I feel you on the air cooled 911. I am wary of turbos now. I experienced turbo lag in my friends eclipse and I kind of want to build up a car with raw power or something. I would love to get my hands on a muscle car and just get it nice and loud. But I am so on imports (more so Euros now that Japanese) that I don’t really want to mess with American whips.
By the way. nobody seems to know that the “high end automatics” are more like automatically controlled manuals. They have clutches, not clutchpacks, or torque converters.
That’s why the guy with the M35’s shifting sucks, that’s a true auto. The GT-R is different. Either way, I will be fine never having driven a GT-R, the thought of it doesn’t excite me at all, yet I’d love to take a manual G37 out.
I had fun flying by people. But I understand what you mean. I just find manual to be more of a pain in the ass, but I do live in Miami so maybe if I were somewhere less crowded it wouldn’t be too bad. Plus the drivers here are atrocious.
Yeah, using a turbo for lots of horsepower can result in a very narrow power band, and of course the larger the turbo is, the longer it takes to spool up. Its not impossible to get a decent power band with one, but its such a compromise that its not worth the cost, the maintenance, the extra weight and clutter with the turbo and the intercooler and the extra hoses, the extra wear on the engine from too much intake pressure, etc. etc. etc.
Yup, good point.
Have you seen the review of the GT-R on Top Gear? It posts some seriously impressive lap times, but it has no personality or excitement, computers do everything for you. How would you like trying to work on one of those things? It would be a nightmare to own. For, example the tires are supposed to be inflated with nitrogen. Come on, what a pain in the ass.
Not really sure what you’d call a “driver’s car”. If you’re talking about a Civic or something, you can count me out…
I do have paddle shifters though if that makes me cool. Just figured it out today, and it was completely by accident (definitely not cool, especially when you don’t know how to switch back to auto).
I know that, but my car goes 0-60 in about 6 seconds… so I don’t think I ever need to try (or will have need to) and shift any faster than that. The automatic tends to stay in a higher RPM and downshifts pretty aggressively on its own, more so than the Lexus cars that I test drove. That’s also why my gas mileage is horrible. I did test drive a GTR while looking for a new car. That thing was a monster, getting to illegal speeds before you realized it; but rode far too rough for me, especially with the rough roads here. It’s also why I passed on a E550 AMG, which was a beast. I would never be able to drive it anywhere near the limit that it was built for.
The high end automatics I compare to programmable controllers - you hit a button and you get an autocombo, for example, that removes the human error out of the equation. Of course, you still have to get into that situation to hit that button at the right time, or else you will get punished. Is it as satisfying/fun/rewarding to use one versus manually performing a string of one frame links? Depends on whether the focus is on the play itself or the win. If I’m concentrating on superior lap times, I’ll be using every advantage I can get. If I’m just having fun throwing the car around on the track, a manual is great.
Of course, with normally boring cars like Civics, having a manual adds a lot of fun to a car that drives more like an appliance.
Going back to the Miatas I’ve owned, it was fun to take them out and do a clutch kick once in awhile. Those cars are definitely for purists… but trying to take business colleagues out to lunch? Failure. Sitting in 45 minutes of traffic each way to work? Not the most fun car to sit in traffic with.
I had initially went into the weekend with the intent of buying a '11 2SS with under 700 miles on it, but I was less than thrilled by the comfort of the ride and the non-existent back seats (leg room wasn’t too much of an issue, but if you’re taller than 5’10" it’s gonna suck). The HUD is hella cool tho.
Got the Jag cuz kinda like what Ducky is saying, it’s a little more in tune to what I need to do on the day-to-day. It’s also pretty stylish IMO, and not all that commonly seen. I still have a few concerns about upkeep and I hear they require a lot maintenance, but I got a 5 year bumper-to-bumper extended warranty for $1600 so I’m not super worried.
It’s not all good though. Mofos want $75-100 for a damn iPod interface cable… ;(
Turbos don’t have to be laggy. It is just much easier and cheaper to build with high end power in mind as opposed to trying to match up parts to get that perfect build. There are simple ways to get around lag, though. Look up Frankenstein turbos. :tup:
Didn’t say anything about a Civic. A “driver’s car” is any car that likes to be driven at 8/10ths and wants to be driven at 10/10ths, daring you to drive harder; which a 300 is definitely the opposite of. BMW 3 Series would be in the 300’s range but is a driver’s car. If you’re driving a mid-range to M-car 3 Series, and you run into some curves, you’re going to WANT to take them on. Finding some nice curves in a 300 isn’t going to incite anything. The XF is a sexy ass looking car, but I don’t imagine it making for an enthusiastic drive. So basically that’s the point.
I don’t know where you got the idea of us thinking a Civic is a driver’s car. Really scratching my head on that one.
Yeah a Chrysler 300 is a powerful luxury car. It’s way too soft and heavy to be a “driver’s car,” that’s like someone thinking that a Harley is fast. Once again, its all the power/weight ratio and the suspension setup.
Like I said, turbos don’t have to be laggy, but that’s always going to be a compromise. To me, a fun road car is something that handles and has a well balanced power band. The power under your foot at cruise rpm’s shouldn’t be such a far cry from the power at redline. Being uncomplicated is a plus when you’re working on it yourself. Complex does not equal better, and simple does not equal incapable.
Yeah, what is with going from high end sports cars to civics? I used to drive an 04’ WRX, before that an 04’ RX8, but before the RX8 I did have an 01’ Civic. I think if I ever get into 4 wheel performance, I’d probably get a 370Z or a 240Z with a LS1 engine swap.
Harleys are pretty fast, actually. It’s not ridiculous compared to some sport bikes that go 0-60 in under 4 seconds, but most Harleys have more than enough juice to smoke the average car off the line if they really want to. People don’t buy Harleys for that though, people buy them as cruisers. The power to weight on most motorcycles is crazy, even with big cruisers like Harleys. I wouldn’t want to ride on any twisties with one of those things, but straight line, those things are quick… kind of like a 300, in that sense. A luxury cruiser with a lot of power but not especially built for racing.
Harley’s might be fast compared to cars, but I don’t see much point in that comparison. The average Harley is pretty lame compared to an average japanese or european bike. I’ve seen some pretty powerful Harleys, but with the weight and suspension they’re still awful, furthermore the foward-pegs and cruise handlebars give almost no control for aggressive riding.
^Exactly, Harley’s are a lot more heavier than other motorcycles and even though they may speak numbers in CC’s, when you consider the weight the bike has to haul, they are more obnoxiously loud than fast. A bike that is a middle ground between performance and comfort would be the naked’s and the cafe racers i.e. Norton www.nortonmotorcycles.com/bikes/Norton%20Commando%20961%20Cafe%20Racer/
Exactly, I love cafes. It’s a great compromise between the performance of a crotch rocket and the comfort and practicality of a standard. The one in that link is absolutely beautiful by the way. Not a ton of power, but it would leave a Harley in the dust on a windy road no problem, and have fun doing it. I bet it sounds sweeter too.
Anyone subscribe to Fast Lane Daily? Road Testament had a dicussion about the death of manual transmission
[media=youtube]M2rYE4TMC40[/media]
Oooh we have a car thread. Alright here’s a bit of my history in pictures:
Gave this up for the worried wife 
Dream car, sold for a few good reasons. Hope to have one again someday
Spoiler
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y99/Urthclaw/Buckeye%20Miata%20Club%20AutoX%205-16/IMG_3475.jpg
All performance aside this is my other dream car. Became too much of a headache
Current DD
Sort of co-own this car. Way too much fun.
Alright that’s probably enough for now. 
Haha, was she worried about the bike or just the paint job?
Nice STI, great “dream car” that you can actually live with, I like it.
What is going on with that chicken car? What kind of BMW is it?
Dope dream car bruv. Glad to see a mini driver here. This past weekend I got to drive a mini cooper countryman S, and I have to say that it has been a while since I wore such a silly grin on my face from all the fun I was having with that car. I see why people love them, they truly are fun to drive.
Whoa, Hyper Kid. You need to fix your quote formatting there.