The difference from these acceleration charts and that of a stock is that you have control every time you step on the gas, (unless a cow or something similar comes across your path -g). Whereas the stock charts can fall hard unexpectedly... and no control on one's part (other than bailing quickly -gg
G forces...
Look under "Performance" (second heading); then "Handling" (fourth column); then "lateral acceleration" giving you a 1.02 g (on a200 ft. skidpad) ---> this is the best ever for Road and Track. Yes, a far cry from the g-9 of the F-16 -g
This, (in very general terms), gives you the force that the driver is under while cornering at speed; its "balance" (or I would call it "control") is a mild understeer. This in my opinion is excellent.
Understeer = when cornering, as you are turning, the car tends to (you could also say, "it wants to"), go straight, requiring of you to continue to turn the steering wheel. "Mild" is the key word, since if the understeer is too acute, then it will also require you to "lift the gas pedal". A mild condition allows you to go into the corner with more confidence, simply adding steering as you progress into the corner and hopefully allowing you to "transfer" from a mild understeer, to a mild oversteer.
Oversteer = when cornering, the tail end is trying to get away from you, to solve this it requires you to accelerate and give it a touch of "opposite lock" (turning the steering wheel in the opposite direction of the turn). The degree of "opposite lock" and quickness in applying it is proportional to the amount of oversteer. In excess, you scrub speed and although very spectacular to watch, is less efficient to the point of "spinning-out".
The ideal cornering speed is when you achieve a "4 wheel drift" a condition where the steering of the car becomes extremely light; you have achieved total balance and the car is going the fastest around the particular corner. It is very near the limits of its cornering capabilities of all the components involved (i.e. tire compound and width, suspension geometry, alignment, shock absorbers, springs, aerodynamics --including wings/spoilers if they are there-- and of course, driver input), it is almost to the point of "losing adhesion to the ground, but not quite" in competitive terms, you are driving at 9/10ths (or even 10/10ths). Total balance is the best description.
The next test (700 ft slalom) is also important, showing 68.7 mph (I know it can be done at 75 mph with no problem). Again, the mild understeer is optimal and although they do not mention weight transfer (or roll), it is nearly non existent, this car corners with absolute control, it does not move as you are going through the slalom... It is indeed a thing of beauty.
Once again, the key word is "mild" in the understeer condition since you can go through the slalom course with the gas foot steady and controlling the understeer with additional "lock to the steering" no need for you to "lift". Naturally, quickness and timing of one's wrist and the proper "alignment" into every turn is critical since a slight error in the timing and degree of turning will significantly throw the car off balance, requiring you to either turn excessively --scrubing speed-- or lift the gas pedal, causing you to lose momentum. Both a no-no. As a comparison, if you were to try the same with a Corvette, you would most certainly have to lift the gas pedal and the speed would be considerably less, given the amount of "roll" from the Corvette.
There are no words to describe the feel of a 0 to 60 in 3.6 secs; this worsens when you try to describe its cornering capabilities.
All of the above attempts to describe what any good driver feels by instinct and most definitively, "by the seat of one's pants", i.e. one's own arse. -g
To better understand what a 4 wheel drift is, here are the words of Enzo Ferrari (when he was a driver), describing Tazio's technique for cornering... (reminding you that unlike today's sophisticated and tiny steering mechanisms, in Enzo's and Tazio's time these racing machines weighed tons, many had drum brakes and the steering wheels looked like truckers steering)
ddavid.com
...and yes, a picture tells the story better than 1,000 words...
Jimmy Clark in the 1967 Lotus on a controlled slide (oversteering) a tad excessive, actually scrubbing speed
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This is the perfect "power slide" by one of the fastest drivers ever, Jochen Rindt in 1970 (he is being followed very closely by an arguably equally fast --if not faster-- Ronnie Peterson who in my eyes was the absolute king of the power slide... in this picture you can see the angle of the front tires and the steering wheel, Jochen's hands are in control of the slide... (Lotus 1970)
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This particular photo is a little dark
Emerson Fittipaldi in the 1973 Lotus
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Understeer... (harder to see)
Jackie Stewart in the 1969 Matra
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and in the 1972 Tyrrel (notice his hand giving it a generous amount of "turn")
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Ayrton Senna in Monaco in the Lotus... (notice the blistering of the Front tires --possibly, but not necessarily, caused by the excessive understeering)
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and for the hard core...
Fernando Alonso from Oviedo, España first ever win in the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix (last week)... capturing the last corner of his maiden Grand Prix victory, giving him the record as the youngest ever (22 years old) winning Grand Prix driver... and his victory lap celebration from the unique angle of the "on board camera"
f1.tottoro.hu |
