The Future Automotive Thread

[Corbic]

Originally Posted by ronmcdon

How times have changed in that enthusiasts are much more forgiving of weight today. 10-20 years ago anything over 3,500 lbs would have scared more people away. Today it's closer to the norm that a faster car is well over that weight.

Last 3 cars I got well definitely over 3,500 lbs and no regrets whatsoever. My favorite car ever that I've owned is 3,800 lbs. But yeah I'd also like another miata some day again. It's a different driving experience and such a wonderful daily driver.

People also have rose tinted glasses.

Supra, Soarer, 300ZX, 280ZX, GTO, etc also weighted a ton (or two) ... But also lacked power and braking to back it up.

Part of the 3,000lb threshold mythos came from the fact that 25 years ago anything about that compromised a cars suspension, braking, power control, power output and tire capabilities.

We now have amazing tires that come in +300 sizes instead of a 195/55R16. We have mag ride suspension, we have launch and traction control. We have engines that make +400whp, we have brakes that stop in under 100/ft...repeatedly.

[ronmcdon]

I dont think theres much correlation today between a fast track car and something thats light. I’m guessing a lighter car has more of advantage in autox, but thats about it.

my experience with lighter cars are they’re typicall more communicative and in some ways more confidence inspiring in the past, but with some of the newer heavy & fast cars Ive driven I can say its no longer a rule of thumb. I do think all things equal, lighter, smaller cars are usually fun to drive as long as its well sorted out.

interesting review that includes a comparison and chat with the 4,200 lb gt500 vs the lighter gr350. I dont think people like the gt350 so much for it being the fastest car for the money as much its considered subjectively fun to drive by many.
https://jalopnik.com/the-2020-ford-m...-76-1839367380

[exitspeed]

https://www.autoblog.com/2019/10/29/...or-spy-photos/

Interesting, looks like a Z mule caught at the ring.

Honestly I’m just not that excited for a new Z.

[spooled240]

I'd take the manual, 400+lbs-lighter GT350..

I don't have a problem with more weight as long as it's justified with better chassis engineering(usually is) combined with more power, more braking, more tire, etc.

What I do have a problem with is when car manufacturers don't have more power and still advertise 300hp as something to write home about when you're driving a 3400lb car ahem, *Subaru*

[Corbic]

Originally Posted by spooled240

I'd take the manual, 400+lbs-lighter GT350..

I don't have a problem with more weight as long as it's justified with better chassis engineering(usually is) combined with more power, more braking, more tire, etc.

What I do have a problem with is when car manufacturers don't have more power and still advertise 300hp as something to write home about when you're driving a 3400lb car ahem, *Subaru*

300hp... Basic bitch rental car power these days..

[Future240]

Originally Posted by Corbic

300hp... Basic bitch rental car power these days..

Also minivan power

2019 Toyota Sienna
MSRP: From $31,315
MPG: Up to 19 city / 27 highayw
Dimensions: 200″ L x 78″ W x 69-71″ H
Towing capacity: 3,500 lbs
Horsepower: 296 hp

[[240sx]]

Originally Posted by Future240

Also minivan power

2019 Toyota Sienna
MSRP: From $31,315
MPG: Up to 19 city / 27 highayw
Dimensions: 200″ L x 78″ W x 69-71″ H
Towing capacity: 3,500 lbs
Curb weight: 4,430
Horsepower: 296 hp

... and yet 18lbs lighter than a Hellcat.

[KA24DESOneThree]

We pull out the lap times sheet, but 99.9% of the time, a car with 700hp is going to dominate on track because there are straights. I mean... duh. Real-life isn't a spec race and cars with power are usually going to dominate cars without, even if the cars without are involving, great-handling cars with adequate power for street use. I (in my '92 coupe with maybe 150whp at its prime but likely more like 140whp and a curb weight of about 2285lbs) used to absolutely mop the floor with STis and Evos in the back of Streets of Willow but they would destroy me once we got out of the bowl. That track was only 1.6 miles. I would've been a rolling chicane on big Willow.

The JZA80 Supra didn't lack braking to back up the power. The JZA80 did 70-0 in 149ft, 5ft shorter than a Hellcat, 3ft shorter than a GT350, 3ft longer than a GT350R and 1ft longer than a 2020 Supra. On 1997-spec street tires, not R-compounds. The Z32 did 70-0 in 171ft, which is kinda shit now and 7 ft longer than a Mustang EcoBoost on 255/40R17 PZeros.

Big tires mean more rolling resistance and more aero resistance. They also mean worse steering feel by way of their width and the boosted power steering to turn them at low speeds.

I have rose-tinted glasses because when I drive for fun, I commute to my driving roads. When I drive to work, I drive two miles. What takes me to work is immaterial. I don't give a shit if it's electric or powered by wind or a tuk-tuk as long as the AC and heat work and it preferably has a low carbon footprint. I don't want/need some asinine "jack-of-all-trades" fat bastard boulevardier with more horsepower than I have balls masquerading as the newest hot shit sports car.

Edit: You know why I get worked up about this? Because most modern sporty/fast cars are unremarkable cars. They're fast. They're grippy. They're completely and totally soul-less. They get shit gas mileage. They're being used as commuters for god knows what reason. My state lets these uninspired pieces of shit get registered by the thousand and says "no thanks" to cars made after 1967 but before 1976 if they're imported from out of the country. The US needs more Alfa Giulia Supers, not more Hellcats. I want to see more Caterhams and Triumph Dolomite Sprints and Fiat 850 Sport Coupes. Future cars need to be autonomous, not gluttonous.

Edit to the edit: Still an old man yelling at the moon.

[BryanSayWhat]

My '15 STI gives me everything I want and more when driving down narrow winding back roads... Sure, I'd never turn down another 50-100hp, but the flat handling and responsive steering is what I like the most.

For me a stock EVO/ STI is meant to be a "decent" DD that can still get rowdy in some consecutive sharp curves.

Like many here, I'd just be happy with a new FR coupe that has about 280hp, 6MT and weighs less than 3000lbs...

[Future240]

https://www.wrcbtv.com/story/4128288...2i4BoamcC0TYHE

Created together with the automotive parts supplier Webasto, the Mustang Lithium has a six-speed manual transmission. That's unusual in an electric car because, unlike gasoline and diesel-powered cars, electric cars don't actually require a transmission with more than one speed. The transmission in the Mustang Lithium is a special heavy-duty transmission engineered to handle the 1,000 foot-pounds of torque, or pulling power, put out by the car's electric motor.

John Lupu, director of marketing for Webasto Customized Solutions, said the manual transmission was included "because it puts control of the vehicle back in the driver's hands." The driver can simply leave the car in third gear all the time and drive it like any other electric car or choose to shift gears.

The Mustang Lithium is powered by an 800-volt power system, more than double the power of most electric cars on the road today, according to Ford. The driver can select from four driving modes, including Sport, Track and Beast. The fourth is a Valet mode for when you have to hand someone else the key.

[dorkidori_s13]

THERE IS HOPE!!!

w00t! id buy that sumbitch in a hearbeat!!! im not against electric cars, im against mandatory automatic transmissions... and this is 100% that manual is completely possible in an electric car.

[ronmcdon]

excited for an electric mustang. if they can somehow fit a manual transmission in there that'd be impressive.

a mustang suv on other hand is downright offensive. Really not caring one bit for this trend of 'coupe' suv's. jim Hackett needs to die.

[[240sx]]

Electric mustang.. the crowds will never hear 'em comming.



p.Cool tho.

[dorkidori_s13]

Originally Posted by [240sx]

Electric mustang.. the crowds will never hear 'em comming.

you think theyll have a special "SBD" edition

[exitspeed]

Originally Posted by ronmcdon

excited for an electric mustang. if they can somehow fit a manual transmission in there that'd be impressive.

a mustang suv on other hand is downright offensive. Really not caring one bit for this trend of 'coupe' suv's. jim Hackett needs to die.

It actually DOES have manual transmission!

https://techcrunch.com/2019/11/05/fo...-and-were-mad/

[souljaseth33]

Originally Posted by [240sx]

Electric mustang.. the crowds will never hear 'em comming.



p.Cool tho.

From what I've heard (hearsay at work), electric cars now have to come with some sort of sound so you can hear them. Newer model Tesla's coming through our shop have it, kind of like a low tone woooooooo. Maybe the mustangs could have the Jaws theme playing as they're crowd hunting.

[Future240]

Originally Posted by ronmcdon

excited for an electric mustang. if they can somehow fit a manual transmission in there that'd be impressive.

a mustang suv on other hand is downright offensive. Really not caring one bit for this trend of 'coupe' suv's. jim Hackett needs to die.

The first sentence literally says it has a manual transmission.

[[240sx]]

Originally Posted by dorkidori_s13

you think theyll have a special "SBD" edition

Originally Posted by souljaseth33

Maybe the mustangs could have the Jaws theme playing as they're crowd hunting.

lol. Soon as the song starts, "Is that that Baby shark so.." THUD

Originally Posted by Future240

The first sentence literally says it has a manual transmission.

1st sentence be like


Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

[exitspeed]

It’s just getting uglier over at Nissan.

https://www.autoblog.com/2019/11/12/...ps-70-percent/

Given this paragraph, I just don’t see how they plan to keep the GTR and Z.

Nissan is implementing a global recovery plan under which it will axe nearly one-tenth of its workforce and cut global vehicle production by 10% through 2023 to rein in costs which it has said ballooned when Ghosn was CEO.

[Future240]

Originally Posted by exitspeed

It’s just getting uglier over at Nissan.

https://www.autoblog.com/2019/11/12/...ps-70-percent/

Given this paragraph, I just don’t see how they plan to keep the GTR and Z.

Years of heavy discounting and fleet sales, particularly in the United States, has cheapened the automaker's brand image while lowering vehicle resale value and denting profit.

Not to mention the issues with their transmissions.

https://www.autonews.com/automakers-...d-nissans-woes

Two cars 4 years apart. Yet both still have transmission issues.
https://www.carcomplaints.com/Nissan/Altima/2013/
https://www.carcomplaints.com/Nissan/Altima/2017/

Carcomplaints gives the Altima either "Avoid like the Plague
or "Beware the clunker" ratings from 2002 all the way to 2016 straight.

This is what is cheapening their image. They sell poorly built cars.

Murano, transmission issues
https://www.carcomplaints.com/Nissan/Murano/2015/
Rogue Trans issues
https://www.carcomplaints.com/Nissan/Rogue/2012/
Pathfinder Trans issues
https://www.carcomplaints.com/Nissan/Pathfinder/2013/

Nissan today is not the Nissan we grew up with. I would not dare buy any Nissan branded car other than the 370z, GTR and the Maxima as the others will likely be money pits.

Oddly enough the Infiniti side seems not to be plagued with these issues.

[ronmcdon]

I’m totally okay with them discontinuing the gtr given how bloated the price has become. article does state they are doing better in China which is a plus.

I do believe they need a lot of catching up to do as far as EV’s, which is a shame bc they were ahead of the game with the Leaf, but didnt seem to move forwards much after that effort. market in China is very EV focused iirc. Hope they pull through and the new management will do better.

[exitspeed]

Originally Posted by Future240

Not to mention the issues with their transmissions.

https://www.autonews.com/automakers-...d-nissans-woes

Two cars 4 years apart. Yet both still have transmission issues.
https://www.carcomplaints.com/Nissan/Altima/2013/
https://www.carcomplaints.com/Nissan/Altima/2017/

Carcomplaints gives the Altima either "Avoid like the Plague
or "Beware the clunker" ratings from 2002 all the way to 2016 straight.

This is what is cheapening their image. They sell poorly built cars.

Murano, transmission issues
https://www.carcomplaints.com/Nissan/Murano/2015/
Rogue Trans issues
https://www.carcomplaints.com/Nissan/Rogue/2012/
Pathfinder Trans issues
https://www.carcomplaints.com/Nissan/Pathfinder/2013/

The transmission in my '14 Pathfinder was replaced 6 months before I turned it in. Fuck that. Never again.

[Dutchmalmiss]

My mom's '03 Murano had transmission issues as well. Nissan is the reason why I fucking hate CVT. It's not safe having a gear-engagement hesitation trying to make a left in an intersection while the light is turning red.

[Dutchmalmiss]

For consistency.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a2...ofit-problems/

I'd be so in for a heavily discounted Q50 Sport 400 if they came in a manual.

[Future240]

Manual or not I'd take a Q50 400 sport any day.


Speaking of manual q's been following this for a bit
https://conceptzperformance.com/blog...q60-red-sport/

[[240sx]]

Originally Posted by Future240

Speaking of manual q's been following this for a bit

Wow, That's cool as sh*t!!!

[Dutchmalmiss]

Originally Posted by Future240

Manual or not I'd take a Q50 400 sport any day.


Speaking of manual q's been following this for a bit
https://conceptzperformance.com/blog...q60-red-sport/

Wow, amazing work done. Just unsurprising, yet frustrated, to see how little the mechanical issues were compared to the electronic issues to get it going.

[exitspeed]

Originally Posted by Future240

Manual or not I'd take a Q50 400 sport any day.


Speaking of manual q's been following this for a bit
https://conceptzperformance.com/blog...q60-red-sport/

That’s really impressive work by those guys. Serious dedication.

[dorkidori_s13]

eat a dick nissan/infiniti... thats all i have to say.

[collegekid]

Originally Posted by Future240

Manual or not I'd take a Q50 400 sport any day.


Speaking of manual q's been following this for a bit
https://conceptzperformance.com/blog...q60-red-sport/

Thanks for posting that, I'm very impressed with how they have been tackling that. Here's to picking up some used Q60's fresh out of warranty.