around it's all just the German diesel brigade that try to push in front. If i had a pound for everytime a diesel has cut a que and got in the wrong lane to push in front at the lights i would be a rich man.

 

[Dis86]

Is it just me that's noticed it's no longer really boy racers that try to mug you off at the lights, ride on your bumper or perform dangerous overtakes its middle aged men in there diesel 140-160bhp mid range cars that think they are driving some kind of supercar. Always driving angry and aggressively!
You would think my ST in performance blue would attract idiots and chav's but it really doesn't as there is no longer as many warm/hot hatches around it's all just the German diesel brigade that try to push in front. If i had a pound for everytime a diesel has cut a que and got in the wrong lane to push in front at the lights i would be a rich man.

Funnily enough it's something I've noticed. Boy racers seem to realise they're not going to beat powerful cars so don't even try - it's as you say, middle aged muppets in their 2l diesels who think they're driving the fastest thing on earth.

 

[AtreuS]

Funnily enough it's something I've noticed. Boy racers seem to realise they're not going to beat powerful cars so don't even try - it's as you say, middle aged muppets in their 2l diesels who think they're driving the fastest thing on earth.

I thought it was just me! but i have noticed it too.

Since i got the st220 in march i tend to get the odd nod of appreciation off the chavs and boy racers... even the odd mouthed "that a 220?" through the window followed by a grin.

Where as some middle aged bloke spots the dual exhaust and its revving at the lights and weird looks? very odd.. is not as if the st220 is a "fast" car anymore.... yes it beefy and would outdo most cars but its had its day and being heavy its not fast off the line.

Lovely to drive though i will admit I just love the power when you are cruising at 40-50 and put your foot down, goes like a train! ( remembering i was driving a 1.8 focus for the previous 10 years )

 

[Dav4]

Lovely to drive though i will admit I just love the power when you are cruising at 40-50 and put your foot down, goes like a train! ( remembering i was driving a 1.8 focus for the previous 10 years )

When i had my ST220 because it was black nobody never really knew what it was but i would constantly get Vectra's/Insignia's and new shape Mondeo's baffled as to why this 10yr old Mondeo just left them easily.
The 220 granted not that fast on 0-60 times becuase its heavy and crap off the line but once it was moving was quicker than people realise.
It had the longest 2nd gear in any car i have driven i would love going up motorway slip roads upto 65mph in 2nd gear.

 

[Firestar_3x]

When someone is driving up my bottom in a 30mph limit (usually in a Corsa or some other POS) i still find it deeply satisfying dropping into 2nd just before the NSL and watching them vanish in my rear-view mirror.

 

[Rroff]

Think it depends a bit on the mapping as well - my brother has a Mazda 6 stage 2 with additional tweaking/remap and you really need to know where the power delivery is - but when you hit it right with the distances you'd normally be working with on a normal road if you were accelerating off the line it will beat most ostensibly very much faster cars on the other hand the standard variant I believe the best 0-60 times come from very quick early gear changes.

 

[paradigm]

When someone is driving up my bottom in a 30mph limit (usually in a Corsa or some other POS) i still find it deeply satisfying dropping into 2nd just before the NSL and watching them vanish in my rear-view mirror.

This^

This is far more satisfying than any traffic light GP.

 

[Marvin]

When someone is driving up my bottom in a 30mph limit (usually in a Corsa or some other POS) i still find it deeply satisfying dropping into 2nd just before the NSL and watching them vanish in my rear-view mirror.

Oh it's not just me then

Love doing this.