Ferrari LaFerrari vs Mclaren P1 vs Porsche 918

Ahhhhhhh..... Please tell me more. Which compounds are used for track days and which for racing? And which type of racing? Challenge, GT3, F1, FXX, XX to name but those where Pirelli are used.....

Also, what do you mean by aggressive? We had 21 cars suffer major blow outs during the FIA GT/ Blancpain Endurance tests at the beginning of the season. Does that constitue aggressive?

Also, when you compare the different types of tyres, what kind of set up are you basing your judgement on?

The point here is that the tyre makes all the difference. And the temperature of the track can affect a lap time by seconds. The tyres on an XX are actually a superior product to those used in the "racing" championships as they were specifically designed around the XX - not the case in the BES where all cars have to make do with what is available

So to then compare lap times set with different tyres on different days is a marketing excercise which seems to capture the imagination of all in the judgement of which car is "better"

A road car is a compromise and will never be ideal on a track. Simple as that.

 

While I agree that N'ring times sell cars and merchandise, just watching at the YouTube stats for both cars shows how powerful the Ferrari brand is.

Talking only about the official Ferrari and McLaren channels.

The LF launch video has over 4 million views, more than twice of what all the P1 videos have racked.

The new Alonso driving LaF video has over 300,000 views, the Button and Goodwin P1 videos (3 in total) have less than half.

 

Good post. This matters almost as much as any other marketing metric. How much is McLaren spending with marketing. How much does Ferrari spend? I don't see any cartoons with Alonso and Massa.

BUT

People who can afford and buy these cars are different from your average consumer. Even your average Ferrari + McLaren consumer.

So it's an interesting thing to ponder - the strength of the Ferrari brand vs its competition - but when we talk to the extremely small number of people who will be ordering these, the number of views on a YouTube video matters a lot less.

It just goes to show how important these halo cars are for the brands, and goes some way to explain how they justify the costs that go into developing them.

 

Ferrari sells by itself and their marketing is mostly their merchandising.

I agree that Youtube views matter little for potential LF buyers. If I would be in the market of any of these cars I would care about ring times, but wouldn't care if the difference was 1 or 2, even 5 seconds.

What amazes me is the lack of attention people is paying to the technology in LF. As impressive as the P1 is, and I quite like the car (though I hate it's sound), the Ferrari seems to be a much greater tech wonder.

NA V12 vs Turbo V8, active diffusers and wing (vs huge active wing with button controlled DRS), etc...

The KERS system in LF is impressive. Push to pass? so F1. GPS activated? ***** please! nothing impressive. Always active KERS, no need to push a button to get the extra power, and recharges using wasted torque besides other things.

I wonder how this can give an advantage to the Ferrari over the Porsche and McLaren. But some people just think Nurburging because it's the "ultimate performance metric", or because other stupid reasons.

Spa, Monza, Imola? I bet the LF will be faster around those than the P1.

IMO Ferrari has beaten McLaren and Porsche in innovation. We all know any of them could make the fastest car in a track if they wanted to, they have the know how.

I'll guarantee you that the P1 will receive a factory power boost along it's life.

I'm still waiting for performance numbers, if the LF is not much slower around the NR than the P1 it will be a huge achievement without a large wing. And if the straight line performance numbers are to be true, it'll be an authentic spanking courtesy of Maranello.

 

Really ... I just see 3 cars pretty much the same with their interpretation of a hybrid system.

Pete

 

Uhhhh...I think the Porsche may be WAY more advanced than the other two actually

 

3 cars with NOT similar use, interpretation, adaptation.

 

Mmmm, it´s more focused in the electric stuff, but is it really better? The McLaren can also do some kms in electric mode, and I bet their system weights a lot less.

I just can´t stop thinking about the 2009 F1 season, when cars without KERS or with a KERS of limited functionality like the Red Bull were a lot faster than cars with KERS... Oh, well, tree lovers...

 

Yes, both can be driven solely on electric, but the Porsche has more than double the range. The hybrid system in the 918 makes more than 300 hp as opposed to the 170 hp in the P1. That is the reason for the 918 hybrid system weighing more. Though keep in mind the huge amount of torque it gives the Porsche. 1275Nm! (Combined). Plus the 918 has 4 ws, partial 4wd, engine that weighs 130 kg, engine cradle out of Carbon fiber. It generate a respectable 300 kg of downforce at 124 mph. Imo it is the sweet spot between the P1 and LaF.

 

But, does that overcome the weight, balance, etc... penalties?

We will see.

 

If anything the market seems to be going the 918 way with the i8 and new NSX, but I prefer the LaF system, much more pure and performance oriented.

 

There's been much talk of Ring times and endurance racing possibilities.

I don't think tha 918 can perform at full speed for more than one Ring lap without completely discharging its batteries and slowing down, and the P1 does not have regenerative braking and needs battery power to fill up the turbo lag. How long until it runs out of electrons?

On this basis the Laf's should be considered more advanced and the only one which could continuously run consistent laps.

Nevermind how fast one ring lap, but how about 2, 10 laps, 24 hours?

 

In the case of the 918, I don't think you can actually run out of charge, i.e, the ring is full of corners and hard braking. So you might end up having more charge than what you originally began with.
Also, I don't think the LaF can endure more than 5 laps (thrashing it) on the ring because of how demanding the ring is on the brakes and stuff.

 

The i8 has the same basic system as the 918 and it wouldn't last a single lap pushing. Tha LaF would definitely win on the distance.

 

The 918 weighs nearly 100 kg more than the McLaren, but remember those few things: it has 4wd, 4ws, more torque, more hp (if the rumors of it having 918hp is true), very-very low centre of gravity (14 inches, that's lower than LaF) and it's a Porsche (so they know what they are doing )
But as you said, we'll see...

 

The 918's Ring times will be done in this Hot Lap mode which won't last long so they will be absolutely meaningless.

 

The Porsche is very heavy and has less power than the other two. Performance wise they won't be even close IMHO.

 

But that´s probably only because the batteries weigh a lot and move the COG down. Plus, let´s see if the AWD and AWS brings as much speed as boredom to the driving.

It seems that Porsche chose a more sensible and user friendly approach to their car, but that doesn´t mean that it´s gonna be necessarily more appealing to the buyers of this kind of ultra-expensive stuff.

 

I think the point is that the three were sold before they were even shown because they focussed on traits Metcalfe and others consider essential to the supercar, while the three designs we're discussing on this thread aren't selling out because they're looking to mesh characteristics into a contradiction of what most believe to be a supercar.

The two are very different experiences. Experiencing a specific type and level of integration with the machine is not the same as the emotion you experience knowing you're breaking/you broke a lap time record. It's great if the two can happen concurrently but they're not the same, not interchangeable, not absolute (You clearly stress lap times. Others don't. It's a matter of what you value, which is optional.)

And you can experience the difference by driving a 996.1TT at 8/10s around a good track, then ringing out an early mid-V8 Ferrari or early 911 around the same track.

In one perspective. There are others, viewpoints that stress visceral involvement over lap times.

Consider:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/general-automotive-discussion/418626-f40-v-f1-v-m600-v-f50-v-cgt-v-zonda-f-v-lp670-4-sv-video-17-21-a.html#post142505080

and

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/general-automotive-discussion/402525-excerpt-recent-franchitti-column.html

 

Just like they did with the 959 ... nothing has changed this is the Porsche DNA speaking.
Pete

 

They are sensible, boring Germans after all.

 

Speak of the devil:

Porsche reveals production 918 Spyder - BBC Top Gear

 

I feel like the press has been unveiling the 918 for 6 mo now.

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq4YitgtMI0]Chris Harris on GRID 2 - Part 2 - YouTube[/ame]

 

Was that a sim from the game?!
Looked totally real