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The old thread has gone to the archives but my driving of everyone else's car but my own has not! With that in mind, let's get started: 2013 Scion FRS Give me fuel, give me fire, give me the boost that I desire  I've posted before about the BRZ. It's a Miata with a roof. It's a brilliant car. That chassis, that handling, everything. It is the date you go on that makes you remember why not dying alone is such an appealing option. But every car has things that could be better and the twins could always use better brakes and more power. So I bought one with better brakes and more power. Nothing has changed here. The same snug and well appointed cabin. The same rotary dials. The same backseat which can fit a 6' tall man contorted into a pretzel. But what has changed is now I've lived with one and everyone loves the twins, they just have no idea what they are. People see my FRS and think it is cool and ask me what it is and then a giant question mark like the one soldiers in metal gear solid have pop over their heads when I mention the letter soup name. People don't see it and ask what I own and that same question mark pops over their head and then they ask "the one shaped like a toaster?" If you want to know what it's like having a Gen V Viper in your possession, take an FRS for the day. Same amount of attention but 645% more disappointment when you say Scion. Just like the look my mother gave me when I said I was majoring in sociology. The difference is this one is set up for SM classing, which means it has coilovers, sway bars, a bunch of other tyte poo poo like yellowed out side view mirrors for glare and a supercharger. And AP racing front calipers. And aero. And the best part? It looks like a normal brz. I strap into the car, even with the centrifugal blower the car still makes that cricket chirping so I know it's running. It really is a useful feature, they're very quiet cars. Below 3krpm it even sounds like a stock twin, only after 3k does a noticeable sound of air being drawn in become present. I get pointed out to the start and it's the same old twin feeling, nice hydraulic steering, good gearbox and clutch. The starter watches intently and gives me a good amount of space, because I'm gonna need it. Bring up the revs to 3krpm and when he gives me the go, a nice controlled roll off the clutch gives me the wheelspin I need because I got the power. Yep, boost. 270whp in a 2800lb car, the sweet spot. It's not z06 or viper level of lung crushing grunt but the torque starts gaining at 2500rpm and carries a nice upwards climb all the way to redline. This car is now proper quick, and the centrifugal supercharger gives it a nice linear powerband. The first right is mid 4krpm, turn in and let the massive front end grip pull the car in while the blow of valve chatters like a small child laughing and the shuts up as I roll back into throttle. Those proper manners that the Twins have do not go away with more power, it only highlights what a jovial little car this is. There's enough power to overcome the 245 section rcomp tires but it doesn't bite, the rear will step out but it maintains the stock cars eagerness to find that drift angle and hold it til your done. Keeping the rear in line is still faster but its hard to not slide around when it's this easy. I short shift into second since the torque lull is gone, there's just powerband powerband powerband above 3krpm, this car picks up speed really quickly midrange. Coming into a slalom, maintain throttle, toss front end and the rear comes with. And I do mean toss. With full suspension work these cars have a massive amount of grip. It's absolutely silly. You turn, it goes. I can't stop laughing about the power and the turn in just makes it even better. And then there's the brakes. The stock twin brakes are just kinda meh. Not terrible, not great, but these AP calipers with my favorite compound of RC5+s are Miata level of perfect. My only complaint is the car doesn't have the front splitter on and the rear diffuser creates a noticable difference in front and rear end braking force once you hit 80ish. It's hard to complain about that because not many cars hit 80ish at autox.  I come in from the run, it's not clean but it's the second fastest car behind an Emodified car which I will never catch. Have you ever had one of those cars you buy and you know you made the right purchase after all the fretting over whether you should REALLY buy a aftermarket boosted car on a 12.5:1 CR motor and it all fades away because it's everything you want in a well mannered street car and blazingly fast Autocross/track car and more? One that maintains all stock perfection just cranked up to 11? That's an SM FRS. It's as close to perfection for a street car that you can find. 
Muffinpox fucked around with this message at 04:34 on Jul 29, 2016 |
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Jul 29, 2016 04:26
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Since I neglected the old thread so bad, here's a taste of what's to come: Saturn SL1: You can drive a slow car too fast Chevrolet SS: Fat Jesus Golf R: R means tyte car STR NC Miata: It's a Miata of course it's amazing AP2 S2000: Finally after 2 years of therapy I'm ready to admit the Ap1 is inferior E92 M3 race car: full cages are the worst thing ever Cayman GT4: I haven't driven one yet but I'll still tell you what it's like to get aroused in the passengers seat of one
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Jul 29, 2016 04:52
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Hallo, in for updates! Especially interested in the AP2 S2000 
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Jul 29, 2016 04:58
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YESSSS Glad the thread is back and glad you found your perfect car. That is a clean FRS you got there.
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Jul 29, 2016 05:20
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I've driven a BRZ with a supercharger and yes I have to agree.... holy poo poo does a blower make that car work or what?
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Jul 29, 2016 12:50
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CAT INTERCEPTOR posted:I've driven a BRZ with a supercharger and yes I have to agree.... holy poo poo does a blower make that car work or what? The first time I ever saw a supercharged BRZ step sideways off the line was the time I knew it was the car for me.
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Jul 29, 2016 16:17
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Hello this thread my old friend. It's good to see you here again.
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Jul 29, 2016 21:34
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Muffinpox posted:
You take that back, you dirty son of a bitch! (Can't wait to hear it all!  )
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Jul 29, 2016 22:15
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2002 Saturn SL1: Purgatory, but a car The thought of crushing the hopes and dreams of novices when they see that a Saturn SL1 clad with RE-71Rs has beaten them was too much. It's a rainy day too and I'm fast in the rain. 3000rpm, the starter tells me go, engage the clutch and feel the front wheel spin. Something goes pop, the car stops moving forward. The violence of the launch must have shaken the car out of gear. I try to push the gear lever into first but it is already there. Second gear gains no tractive force either. A dull clanking can be heard whenever the clutch is engaged. Slowly, the car rolls to a sad stop. The axle has snapped, my aspirations have died. Which is a statement that I find myself making a lot since I got the Saturn.  Why do I have a BRZ? My poor baby Miata got hit by a FedEx truck and totaled. Why did I have the Saturn? As a cheap interim car while I found the BRZ. Why did I have the Saturn? It was there, I was desperate. WHY did I have a Saturn? I HAD SNOW TIRES THAT FIT. WHY DID I HAVE A SATURN??? I should have just got an old civic. I sit in the Saturn. You know it's not really a bad car. The seats are pretty good for seats, comfy. American. It's like a bench seat but cleaved in two. There's no fancy leather but the cloth seats look nice. The interior is chintzy plastic but do you really need amazing plastics? It has a huge shelf in front of the passengers seat which is actually big enough to put a large pizza on. Maybe feet? I'm not really sure what it's for, it's an odd design feature. Did you know this thing has a fantastic safety rating? Purposeful. It's a purposeful car. Clean sheet American design. The gearbox isn't actually that terrible, you know exactly what gear you're in and even with a longish throw, you can hustle the car through the gears with nary a balk. The clutch is very light and the engagement point is high but once you are used to it, it's a breeze to drive and find the bite point. This car has 140k on its original clutch. That's some American longetivity right there. The steering is actually remarkably good. The car has a good ratio and offers some level of feedback beyond attempting to feel a pulse in someone's wrist. You will not be feeling your pulse pound though, the car is soft and rolly. A P71 crown Vic has less boat like cornering mannerisms. The car understeers severely at the limit but approaches this in a linear fashion. When the front is loaded up the car will one tire fire everywhere, inside wheelspin is a way of life unlike any other front wheel drive car I've driven. But this is good as none of the seats have bolsters but there is a lot of room for such a tiny car. 5 people and their luggage can be swallowed up quite easily. I wouldn't quite suggest five people though as the motor is a bit asthmatic. The one thing that always struck me about the SL1 is that is has a timing chain. A mother flipping timing CHAIN. Continue feeding this little bad boy oil and coolant and I bet the motor could go forever, at least until the water pump seal catastrophically fails at 140,000 and you discover that no, your thermostat wasn't stuck open. The perfect operating temperature indicator is actually 3/8ths across the water temp gauge and not near any tick mark that makes any goddamn sense and yes, when the needle hits the half way mark it means there's approximately 1 liter of coolant in the motor and you're probably just a half liter away from overheating for real. Fortunately the water pump costs $20 to repair and takes an hour. This car will not die and if it does you can rebuild cheap. This bad boy makes 100hp. It's actually a decent amount of power, the Saturn only weighs 2300lbs. It's a nimble car, but not super fast. You'll be dropping it into 3rd to maintain 70 uphill but the car will chug along at 80 happily in top gear. First and second are dealt with by a ferocious climb up the tach, if only the gears weren't so short, topping maybe 50 in second. That's not necessarily bad as the brakes are pretty horrendous. I mean bad. I don't know what brakes were in here, I'm assuming some autozone wear4lyfe hockey pucks, but they are terrible. The pedal is mushy and the only real feeling was that I was going to rear end someone if they ever actually emergency stopped even with a 5 second following distance. I'm sure this could be improved with better pads and fluid but I also could spend that money on whiskey to dull the pain of driving a Saturn. It also doesn't have ABS which was actually never really problematic since I don't know I could lock up the tires if I tried. The best part of commuter cars is hustling them. Most of them are somewhat competent but just not supposed to be driven in any fast manner but they can tossed around. Maybe in its heyday it could handle Autocross, they were somewhat competitive stock as you can get -2ish camber all around stock. It's not a bad car, it's just no fun. It's the worst kind of beige, so boring even hooning is no longer fun. I no longer became interested on just going for drives. Finding the curvy road didn't make me feel anything, hand cranking the window was just annoying, not for weight savings. Colors were bland and food didn't taste good. A slow death of the love of all things car and cemented by the inability to even race it. I can't even hate it, it was a perfect cheap commuter, maybe just too perfect at it.
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Jul 29, 2016 23:28
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CAT INTERCEPTOR posted:I've driven a BRZ with a supercharger and yes I have to agree.... holy poo poo does a blower make that car work or what? Yea, after I drove it I knew I couldn't own a stock one. ssjonizuka posted:You take that back, you dirty son of a bitch! I know 
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Jul 29, 2016 23:42
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Wheelspin in a Saturn? Lucky you didn't shear the diff pin before the axle. Or did you weld it up?
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Jul 29, 2016 23:44
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Seat Safety Switch posted:Wheelspin in a Saturn? Lucky you didn't shear the diff pin before the axle. Or did you weld it up? No welding, just pure luck. Edit: pure racing skill I mean
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Jul 29, 2016 23:49
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Post the SS review, you tease
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Jul 30, 2016 03:44
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I knew I should have bought the BRZ instead of the GTI. Goddamn, practicality should never have entered my mind.
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Jul 30, 2016 03:53
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Chevrolet SS: Worlds best clown car There are five people in the car. Two up front and I'm wedged between two people in the back on an Autocross course. At the end of the run, the car sets a time only one second slower than its driver only run with 600lbs of passengers. Then it hits me: I need to drive the Chevrolet SS. There's no getting around the fact the SS is a big car. I mean big. It's a full sized sedan and curb weight is close to 2 tons. From the drivers seat it's more like a rolling couch inside than a sports car. Maybe a massage chair. It does have cooled seats after all. Chevy has also apparently finally learned something about having cars that can actually handle need some kind of bolstering. These aren't really well bolstered but it's passable, and with the seatbelt latching trick you can do a pretty manageable job of restraining yourself. Oh did I say the SS could handle?  There are a poo poo ton of buttons and the parking brake is electronic and if it weren't for a liberal amount of googling I would need a few days to acclimate to what everything does but most of it is somewhat apparent. P disengages the parking brake at some point after pushing or pulling the button, I'm still not sure. I still don't know how I turned off AC but I did manage it. There's a HUD too which is completely useless at autox but I love them for street use. Just sit in a 5 series and that's the Chevrolet SS. The traction control button is readily apparent, push and hold that and after a few seconds the car informs me stabilitrak is off. It has a few track modes but who needs track modes? Is this full off? You bet your sweet sweet rear end it is. I get the point out and get pretty janky on the very light and vagueish clutch but the throttle and gearbox are very nice. The steering is a bit overboosted and sort of vague. You know what? This is a 3800lb corvette. With four seats. You can tell it's a big car but it doesn't feel pillboxy like a mustang or Camaro. You know what corvettes need? 285 Hoosier A7s. You know what this SS is wearing  I pull up to the line and have to fend off people from clown caring. Normally I'm all about the Muffinpox Autocross taxi where your ride is 75 seconds or less or it's free but with the 285s there is fender rub with the extra weight. I spend some time fending off people in general. Is that an SS, with a 6 speed??? It reminds me of my feelings towards the e39 M5 and attracts the same kind of crowd. It's a good looking car and they don't appear in the wild very often.  I get the go ahead and donchaknow it's like everything with an LS, a huge groundswell of torque that makes a beautiful launch easy peasy followed by getting crammed into your seat. This isn't the fastest 4 door sedan on the market but baby's got the goods, it pulls right up to red line. I love LS motors. And like all LS motors, it sounds amazing. But we all know that didn't we, big sedan, big motor, big lazy chairs? Of course it goes straight fast, but that turning. Oh my god that turning. This car has the adaptive suspension that I would spell out but my spell checker still agrees with me that neither of us know how to spell magnetohelioliolgogxal fluid. I tag redline in first and go into second, the first corner is a right mild lift followed by getting back in it. It's still a sports sedan and sprung a bit softly but those shocks really do an amazing job of covering up the soft spring rates. There's still a need to begin transitioning a bit early but the car manages the weight so amazingly. Front end grip grip grip for days, turn early and have your passenger attempt to not fall out window. Come into the first slalom, the steering rack is great. Just like a corvette, not a ton of feeling but you know where the limit is. It's not the fine line of something like a Porsche but you get some feedback when the front starts pushing and it does it in a very progressive and manageable manner. The car is also much like a corvette in that it takes to being driven like a momentum car or a power car. It's a bit harder to get used to due to active shocks but you can really hustle the poo poo out of the SS, you just have to trust in America. Trust in the magnetoheliologridcal. I really can't talk enough about how well this big sedan handles and how much it defies expectations. The main problem with the car is that it's just so wide and soft. Corvettes manage well with their width because they can be thrown side to side extremely hard, even if you need to clear an extra half foot or foot it's not going to bite you unless some Miata owner designed a course where you need to basically stop to get through an offset slalom. Don't worry though Ryan, I'm not bitter about that course three years later. Not at all. We come into a straight and it's full onto throttle, the car manages the power really well. I've only driven this on RE-71Rs or Hoosier A7s which are both big grip tires but if you're not penisy with the throttle it won't bite you. You can be rather liberal with the throttle on these tires, much like a corvette it is very easy to set the cars attitude if you are judicious with throttle inputs. I can also see this thing trying to murder the gently caress out of you if you are very penisy, so it goes. What kind of American car would it be if there weren't the possibility of people spinning it in a straight line when they shut off tc to show their buddy some poo poo and slam home second and then into a cars and coffee crowd? It may not be a mustang but it's an American tradition. At the end of the straight is a rather tight right hander onto the back runway and that means brakes and I want to buy a round for whoever set up these brakes because Jesus they are good. Just like a corvette it is just an endless pedal of braking force and terrific modulation and goddamn. Goddamn. They have even avoided the corvettes whorish ice mode. This is a former runway so there are a bunch of painted and undulating sections which can catch cars out when you brake where you think you should but don't have the pedal force, but not in the SS. It stops when you ask, wherever you ask, and how you ask. Not that you need the brake pedal, the throttle modulation is great and tucking the nose in with lift or adding in some rotation with throttle are a breeze. This is it. This is the new E39 M5. This is a four door corvette in all the right ways. You're not going to be building a tower to the heavens like you would in the lightweight sports car, it does weigh a ton afterall, but this is the four door sports saloon we want and deserve.  
Muffinpox fucked around with this message at 04:16 on Aug 15, 2016 |
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Aug 14, 2016 23:45
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Muffinpox posted:Chevrolet SS: Worlds best clown car Not a bad looking car at all. Haven't kept up with these over the years. Your posts remind me that it's been almost a year since I've been to an event. I really should get some decent tires (or a co-drive) and get back out this fall.
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Aug 15, 2016 01:05
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And true sadness is that mindblowingly good sedan is going bye bye next year when Holden ceases local production. Goodbye Commodore, you were too good for this world
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Aug 15, 2016 01:52
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What year? Stupid motor trend YouTube leads me to believe the 16 is a nice change from previous iteration. Curious to know which you drove.
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Aug 15, 2016 02:15
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The Locator posted:Not a bad looking car at all. Haven't kept up with these over the years. Yea it's pretty sharp, I really like those rims on the car too. CAT INTERCEPTOR posted:And true sadness is that mindblowingly good sedan is going bye bye next year when Holden ceases local production. Goodbye Commodore, you were too good for this world Goodbye you beautiful bastard. It's a really great drivers car, he was telling me some of the Australianisms like having a sealed rear bulkhead for structural rigidity vs pass through for cargo loading. I wouldn't hesitate to get one as a autox/track/DD car, the only change to this car was an alignment and rims/tires. Hopefully they nosedive on price. ssjonizuka posted:What year? Stupid motor trend YouTube leads me to believe the 16 is a nice change from previous iteration. Curious to know which you drove. 2015, the owner said 2016 updates were the dual mode exhaust and making some styling vents functional which was nice but not really worth the cost. Muffinpox fucked around with this message at 03:38 on Aug 15, 2016 |
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Aug 15, 2016 03:35
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BlackMK4 posted:I knew I should have bought the BRZ instead of the GTI. Goddamn, practicality should never have entered my mind. I actually really like GTis and considered one before deciding I wanted to keep with rwd. They're absolute riots with a chip and stiffer springs. Semi spoiler; I'd rather have a hotted up gti than a golf r.
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Aug 15, 2016 03:46
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Muffinpox posted:Goodbye you beautiful bastard. It's a really great drivers car, he was telling me some of the Australianisms like having a sealed rear bulkhead for structural rigidity vs pass through for cargo loading. I wouldn't hesitate to get one as a autox/track/DD car, the only change to this car was an alignment and rims/tires. Hopefully they nosedive on price. I've looked into track day for my VE (VE SS = G8 ST, VF = Chev SS with HSV MagneticRide shocks, US models get a softer suspension package over the Aust cars, but they also get more power and stock the bigger brake package that is an option in Aust cars) ... the issue mostly is that the oil temp gets up fairly quickly, You HAVE to get an oil cooler. The brakes aren't that great but HSV big fuckoff brakes exist and they aren't expensive, esp. considering bang for buck. Oh and they tow bloody well too. 2.5 ton? Yeah no problem. I've only ever considered selling mine because I honestly should have gotten a wagon But I've now solved that with Foresters so the Commodore is now the weekend nice car to cruise in. CAT INTERCEPTOR fucked around with this message at 03:58 on Aug 15, 2016 |
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Aug 15, 2016 03:55
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The only thing better about AP2's is the center console, wheels, and front bumper 
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Aug 15, 2016 03:57
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CAT INTERCEPTOR posted:And true sadness is that mindblowingly good sedan is going bye bye next year when Holden ceases local production. Goodbye Commodore, you were too good for this world Oh yeah, is that for sure? Last I heard, GM was going to move the SS's production stateside (or at least nafta) when they put aus production out of its misery.
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Aug 15, 2016 04:34
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I am THIS close to buying an AP1 S2000. THIS CLOSE. am i going to regret my decision to purchase yes/no
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Aug 15, 2016 17:01
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hedgegnome posted:I am THIS close to buying an AP1 S2000. THIS CLOSE. Do you fit? Will it gently caress up your financial situation? If you answered no, no. There will be no regret.
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Aug 15, 2016 19:45
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hedgegnome posted:I am THIS close to buying an AP1 S2000. THIS CLOSE. No. The main difference between the two is that an AP1 will try and kill you 24 hours a day, an AP2 will wait until you turn off traction control.
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Aug 15, 2016 22:52
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hedgegnome posted:I am THIS close to buying an AP1 S2000. THIS CLOSE. No, absolutely not. I have one and I love it dearly. Do it do it do it
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Aug 16, 2016 03:55
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Wrar posted:Do you fit? Will it gently caress up your financial situation? Yes, and depends on how much i pay  And yeah, im not too worried, just have to find the right one!
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Aug 16, 2016 04:38
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AP2 Honda S2000: Cover your ears AP1-kun The AP1 and AP2 distinction in US models is like choosing to be a shark or a jet. A Montigue or capulet. There is a blood feud between the owners as to which model is better. I owned a 2002 AP1 and believe me, the AP1 is better. You can pry my throttle cable, aggressive suspension settings, and lack of stability control from my cold dead hands, which incidentally does end up happening a fair bit with AP1s. But it's worth it for that rawness. As I previously wrote, AP1s are raw, unyielding cars which are absolutely amazing when you drive them correctly and will heavily punish for any mistakes. Not much really changes sitting in the drivers seat. This AP2 is fully prepared for the STR street class. It has suspension, huge front bar, a square 255 setup, full exhaust, intake, tune, and lowered vtec. There are some little differences from AP1s to AP2s; the center console is a bit different, the seats went from having a cutout for helmets to a solid headrest because AP2s are compromise cars made for people who want to look good instead of drive good. There's a vehicle stability switch, which thankfully is only one click but still. There's an extra speaker so you can hear the stereo better because idiots complained about the lack of torque so the redline was lowered from a staggering 9000rpm to 8 and change which is alright I guess but misses some of that extra noise. The gauge pod changed too, there's a different design for the fuel meter and they got rid of the 9000rpm full dash sweep for an 8000ish rpm 3/4 dash sweep to remind you you're a bad person. This car has a buddy club race bucket installed which is a nice addition, the stock S2000 seats aren't badly bolstered but I love race buckets after using them. It really makes driving way easier since you can focus on inputs rather than having to brace for the huge amount of grip S2000s have. Other than that, it is still an S2000. Still possibly the worlds tiniest cabin. Still sounds like a sewing machine at idle. Still has that S2000 smell. Still adorned with nice leather. I get the point out and there is some loss of sharpness on the throttle but it doesn't do the normal Honda ethrottle move of dumping rpms and causing you to stall immediately when you try to tip on throttle while engaging the clutch. Ok, maybe they put some effort into this car and made it still S2000 like to drive. The steering is the same S2000 steering. A nicely sized, thick steering wheel with electronic power steering that is somewhat numb but very direct. The ratio is still very quick and you know what, this is just like an AP1. The gearbox is the same amazing gearbox that has always been in there. All they really changed is the rear geometry and motor and softened the car up a bit so it wouldn't kill you, but that kinda goes a long way. I get the go ahead and same lack of torque down low and..... You know what before I continue just remember this is not a stock S2000 so stock AP2s can still get stuffed. The same lack of low end torque turns into a vtec warble around 3500rpm and there's a very linear and very strong midrange pull that goes all the way to redline. Shut up. Shut up shut up shut up. It has a vtec controller which was lowered so there's no harsh kickover and it has a fattened powerband thanks to the tune but goddamn the F22 is what I wish the F20 would do when I dropped below 6000rpm sometimes. The motor is very flexible and if you hot dog it into the rpm hole it still makes sense to downshift but there's so much more motor range with this setup. It's really, really nice. Its also much easier to get an AP2 to have this setup versus an AP1, because AP1s are perfect and you don't need to change them and AP2s are made for flat brimmed hat stance bros to hard park next to STi owners while talking about their dyno charts. Was that an AP1 in 2 fast 2 furious? No. I'm just saying. I go into second and it's time to brake for the first right hander which is a tight, ~120 degree right. I lift throttle aggressively and the car rotates without trying to kill me. We come out of the corner and I roll back into throttle, even with the shorter gearing and more torque you can put power down much earlier and harder without the car attempting to murder you as much. The rear geometry on the AP2s has been toned down and the car is definitely way more linear and less of a handful to drive. Since "without attempting to murder you as much" is a pretty common theme among how the AP2 changed from the AP1, I'll just make a list of times it will less severely attempt at your life: 1) Not clicking the gas cap three times 2) Trying to start up a slanted hill in snow 3) Looking at the radio 4) Checking your hair 5) Existing We charge out of the corner and this car has some stupendous midrange compared to the AP1. The gearing and extra oomf from the tune really have some grunt, until you hit the 57mph second gear redline and have to decided between third or just banging the rev limiter which is absolutely horrifying at 8000+rpm but it's a Honda so it will really just eat that poo poo up all day. It's not 9000rpm and 62mph though. We come into a slalom and I trail brake into the first cone to weight up the nose and then I feel it. I was on brakes too much all at once. There's a little movement and I know what's coming, I lift the brake input a bit and give a tiny counter steer and it's almost like it didn't happen, and that's really where the AP2 shines for me versus the AP1. My AP1 would have gone sideways and possibly backwards and asked me to think about what I did but not actually let me know what caused it to attempt to murder me. The AP2 has been to couples therapy because I felt it. The second I pushed the brake pedal I felt the rear suspension make a subtle move, it's still a quick time event to keep the car from looping itself but it's not the AP1 lighting fast response. It asks "did you really want to do that?" and gives you time to respond, slightly let off the brake and the car stays in line and off we go. It's a much easier car to drive at the limit and drive harder. It teaches you what you can do in a somewhat clear manner and it's easy to improve upon your driving, wherein the Ap1 it's pretty hard to be a better driver when you're dead. It's still very much an S2000 in that everyone I have ever seen drive an AP2 for the first time has spun it, but for Autocross at a high level they are the better car. There. I said it. AP2 is better than the AP1 at a nationally competetive level. Everyone who owns an Ap2 that they only drive on the street should still be ashamed. Muffinpox fucked around with this message at 03:29 on Aug 22, 2016 |
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Aug 22, 2016 03:08
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I can live with this. But only just.
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Aug 22, 2016 03:18
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That was pretty much gold. Back to looking for a S2000.
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Aug 22, 2016 17:36
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2015 Volkswagen Golf R: the plaid seats of boosted AWD In third grade we had a school play, it was rumplestiltsken. Your boy Muffinpox put on a hell of an audition and ended up with the titular role in the play. Even to this day I remember the glory of having the role. The weight it carried. The cheers, the lights. Standing mid pack amongst the cast and doing the final bow, knowing that the sum of the parts came together but you were what really sent the crowd into overdrive. The applause were intoxicating to me, and many years later when I actually had to compete against real talent, reminded me what it was like to be the third choice amongst superior peers. The relegation to the sideline because you don't have the best vocal range, you're not the most attractive, and that the talent wasn't there. But you're still a part of the play, and there are no small parts so you act beat cop #2 as hard as you can. You're no Inspector Javert but you play your role and make the scene what you can. And that's what the Golf R was to me, the third string quarterback. Don't get me wrong here, the golf r isn't a bad purchase. It's still a golf. I love the golf, the mk5+ gtis with coilovers and a tune are amazing cars and come up on my list of what to buy everytime one of my cars dies a horrible horrible death. They're a practical, fun, and well appointed car that can make silly amounts of power. Sitting in the Golf R brings back all my warm VW feelings. The big familiar tach and speedo, the info display between the gauges. I think VW and Audis have the interiors I like the most, they've had a nice cockpit since the 1993 Audi S4 I owned and this is no different. The materials for the price are also great, good quality leather, good quality plastics, and a intuitive design. I love the seats in the golf too, supportive but also comfortable. Power adjustable. It even stays away from button overload. There's a nice big traction control off switch, which actually fully shuts off traction control with a press. It's the little things in car design sometimes and VAG really just nails it. Although I've driven some flashy as gently caress cars, I still appreciate the more subtle performance cars as well and the golf r doesn't do much to distinguish itself as a hot hatch. Driving the Ferrari or Viper are fun to see the attention sometimes but like your Ashley Madison billing statement, sometimes you just want to be anonymous when going about your business. I get the point out from the starter, Audi has come a long way in their DSGs. Earlier versions would buck a bit at slower speeds when the clutch couldn't fully engage but this unit held up to the low speed crawl very smoothly. It does feel a bit like an automatic when rolling into throttle from a stop, a bit like a torque converter catching up. I remember the driver telling me that the car needs to be in sport to actually fully disable the TC. I stop, put it into sport, and cycle TC to make sure it's off. Why does it have to be in sport? Because you want to be sporty. Who thought that was a good idea? I don't know. I click the up shift paddle and low RPMs and it holds first gear. I suppose DSGs don't do everything you want, a six speed would be nice. But as far as DSGs go, this is done very well. I wait for the starter to say go, the car comes equipped with launch control but we've been in love with tight right corners from the start this season so I forgo trying it out. I get the go ahead and the familiar boosted small motor gentle take off underwhelms me. It doesn't so much hard charge off the line as it lazily pulls away and then there's the immediate right. The steering, like all golfs, is nice. It's not two turns lock to lock but it's quick enough to not have to shuffle steer, and it's not the e36 m3 rack and I will keep bringing it up because gently caress the steering rack in that car. The golf r steering is also mostly overboosted and there's not tremendous feel, but you know what there is a lot of? Understeer. And soft springs. And body roll. I lift throttle to hopefully bring the front in line with some lift throttle oversteer and maybe rear diff lockup and it doesn't really help much. The car gently begins to push and also gently begins to unpush. I have enough time to check my work email before rolling back into throttle and then it's just that I'm out of my boost range lag from a small motor. Once it starts getting into the upper rpms it starts having a nice shove but I then get distracted by something beeping at me. Maybe it's an up shift reminder, maybe it's a "your having fun reminder", maybe it's a something is broken stop driving the car reminder. I click the paddle and the car catches second gear. Do I actually need to click? Will it up shift into second automatically? I find myself wondering more about what the car will do by itself since I have all the time in the world to actually think about it while it's under steering through the slalom I'm in. I only mention that I'm in a slalom now because the handling dynamics of the car, despite wearing Pilot Super Sports which are fantastic tires, are really more akin to a terrible FWD car taking all the time in the world to keel over before plowing right into an iceberg. After giving up on trying to tuss out the limit of the car due to the big penalty for exceeding the limit even a bit, I reel it in and aim for a good exit. I haven't driven turbocharged for a while so I dip into throttle a bit sooner to negate the lag and get a nice underwhelming exit because of it. The motor really doesn't feel as strong as you would think it would be. Maybe I'm looking back at MK5 GTi I drove with rose colored glasses beneath a flat brimmed hat and vape smoke but I remember that car having a lot more shove. I would write it off as the Viper and Z06 ruining normalcy for me, but I've had a pallet cleanser of a Saturn in between and the Golf R feels somewhat modest, I wouldn't guess they make 300hp and have a sub 5 second 0-60. I gather some speed and it begins beeping at me again and then it's time for a tightening right hander where I discover it does have the normal GTi brakes where the first inch of pedal travel will put your face into the steering wheel. This makes it so you can understeer on brakes to match the throttle and turning. The brake does have good feel and modulation, it just all occurs immediately. Coming out of the corner is where the AWD really shines, the car doesn't one tire fire out of the corner despite a good amount of torque being put down, and it doesn't push the way fwd would with a diff, but that's really the only note about the AWD and then it hits me. Marketing. Marketing made this car. Turbo and AWD will never get away from the evo8/9 and early STis in America. The big, stupid loving park bench spoiler. The hood vents and scoops. The stare and drive. They are amazing cars to this day, but they are performance cars. They handle and perform well first, AWD and turbo second, and comfortable third. They were compromise cars based off of a base model but livability was the compromise. The golf r was built in the reverse order. It's a hotted up GTi that still handles like a GTi, but is just the answer to a focus groups "Well this car is great but what if it was more money and all wheel drive?" The extra 100hp and AWD don't really add anything to the GTI that wasn't there before. You don't need Daniel Day Lewis as the main lead in a third grade play, sometimes you just need to be proud you did something great with what you had. Muffinpox fucked around with this message at 07:34 on Aug 29, 2016 |
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Aug 29, 2016 06:59
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Muffinpox posted:The stare and drive. RIP Paul.
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Aug 29, 2016 07:38
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You're good at writing autocross recap/stories. Keep up the driving tales. I'm definitely going to be telling my uncle to supercharge his FRS as soon as the warranty runs out.
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Aug 31, 2016 21:55
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Ether Frenzy posted:You're good at writing autocross recap/stories. Keep up the driving tales. I'm definitely going to be telling my uncle to supercharge his FRS as soon as the warranty runs out. Thanks! Get him to drive one after his warrant runs out. There is no going back. Also there's a 95% chance I get to drive a FFR Type 65 coupe this weekend and Ive been watching cold war spy thrillers.
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Sep 1, 2016 14:55
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A friend of mine has a Golf R and it's pretty quick considering it's a Golf but the one thing that I really didn't like about it was the fact it was too quiet in terms of engine/exhaust noise. The noise is half the fun and that thing is too quiet for it to be any sort of 'experience'
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Sep 1, 2016 16:09
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Muffinpox posted:Thanks! Get him to drive one after his warrant runs out. There is no going back. I love this thread and I love FFR 65 coupes, so I'm desperately hoping this happens You're also pushing me towards a supercharged BRZ/FRS if I can ever afford a sports car. 
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Sep 1, 2016 17:01
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88h88 posted:A friend of mine has a Golf R and it's pretty quick considering it's a Golf but the one thing that I really didn't like about it was the fact it was too quiet in terms of engine/exhaust noise. The noise is half the fun and that thing is too quiet for it to be any sort of 'experience' My coworker thinks that Mustangs are the worst cars ever imagined and can't handle for poo poo, but then is seriously considering trading up his GTI to an R. The 2011 V6 Mustang with the 112mph limiter is faster than a Golf R around the track. A 2016 GT is so much faster around the same track. It blows my mind that he won't give it a fair shake.
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Sep 1, 2016 17:36
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Phone posted:My coworker thinks that Mustangs are the worst cars ever imagined and can't handle for poo poo, but then is seriously considering trading up his GTI to an R. Maybe because its a smaller, less fuel hungry vehicle? I really don't grasp the love for Mustangs, either.
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Sep 1, 2016 17:41
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88h88 posted:A friend of mine has a Golf R and it's pretty quick considering it's a Golf but the one thing that I really didn't like about it was the fact it was too quiet in terms of engine/exhaust noise. The noise is half the fun and that thing is too quiet for it to be any sort of 'experience' Yea, I think underwhelming is the main problem I had with it. I was expecting It to be what the GTi is to a normal golf, when it's really pretty close to being a GTi. DrakeriderCa posted:I love this thread and I love FFR 65 coupes, so I'm desperately hoping this happens Me too! I'm really excited. CommieGIR posted:Maybe because its a smaller, less fuel hungry vehicle? I should probably write my 2011 v6 and 5.0 mustang reviews but I already made the running into the crowds at cars and coffee joke in the Chevy SS review.
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Sep 1, 2016 21:18
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