4 wheel drive vs. Elise cornering

Dominic · Post by **Dominic** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 10:10 pm

Get a copy of the current EVO magazine, with EVO Car of The Year. Read the article. Nuff Said!

Post by **pete** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 11:14 pm

johncam wrote:Hi Dezzy,
I also have a friend who has the 225bhp 4WD Audi TT. When I got my Elise, I took out another friend for a passenger ride and he 'followed' me in the TT over the back road between Howwood and Lugton (via the Curling Rink). I floored it in 2nd on entering the National Speed limit leaving Howwood and disappeared up the road. I slowed going through the small holdings at the Bowfield Country Club which let him catch up, once clear of the buildings I planted it again, he was wise to it this time and have to say he just about kept up on the straight bit approaching the first series of bends. He attempted the first serious bend at the same speed I did and got round it in one piece (although my passenger said he was bit untidy) but I didn't let up for the long series of bends approaching the reservoir. After that it was all over. Never once did I go above the National Speed limit though I suspect he did as he attempted to catch up on the straightish bits before the Curling Rink. By the time we reached the cross roads at the farm before Lugton I had a good 30-40 second wait for him to catch up...that stretch of road can't be any more than 3 miles if that. He came over to the my car in a bit of a distressed state. Apparently on the first serious bend, his dashboard had lit up like a Christmas Tree as all the electronics attempted to keep his TT on the road. All he could say was that Lotus was 'stuck to the road' and he had never seen anything like it. He was truly astonished how easily I had driven away from him despite the obvious power deficit I had. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I hadn't gone over 4000 revs as my car was cold to begin with and the rev limiter had stopped me.

Cheers,

John

I don't think that road driving can ever truly show the performance differentials between different cars. With all respect to John I think you were probably just faster than your mate, almost regardless of the car. If you are hammering down a country lane and your speed is only restricted by your handling, and it is a decent car, then you are going too fast.

I find that as I get older (and I drive much too quickly -esp on that road although as far as I know there are no corners where you have to slow below 60! ) I go slower than I used to. My ability to unsrew the top of my head and take out my brain prior to a run seems to have faded. A bit. If whoever you are driving with still has that ability then raw driving talent, at least of the sort the track whores on here have, doesn't come into it. You still need a skill but it is a different one to pure car control.

My mate used to drive a 3.5l Rover SD1 with flashing lights and a siren for a living and he told me about being unable to catch a 1.3 Allegro, simply because he had to do things like stay on the left hand side of the road coming up to blind corners and stop at junctions. Something the stolen Allegro wasn't hampered by.

Pete

(I used to have an old Mondeo. On the old Lugton to Paisley stretch, just before you go left to Howwood, I once landed it so badly the boot opened, never to close quite right again.

)

rossybee · Post by **rossybee** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 12:43 am

As mention lots here, weight & CofG is the big issue

4wd has no effect whatsoever.

Perfect example - my brother has a current M3 (not exactly lacking in grip

) - one time he was behind me in the 7 on one of those long sweeping slip lanes you get off a M'way and I exited at reasonable (but not crazy) pace.

When we stopped he commented that he could feel his car move about whilst watching me leave him on that section with no real sign of body roll....

mac · Post by **mac** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 4:53 am

He bought a car which resembles a jelly mold - why even bother responding?

Mac

M Blur · Post by **M Blur** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 12:30 pm

dare I say a TT is not the best example of the 4wd breed and that in real world any Loti will struggle to stay ahead of a decent C4S, Scoobaru or EVO tho some of that will undoubtedly be power tho p-2-w wont be that far off due to Lotis weight..

in variable conditions I like the confidence awd grip gives you to push on.. rwd in the right hands undoubtedly fast but so easy to get wrong in the wet etc... living in Scotland as we do.

Most 4wd as noted tend to understeer tho this is not the case in some of the more hardcore rally slags.