Your definition of a Fast car – can we agree?

[98GSX-WI]

Last night while I was sleeping, I pondered the idea of whether I thought that my car right now was Fast. This lead me to the following... What is your definition of a Fast car? Allow me to provide a real-life example. In 1992, I bought a brand new 5.0 Mustang LX with 5 spd. I believe that had 235hp. When I bought the car, I bought it because it was a Fast car. Needless to say, I traded it in after 3 months and 3000 miles….the reasons….the car was not Fast to me. Compounded by the fact that I didn't think that the car was fast enough for me, it rode like crap…bounced all over the road, just didn't like the way it drove.

After going to the Drag Strip last Sunday and watching all kinds of cars race, I decided that I don't care how much horsepower that my car has, or what I suspect it has. Bottom line, it is as fast as I can drive it and the time slip that I get.

Anyways…that still doesn't answer the question of what I think is fast. And without yet being ready to race my car on the track (not done with fuel mods yet), I can only estimate how Fast I think my car is. Here is what I came up with:

¼ mile time Terms to describe how Fast car is
Above 15 sec = Slow
14 to 15 sec = Responsive
13 to 14 sec = Quick
12 to 13 sec = Fast
11 to 12 sec = Very Fast or Really Fast
Under 11 sec = Terms such as Bad Ass, Mean, etc., may be used
Under 10 sec = Race car

I'd love to hear your opinion of my assessment and what your definition of a Fast car is

 

[KPWSerpiente]

12.5 or quicker is quick. 115 mph or more is fast.

-T

 

[Royalty]

nice anology...but you have waaay too much time on your hands

 

[Mackzero]

As far as street cars go... 11.5-12.5 sec. cars are "Fast". For the simple fact that they are "faster" than 95+% of the vehicles on the road. As far as street/track cars go...... anything under 11 sec. is "fast". Track cars need to be able to run sub 11 sec. 1/4s for me to even consider them a track only car that is "fast". Why do I say this? Because you can turn up a dsm to run mid/high 11s on the street with a little $$$$.$$ (Under 10K)

Oh and if you really want to be technical then you would say a "fast" car is anything moving at over 150 mph.

 

[ozzeran]

I believe the 95+ gst/gsx rides worse than a foxbody. These cars ride like shit.

Last night while I was sleeping, I pondered the idea of whether I thought that my car right now was Fast. This lead me to the following... What is your definition of a Fast car? Allow me to provide a real-life example. In 1992, I bought a brand new 5.0 Mustang LX with 5 spd. I believe that had 235hp. When I bought the car, I bought it because it was a Fast car. Needless to say, I traded it in after 3 months and 3000 miles….the reasons….the car was not Fast to me. Compounded by the fact that I didn't think that the car was fast enough for me, it rode like crap…bounced all over the road, just didn't like the way it drove.

After going to the Drag Strip last Sunday and watching all kinds of cars race, I decided that I don't care how much horsepower that my car has, or what I suspect it has. Bottom line, it is as fast as I can drive it and the time slip that I get.

Anyways…that still doesn't answer the question of what I think is fast. And without yet being ready to race my car on the track (not done with fuel mods yet), I can only estimate how Fast I think my car is. Here is what I came up with:

¼ mile time Terms to describe how Fast car is
Above 15 sec = Slow
14 to 15 sec = Responsive
13 to 14 sec = Quick
12 to 13 sec = Fast
11 to 12 sec = Very Fast or Really Fast
Under 11 sec = Terms such as Bad Ass, Mean, etc., may be used
Under 10 sec = Race car

I'd love to hear your opinion of my assessment and what your definition of a Fast car is

 

[Rogue9]

I'm not much on drag racing so a fast car is something totally different for me.


>100mph Slow
100-120 Average
120-150 Fast
150-180 Really Fast
<180 Super Car. Race Car. Cant afford car.


One of the fastest rides I've ever had was in a old Twin Turbo Callaway Corvette. A old friend of the Family ( Race Driver Larry Parks) took me for a ride on the track ( I was only 12) It was a blast and had trouble keeping my head inside the car on the turns.

 

[98GSX-WI]

nice anology...but you have waaay too much time on your hands

No you don't understand....this was formulated at night while sleeping....just wasted time normally....I normally wake-up at 2-3am and sometimes just think about what I was dreaming about and sometimes write the stuff down. This stuff I remembered until later today!

 

[TheTSiGuy]

No you don't understand....this was formulated at night while sleeping....just wasted time normally....I normally wake-up at 2-3am and sometimes just think about what I was dreaming about and sometimes write the stuff down. This stuff I remembered until later today!

Hmm. under this theory of yours, i fall into 'quick'. Not too shabby id say.

Id agree. I think 12 second street cars are fast.

 

[CanadianTalon]

I think any car that traps over 130 MPH is fast. A quick car I would say low 11's or into the 10's.

 

[leakyfaucet]

I think any car that traps over 130 MPH is fast. A quick car I would say low 11's or into the 10's.

So by your defenition a porsche 911 twin turbo isn't a fast car?

 

[92awddsm]

My idea of a fast car will trap 118-120mph in the 1/4 and still be driven home. If its a trailer queen, that is slow.

This reminds me of the last time I was at the track. A guy I know owns an 81 stang that runs 13.0-13.10 and is not street legal. It has only seen a trailer for the past 4yrs. He came up to me that evening and asked me why I was racing that pos(my dsm). After I told him I had just run a high 12@107, he walked away, loaded his car and went home. I passed him about 15 minutes later on the highway but I was driving my pos home and as you know, his was on the trailer. He hasnt said anything to me since.

 

[Generation1JeY]

:laugh:

 

[Xanthus]

Fast is all relative, I thought my 98 Prelude was plenty fast. Probally never would have passed the 15 second mark with my limited mods. Drag racing is not the defineitive factor to being fast. But hey this is me, and I'm a road racer and autocrosser at heart.

 

[92awddsm]

Fast is all relative, I thought my 98 Prelude was plenty fast. Probally never would have passed the 15 second mark with my limited mods. Drag racing is not the defineitive factor to being fast. But hey this is me, and I'm a road racer and autocrosser at heart.

You are too right. The 1/4 mile doesnt define how fast your car is, it defines how quick it is. Fast is determined by top speed. Unfortunately, Im too scared to get out on a public road and run it as fast as it will go. If I could find a closed circuit (bonneville salt flats or equiv.) I would see what it could do. I might have done it when I was 18 but now I have a little more sense and realize how many other idiots there are on the road. I use the 1/4 mile mph as a judgement because Ive only had my car over 100mph a couple of times and guess where that was at.

 

[Xanthus]

I live pretty close to the bonneville flats actually. I'm not sure how they moderate who and how you get to use the track though. Be interesting to top my car out when I get it running. My prelude topped the speedo @ 150 Mph, thats probally off a little bit, I'd guess maybe 140-150 but it felt incredible(don't try it tho, one little mishap and I probally wouldn't be here talking to you now )

 

[Generation1JeY]

abandoned airport landing strip

 

[nutshot]

I believe that we currently have a benchmark in quickness, agility and top-speed. Supercars, the "No Holds Barred" contenders of mass-market automotive supremecy are terrific candidates, as they represent performance above luxury. My personal goal, with a 1ga AWD DSM is to outperform an unmodified Supercar across the board, in arenas including quickness, lateral acceleration, braking and fuel economy. Does this make sense to anyone else?

 

[92awddsm]

I believe that we currently have a benchmark in quickness, agility and top-speed. Supercars, the "No Holds Barred" contenders of mass-market automotive supremecy are terrific candidates, as they represent performance above luxury. My personal goal, with a 1ga AWD DSM is to outperform an unmodified Supercar across the board, in arenas including quickness, lateral acceleration, braking and fuel economy. Does this make sense to anyone else?

Yes, it makes sense to me. Good luck with the fuel economy though.

 

[paul s]

To me fast in a straight line doesn't mean much. What counts is overall quick car that turns hard, stops hard, good top end power, on pump gas...I can get 11.9/119 in the 1/4 top out(gear limited) at 170mph corner close to 1g and stop just as fast, all on the way home from work any day all day and get close to 30mpg on the highway.... :laugh:

 

[98GSX-WI]

I should probably chime in again. (For no real reason, except I enjoy this stuff ). I fully realize the technical way you could look at quick (as in accelerating quickly in the 1/4) and fast (as in top-end speed).

However, I was mainly trying to focus on the terms that are commonly used to describe "fast" cars. My main point being that many people say that they have a "fast" car....but to me, after being at the race track, I came to the conclusion that for a street car (like mine), the 1/4 mile would be the best judge of speed, quickness, or how fast it is. Since on the street going beyond a 1/4 mile as fast as you can would be about the limit in most situations. Just wanted to clarify my thinking on this...

 

[nutshot]

top out(gear limited) at 170mph

I thought our cars topped out at 130ish? I got up to 130 and had little RPM remaining...

 

[Dieselboy]

As far as street cars go... 11.5-12.5 sec. cars are "Fast". For the simple fact that they are "faster" than 95+% of the vehicles on the road.

Agreed . At that point, you're vitually untouchable on the street until eventually something bigger and badder comes.

 

[paul s]

2g AWD top out at about 170 mph(270km) gear limited...gst speed limited to 130mph..

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[nutshot]

2g AWD top out at about 170 mph(270km) gear limited...gst speed limited to 130mph..

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I did not know that. THanks for the info.

 

[saw wave analog]

13 second cars to the uninitiated are fast as hell. anything running in the lower half of the 13s on the street is respectable imo