It's a shame because we could've had 200+ really racy Boxsters in the UK going by the name of Spyder. Instead we have to sift through cars with wrong wheels etc. I'm glad for sports seats for child seat use but there are far too many cars with that option. There should only be a few, based on a few buyers who needed them, not like 50% of them, ruined as you say by dealers softening the spec to tempt boxster buyers. That was a pointless exercise by them as it is the roof that scared off buyers. The sports seats are fine and I want the buckets not because the sports seats have me tumbling around the cabin (the wings hold the shoulders well) but because the buckets are in keeping with the narrow focus of the design (& they hold the hips better). I'm coming round to the view that the Spyder should have buckets, but you'll have no less fun in a car with sports seats.
Are Spyders Becoming Extinct At OPCs!
- Thread starter daro911
- Start date
I am not sure that is 100% true. Mid engine means once it loses grip you better be quick, It is far easier to catch a 911 or a m3 for example. Also as your mid corner speeds can be far greater you need bigger balls to carry that extra speed. I would say my mini and my m3 were easier to drive over the limit. I have spun the r a few time drifting at bruntingthorpe , it's not that easy and drifting mid engine car demands greater skill than any other layout. Yes it might be easier to get a faster lap time for a novice driving at 80% but that's because the balance is better , every car is easy to drive at 80% the mid engine car will just carry more speed without hassle. Drive faster and you will have to brake later, corner faster etc etc is just as hard if not harder to drive imo. I have also seen Boxsters on the road spin twice, which as I have prob only ever seen 4 or 5 cars spin, to see 2 Boxster is a high % on public roads. The ave person will NEVER catch a spin in a mid engine car.
I probably drive mostly at 80%, so lines up with what you say. But in what way does a 911 have the advantage above that 80%? I've not owned one so have little time familiarising myself with rear-engined bias but as they've been racing for years i've never doubted that their ability is unquestionable once mastered.
spyderwhite
Member
i would not have thought the xenons make much extra weight unless you fill the water bottle can xenons be retro fitted without the washers?as this is the only extra missing to make my car complete!
Agreed! (With Dyllan) without question
you will not see mid engine cars drifting on track out the bends you will see GT3 racing with op lock quite often esp the last few laps in a race if the rears have gone off. has nothing to do with how you drive differently, that's car dynamics. you drive a Lotus or a Cayman with precision imo any mid engine car is far far harder to catch once grip has gone and they will also snap back in line quicker. you can drift a M3 or a 911 till the cows come home.
I guess you missed this then: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHxDYtXOVMM Still strongly disagree with your theory
It certainly looks that way. The bi-xenons with dynamic cornering lights are certainly superb, but I don't do that much night driving, so wouldn't miss them. Like flat6, what I would really like is buckets, they make the car that extra bit special. I still haven't ruled out buying the right car if it comes along, you can have first refusal on mine dyllan!
Some of what has been said goes against the laws of physics. Mid-engined is the optimum platform for balance. Balance makes the car more controllable and predictable on the limit and even beyond the limit. Some videos backing up what I had thought from my own limited experience of driving and a few tests of a 911 back to back with 987 at PEC etc, where you feel the weight transfer under braking and cornering more in a 911. That lead me to feel the mid-engined weight distribution is better balanced, notwithstanding that rear-engined has some advantages. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT2wkhg6LTQ Great slow-mo at the start and end showing the balance after breaking traction. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Wk28sxMcyc An article that backs up what I had understood. http://www.drivingfast.net/track/engine-driveline.htm#.UbyI3-fQp4M On paper, a rear engine car is a potentially unstable design. The heavy end generates much more momentum than the light front end and is more difficult to slow down and change direction. Rear engine cars can be prone to oversteer when lifting off the throttle or braking during a corner. Even when braking with locked wheels in a straight line you can find the back of the vehicle has a tendency to come round. Rear engine cars must be treated with respect - when oversteer is invoked it can be very difficult to control. Having said that, some of the best track cars of all time have been produced by Porsche and clever car setup and tuning can allow rear wheel drive to produce astonishing results. The front wheels are free to use all available grip for steering, and the weight transfers under acceleration provide plenty of traction at the back. The main advantage of mid engine cars is that they have a low 'moment of inertia'. This means when cornering it is easier to turn the car to a new direction, thus increasing the manoeuvrability and stability. In addition, less rotational momentum is generated, which can lead to oversteer. Most sports car manufacturers aim for a 50:50 weight distribution to provide neutral handling characteristics, and with mid engine cars it is much easier to achieve this. Even though some front engine rear wheel drive cars may have a 50:50 weight distribution, they will have a higher 'moment of inertia' due to the majority of the weight being at the extremities. An additional benefit of the mid engine layout is that the mass of the engine is more equally split between all four wheels which leads to naturally neutral handling characteristics. What Porsche have achieved with the 911 almost rewrites physics but as they reach the limit, the 991 has been given a longer wheelbase so that the engine sits a little further forward relative to the rear axel. Why? To reduce the polar moment of inertia.
Explain why you think that way then
Have to tried to get a mid engine car to break away ? That's the whole point of mid engine and why high speed corner speeds are much higher. the higher the speed the quicker they snap once traction has gone. What don't you agree with and why ?
That's not right either. I would say it was more to do with the severity of the turn and direction change than car speed alone. However I'm not up for arguing about it so lets just drive our own ways [
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