Is it really Lewis? It looks like the car understeers quite a bit. That often happens if you are not aggressive enough with the throttle, but that's for amateurs, Lewis should know how to take care of business.
We track rats have probably all tried various tires over time. Personally, I really liked the Corsa System (different - by a lot - from the basic Corsa tires). I've never had a set of Toyo's that I liked on any car I've tracked from lightweight cars (1972 911 race car - 2200lbs) to heavy cars (997 GT3 and F430). Just personal preference. Let's face it, if you REALLY want to have fun at the track (10/10ths or nothing!), then you really have to step up to Hoosiers or similar. But you can forget driving to/from the track on them....unless you really like to take your life into your own hands in the slightest downpour on the highway. But we each have our own experiences on which to base our preferences. It doesn't strike me that it will be that difficult to find tires for this car....the wheel/tires sizes are not even remotely outrageous considering what's out there these days. Who's going to be the first person to have a roll cage welded into the car?
still think the special tyres are the standard ,which are a few compounds softer,you can only get the corsa tyres with spare wheels,they will not supply the corsas on the car,also just been looking at the spec sheet for the AVENTADOR, 2.25 kilos per hp,compared to the 12c at 2.19 kilos per hp,dry weight,i guess with the fancy options for the lambo it will add alot more weight on top of that. previous press reports said that lambo insiders were confidant that it would be alot better than the 12c,top speed maybe but thats all that i can see. cost also £249k off the shelf,£270k in reality,not sure whats the taxes are in the US ,thats near to $425k
One thing, though, Lambo is notorious for BSing about weight. SV was supposed to be lighter than the standard car by 200lbs, then independent test showed minimal difference (see for example Sport Auto supertest). I applaud them, though, for going with the carbon structure. We will see about the weight, but the 150% increase in stiffness is easily believable. Plus, they added pushrod suspension, high revving v-12, single clutch transmission. It all sounds pretty cool, yet i don't expect it to keep up with the Macca.
If anyone is in Geneva at the weekend,Mclaren are there but do not have a stand or car at the show,i have an invite to LAMBOURGINI,but as im there for skiing,i might pop in before my flight home
According to TG website the UK list is £201,900, which actually struck me as good value for a carbon shell, Lambo V12. http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/lamborghini-aventador-lp700-4-revealed-2011-02-28 Still a bit of a barge though, too big and wide to be enjoyed on UK roads. Lambo's for show, Macca's for go!
That, actually, sounds pretty cheap. They list 3472 dry weight, so curb should be around 3700-3800 lbs. Better than murcielago (which weighed in at 4000 lbs back in 2002, stateside), still this is quite porky.
Not a fan of Lambo and the new one looks goofy. However at 3700lbs, it would be only 250 lbs more than the F458(C&D) and it has a V12 and AWD!
Hmmm...good point! So wonder how they install a cage in the GT racing version they have planned? Is it possible they intend to use a carbon fiber cage? Wonder how the spec authorities and safety folks would deal with THAT? Me thinks they must have an answer for this....anyone know? Wouldn't it be nice if someone from McLaren who actually had real knowledge would be part of all of these conversations on here? We are all sort of knowledgeable about the car, but none of us are experts. Wonder why the factory PR wonks haven't figured out that forums like this are brilliant marketing opportunities?! We will, left to our own car slut selves, fill the vacuum with rumors and little factoids that we garner from lots of sources and piece together, while they could fill it all with...well....FACTS! Woking PR folks just leave me scratching my head at every turn. My dealer...Philly....seems just as frustrated as the rest of us about the lack of communications and information from Woking, but seems to be as powerless as we are at getting the real factual information we are all seeking. One can only hope this will get better with time.
the only way i can answer this is from the conversations i have had with the guys at woking over the past 2 years,they freely admit they are based around a racing background,not manufacturing,and alot of the tech guys have come from the racing departments,unlike conventional car manufacturers they have been constantly improving every aspect of the car until its signed off,even the pp cars at portmoa were not 100% customer ready,a good example of this was when i asked advice on which exhaust to have,originaly the standard was 4 kilos heavier,but they managed to reduce that to 1kilo only a couple of months ago,would that happen with a normal car company ,i think not! remember this is the whole ethos of Mclaren,this is what will make them different
andy, you are a great source of information with all these tidbits! Keep working those connections for us!!
just can't stay away from this thread and the Aventador weight is porky, I agree. I just don't understand why the liberal use of CF by McLaren and Lambo makes so little ultimate difference in curb weight. On the tires issue, that's another peeve I have about all modern cars, McLaren included. I know it looks cool, but the "rubber band" trend with 19, 20 and even larger diameter wheels has problems. 1. The wheel will be heavier 2. Tire choice, especially slicks, can be problematic. For my Z06 track wheels, I went down to 18s so I can hve a better choice of slicks. There just are not that many 19" slicks out there and they can be ver, very expensive. I can buy 18" scrubs to play on track for under $100 each. For DOT tires, R888s do come in 19s (I have a set for the Gallardo), but the MP4-12C SCREAMS for slick tires. So part of the cost of this car is trying to get wheels and tires under it for track use. Does anyone know exactly what options there are for track tires for this car? Don't assume it's easy.
Actually, I like that new Lambo. I mean, if you are going to go for a flashy, look-at-me Italian exotic, I think Lambo has been knocking out the best designs recently. Then, if you want beautiful Italian curves, I think the GranTurismo and Quattroporte are amazing. For me, Ferrari is really neither here nor there, design-wise, with their recent stuff. I don't think I would drive an Aventador around daily, myself - a little too crazy. But I think it looks pretty awesome, especially the way the whole car seems to arch from front to back, like it is coiled up and ready to pounce attack- very aggressive.
there are no options for track tyres ,only the corsas,if you put slicks on would your neck be able to stand it!!,if the corsas produce 1.8g ,what would slicks do,dont forget this is only the first car in the 12c range,2 more possible,one must be a soft top,so the other could answer your question
Hello - first post, but I think I have some useful info regarding MP4-12C weight! Lightweight Sports Exhaust saves 3kg and sounds louder, deeper. It's made of Iconel, which is the same material Macca uses in their F1 cars. Lighweight Forged Wheels save 6kg (12% lighter than standard wheels). Superlightweight Forged Wheels save 10kg (20% lighter than standard wheels). These Carbon bits save weight (but I don't know how much (or if it's even significant)): CF Seatbacks CF Splitter CF Diffuser CF Mirror Housings CF Interior (where it replaces the alumin(i)um pieces) The sports seats (which aren't available from launch) will save weight (don't know how much). The standard non-electric, non-heated seats will save weight (merely by not adding it in in the first place). The carbon brakes do add weight (I don't know how much), as the bigger calipers more than offset the savings of the carbon rotor. McLaren are saying the only people who "need" CC brakes are those who will track the car "hard" (or, who would like the aesthetics). I do not know if getting the IRIS upgrade changes weight. Since it adds navigation and more speakers (and I'd guess a different, larger amplifier) - I'd guess it adds a bit of weight.
