Performance at ALL costs?

For me, life is about balance.

Would you opt for a car with amazing performance, yet was a bear to drive?

Or would you sacrifice some performance for a more enjoyable driving experience?

 

Of course the driving experiance. My daily driver is faster then my 308, but the 308 is alot more fun to drive.

 

Something of a trick question to me....the added performance is what MAKES the driving experience more enjoyable. Other than climate control and mechanical/electrical reliability issues, there wouldn't be much to consider.

 

I think this is a loaded question. You don't have to compromise either. However, you do have to balance on cost and desire. The biggest performance variable is, after all, the driver.

 

I agree that its a bit loaded as worded. However, I think we know what is meant... its admitedly hard to word right.

Even if I limit myself to track days, my answer is still the same. I'm not trying to "win the race"... its not a race. I'm trying to have a blast. And here's what goes into that:

• Improving my driving skill (and thus track times).
• Lots of G-forces (in all four directions).
• The feel of driving the tires+car right on the edge.
• The sound of a Ferrari engine screaming under maximum load.
• Speed and the need for quickness, alertness, and precision.

A car that can turn faster laps isn't necessarily more fun... it'll win by a minor amount in G-forces and speed... but if it does it via 4WD that deadens the feel of the tires at the limit, then that can be an overall loss to the experience. Further, over time, the more you feel at one with the car, the more you can feel the road and the weight shift and the balance, the more you will improve. And for all us non-pro-drivers, driver skill will end up dominating laptimes far more that absolute car performance.

IOW, just because car A is faster than car F in the hands of a Schumacher, does NOT mean it will be faster in my hands. Soooo, it could be that a lower-performing Ferrari might actually win in all the categories above... when driven by me.

And all that is just when talking exclusively about track time... there's so much more to fun with a sportscar than that. And absolute performance, when talking about F-car performance or better, is essentially irrelevant driving on mountain roads or coastline-tracing highways or backwoods treks... there its all about the feel of the road, the feel of the car, the sound of the car, and so on.

Perhaps the poll should be like this: "What's more important to you?"

• Knowing you could beat the other cars around you in stoplight race?
• Knowing you could beat the other cars on the track, if you went?
• Posting faster times or passing people?
• The feel of the road when driving the car at your or the car's limit?

That also has some weaknesses... the question is about car selection.

JMHO.

 

Steve, are we talking about cars or your avatar? I'm finding it difficult to concentrate on the question at hand. I think more pics are necessary in our latest bikini thread. Or you can e-mail them, I won't tell. LOL.

Sunny

 

I like the experiance....I sold a far faster NSX NA2 only a few months after I bought my 328 because it boring then.

 

JagXJ6 and Auraraptor,

Jag: bad Jag bad bad. Dominatrix Denise KNOWS where you live!



Auraraptor: Drove my friend's NSX and fully agree. Though it is a Euro 308GTS here.

Enjoy THE DRIVE,

Steven R. Rochlin

 

when you have enjoyable avatars such as Steven's, you always go for the " more enjoyable experience".

 

Arent both questions the same thing?