What to expect moving to a car with decent performance the first time?

[TW]Fox;16777947 said:
Are these even accurate? I did one on my car and got 6.4 seconds. I'm not going to start quoting that as my cars 0-60 time though as how can it be as accurate as proper timing gear?
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They are accurate if it's used correctly - i.e. on a level road, positioned correctly, etc. IIRC the expensive timing gear used by the car magazines works in the same way too, i.e. an accelerometer. The conditions in which the manufacturers measure it vary, too.
 
They are fairly accurate when setup properly (Gtech), though I take an average. As someone else mentioned, another method I used is work out what 100km/h was on my speedo (by comparing GPS with speedo, was around 105/106 on the speedo), and doing a simple stopwatch run up to 106 on the speedo.

Anything from 5.8 (fairly brutal run, bit low I reckon) to 6.4 on the Alfa. Call it 6.2 to 60 then.
 
My second car was a Nova SR and in todays terms it wasnt particulary powerful but the power to weight ratio was great and the go kart handling made it a lot of fun and it flattered me in terms of handling which is probably why I went round a roundabout too quickly for the weather conditions and understeared into a metal barrier making a mess of my newly fitted bodykit :(

Moral of the story is, at that age (I was 19) I had a car that made me feel like I could drive when I couldnt, no one can at that age. And a cocky attitude, I learned a lot from that mistake
 
XeNoN89 said:
Currently am still driving my first car; a 1.4 MKIV Golf, which has an incredibly slow 0-60 of over 13seconds!

Plans for my next car are a hot hatch, and have been looking at things like a MKV Golf GTI, which has a more respectable 0-60 of just over 6 seconds.

What should i expect when i make the jump to a better performing car?

How long does it take to get used to the extra power on average?

Any advice so that i don't buy a nice car and then throw it into a ditch at my first try?

Thanks :p
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I'd say learn the car. Take it easy, enjoy it and don't do anything which feels like you might be doing something stupid.

Save that for when you're able to correct the mistake that comes from doing something stupid :)

A Golf Gti is still only simmering hatch as opposed to hot hatch though, no?
 
A Golf GTi is a hot hatch, not the quickest but still hot - same league as a Focus ST, Civic Type R, Lean Cupra and so on.

There is a new league of Super hot hatches now such as the Focus RS, Golf R and S3 to name a few.
 
[FnG]magnolia;16778255 said:
197bhp is still considered hot hatch? I'm not looking for an argument, I'm just surprised.
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The Civic Type R is about the same as that in terms of BHP and still certainly considered a hot hatch.
 
[FnG]magnolia;16778255 said:
197bhp is still considered hot hatch? I'm not looking for an argument, I'm just surprised.
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As far as i'm concerned (And most poeple I know) my 170bhp Cooper S is a 'Hot Hatch'
 
Any hatchback that does 0-60 in under 7 seconds is clearly a hot hatch
some of the best do 0-60 in 6.9 ( things like corsa vxr and Clio rs')

clearly a focus rs /golf r32 / megane r26r / Clio v6 are the super hot hatchsles mentioned by someone else above

you could say that perhaps the first 'super' hot hatch was a pulsar gtir

don't forget that a 205 gti while clearly a hot hatch has a 0-60 of about 7.4 is it (1.9)
 
Ah happy memories. I remember when I first drove my old Impreza home after picking it up from the dealer. I was grinning like a lunatic all the way home. Feel the powaaaaaa!
 
I went from a mighty 954cc 4 speed 106 as a first car to a westfield with 245bhp/ton and rwd. Strangely I didn't end up backwards in a ditch, on fire and upside down, I was careful! (that and those things are super easy to control :D )
 
[FnG]magnolia;16778327 said:
Well ok, seems I learned something today :)
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Out of interest, what would you have classed as a 'hot hatch' in terms of power?

Bearing in mind that 80's & 90's hot hatches were around 130BHP.

Oh and OP, I'd not really worry about it, just be sensible and you'll be fine.

I went from a max of about 90BHP FWD cars to a 190BHP RWD car and didn't have any problems, just drove it sensibly. As has been said, throttle isn't an on off switch either. :)
 
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I went from a 103bhp wheezil to my 197bhp 620ti, massive jump! :cool:

If you get something older and quick, it WILL break. Factor that in to your maths!
Personally, after a year of ownership (with a break in between) it still doesn't feel slow, probably running at about 220bhp now.

If it's your first quick car, which I assume it is, I'd aim for something with a 0-60 of less than 8 seconds, but realistically more than 6. That'll feel like a massive upgrade, but shouldn't kill your wallet as long as it's something sensible.
 
Howard said:
They are accurate if it's used correctly - i.e. on a level road, positioned correctly, etc. IIRC the expensive timing gear used by the car magazines works in the same way too, i.e. an accelerometer. The conditions in which the manufacturers measure it vary, too.
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The magazines normally use a Race Logic Performance Box to measure the performance stats which uses GPS.

FWIW all the MK5 Golf GTIs were timed at a 0-60 of 6.5-6.7 both a manual and DSG car have done it in 6.5 seconds by the magazines. VW always quote the 0-62mph(100kph) time which requires a change to 3rd and the car has a driver and passanger, 3/4 tank of fuel and some luggage in the boot so it is not hard to see doing a 0-60 run can be improved on over the offical figures.
 
I think the fact that you have:

* Thought about this
* Considered that you may not be the best driver in the world
* Asked for advice

..means you'll probably be fine.

Its people who buy the fastest car they can get their hands on and think they are a driving god who get into trouble.
 
blun said:
I think the fact that you have:

* Thought about this
* Considered that you may not be the best driver in the world
* Asked for advice

..means you'll probably be fine.

Its people who buy the fastest car they can get their hands on and think they are a driving god who get into trouble.
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Sounds about right to me, OP is aware what he's going from and to and that it will be quicker, has obviously thought about it, and will presumably use his brain when driving the new one too. You'll be fine :)
 
I think the number one issue when jumping to a performance car isn't the initial "jump", but when you begin to get confident and cocky.

I've noticed that I've been subconsciously doing this in the Soarer. 2 months ago when I bought it I barely used any throttle when driving, now that the confidence has started to flow I've been committing more and more 'risky' moves. The problem is when you do over step the mark slightly and "save it", you're only just adding to the false confidence by thinking that you're some sort of driving god who is ready for anything.

And probably the worst thing is that this is all subconscious as well. Out the car I fully know that I have a relatively large amount of power at my disposable and absoultely no driving aids to manage it. I also know that I'm far from the greatest driver in the world, that many would argue that the car is a tad too much for a young driver, and that I should save any and all antics for the track, but it is somewhat difficult to remember this behind the wheel of a car that you've wanted for several years whilst in the mood for a drive.

Hopefully a track day will get this bug out of my system (It worked in the GTI)!
 
iaind said:
Oh you need to go into more detail on that!
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Not a lot to tell. Leon has 70% more power than the Skoda so when I opened the throttle quite wide coming off a roundabout on Marsh Barton I just got a load of understeer, mounted a bit of kerb, panicked and managed to bring the car around to face the wrong way.

Almost put the dealer sat next to me in a coma though. :o
 
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