American Sports Cars vs .......

[DustenT]

Originally Posted by Calgary98TI

The best deal for handling and performance is the Lotus Exige. $10k - $15k less than a corvette. Maybe not the most practical or comfortable daily driver, but very fun and fast. Amazing what you can get 190hp to do.

I agree, if you want a dedicated track car to go with the Exige. I'd be curious to see how an Exige holds up in a crash test, say against an Hummer.

[SDKmann]

Car & Driver was just bashing the S7 twin turbo for being way too touchy and rough. Except for the Z06, GT40 and a few others, Americans make complete crap. Real races are won in the corners.

[PeteN95]

Corvettes have won a real race called LeMans 5 out of the last 6 years. The Cadillac CTS-V is the current SCCA Speed GT champion, Viper won last year. Mustang is the current Grand Am GT champ. American cars seem to go around turns well?

[SDKmann]

Yeah but those are race cars that are designed to do that. American road cars are different then American race cars, just like German road cars are different German race cars. I know its not a car and is not supposed to handle on rails but Ive driven my Grandpas Tahoe, S10, and my moms GMC Yukon Denali and they all handle like crap. You have to turn the wheel a lot just to get around a small bend in the road. Its so bad I wont even drive them any more.

[stormos]

Mitsi Lancer Evo FQ

the prosecution rests...

[SDKmann]

So what dose a japanese car have do with American cars sucking at handleing?

[weezer]

Let's not put Race ready cars into the equation. Might as well put in Porsche GT3s as well as Mclaren F1 cars......??!!
We're talking about street cars that are classified as sports cars; when they don't handl well....why call it a sports car, just because it can beat any car on a straight line?
Drag cars are really fast, but can they turn?

[SDKmann]

I live in Iowa so everyone here is into NASCAR and drag racing. There is a kid in my class who is into cars and is building up a camero. He has about $5000 in the engine and was telling me about all the engine mods hes done so far. After he was done I asked him if he was going to do anything to the suspention ,he said ' Why would I waste money on that? It only goes straight.'. I thought it was funney that this would come up while we were talking about Americans so I posted it. Even Americans know their cars handle like crap.

[weezer]

Originally Posted by Calgary98TI

The best deal for handling and performance is the Lotus Exige. $10k - $15k less than a corvette. Maybe not the most practical or comfortable daily driver, but very fun and fast. Amazing what you can get 190hp to do.

That Lotus is AWESOME!!! It weighs less than our cars even (1,900 lbs ?) with 190hp, it actually feels like 300hp. It's a Toyota engine, of course, but for the money......that car is ready for the track or street straight out of the box. The draw back is it has to be revved up high for better torque response: 139 ftlbs @ 7500RPM(?).

[cieutag]

Its simple why american cars don't handle well, they don't need to. MOST Americans like going in a straight line, no curvy tracks. They don't need to hug to a road at 120 because the are rarely driven that fast. The highway speeds are regulated to 70-80 MPH. My roommates Mustang handles pretty well, my fiero handled okay, and I know people who regularly win their class at club races in American cars (F-bodies).

The comment about trucks and SUVs not handling is the stupidest thing I've every heard. I have an S-10 I know its not fast or does it handle well but it drives fine and its not meant to handle or go fast, neither are Tahoes or SUVs.

You must remember that for the majority of people their american car handles fine, they may not be good enough for us more spirited drivers but we make up the minority.

The elise/exige are great track cars but I don't think they have leather, GPS, HUD or other LUXURY things that vette owners like.

Sorry for the long post I'm out.

[KetteringTi]

Bring SUVs into the equation? That's pretty silly. And your buddy was clearly building a drag car. So he was right, why bother making it turn when his type of racing doesn't involve turning? I don't see the need to rip on people because they like a different kind of racing. ANY type of upper echelon race team puts so much work into the minute details trying to give themselves that tiny edge, whether they turn left or even at all.

Making a generalization that all American cars can't handle is just plain asinine.

[andrewsarg101]

Originally Posted by weezer

That Lotus is AWESOME!!! It weighs less than our cars even (1,900 lbs ?) with 190hp, it actually feels like 300hp. It's a Toyota engine, of course, but for the money......that car is ready for the track or street straight out of the box. The draw back is it has to be revved up high for better torque response: 139 ftlbs @ 7500RPM(?).

If we bring in the Lotus we have to bring in the Ariel Atom. I think for the top Atom with all opions it prices around 45K. That will get you a 1100 lbs. car with a supercharged engine lifted from a Honda Civic Type-R producing 300hp. It does 0-60 in 2.9 if you can shift fast enough and does over 150mph. It also has a big brake package that keeps brake distances to a minimun. Not only is it fast in a straight line, but it handles like nothing else. On Top Gear they test it on their track and it was the 2nd fastest car they ever tested. That means its faster on a track then a Pagani Zonda, Porsche GT3RS, Koenigsegg CCR, Noble 3.0, Mitsubishi Evo FQ 400, Lotus Extige, Chevy Corvette, Ford GT, and Ferrari 360cs to name a few (the GT3rs and 360cs are race ready versions straight from the factory). The only car they have tested that was faster is the Ferrari Enzo, which you would be very lucky and rich to own one of the 399 of 400 made (since one was totalled a few months back). You may say the Atom isn't really a daily driver since its an open cockpit and the storage space is the size of a lunch box, but then again how many real sports cars out there can you REALLY consider a daily driver?

I think the Atom is the best bang for the buck hands down, but im sure people will have something to say about this... Man this thread got off topic quick.

[SDKmann]

Originally Posted by cieutag

The comment about trucks and SUVs not handling is the stupidest thing I've every heard. I have an S-10 I know its not fast or does it handle well but it drives fine and its not meant to handle or go fast, neither are Tahoes or SUVs.

Well then its a good thing that I added that I knew that trucks and SUVs are not supposed to go fast or handle. Read the whole post. And I wasnt ripping on my friend for his camero I was just pointing out that he knew they were not ment to handle. The only reason I brought the trucks and SUVs into it was because those are the only American cars Ive driven.

[PeteN95]

American road cars are different then American race cars,

Actually, Speed GT and Grand American GT cars are very close to stock, but the best indication of handling in stock form is SCCA SOLO Auto-x competition. If you look at the results of last years national championship race, you'll see a Corvette won Super Stock, the fastest stock class, ahead of a 911 GT3! These are stock cars, except for tires and shocks. You will also see that a Camaro won F Stock class with a better time than the Corvette in SS!? Now the conditions may have been slightly different, but obviously those cars handle pretty well!

[SDKmann]

Originally Posted by PeteN95

If you look at the results of last years national championship race, you'll see a Corvette won Super Stock, the fastest stock class, ahead of a 911 GT3!

Did the GT3 driver fall asleep during the race? Corvettes can handle, I do know that. The Z06 is a great car that can handle as well or better then most Europeans.