I'm a little confused on comparing cars, and determining which one is faster (accelerates quicker) . What all do you need to consider?
Liters, Horsepower, Torque, and curb weight? Anything else?
How does each spech come into play?
say, car A weighed more, and had more HP than car B. To what extent does the weight determine overall acceleration?

2/28/2006 7:53:52 PM

uh, wow... it'd be much easier to list what doesn't affect things.

2/28/2006 7:55:23 PM

let me introduce you to my friends: RPM, gear ratio, and tire diameter. Put them together with distance, time and weight and you get one crazy formula!!!

2/28/2006 7:56:08 PM

you take them to a drag strip and whoever gets to the end first is faster (or a better driver)

2/28/2006 8:04:40 PM

whichever car has more stickers and or more unpainted/primered body parts

2/28/2006 8:07:47 PM

for the same lb/hp and gearing, a higher hp (and heavier) car will out-accelerate the lighter, lower hp car

because the heavier car has more hp to overcome wind resistance (and more traction)

the more u no

2/28/2006 8:08:10 PM

Power to weight ratio there chief... If the vehicles are the same setup (ie: tires, driver skills, aerodynamics... etc) then the one with a smaller weight to power ratio will be faster. THen you've gotta look at gear ratios... Don't worry about Displacement (liters) if you know the HP and TQ. TQ gets you off the line, HP keeps you going... List what cars you are considering and We'll tell you which sucks and which is okay.

2/28/2006 8:10:39 PM

Lets say: Scion TC vs Mazda 3 2.3l
and VW GTI vs a Honda civic SI

2/28/2006 8:18:01 PM

^^^not always.

the more u no

2/28/2006 8:25:07 PM

1: Tc
2: Si

next

2/28/2006 8:28:01 PM

GTI > SI

2/28/2006 8:29:57 PM

GTI > SI > TC ~ 3

2/28/2006 8:35:02 PM

everthing else being equal which is better? 150 Torque @ 4500 RPM or 163 torque @ 4000 RPM

2/28/2006 8:58:36 PM

more torque at lower rpm.

2/28/2006 8:59:12 PM

Most real world acceleration times are no where near what magazines/manufacturers claim. Especially with manual transmissions - the acceleration time depends most upon the owner's tolerance for clutch abuse.

All 4 of those cars would be perfectly fine and quick enough in the real world, and once you drive all four of them, one will probably stand out above the rest (i'd bet you'll find the 5th gen GTI best overall, but the Mazda 3 the best value)

2/28/2006 9:02:46 PM

Quote :

"everthing else being equal which is better? 150 Torque @ 4500 RPM or 163 torque @ 4000 RPM "

hp comes into play with high revs

so an s2000 with 160 torque @xxxxRPM will smoke my 240sx with 160 torque@xxxxRPM

2/28/2006 9:06:58 PM

i'd say fwd and rwd for grip on the surface

2/28/2006 9:10:01 PM

area under the curve

2/28/2006 10:52:47 PM

area under the curve

2/28/2006 10:55:23 PM

that little mazda 3 may look sporty but it is weak sauce.....scion motor is definately better

get the gti if those are your 4 choices though

2/28/2006 11:37:14 PM

don't get the mazda 3 if you want something fast

i think they're pretty comfortable cars, but they're not performers

2/28/2006 11:47:27 PM

just look at 1/4 mile times

come on is it really that hard?

3/1/2006 12:06:26 AM

ok my equation would acount for:
traction patch
overall drive ratio (per gear that will be used if more than 1 is needed)
length of gear (shifting before 60 if so how many times)
then hp/weight ratio
and what the hp curve looks like
and @ 60 aerodynamics is just barely starting to matter. (unless the car is superpowerful and super heavy)
& Rotational inertia.
(suspension setup would matter too but would be impossible to write an equation for)

its a big ass equation but it wouldn't be too hard to write...
it would be alot easier with electric motors and there tendency to be constant torque.

Quote :

"that little mazda 3 may look sporty but it is weak sauce.....scion motor is definately better get the gti if those are your 4 choices though"

cosworth makes 300hp drop in n/a engines that'll fit in the 3 though
i'd still go with the gti cause then you have apr if its a 1.8t if its not you're dumb

[Edited on March 1, 2006 at 12:30 AM. Reason : .]

3/1/2006 12:15:07 AM

but more than likely its a FSI 2.0T in a new GTI

3/1/2006 12:34:37 AM

doh.. duh

still the turbo motor is best unless you have a huge bankroll to make power w/

3/1/2006 12:40:43 AM