I spun a Z06 about 11 times yesterday in the rain...
02-27-2005, 08:28 AM
#21
Drifting
Member Since: Aug 2002
Location: South
Posts: 1,258
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by MagikDraggin
I found it rather interesting that the Z06 was only a few mph better than the Camry around the track. I'm not sure if that is saying a lot for the Camry or that the Z06 is not all it's trumped up to be.
My own personal observations regarding the three vehicles I have, (the vette is an '04 coupe with std suspension upgraded with Z06 sway bars) are as follows, just for conversation and not to start an argument or flame war:
There is an offramp here that I love to take as fast as possible, especially when I have some fool in a 6000 lb SUV trying to act like a Dale Ernhart Jr wannabe by tailgating me around the ramp.
The posted speed recommended speed limit is 45 mph. I can take it before any signs of under or over steer in the Camry at 55 mph. In the Accord, I can take that ramp easily at 70 mph. And in the Vette, the best I can crowd it is 71, maybe 72 mph.
On wet pavement, the Accord will easily outcorner and outtrack the other two with no sweat.
In a straight line however......it's no contest; the Vette rules!
I know this isn't what you guys want to hear, but I am really amazed at the handling ability of that 10 yr old rice-burner. We used to have a 4dr Accord and it was essentially worthless when it came to going around on ramps fast.
The suspension on a Camry is simply too mushy and the overall center of gravity too high for it to be considered in any sort of cornering contest. Again, in my opinion. I'm surprised it managed to turn in speed times that were within 5 mph of the Z06.
Like I said, that isn't really saying much for the Z06, is it?
Flak jacket on and ready for incoming
My own personal observations regarding the three vehicles I have, (the vette is an '04 coupe with std suspension upgraded with Z06 sway bars) are as follows, just for conversation and not to start an argument or flame war:
There is an offramp here that I love to take as fast as possible, especially when I have some fool in a 6000 lb SUV trying to act like a Dale Ernhart Jr wannabe by tailgating me around the ramp.
The posted speed recommended speed limit is 45 mph. I can take it before any signs of under or over steer in the Camry at 55 mph. In the Accord, I can take that ramp easily at 70 mph. And in the Vette, the best I can crowd it is 71, maybe 72 mph.
On wet pavement, the Accord will easily outcorner and outtrack the other two with no sweat.
In a straight line however......it's no contest; the Vette rules!
I know this isn't what you guys want to hear, but I am really amazed at the handling ability of that 10 yr old rice-burner. We used to have a 4dr Accord and it was essentially worthless when it came to going around on ramps fast.
The suspension on a Camry is simply too mushy and the overall center of gravity too high for it to be considered in any sort of cornering contest. Again, in my opinion. I'm surprised it managed to turn in speed times that were within 5 mph of the Z06.
Like I said, that isn't really saying much for the Z06, is it?
Flak jacket on and ready for incoming
If your 10 year old accord is within 1-2 MPH of your vette around any turn, it might be because its worth like 10x more then the accord and you are afraid that you might crash it. JMO.
Good day.
02-27-2005, 08:46 AM
#22
Tech Contributor
Member Since: Dec 2003
Location: Horncastle Lincolnshire, England
Posts: 19,384
Likes: 0
Received 79 Likes
on
61 Posts
2023 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Tom,
Thanks for a great write up. Very informative.
As a Brit, I have had lots of practice at driving in the rain over the years. As you can imagine, I don't get the same practice in Vegas!
There's a lot of food for thought in your post when it comes to driving a Vette in the rain particularly when the tires start to show their age.
Thanks for a great write up. Very informative.
As a Brit, I have had lots of practice at driving in the rain over the years. As you can imagine, I don't get the same practice in Vegas!
There's a lot of food for thought in your post when it comes to driving a Vette in the rain particularly when the tires start to show their age.
02-28-2005, 04:48 PM
#24
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
Update:
We had a little rain here today and on my way to work, (5:30am, no cars on the road) I kicked it in second gear as I turned onto a road. Got the car bent out of shape and was able to keep it that way for a little bit, then straighten out.
Then the very obvious dawned on me. The reason that it was so tough to do that at the Michelin track was that wasn't what we were doing. It probably is what I should have been doing, and probably is what the instructors were doing, but it wasn't what I was doing.
(Don't get me wrong, the instructors WERE getting up to 55+ mph before they threw it into a slide, but I mean that they were throwing it into the slide, whereas I was pushing it until it started to slide - if that makes sense. They were causing it to happen, I was letting it happen.)
I was taking the car up to its lateral limits in the rain (in third gear), on a circular track and when it started to get out of control, I would try to keep it sideways. I would push it into the slide sometimes, but always tentatively and without using much throttle. I'd just go to the outside of the radius and yank the wheel in a little and then try to pedal as fast as I could into the slide while applying throttle.
It is MUCH easier to do this at 30-35mph in a lower gear using the throttle to kick the car out. At Michelin, I was using momentum to do a lot of the work, and momentum is hard to control.
At least that is going to be my excuse so I don't feel like a terrible driver anymore.
We had a little rain here today and on my way to work, (5:30am, no cars on the road) I kicked it in second gear as I turned onto a road. Got the car bent out of shape and was able to keep it that way for a little bit, then straighten out.
Then the very obvious dawned on me. The reason that it was so tough to do that at the Michelin track was that wasn't what we were doing. It probably is what I should have been doing, and probably is what the instructors were doing, but it wasn't what I was doing.
(Don't get me wrong, the instructors WERE getting up to 55+ mph before they threw it into a slide, but I mean that they were throwing it into the slide, whereas I was pushing it until it started to slide - if that makes sense. They were causing it to happen, I was letting it happen.)
I was taking the car up to its lateral limits in the rain (in third gear), on a circular track and when it started to get out of control, I would try to keep it sideways. I would push it into the slide sometimes, but always tentatively and without using much throttle. I'd just go to the outside of the radius and yank the wheel in a little and then try to pedal as fast as I could into the slide while applying throttle.
It is MUCH easier to do this at 30-35mph in a lower gear using the throttle to kick the car out. At Michelin, I was using momentum to do a lot of the work, and momentum is hard to control.
At least that is going to be my excuse so I don't feel like a terrible driver anymore.
Last edited by Tom Steele; 02-28-2005 at 04:52 PM. Reason: Clarifying, I hope.
