General Car Talk Discussion Thread
Everyone here could have predicted such odds.
Anyone ever noticed how at least half of the BRZs/FRSs on eBay are either wrecked or have salvage titles? 
My prediction is insurance costs are going to skyrocket for that car.

My prediction is insurance costs are going to skyrocket for that car.

wtf.
this is hilarious... I've run about 100 laps at this track (Gingerman) in my Supra and my best time was the same they ran in the Z/28 (1:41) - this was in 2001 - I am not a pro driver and my Supra only had 480hp and old generation street performance tires (not street race tires) amongst a myriad of other 1990's era technology - stock brakes and pads, updated suspension but far from any kind of race setup. These people were fking babying these cars around the track. It's just funny because you kind of assume when they do a test like this that they have drivers who know what they are doing. Automobile magazine FTL, gives me new appreciation for Randy Pobst and MT.
Hell, I'm pretty sure I could have done better than 1:41 with the Z28 at Gingerman, with a few laps. That thing is a fking street-legal race car!!!
Last edited by srika; Dec 7, 2014 at 11:12 PM.
Agreed, but I'd be able to do better than 1:45 or whatever they did with it at Gingerman. I'd bet money on it. Now, that's a smaller track too - but there are opportunities for that 700hp to take you places. For some comparison, a friend with a race-prepped 1996 Viper GTS on slicks ran 1:32 at that track taking it relatively easy, since he had a passenger (me). There are a good number of seconds to be made there, regardless of power level.
True, but going into the comparison, was there any who thought the Hellcat would come anywhere but last & the Z/28 in first?
There's a lot of speculation that the guy wasn't even pushing the Z/28 to its potential like he did the GT.
uh... 
wtf.
this is hilarious... I've run about 100 laps at this track (Gingerman) in my Supra and my best time was the same they ran in the Z/28 (1:41) - this was in 2001 - I am not a pro driver and my Supra only had 480hp and old generation street performance tires (not street race tires) amongst a myriad of other 1990's era technology - stock brakes and pads, updated suspension but far from any kind of race setup. These people were fking babying these cars around the track. It's just funny because you kind of assume when they do a test like this that they have drivers who know what they are doing. Automobile magazine FTL, gives me new appreciation for Randy Pobst and MT.
Hell, I'm pretty sure I could have done better than 1:41 with the Z28 at Gingerman, with a few laps. That thing is a fking street-legal race car!!!

wtf.
this is hilarious... I've run about 100 laps at this track (Gingerman) in my Supra and my best time was the same they ran in the Z/28 (1:41) - this was in 2001 - I am not a pro driver and my Supra only had 480hp and old generation street performance tires (not street race tires) amongst a myriad of other 1990's era technology - stock brakes and pads, updated suspension but far from any kind of race setup. These people were fking babying these cars around the track. It's just funny because you kind of assume when they do a test like this that they have drivers who know what they are doing. Automobile magazine FTL, gives me new appreciation for Randy Pobst and MT.
Hell, I'm pretty sure I could have done better than 1:41 with the Z28 at Gingerman, with a few laps. That thing is a fking street-legal race car!!!
It's a relevant video. But it isn't surprising that the Camaro is so fast. It IS surprising the Hellcat is only a second slower than the Mustang.
I was at Ford on Saturday and I took a look around the lot at the new Mustangs they had. They had 5 of them and they were all the 5.0, with two of them being the 50 Year (three were black and two were Ruby Red, all Premium). They did not have any kind of markup on the 50 Year (or the others). Out of the 5, only one of them was MT. It was black on black with the performance package. The 19" wheels were nice but I did not like the look of black wheels on black exterior. It also had the Recaros. Sticker was $44k. I see what CM was saying, even the normal seats looked comfortable and had considerable bolstering. The Recaros just have nicer leather, red stitching, and a sportier seatback. Could probably forgo the $1595 option, but they were damn nice. If I was ordering one I'd probably just spend the extra money.
With 5 of them sitting on the lot, especially now in December, I wonder if they will discount them a bit.
Looking at their site, it seems they have a V6 and EB on the way, as well as another MT 5.0.
Pricing is pretty spread out. They show the V6 at $26,405, the EB at $35,165, and the GT Premiums at $43,390 and up.
They also have 5 Focus STs in stock, and one on dealer order. No Fiesta STs.
New F-150 is nice, too.
So I went and drove the new Mustang GT Premium over the weekend and oh em gee. That driving that car is like driving around in a cloud of thunder. Comfortable and quiet just burbling around town and makes all kinds of the right sounds when you hit the go pedal. New 6 speed is fantastic and clutch is light and accurate. Super easy car to drive from what I can tell, didn't really push it too hard because of the road conditions here (lots of opportunities for unexpected icy patches) but the areas I did give it a go, it took it with ease. No more bunny hopping rear end, no more feeling like the car is going to spin out around turns, just planted and firm. Gives the M3/4 a definite run for its money (literally).
Wife loved it so much she no longer wants an S2k and is willing to pony (pun intended) up for this car instead.
Wife loved it so much she no longer wants an S2k and is willing to pony (pun intended) up for this car instead.
If I do buy one, it won't be ordered until April-ish. It makes zero sense to buy one right now because I wouldn't drive it for another 4-5 months anyway and I'm not sure I have the will power to do that. I probably wouldn't get the Recaros or the performance package since the level of track duty the car would see isn't going to make the performance package worth it and the standard seats are really quite nice.
My company offers XPlan pricing so none of the dealership market markup BS matters to me.
My company offers XPlan pricing so none of the dealership market markup BS matters to me.
The performance package is well worth it IMO..
The GT Performance Package Includes:
• Strut-tower brace
• Larger radiator
• Unique chassis tuning
• Upsized rear sway bar
• Heavy-duty front springs
• Instrument panel appliques are Engine Turn aluminum
• Interior gauge pack (oil pressure and vacuum)
• K-brace
• Brembo™ 6-piston front brake calipers with larger rotors
• Unique 19”x 9” (front) 19”x 9.5” (rear) Ebony Black aluminum wheels
• 255/40R19 (front) 275/40R19 (rear) summer only tires
• Unique stability control, EPAS and ABS tuning
• 3.73 TORSEN® rear axle
• Spoiler delete
The EcoBoost® Performance Package Includes:
• Upsized rear sway bar (Fastback only)
• Unique chassis tuning
• Larger brake rotors with 4-piston calipers
• Unique 19” x 9” Ebony Black aluminum wheels
• 255/40R19 Summer Only Tires
• Unique EPAS, ABS and stability control tuning
• Instrument panel appliques are Aluminum
• Interior gauge pack (oil pressure and boost)
• 3.55 limited-slip rear axle
• Larger radiator
• Heavy-duty front spring (Fastback only)
• Spoiler delete
The GT Performance Package Includes:
• Strut-tower brace
• Larger radiator
• Unique chassis tuning
• Upsized rear sway bar
• Heavy-duty front springs
• Instrument panel appliques are Engine Turn aluminum
• Interior gauge pack (oil pressure and vacuum)
• K-brace
• Brembo™ 6-piston front brake calipers with larger rotors
• Unique 19”x 9” (front) 19”x 9.5” (rear) Ebony Black aluminum wheels
• 255/40R19 (front) 275/40R19 (rear) summer only tires
• Unique stability control, EPAS and ABS tuning
• 3.73 TORSEN® rear axle
• Spoiler delete
The EcoBoost® Performance Package Includes:
• Upsized rear sway bar (Fastback only)
• Unique chassis tuning
• Larger brake rotors with 4-piston calipers
• Unique 19” x 9” Ebony Black aluminum wheels
• 255/40R19 Summer Only Tires
• Unique EPAS, ABS and stability control tuning
• Instrument panel appliques are Aluminum
• Interior gauge pack (oil pressure and boost)
• 3.55 limited-slip rear axle
• Larger radiator
• Heavy-duty front spring (Fastback only)
• Spoiler delete
If Ford drops the Focus RS in January, the thought of the Mustang may go out the window in favor of that since I could daily it.
The performance package is well worth it IMO..
The GT Performance Package Includes:
• Strut-tower brace
• Larger radiator
• Unique chassis tuning
• Upsized rear sway bar
• Heavy-duty front springs
• Instrument panel appliques are Engine Turn aluminum
• Interior gauge pack (oil pressure and vacuum)
• K-brace
• Brembo™ 6-piston front brake calipers with larger rotors
• Unique 19”x 9” (front) 19”x 9.5” (rear) Ebony Black aluminum wheels
• 255/40R19 (front) 275/40R19 (rear) summer only tires
• Unique stability control, EPAS and ABS tuning
• 3.73 TORSEN® rear axle
• Spoiler delete
The EcoBoost® Performance Package Includes:
• Upsized rear sway bar (Fastback only)
• Unique chassis tuning
• Larger brake rotors with 4-piston calipers
• Unique 19” x 9” Ebony Black aluminum wheels
• 255/40R19 Summer Only Tires
• Unique EPAS, ABS and stability control tuning
• Instrument panel appliques are Aluminum
• Interior gauge pack (oil pressure and boost)
• 3.55 limited-slip rear axle
• Larger radiator
• Heavy-duty front spring (Fastback only)
• Spoiler delete
The GT Performance Package Includes:
• Strut-tower brace
• Larger radiator
• Unique chassis tuning
• Upsized rear sway bar
• Heavy-duty front springs
• Instrument panel appliques are Engine Turn aluminum
• Interior gauge pack (oil pressure and vacuum)
• K-brace
• Brembo™ 6-piston front brake calipers with larger rotors
• Unique 19”x 9” (front) 19”x 9.5” (rear) Ebony Black aluminum wheels
• 255/40R19 (front) 275/40R19 (rear) summer only tires
• Unique stability control, EPAS and ABS tuning
• 3.73 TORSEN® rear axle
• Spoiler delete
The EcoBoost® Performance Package Includes:
• Upsized rear sway bar (Fastback only)
• Unique chassis tuning
• Larger brake rotors with 4-piston calipers
• Unique 19” x 9” Ebony Black aluminum wheels
• 255/40R19 Summer Only Tires
• Unique EPAS, ABS and stability control tuning
• Instrument panel appliques are Aluminum
• Interior gauge pack (oil pressure and boost)
• 3.55 limited-slip rear axle
• Larger radiator
• Heavy-duty front spring (Fastback only)
• Spoiler delete
S2000 is bigger than Miata both in and out.
AP2 comes with 245 rear.. which is wide enough for a car like s2000.
Honestly, the Traction Control in 2006+ really does not help much. Like you said it does not really kick it until it is probably too late.
my favorite is 2004-2005... good compromise.
AP2 comes with 245 rear.. which is wide enough for a car like s2000.
Honestly, the Traction Control in 2006+ really does not help much. Like you said it does not really kick it until it is probably too late.
my favorite is 2004-2005... good compromise.
so, I don't think it's been figured out yet, but something does seem to be going on with the C7 Z06. I first noticed it with the 1/4 mile trap speeds, which were much lower than expected. Then came the Atlanta track performance. It's not as fast as it's supposed to be. Here is a comment from the Viper video that addresses it well:
I would say this is a developing story and we will be hearing more about it soon.
I knew this was going to happen. As soon as I saw those track videos from Road Atlanta, where the Z06 struggled to hit 150 on the back straight, I knew videos like this were only a matter of time. Bone stock C6 Z06s can do 150 on that straight just fine, and ZR1s easily do 160+.

so, I don't think it's been figured out yet, but something does seem to be going on with the C7 Z06. I first noticed it with the 1/4 mile trap speeds, which were much lower than expected. Then came the Atlanta track performance. It's not as fast as it's supposed to be. Here is a comment from the Viper video that addresses it well:
I would say this is a developing story and we will be hearing more about it soon.
I would say this is a developing story and we will be hearing more about it soon.

















...so, you drive extra slow on the express lane.