Worst drivers are BMW drivers

la toilette said:
He's right you know.

I've got a mental picture of Terry Thomas driving one of those Bentleys,
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..and in the other one I have a mental picture of that lottery yobbo doing donuts in Staples carpark....
 
I absolutely love the classic (IMO) Mitzi Ralliart Tommi Makinen Evo VI (footage of TM driving one), however regardless of the fact one is now within reach I just couldn't bring myself to drive one around.

Shin you just have to accept that for all the things that are superb about your STi people will mostly judge it by how it looks. If you're of the opinion its a cool car to be seen in you really should take stock.

I'm a little obsessed with the Audi Quattro S1 but again I'd look like a silly billy driving one around. Plus a decent one is likely to set you back more than £35K so no hope for me.
 
Paul Ranson said:
It's simple physics that cars corner and brake harder than bikes.

Paul
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Is that so? Funnily enough I would suspect that the choice of car and bike would have a considerable affect on which one comes out first in that argument. A decent sports bike can brake at over 1g which is considerably more than most cars are capable of for example.

As has been stated already a car cornering hard is effectively only being gripped by two wheels (worse that that actually as the outside front wheel is actually the limiting factor of cornering grip on a car). Now factor in mass, coefficent of friction of your typical car tyre rubber (which for all but the most exoteric sports rubber is no where near as high as standard road rubber for a bike - to say nothing of road legal "race" compounds that are readily available), contact area, shearing forces over the contact patch, suspension capabilities etc and I think you'll find the argument is nowhere near as clear cut as people think.


In case you think all these things are unimportant then consider why 125cc race bikes can corner faster than motoGP bikes despite having tyres that are much thinner and the likes of Lotus Elises can outcorner just about any car on the road despite not being blessed with anything wider than 185 tyres.

GTM
 
greg said:
I absolutely love the classic (IMO) Mitzi Ralliart Tommi Makinen Evo VI (footage of TM driving one), however regardless of the fact one is now within reach I just couldn't bring myself to drive one around.
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The rarer examples of particular models are worth seeking out. There's thousands of Subura/Mitzubishi chaff all over the place, most are now being disfigured by youngsters with credit cards and expensive insurance bills.

I really wanted to avoid the crap that you see everyday. So I went looking for a limited edition. The most sought after for the Impreza is the 22b which is a road going version of the rally car with the same name. Not cheap at ~£25k though. There's also the P11 which is actually pretty common now.

In the end I looked at the jap market and one of the most respected models was the Tommy Kaira which is a WRX STi v2 with Prodrive tuning, uprated brakes and suspension, front/rear anti-roll bars and unique styling. This model was never released over here and is a jap only edition so there's only a handful of these cars in the country (I only know of 4 and I go to meetings up and down the North/Midlands) so its a rare example and virtually original.

Shin you just have to accept that for all the things that are superb about your STi people will mostly judge it by how it looks. If you're of the opinion its a cool car to be seen in you really should take stock.
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Yep, its not a car that has anything to do with looking cool and I don't believe I've ever said such a thing, so not sure where you're picking those vibes up from. It does however accelerate like a jet fighter and handles brilliantly too, so its a cool car to really drive and that's why I bought it - for pleasure and fun. Like I said before its a weekend car and we go to meet ups, track days, 1/4 mile sprints or whatever else. Half the fun is talking to other enthusiasts and the other is the driving. Whilst some folks join bookclubs or talk and listen to hifi and some enjoy the theater, doesn't really matter what it is so long as its enjoyable.

I love hifi and loudspeaker DIY but its nothing compared to the thrill of driving a fast car.
 
ShinOBIWAN said:
.

I love hifi and loudspeaker DIY but its nothing compared to the thrill of driving a fast car.
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You should try downhill mountain biking, or rock climbing if you really want to get the adrenalin going, rather than sitting in a comfy seat (not Seat!) throwing a ton of protective metal about...
 
Best Adrenalin rush was when I used to commute from Croydon to Central London on a bicycle. Pretty scary stuff riding through Brixton and Vaxhall in rush hour.

I had some spectacular accidents and even made traffic news and one guy after I had been run over said "stand back I'm a Doctor" classic.

All the accidents happend the same way, a car would overtake then turn left in front of me.
 
leonard smalls said:
You should try downhill mountain biking, or rock climbing if you really want to get the adrenalin going, rather than sitting in a comfy seat (not Seat!) throwing a ton of protective metal about...
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yeah, downhill mountain biking is a buzz - haven't done it for a while tho...but flying down a single track (horsely woods) with a very steep dropoff on oneside of you at around 35-40mph is a buzz....
 
leonard smalls said:
You should try downhill mountain biking, or rock climbing if you really want to get the adrenalin going, rather than sitting in a comfy seat (not Seat!) throwing a ton of protective metal about...
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Sadly I'm really not in the best shape to jump on a push bike and throw myself down a steep slope. For something to be worth doing just for the thrill its first got to enjoyable ;)

And I guess if all your seeking is the rush then there's also things where the odds are certainly more stacked against you than rock climbing... I'd imagine Russian Roulette would be pretty intense :D

Its also the first time I've ever heard anyone call the seats in an Impreza comfortable! Functional would be a better description.
 
ShinOBIWAN said:
Its also the first time I've ever heard anyone call the seats in an Impreza comfortable! Functional would be a better description.
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You should try my road bike saddle - ever see that film "The Vikings" with Kirk Douglas where they throw miscreants down this long razor-edged slide? Well it's like that except more uncomfortable.
 
The Devil said:
Hard and unyielding would be another. The Subaru is so uncomfortable that a bog-standard Mondeo would be a lot faster on a long run, simply because there'd be fewer breaks. It's a completely impractical car, and if that's what you want, then a Westfield/Caterham would be miles more fun, and a lot faster still.
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Take breaks? Do you have arthritis or something?

Regarding impractical: the boot is rather roomy. :D
 
Funnily enough I would suspect that the choice of car and bike would have a considerable affect on which one comes out first in that argument.
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In that case the car absolutely always wins. Look at the lap times on the Shanghai circuit for proof.

The rest of your post is unsourced or wrong.

Paul
 
ShinOBIWAN said:
Take breaks? Do you have arthritis or something?
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No I don't have arthritis. I do, however, know how unrefined the Subaru experience is, in terms of both noise and ride quality, not to mention the cheap plastickyness of the whole thing. 100 miles in one would be pushing one's general well-being & sanity, IMO.
 
Just as an aside, drove an '06 Audi S4 estate today. Rather nice really. Lots of torque from low revs up, nice V8 growl, nicely put together, fairly practical, not the quickest on the road but will apparently see off a convertible M3. Recommend a test drive (hate the chrome(ish) wing mirrors though).
 
depends on one's opinion.

I don't know what over-assisted steering does, but if (it) and 4 wheel drive makes a numpty like me (and your average bloke) a safer driver, bring it on!

An assumption that the driver ISN'T Nigel Mansell is a safe one by Audi I feel :)
 
The Devil said:
Yes, the Audi's appealing, but has the twin drawbacks of over-assisted steering and four-wheel drive, both of which are undesirable.
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Well the latest model A4/S4 has IMO finally cured the rubbish feel to the steering and remote sensation when driving. I urge you to test drive the latest incarnation.

Regards 4WD - the latest quattros have a greater real wheel drive ration in normal conditions (in response to rear wheel drive fans righteous groans about previous versions) and IMO there's nothing more fun that powersliding out of a roundabout in the wet with all 4 wheels driving. Just the conditions one would have to treat with caution in a BMW.
 
The Devil said:
I've sold my soul to BMW.
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Know the feeling well. I have driven Mercedes and Audis and owned an Audi 90 in the past. I could live happily with any of them but the BMW is something else. Can't quite describe it, it's a combination of build quality, agility, a sweet free revving and growling straight six etc. I suppose this is what addiction must be like.
 

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