More HP or Less Weight

...but you forgot to make it a poll....More HP, cars don't drive well in the rain when they get much under 3000 lbs, although they are really fun when it's dry.

 

Less weight as this also improves handling, braking, etc.

 

More HP and Less Wt. = Tastes great, less filling. Lite Beer from Miller.

Save for the HP-robbing federalized equipment years of infamy, Ferrari boosts HP in increments anyway, so less weight would be the correct answer.

 

Exactly! More hp plus less weight!

 

Low weight (balanced) with not much low end torgue but a lot of midrange torque and high end power will produce a loads of fun.

 

ALWAYS LESS WEIGHT. ALWAYS ALWAYS!!

HP does nothing for stopping or steering.

And firstly, remove unsprung weight, then weight from outside the wheelbase, then high weight.....

All those ricers that add 200kg of boom boxes and other crap! Great for the car park..........

We tested a 360 Challenge in 2001, and for every 10kg removed you typically gain around 0.1 second per minute on a lap. More at low speed tracks and less at high speed tracks.

You need about 10hp to gain the same increment......so 80 BHP to make up for a passenger.........

Remember Colin Chapman.... "If it breaks before the finish, it's too light. If it breaks after the finish or not at all, it's too heavy"

 

Does anyone own a Lotus Esprit? Are they light-weight enough to be a good model?

360, NSX, Viper, Vette, 911, Gallardo, Esprit.... I'm guessing the Lotus is the low weight car? How do they do it?

I know the next Esprit will be built on the Elise chassis... so I think they are still trying to be the low weight car in class? Anyone know more?

What would Ferrari have to do to match Lotus in this category?

 

The most exciting cars I have ever driven were Can Am cars...
With around 1800 lbs. and about 900 HP, I would say a blend of both light weight and high horse power.

By the way, I hate poles!

 

BOTH MORE HP AND LESS WEIGHT!!!!!!!

 

I disagree. My X1/9 was great in the rain, you could do stupidly fast cornering in the rain. And after the bumpers were taken off (total weight 1780 pounds) it was even better.

But what I think you mean is that cars with really wide tires are not so good in the rain.

What you forget, is that cars that don't weigh anything don't need those wide tires.

 

I lost my sportscar virginity on TVRs...definitely less weight.

 

Agreed...

 

I had an x1/9 too, a lot of fun and you are right that with the very near tires they were fitted with they do pretty well around town in the wet. Puddles and highway speed are another thing thought. On the track where conditions are controled, less weight is always better, but on the street some weight is good.

Street tires are good for about 1g, so braking and cornering do not depend on weight. Acceleration depends on power to weight ratio upto an acceleration of 1g, so power to weight ratio is the important factor. Also, it is much much much cheaper to add hp than to decrease weight. I'll take more hp and keep my money.

 

Ultimately, I usually crash each toy at a slow speed. Give me the hp and the weight.......I need protection.

 

I have noticed that it is fast vs quick. 0-60 MPH numbers do not indicate this feeling. Tons of HP can motivate a pig-heavy MB to give a low number, but does not do anything when you want to point that weight in a different direction. I would prefer that Ferrari focus on design and manufacturing technologies to produce a more agile car, not just a faster car.

 

Both, but the perfect amount of each

 

You drove Can Am? Ever drive a Chaparral? Those were the most *****in cars ever!

Opps, I thought I could say that. Can Am was what I like w/ few restrictions & all is fair in love & war.

 

i say less weight. but since everyone wants the low weight high hp combo, get a koenigsegg cc. 2500#'s dry, and 655hp. i guess the cheaper combo would be the lotus elise (since they're FINALLY bringing it to the US market).
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Less weight would be first priority, more hp with a better low end would be next priority. With the 550, if it weighed 3 or 400 lbs less, of what a car that would be!!