Let's Hear it for Compacts! (traction, tire, engine, drivers)

[sponger42]

Thanks for paying for all those road repairs I drove by yesterday, Fleet!

[Fleet]

Originally Posted by sponger42

Thanks for paying for all those road repairs I drove by yesterday, Fleet!

Don't mention it.

[kjg1963]

I love my Impreza Outback Sport (the cheap baby outback), but unfortunately it looks like an AMC Pacer on steroids.

[gardener34]

I love them too. Unfortunately I am usually carting around the 2 kids and all their gear, thus I am relegated to the Taurus wagon. I wish I could get one. Drove a 1992 Escort for years, sold it to a friend because of 2nd kid, that car is still going with 200,000+ miles.

38 MPG on the highway. That is one indestructible vehicle.

I miss driving the small cars, they are more fun to drive for sure.

[Dennis P]

Originally Posted by gardener34

I love them too. Unfortunately I am usually carting around the 2 kids and all their gear, thus I am relegated to the Taurus wagon. I wish I could get one. Drove a 1992 Escort for years, sold it to a friend because of 2nd kid, that car is still going with 200,000+ miles.

38 MPG on the highway. That is one indestructible vehicle.

I miss driving the small cars, they are more fun to drive for sure.

On this point, I wholeheartedly agree with you.

[doc1]

Originally Posted by Fleet

I like some compact cars, too. Especially when they have a big 440-cu-in engine.

Now we're talkin'. And 12.7 in the 1/4 on what looks like crappy tires and suspension technology of the era.

[Fleet]

Originally Posted by doc1

Now we're talkin'. And 12.7 in the 1/4 on what looks like crappy tires and suspension technology of the era.

I know. Just think what it would do with modern tires and maybe a little work on the suspension... probably high 11s. This with a stock, relatively mildly-tuned 440 with a 600 cfm carb. Just putting a 800-cfm Holley would probably put in the low 12s.
Here are the two other pages from the same article (Drag Racing magazine, June, 1969):

[Steve-o]

A 400ci, 375hp, 480 lb/ft torque car only running 5.9 0-60 is weak. Mitsu's Eclipse GS-T runs 0-60 in 6.4 seconds with 210 hp.

[Huckleberry3911948]

Originally Posted by sponger42

Why I like my Little Compact Hatchback!

1. Gas mileage! I buy gas about once every two weeks, and then I spend under $30 to fill it up. Watching gas go from $2.60 to $4.00/gallon is an academic exercise for me and no big deal.
2. Cheap! I could've bought it outright when I got it, but I made payments on a 0% interest loan and now it's been all paid off for years.
3. Cargo! I can fit groceries, sufboards, wetsuits, bikes, skis/boards, inside with a little creativity. I've used it to move from place to place as well. I can carry 4 passengers plus myself if I open the back seat, or a pair of big dogs--or even sleep 2 people in the back at a rest stop) if I put the seats down.
4. Sporty! It's fast, agile, and light-on-it's wheels. It looks sharp too!
5. Stable! Last year, a white Chevy Tahoe merged into my lane (far left) on the freeway without signalling or looking. I dodged away and squeezed into the emergency lane between the concrete barrier and the idiot driver. I overcorrected and started to skid from side-to-side. However, when I got my senses back and eased off the brake, I was able to damp out the oscillations. There was no damage to my car besides some burnt rubber. In a tall truck or SUV, I surely would've flipped and gone tumbling and rolling down the freeway and had a major accident. I'm pretty sure that my little Mazda's low center of gravity and tight steering saved me from major injury or even death!
6. Versatile! I've driven on pavement, dirt, mud, gravel, sand, ice, and even up into the mountains in a blizzard during the snowiest winter on record. All chained up, I never skidded or got stuck once.
7. Small! I rarely have trouble finding parking. There's always a space that's just a little too small for that Suburban or Explorer, but I can squeeze right in. "Compact" labels on parking spaces don't mean I have to squeeze myself out the 2 inches I can crack my door open--unlike in larger, wider vehicles.

All in all, I'm convinced that the compact hatchback sedan is the optimum in automotive technology unless you live far from civilization deep in the Alaskan wilderness. Who else owns a compact and enjoys all it's perks?

on little cars. the chinese will release cherrie qq3 in a month or 2 for 5,000 bucks a subcompact. i sold my festiva 2 years back a great car. why did i sell it? because i saw a 5 car wreck and i saw what happens to a subcompact when it gets hit by an suv or two.
only a fender no driver no passengers. san diego has a reputation for its driving. i wont be getting in a little car (or at least smaller than my civic) unless these cars get smaller and drivers get better.
stephen s
san diego,ca

[Fleet]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

A 400ci, 375hp, 480 lb/ft torque car only running 5.9 0-60 is weak. Mitsu's Eclipse GS-T runs 0-60 in 6.4 seconds with 210 hp.

The engine wasn't weak; the tires were!
Even at part throttle, the huge low-end torque of the 440 engine would make the rear tires would break lose on that Dart. With some of those '60s muscle cars, a full second could be lost just on wheelspin getting up to 60 mph from a dead stop.

With a set of wider tires with a good grip, the 0-60 mph times would be considerably better. How do I know? Because a Yenko 427 Nova, with aftermarket tires, was said to be able to run 0-60 mph in less than 4 seconds. And a '62 426 Max Wedge Mopar could do it in 4.2 seconds.