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Back in the day when I used to day dream about having cool car collections, I had always dreamt of buying every usdm 90's era jdm 2 door sports car (Nsx, 3000gt, 300zx, Supra, Rx7, etc) to do a proper performance comparison because I don't ever think I really saw what I would consider to be a real comparison. Create the constant by slapping the same wheel / tire combo on each and having a track day / autoX event. I think a video of this nature would've been an instant classic! And I really only started to develop a taste and appreciation German vehicles in the last decade or so. When I was young and impressionable I fell into that old 'manufacture prejudice jazz.'
Had you done the "same tires" comparison pretty sure the FD (and Miata's) would be head-and-shoulders above all others.
The in period comparsion tables in the back of road and Track ranked the FD second in a lot of categories. Beaten only by Ferraris or some other exotic.
The big in-period 15 car comparison did not rank the FD highly, cause they could not get the rear wheels to bite (that wheel hop thing).
In 1992, after the third kid was born, I bought a giant white Safari extended wheel base van. The rest of the 90's is essentially a blank, car dreaming wise. In 1994 I had a 30 second glimpse of an FD cruising through the movie theatre district at night. Looked like batman out on a date. Did not see another FD until shopping for a car for my oldest son in 2002, when there was a beat California model in a lot of broken down Japanese tuner cars (we bought a 1996 Probe automatic). Did not see another until about 2014 when the RHD started to land in number. I usually subconciously log every car that passes by, so I assumed FD were never sold in Canada (maybe 3000 were). Picked up Zelda in April 2015, two weeks after retirement, without realizing the significance of it being an S8.
Recently did a JDM car search. car sold at auction in 2014, I assume to the Canadian importer, for Y380,000.
Huh...you're a lot more "seasoned" than I expected!
Wait 15 seconds for 0-100mph? The article blamed it on wheel hop. I blame their driver because even my sorry *** back in day managed to get off the line without wheel hop.
Plus people on here have consistently pulled 1/4 mile times in the mid 13's @ ~100mph on stock cars for as long as I can remember. .
Wait 15 seconds for 0-100mph... The article blamed it on wheel hop. I blame their driver because even my sorry *** back in day managed to get off the line without wheel hop.
Plus people on here have consistently pulled 1/4 mile times in the mid 13's @ ~100mph on stock cars for as long as I can remember. .
CORRECT.....the FD does not have a wheel hop problem.......in fact with an HPP diff cradle/brace your Grandmother can launch an FD like a bandit.
Those old Road & Track articles were often very miss-leading or just wrong.
And we still find them quoted, even today. The comparison tables in the back of earlier editions showed a different, more favourable, story.
I have the Sakebomb (i think) brace, and it certainly helped, initially, with bushings clunking, but now the clunking is back, and I wonder if the brace transfers additional stress to other components of the suspension, causing premature wear..
Porsche 911: 4.7 seconds @ 351 ft
Corvette ZR-1: 4.8 seconds @ 361 ft
Supra: 5.0 seconds @ 372 ft
Lotus: 5.0 seconds @ 373 ft
RX-7: 4.8 seconds @ 374 ft
I jotted the porsche and corvette data as a reference. Anyway, given that all of these cars are starting at 100mph, how can the RX-7 have a little longer stopping distance than both the supra and the lotus yet take less time to stop?
Also, checkout the vette compared to the 7; same time of 4.8 seconds to get from 100 mph to 0 mph and yet it stopped 13 ft earlier than the 7…. I mean 13 ft is pretty significant. I could see +/- 2-3 ft but 13? Unless I'm missing something, it is exactly as you guys said: The data is all jacked up,
Porsche 911: 4.7 seconds @ 351 ft
Corvette ZR-1: 4.8 seconds @ 361 ft
Supra: 5.0 seconds @ 372 ft
Lotus: 5.0 seconds @ 373 ft
RX-7: 4.8 seconds @ 374 ft
I jotted the porsche and corvette data as a reference. Anyway, given that all of these cars are starting at 100mph, how can the RX-7 have a little longer stopping distance than both the supra and the lotus yet take less time to stop?
Also, checkout the vette compared to the 7; same time of 4.8 seconds to get from 100 mph to 0 mph and yet it stopped 13 ft earlier than the 7…. I mean 13 ft is pretty significant. I could see +/- 2-3 ft but 13? Unless I'm missing something, it is exactly as you guys said: The data is all jacked up,
Well, it was Road & Track magazine, so take that for what it's worth!
Seriously though, I bet these guys were really loose and inconsistent with their test procedures. For any comparison test, you should have the SAME driver(s) test ALL of the cars, and do the same tests multiple times to build some statistical confidence. If more than 1 driver tested all the cars, then you can average results across drivers to take driver's skill/influence out of the equation. I didn't read the full R&T article, but I wouldn't be surprised if they had different drivers in each car to save the magazine some $ and track time, and maybe did one or two passes max per test/car. Ambient conditions can be a huge factor as well - if they tested car "A" early in the AM when the track is still cold & greasy, and car "B" later in the day when the track surface is hotter & stickier for example.
Porsche 911: 4.7 seconds @ 351 ft
Corvette ZR-1: 4.8 seconds @ 361 ft
Supra: 5.0 seconds @ 372 ft
Lotus: 5.0 seconds @ 373 ft
RX-7: 4.8 seconds @ 374 ft
I jotted the porsche and corvette data as a reference. Anyway, given that all of these cars are starting at 100mph, how can the RX-7 have a little longer stopping distance than both the supra and the lotus yet take less time to stop?
Also, checkout the vette compared to the 7; same time of 4.8 seconds to get from 100 mph to 0 mph and yet it stopped 13 ft earlier than the 7…. I mean 13 ft is pretty significant. I could see +/- 2-3 ft but 13? Unless I'm missing something, it is exactly as you guys said: The data is all jacked up,
Tires.
Stopping distance and the complaints about wheel hop can be attributed to the tires used. Tire technology, grip, has come a long way since these cars were first introduced. Those numbers would be significantly better, for all cars, if re-tested with modern tires.
Porsche 911: 4.7 seconds @ 351 ft
Corvette ZR-1: 4.8 seconds @ 361 ft
Supra: 5.0 seconds @ 372 ft
Lotus: 5.0 seconds @ 373 ft
RX-7: 4.8 seconds @ 374 ft
I jotted the porsche and corvette data as a reference. Anyway, given that all of these cars are starting at 100mph, how can the RX-7 have a little longer stopping distance than both the supra and the lotus yet take less time to stop?
Also, checkout the vette compared to the 7; same time of 4.8 seconds to get from 100 mph to 0 mph and yet it stopped 13 ft earlier than the 7…. I mean 13 ft is pretty significant. I could see +/- 2-3 ft but 13? Unless I'm missing something, it is exactly as you guys said: The data is all jacked up,
I suspect its the weight of the cars.
If the FD had better tires the stopping distance would be a lot shorter. So picture a car that weighs 3500 pounds versus 2800, the initial braking from the FD is super fast (1st 100 feet or so) but toward the end it's limited by traction.
Back to the future. A small array of local rotaries at the Chatime meet tonight, with RX7 wantabee owners lined up behind. (Absent from picture, GR86).
Johnny K’s cym and his wife Melinda’s CW in Nashville this morning. The CYM will be listed for sale soon and this thing is Squeeky clean! Even for a CYM hater like me I have to show it love.
This 1993 Canadian/USDM with about 70,000 km popped up on Kijiji for C$50,000. While we all were debating whether the ad was real or not, a lady from Kamloops swooped in and spoke for it. Long time owner, moving on from rotary ownership after 48 years. Buyer showed up with a decent car trailer. Hopefully it will be taken well care of. To get a BC Collector plate owner must submit enough photographic evidence to show the car is entirely authentic (insurance might be voided if not). Collector plate allows full recreational use, provided you have another daily driver insured, for a few hundred dollars a year.
Meanwhile this white 1995 RHD with 80,000 km is up for grabs at the moment. Price is around $10.000. Engine blew four years ago. It has been sitting in a seaside town, and the effect of salt air is very obvious. Registration is impaired by a Vehicle Inspection notice.
This Spirit R popped up in the yard of a local importer, allegedly just off the boat. Last seen at auction in Japan in 2018. No word on the owners plans.
Yeah that's beautiful. It seems that several nice FD's have come up for sale lately. Guess people are trying to cash in in wake of the economy taking a turn.
08-03-22, 01:47 PM
FD Western Canada Round Up
