Miata Beaters

But a Miata will never have the same aural enjoyment as a Vtec 4...

 
prizrak said:
RWD can powerslide no matter how shitty it is (might need to have VERY bad tires installed though)
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But powersliding a big, hunky, uninformative piece of crap just isn't fun (for me, at least). I'd rather be in a great FWD car, on track (or on the street, really) than in, say, the Mustang SVT Cobra I drove. The Mustang could powerslide all day, but it wasn't rewarding and fun. It was frustrating and disappointing. Tossing a classic Mini around was more fun.
 
equiraptor said:
But powersliding a big, hunky, uninformative piece of crap just isn't fun (for me, at least). I'd rather be in a great FWD car, on track (or on the street, really) than in, say, the Mustang SVT Cobra I drove. The Mustang could powerslide all day, but it wasn't rewarding and fun. It was frustrating and disappointing. Tossing a classic Mini around was more fun.
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You are weird, that is all :p
 
Exactly.

If you are into performance around a track powersliding is not the fastest way around. Might be fun, but not very fast.
 
I'd rather have a nimble FWD car than a RWD boat. Just my personal preference in type of vehicle, drivetrain is not the ultimate priority.
 
prizrak said:
You are weird, that is all :p
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Statement of the obvious. :p

The problem, for me, is the chunky interfaces of the Mustang. The gearshift throw was long and brutal. The steering was heavy without being informative (when compared with Exige, good 911s, and the good Miatas, which are my standard). The clutch was heavy, but without the delicacy of the racing clutches in my Miatas. The car was not capable of doing anything in a subtle fashion, and that's frustrating for me.

_HighVoltage_ said:
Exactly.

If you are into performance around a track powersliding is not the fastest way around. Might be fun, but not very fast.
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Haha, I am quite fond of powersliding, but I like doing it in cars with a delicacy and nimbleness a muscle car like the Mustang doesn't have. I kick the Miata into massive powerslides, in part for fun and in part for the car control work.
 
But it doesn't make you faster, does it? :)

Nothing wrong with having fun though.
 
_HighVoltage_ said:
But it doesn't make you faster, does it? :)

Nothing wrong with having fun though.
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That's the thing, it's not just having fun. It's developing a skill that is actually useful.

This kind of slide control isn't going to improve qualifying times. It's not going to make for a better single fast lap. But it does help keep the car on track and pointed forward after a mistake is made, so it's still a useful tool to have.

People often fall into a trap of thinking things that don't improve lap times don't have value for track use other than, perhaps, fun. But an exercise that gives you more tools to use to stay rubber side down, going the correct direction, and on track are good. Tools that help you hang on to the bumper of the car in front, or that help you adjust for someone else's error, are important.

Coco had an experience in LeMons that's a "real life" example of this. While she was driving, the Bunnycar was hit on the right, around a right turn. It was pushed into a heavy slide. Between Coco's natural aggression and the training (in a slide, more throttle and STEER LIKE HELL), Coco brought the car out of the slide and kept heading down track. Had she not had that slide control skill, she could have ended up either backward or in a wall. Slide control definitely made Coco faster that day.
 
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I dislike any FWD, it feels weird to me. Also didn't think the CRX was that great (friend's in HS). But I may just be completely biased. For having hatred of FWD its amazing I mostly only like imports.
 
biggie said:
I dislike any FWD, it feels weird to me. Also didn't think the CRX was that great (friend's in HS). But I may just be completely biased. For having hatred of FWD its amazing I mostly only like imports.
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FWD can be cool.

1966_Oldsmobile_Toronado_Deluxe_For_Sale_Front_1.jpg


Little torquesteer (FWD done right, not cheap), big block V8, classic looks.

// Yes this is about as far as you can get from a Miata beater.
 
argatoga said:
FWD can be cool.

1966_Oldsmobile_Toronado_Deluxe_For_Sale_Front_1.jpg


Little torquesteer (FWD done right, not cheap), big block V8, classic looks.

// Yes this is about as far as you can get from a Miata beater.
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Nope:

99-111.jpg
 
argatoga said:
FWD can be cool.

1966_Oldsmobile_Toronado_Deluxe_For_Sale_Front_1.jpg


Little torquesteer (FWD done right, not cheap), big block V8, classic looks.

// Yes this is about as far as you can get from a Miata beater.
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It would probably beat a miata in a head on collision. Depending on your definition of "beat"
 
equiraptor said:
That's the thing, it's not just having fun. It's developing a skill that is actually useful.

This kind of slide control isn't going to improve qualifying times. It's not going to make for a better single fast lap. But it does help keep the car on track and pointed forward after a mistake is made, so it's still a useful tool to have.

People often fall into a trap of thinking things that don't improve lap times don't have value for track use other than, perhaps, fun. But an exercise that gives you more tools to use to stay rubber side down, going the correct direction, and on track are good. Tools that help you hang on to the bumper of the car in front, or that help you adjust for someone else's error, are important.

Coco had an experience in LeMons that's a "real life" example of this. While she was driving, the Bunnycar was hit on the right, around a right turn. It was pushed into a heavy slide. Between Coco's natural aggression and the training (in a slide, more throttle and STEER LIKE HELL), Coco brought the car out of the slide and kept heading down track. Had she not had that slide control skill, she could have ended up either backward or in a wall. Slide control definitely made Coco faster that day.
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Ermm...I don't see how that's actually useful in real life. I have been driving for more than 5 years and I have never had a car hit me and twist me into a slide.

(Again, your abilities, and others, are excellent and I admire them, but I don't see their real life application for the everyday driver, in an everyday situation. This is far from the FWD vs RWD topic...and even further away from the original topic, but anyways...do carry on)
 
_HighVoltage_ said:
Ermm...I don't see how that's actually useful in real life. I have been driving for more than 5 years and I have never had a car hit me and twist me into a slide.

(Again, your abilities, and others, are excellent and I admire them, but I don't see their real life application for the everyday driver, in an everyday situation. This is far from the FWD vs RWD topic...and even further away from the original topic, but anyways...do carry on)
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Um, I never said, or tired to imply, that these skills were useful on the street. I mentioned a "real life" example, not a "street driving" example. I was following your restriction of "performance around a track".

If you'd like, I could also make some pedantic argument about the unexpected pile of wet leaves mid-corner causing the back of the car to step out and needing good slide control skills to handle it. But that's not really the point I had in mind, anyway. ;)
 
_HighVoltage_ said:
Ermm...I don't see how that's actually useful in real life. I have been driving for more than 5 years and I have never had a car hit me and twist me into a slide.

(Again, your abilities, and others, are excellent and I admire them, but I don't see their real life application for the everyday driver, in an everyday situation. This is far from the FWD vs RWD topic...and even further away from the original topic, but anyways...do carry on)
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She's not talking about everyday driver experiences, but emergency situations, and your five years of driving are nothing compared to the world of possibility out there. Plus when you do end up in Colorado, there will be times during snowfall when countersteering and reaction time will be pretty important.
 
Oh hell, why do I even participate in this discussion - I drive a Volvo :p Plus, I'm quite drunk right now...

(Please ignore my comments here)
 
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