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Low gearing does help a lot. I've read that dollar for dollar, the most performance (acceleration) gain you can get is by just changing to a lower gear ratio.
0-60 is overrated. There are many cars with good 0-60 because the manufacturers geared them for that, to make motortrend, car and driver and all the auto reviewers happy and not call their car slow. But when you drive these cars like a sane adult (2-4000rpm) that you spend 90% of the time in, you realize if you are not flooring it, many of these cars don't really have good performance down low, due to such tall gearing for better mpg.
Anything with 0-60 in under 7.5-8 seconds is good acceleration, considering 0-60 in 7 seconds was considered very fast just 10 yrs ago. Most cars are 4cyl and take 8-9.5 seconds to reach 0-60, so many times your main goal is to out accelerate them. And for anyone who wants to mention and accord, camry, or altima doing 0-60 in the 7's, just put 1-2 people in the car and see how much that 4cyl bogs down in real life driving, due to 180lbs of torque.
I am not aware of many current cars with factory low rear end gearing (to gain MT acceleration times). Today's exotic multi-speed trannies do the job well.
Some very quick and fast cars have final drives in the 2:xxs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fleet
Low gearing does help a lot. I've read that dollar for dollar, the most performance (acceleration) gain you can get is by just changing to a lower gear ratio.
I recall driving with 4:56s and 4:88s ... stump pullers. Sure changed the cars
Mostly what I love about my sports cars is that I can get onto the highway with little care about whether or not I have enough power to make it past the upcoming or lateral cars already in my lane.
I believe in coming down an on-ramp at a good clip because having already overcome the inertia, it is a simple decision as to if I need to add just a little more speed or scrub off a little speed to settle in between the cars that are already there. Having power makes that decision far easier.
When I am at a light or in traffic and discover that I am in the wrong lane because the signage says my turnoff is in the far opposite lane and coming up fast (NJ) or when the on-ramp is exceedingly short (SC), having real power makes those situations non-issues - I know that even if they accelerated as fast as they can, most of the cars that could potentially block my way if I were in the average sedan are not going to be road hazards in my powerful car.
When I am in fifth gear and start climbing a large hill on a long trip, I can just relax because I know that I do not need to down-shift in order to prevent the car from falling off - and out - of cruise control. As it needs more power, I see the boost gauge tick up and hear the faint whine as the engine provides the power needed to crest the hill.
When I am on a road settled in my middle lane with a car to the left and out of the corner of my eye, I see someone from the right trying to merge into my car - although I am already there, a quick down-shift and a stab of the gas gets me out of dodge.
I can keep at a safe following distance from the cars ahead of me and when the jerk behind me tries to overtake on a road where he really has no place to go, I can easily, quickly (and temporarily) close that gap before he even thinks about jumping in on me and removing that safety gap. He will just have to wait like a normal person for the lane to clear.
Along with great power, usually (but unfortunately not always) a sports car will come with a great suspension and superior handling. This means that not only are twisty roads more fun, but also if a rock or animal suddenly appears in the path, some quick gymnastics controlled with a combination of the steering wheel, the brakes, and the gas pedal will more than likely get me out of harms way, whereas in a "normal" car, those same maneuvers could cause the car to spin out or lose grip and me to lose control. IMO, a well mannered sports car is a much safer car.
And finally, when you are on the road and some idiot has decided to take out his life rage on you, having power means that by just putting your foot down, you can be well beyond his range instantly and go on with your life.
I wouldn't have a car that did not have decent power.
I am not a big fan fan of 0-60 due to safety concern for me and the other cars .
I am particularly fan of 60-80 and back to 60 and do it when its safe to do so.
My previous Infiniti was a killer at it...
Non-CVT Nissans are beasts when it comes to 60-120 acceleration.
My 2004 6MT Maxima (RIP) was a 6 second 0-60, but would pull like crazy in 3rd and 4th gears.
Mid-range acceleration is much more important to me than 0-60.
Try living in an area with timing lights. When I get on the freeway from work, I start from a dead stop and I am put immediately into the path of whatever big-rig or texting fiend might be in that lane. Fortunately, most cars these days have adequate power for any situation. My Ford's 0-60 time of 7.4 is considered slow these days, but in the 70's that would have been an exotic sports car. Even as recently as the 90's, getting that kind of performance in a full-size sedan would have meant a V8-powered BMW.
Correct me if I'm wrong but weren't most highways built over 20 years ago when all cars were slower? I would think that even from a dead stop, most cars will have enough acceleration lane to get up to speed before being absolutely forced to merge.
Anyway, all this stuff is interesting for someone like me who doesn't really speed.
Is anyone concerned about reduced gas mileage from driving in the "mid range (60-80)?"
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