Why fast cars suck

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Shadow
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Why fast cars suck

Post by Shadow »

I'm not sure if I've ever posted about this before, but my neighbor (and long-time friend) has a new M3 coupe, 6MT with the Competition package. It's an awesome car. Well, last week he told me that he was selling it and buying a Land Rover. But his wife already has a Land Rover, so I asked him why he's getting one too. He didn't really have a good answer, but he mumbled something about his wife pressuring him to get rid of the sports car and get an SUV. Ugh.

Anyway, I told him that he should hold on to his car. I explained to him that his model is the first M3 to have a V8 engine and that it will probably be the last, as the new M3/M4 is supposed to a turbocharged 6-cylinder. I think some day his car will be sought after by collectors and/or M car fans. Okay, maybe my argument was a stretch, but still, I don't want to see him go from an M3 to a freakin' SUV.

He knows how much I like to drive in the mountains, so I convinced him to take the M3 up to Bear Mountain and drive on all the best roads. We did that today. He's not familiar with the roads, but I took him on the all the best twisty roads in the area. After a few miles, he asked me if I wanted to drive. Hmm....okay. LOL So we switched seats. Until today, I've never driven a V8 M3. I've been a passenger in his car on several occasions, but being a passenger and actually driving the thing is obviously a completely different experience. Wow does that engine pull hard in the upper RPMs. At low RPMs, it's really not that impressive, but once it hits mid range, it pulls extremely hard and it doesn't let up at all even approaching red line.

Here's the thing though---after I got over the initial excitement of the way the car pulls in upper rev range, it wasn't long before I realized that it's just not a car that can be driven anywhere near its potential on the street. I mean, if you wind that sucker out in first gear, you're already at highway speeds by the time you even think about shifting into 2nd gear. So the car has a ton of power, but you can only use it all for a very short period before you have to ease up. This is a car that would be great fun on a race track or on German Autobahns, but around here the car has to be driven with total constraint. Driving normally, I probably was using maybe 25% of the cars power.

This isn't news to me. I've had some pretty fast cars in the past and I've also driven some seriously fast friends' cars as well. It's just been a while since I've driven a car so powerful, so I guess I forgot how quickly the fun can turn into frustration when you're driving a car like that on the streets.
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Re: Why fast cars suck

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I think I would change the title of your post, but I agree with the sentiment. About the only thing fast cars can do on most roads is accelerate quickly then suddenly slow down once you get around the speed limit. That's why I would rather have a car that is fun to corner/throw into turns than straight line speed. It's very rare, unless you can do track days or have a drag strip nearby, that you can just give a car all it has. But pushing a car just a little while going around turns? That is much easier to do, even in a city if there isn't much traffic.
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Re: Why fast cars suck

Post by tankinbeans »

This almost reminds me of the Top Gear episode where Captain Slow was talking about hot hatches and said the Fiat Panda was the most fun car he'd driven because you have to drive it near its limits daily, since the limits of its performance are so low.

I don't think I ever use more than about 25%, and that's probably too high an estimate, of my car's potential on a daily basis.
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Re: Why fast cars suck

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Squint wrote:I think I would change the title of your post....
Well, the title of the thread was intended to describe the frustration you feel when you're riding a thoroughbred in a parade. That's how I felt driving the M3 in traffic. Honestly, the car itself doesn't suck, it's more of the situation. Still though, it is frustrating. I honestly have much more fun in my car simply because I can use a greater percentage of its power much more often.
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Re: Why fast cars suck

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tankinbeans wrote:This almost reminds me of the Top Gear episode where Captain Slow was talking about hot hatches and said the Fiat Panda was the most fun car he'd driven because you have to drive it near its limits daily, since the limits of its performance are so low.

I don't think I ever use more than about 25%, and that's probably too high an estimate, of my car's potential on a daily basis.
Right. Now imagine if you had an M3. To drive the same way you usually do, you'd probably be driving the M3 at like 10% max. Maybe even less.

I hope nobody is misunderstanding me. I don't drive my car all over the place like a lunatic. But I do like to wind it out now and again without completely breaking the speed limit. In a car like the M3, that kind of fun is very short indeed. I guess what I'm trying to say is that today's fast cars are simply too powerful/fast for the street. I can't even imagine driving something like a GTR on the street. The fun would be over before it really even started.
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Re: Why fast cars suck

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Shadow wrote:
tankinbeans wrote:This almost reminds me of the Top Gear episode where Captain Slow was talking about hot hatches and said the Fiat Panda was the most fun car he'd driven because you have to drive it near its limits daily, since the limits of its performance are so low.

I don't think I ever use more than about 25%, and that's probably too high an estimate, of my car's potential on a daily basis.
Right. Now imagine if you had an M3. To drive the same way you usually do, you'd probably be driving the M3 at like 10% max. Maybe even less.

I hope nobody is misunderstanding me. I don't drive my car all over the place like a lunatic. But I do like to wind it out now and again without completely breaking the speed limit. In a car like the M3, that kind of fun is very short indeed. I guess what I'm trying to say is that today's fast cars are simply too powerful/fast for the street. I can't even imagine driving something like a GTR on the street. The fun would be over before it really even started.
The M3 would kick ass on the parkway with all the hills...but would suck because its dangerous on that road just to do 60 let alone 65.

This kind of reminds me of the post about the BRZ...the fun would wear off.
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Re: Why fast cars suck

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bk7794 wrote:
This kind of reminds me of the post about the BRZ...the fun would wear off.
Maybe, but at least with the BRZ, you can wring that sucker out without getting into trouble with Johnny Law. Honestly though, I think a car like the BRZ could use a little more power and it would be perfect. Most people would probably say the best thing about a BRZ is its handling.
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Re: Why fast cars suck

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Shadow wrote:
bk7794 wrote:
This kind of reminds me of the post about the BRZ...the fun would wear off.
Maybe, but at least with the BRZ, you can wring that sucker out without getting into trouble with Johnny Law. Honestly though, I think a car like the BRZ could use a little more power and it would be perfect. Most people would probably say the best thing about a BRZ is its handling.
That is true, this makes it perfect, like the SI, GTI, and the ST maybe.

That's the fun about driving an under powered car sometimes, its fun to drive it through the rev range and when I am shifting into 4th, I am only going like 50mph...though I pay for it on the exteme hills on the parkway.
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Re: Why fast cars suck

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Shadow wrote:
tankinbeans wrote:This almost reminds me of the Top Gear episode where Captain Slow was talking about hot hatches and said the Fiat Panda was the most fun car he'd driven because you have to drive it near its limits daily, since the limits of its performance are so low.

I don't think I ever use more than about 25%, and that's probably too high an estimate, of my car's potential on a daily basis.
Right. Now imagine if you had an M3. To drive the same way you usually do, you'd probably be driving the M3 at like 10% max. Maybe even less.

I hope nobody is misunderstanding me. I don't drive my car all over the place like a lunatic. But I do like to wind it out now and again without completely breaking the speed limit. In a car like the M3, that kind of fun is very short indeed. I guess what I'm trying to say is that today's fast cars are simply too powerful/fast for the street. I can't even imagine driving something like a GTR on the street. The fun would be over before it really even started.
Your points are clear as crystal. I would get frustrated having that much on tap, but being unable to use it. When I had my Escort 7 years ago or so I could use most of what it had on tap, I think it was only rated at 90 horse. Of course it was an auto, and I was never really the boy racer type. You had to flog it, especially when it was full. It pulled down an honest 26mpg though.
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Re: Why fast cars suck

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Who says you have to drive your car to the limit? The beauty of having such a powerful car is that you can smoke everyone else for shoots and giggles without having to reach its limits. When you can pass anyone you want in 6th gear without even having to think twice about it. When you can have all that power on tap just in case, for some weird reason. All of this in a car that you can take to the track in stock form and have fun with it, and continue to have fun with it driving it home from the track as well.
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Re: Why fast cars suck

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six wrote:Who says you have to drive your car to the limit? The beauty of having such a powerful car is that you can smoke everyone else for shoots and giggles without having to reach its limits. When you can pass anyone you want in 6th gear without even having to think twice about it. When you can have all that power on tap just in case, for some weird reason. All of this in a car that you can take to the track in stock form and have fun with it, and continue to have fun with it driving it home from the track as well.
That's a street racer's mentality. To me, the ability to "smoke everyone else" on the road is meaningless. Still though, think about what you said.....if you have a car that can smoke everyone else on the road without taking the car anywhere near its limits, isn't that pointless? That means you could have smoked everyone else with an even less powerful car. Anyway, I think you might be missing the point, which is that you simply can't use 100% of a powerful car's potential for more than a very brief period of time when you're driving on the street. On the track, sure, but not on the street, unless you want to end up dead or in jail. :P

The truth of the matter is that nobody needs a fast car to pass other cars on the road. I could hop into my 4Runner right now and pass 99% of the cars I encounter. Why? Simple--99% of the people on the road have no interest in preventing another vehicle from passing them. They aren't treating the road like a race track. So using that logic, why would I need a really powerful car to navigate the roads? Don't get me wrong--I'm not trying to give you a hard time, I'm just presenting another point of view. I used to be all about high performance cars. I just find more enjoyment in a car that allows me to use its power for more than two or three seconds at a time. Then again, that doesn't necessarily mean that I'd enjoy driving a 70-horsepower econobox just because I could keep it floored constantly. What I'm saying is that a middle ground seems to be ideal for a street car.....something that has a good bit of power, but is not over the top like today's fast cars.

BTW, what is the fastest car you've owned?
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Re: Why fast cars suck

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Shadow wrote:BTW, what is the fastest car you've owned?
1990 Volvo 740 Turbo Station Wagon :lol:

I guess I could say my wife's Mazda 626 was faster (had a 6 cyl), though it wasn't ever in great condition (hence why we sold it) and I never really pushed it. Only other cars I've owned are the current ones, Civic and Fiesta.
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Re: Why fast cars suck

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My fastest car, I assume you mean by engine power, was probably my 06 Grand Prix base model or my 93 Aerostar (it was an Eddie Bauer edition - woot).

The van was governed and topped out 90 mph.
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Re: Why fast cars suck

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Shadow wrote:
six wrote:Who says you have to drive your car to the limit? The beauty of having such a powerful car is that you can smoke everyone else for shoots and giggles without having to reach its limits. When you can pass anyone you want in 6th gear without even having to think twice about it. When you can have all that power on tap just in case, for some weird reason. All of this in a car that you can take to the track in stock form and have fun with it, and continue to have fun with it driving it home from the track as well.
That's a street racer's mentality. To me, the ability to "smoke everyone else" on the road is meaningless. Still though, think about what you said.....if you have a car that can smoke everyone else on the road without taking the car anywhere near its limits, isn't that pointless? That means you could have smoked everyone else with an even less powerful car. Anyway, I think you might be missing the point, which is that you simply can't use 100% of a powerful car's potential for more than a very brief period of time when you're driving on the street. On the track, sure, but not on the street, unless you want to end up dead or in jail. :P

The truth of the matter is that nobody needs a fast car to pass other cars on the road. I could hop into my 4Runner right now and pass 99% of the cars I encounter. Why? Simple--99% of the people on the road have no interest in preventing another vehicle from passing them. They aren't treating the road like a race track. So using that logic, why would I need a really powerful car to navigate the roads? Don't get me wrong--I'm not trying to give you a hard time, I'm just presenting another point of view. I used to be all about high performance cars. I just find more enjoyment in a car that allows me to use its power for more than two or three seconds at a time. Then again, that doesn't necessarily mean that I'd enjoy driving a 70-horsepower econobox just because I could keep it floored constantly. What I'm saying is that a middle ground seems to be ideal for a street car.....something that has a good bit of power, but is not over the top like today's fast cars.

BTW, what is the fastest car you've owned?

I drove my GTO pretty much like a granny - the way I drive all my cars. What made it more enjoyable than most of my other cars, were the sounds of the power, the potential of the power and finally the feel of the G forces when you use it.

Sure, like you said, I could never use its full power for more than a few second w/o ending up in jail, but that wasn't the point. It was still very enjoyable to drive normally for the vast majority of time. So to me, that didn't suck at all.
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Re: Why fast cars suck

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Shadow wrote:
six wrote:Who says you have to drive your car to the limit?
That's a street racer's mentality...BTW, what is the fastest car you've owned?
I agree. I don't drive like a maniac, but I like to accelerate quickly. Having a powerful car allows me to accelerate at any rate I wish, not having to say, "Man, I wish my car accelerated a little bit quicker." I would probably drive the CTS-V like any other car I have/had, except, with a CTS-V, for the times when I feel like going to 60MPH in 4 seconds, I can.

The fastest car I've owned is a 2006 Mazdaspeed6. I miss that car actually. :cry:
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