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Performance Basics - The quick
and the fast So you want a FAST car? That usually means one of two things - a car that accelerates quickly, or a car that has a high top speed (Over 140MPH). I usually break this out into two groups : Quick cars and fast cars - handling falling into a different category altogether. While many cars are both, this is not necessarily always the case. Take a quick 510, for example. Put 200hp into the car, and it will be quick - low 14-high 13 second quarter mile times - definitely QUICK. The top speed of this car will be around 135mph or so, which is really good for a 510, but a Mustang GT will go that fast and be much slower through the quarter mile (15 flat or so). Take a 1990-later 300ZX Turbo that can run with the 200hp 510 (14 flat in the 1/4 mi), and you also have a car with over 150mph top speed. How can this be? Simple - QUICKNESS is largely a function of power/weight ratio, gearing, and traction. FAST (top speed) is a function of horsepower, aerodynamics, and gearing. Those Bullet trains that run 180+mph? Lousy power/weight ratio (It'd lose in a 1/4mi drag race to a Hummer), but REALLY fast. Why? decent aerodynamics, and horsepower in spades. To prevent this from becoming a HUGE page, I have broken out the "players" into different sections : |
   Handling |