[quote]SexMachine wrote: @pat - What have you got against tuning my man? I had heaps of fun tweaking the stoichiometric ratio and power band on my motorcycle. If I didn’t like a certain fuel map I’d change it. Can’t you get a monitor that hooks up to your car’s computer and alter the fuel map easily?[/quote]
BTW, there is also a tire discussion worth having. Do you know a lot about tires?[/quote]
Not really. Sorry. I know the '15 in Australia gets 19 x 9 and 19 x 9.5 rear. Does it have a tire pressure monitor/gauge like the M3/4 perchance? I thought that was a pretty cool feature. I usually keep my psi a fair bit higher than recommended to improve handling but not above the max of course. Makes for a bumpy ride but I like to drive hard(and safe) in performance cars. That’s what they’re for right?[/quote]
Depends on what type of driving you intend to do of course. The higher pressure will help on straits, but lower pressure will help you in corners. In a car with a front weight bias like the Mustang, you’d probably want to keep the rear’s a couple of PSI short of the fronts to give you better bite in the rear and go flatter through corners.
I was really talking about the type of tire. Mine came with Pirelli P Zero’s, I think the '15’s come with the same. That is the most finicky tire I have ever experienced. It has a very small sweet spot, between 80-90 degrees. Outside of that range grip suffers. What’s odd is how incredibly dramatic the difference is, especially cold. When it’s under 50 degrees the tire is rock-ass hard and slick as shit. When it’s 80 degrees they stick like glue. But it’s a dramatic difference. It can be a bit unnerving. So watch out for that, because even if you think you are driving reasonably and its a little to cold for the tire it can catch you off guard. It’s happened to me a couple of times and it’s real sudden. You can pull the exact same move but 10 degrees difference could have you off the road, where it was a cake walk on a warmer day.
I have been doing a lot of research on tires. Right now my front runners are Michelin Pilot Sports and the Goodyear F1 Asymmetric. These appear to fit my wants which is a wider bandwidth of usable grip, reasonable tread-wear for a summer tire, and quietness. The tire roar from the Pirelli’s is deafening. Really, they shouldn’t be that loud.
Now one thing though, I have been knocking the Pirelli’s, but when they are in their sweet spot, they grip like hell. I mean super grip. It’s just the sweet spot is really small.[/quote]
I had Pirellis on my Husqvarna but I always warm my tires up on the road if I’m going to drive hard. Have you driven the 4 cylinder eco-boost by the way?
Yeah, the 911 is an epic car. It may be the best sports car ever made. I have driven several and I am always amazed at how good the damn thing is. But, and I have read this several times from various sources at different times, that Porsche notoriously under rates the horsepower on the 911 so that it makes their engineering look better. So that when a 400 HP 911 beats up on a 500 HP Jaguar, you are led to believe that it’s a master stroke of miracle engineering, when it’s really just plain horsepower. That being said, the 911 is a master stroke of engineering, even if they are deliberately under reporting horsepower figures.
[/quote]
Yeah I love the 911. The reason I mentioned the Mazda MX-5, I know it’s terribly underpowered but the handling on the first generation was excellent I thought. Just so well balanced. They were so light and easy to drive.
[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:
Anyone mentioned the focus RS yet? Mid 300 HP all wheel drive compact. I would have to seriously debate this versus a mustang GT.
[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:
Anyone mentioned the focus RS yet? Mid 300 HP all wheel drive compact. I would have to seriously debate this versus a mustang GT.
The 2016 Cadillac CTS-V looks great but it’s not for sale in Australia. 600hp+ and it beat the M5 on the track apparently. Only available in automatic transmission though.
[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:
Anyone mentioned the focus RS yet? Mid 300 HP all wheel drive compact. I would have to seriously debate this versus a mustang GT.
Yeah, it’s a really nice car. I have driven the Focus ST and I really liked it a lot. If I didn’t get the Mustang, that was my next choice. For a FWD, it’s a really sweet chassis setup. The power comes on early and strong, so I imagine this new RS should be pretty awesome. It looks cool and it’s got 4 wheel drive? She-it, that’s got to be a blast. Can’t wait to see some numbers on this car.
[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:
Anyone mentioned the focus RS yet? Mid 300 HP all wheel drive compact. I would have to seriously debate this versus a mustang GT.
Yeah I know the focus RS looks great but it’s a totally different class of vehicle.[/quote]
Yeah, different class, but I’ll be interested to see where performance and price numbers stack up. They are saying a sub 5 second 0 to 60.[/quote]
Me too. Given the choice, I still choose the Mustang. It just feels more grown up and I am a grown up. I have had my Honda CRX (loved it) and Nissan spec v (not so much love), but I was ready for a nice big V8 on a stick. It’s a magical and natural combo you cannot lose with. Something about it you just can’t go wrong with.
I had Pirellis on my Husqvarna but I always warm my tires up on the road if I’m going to drive hard. Have you driven the 4 cylinder eco-boost by the way?[/quote]
Well sure, but in the winter, and it’s relatively mild where I live, you just can’t warm them up enough, even on a mild sunny day. These tires just have the most jekyll and hyde personality I have ever seen. At the right temp, insane grip, at the wrong temp, slick as shit. You’ll see what I mean when you get it. I am pretty sure the 15’s are coming with the same tire.
I haven’t driven the SVO yet. I want to give it a try, but I wouldn’t by one. If I were going for a 4 banger, I’d go with the Focus.
[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:
Anyone mentioned the focus RS yet? Mid 300 HP all wheel drive compact. I would have to seriously debate this versus a mustang GT.
Yeah I know the focus RS looks great but it’s a totally different class of vehicle.[/quote]
Yeah, different class, but I’ll be interested to see where performance and price numbers stack up. They are saying a sub 5 second 0 to 60.[/quote]
Me too. Given the choice, I still choose the Mustang. It just feels more grown up and I am a grown up. I have had my Honda CRX (loved it) and Nissan spec v (not so much love), but I was ready for a nice big V8 on a stick. It’s a magical and natural combo you cannot lose with. Something about it you just can’t go wrong with.[/quote]
I hear ya. My DD is an old stripped down prelude. Good gas mileage, cheap liability insurance, and really fun to drive.
The other big difference here is that the RS appears to be a 4 door (at least in the US) and I have a 6 month old daughter at home. Crap, that sentence makes me feel old.
[quote]SexMachine wrote:
The 2016 Cadillac CTS-V looks great but it’s not for sale in Australia. 600hp+ and it beat the M5 on the track apparently. Only available in automatic transmission though.[/quote]
I know we both like to row our own gears, but the 8 speed auto on the Cadillac and Corvette Z06 is supposed to be amazing. I dunno, I’d have to drive it but based on what I have seen I love it.
[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:
Anyone mentioned the focus RS yet? Mid 300 HP all wheel drive compact. I would have to seriously debate this versus a mustang GT.
Yeah I know the focus RS looks great but it’s a totally different class of vehicle.[/quote]
Yeah, different class, but I’ll be interested to see where performance and price numbers stack up. They are saying a sub 5 second 0 to 60.[/quote]
Me too. Given the choice, I still choose the Mustang. It just feels more grown up and I am a grown up. I have had my Honda CRX (loved it) and Nissan spec v (not so much love), but I was ready for a nice big V8 on a stick. It’s a magical and natural combo you cannot lose with. Something about it you just can’t go wrong with.[/quote]
I hear ya. My DD is an old stripped down prelude. Good gas mileage, cheap liability insurance, and really fun to drive.
The other big difference here is that the RS appears to be a 4 door (at least in the US) and I have a 6 month old daughter at home. Crap, that sentence makes me feel old.
[/quote]
Shit I have a 19 yr old son in college. Enjoy it while you can.
Shit I have a 19 yr old son in college. Enjoy it while you can.[/quote]
Hah. I really meant that I feel old because I was arguing in favor of having 4 doors, not that I have a daughter now. That is like halfway to minivan in my book.
[quote]SexMachine wrote:
The 2016 Cadillac CTS-V looks great but it’s not for sale in Australia. 600hp+ and it beat the M5 on the track apparently. Only available in automatic transmission though.[/quote]
I know we both like to row our own gears, but the 8 speed auto on the Cadillac and Corvette Z06 is supposed to be amazing. I dunno, I’d have to drive it but based on what I have seen I love it.[/quote]
The same 640hp 6.2 liter V8 LSA engine is in the Australian made Holden Commodore HSV GTS are a very competitive price. Certainly cheaper than the Cady.
The Focus RS is very interesting, and cant wait to see it on the road. Hopefully they flood the market and the prices drop, everybody wants a toaster with good mpg, not a performance car, so i cant see this selling all that well after the initial release.
[quote]Aggv wrote:
The Focus RS is very interesting, and cant wait to see it on the road. Hopefully they flood the market and the prices drop, everybody wants a toaster with good mpg, not a performance car, so i cant see this selling all that well after the initial release. [/quote]
And STI/EVO people tend to be supper brand loyal. I think the RS will be hard pressed to take too much of that market unless the price/performance are significantly better.
