foxmon said:
normal driving = change gear @ 2000rpm?
doesnt make sense..if you want to accelerate of course you want to rev it
up.....
otherwise a civic accelerating at "normal driving" is probably just as fast
as a normal forester
"Normal driving" means anything up to and including flooring the gas and
changing gear at 5000+ rpm.
It does *not* include revving the engine to 4000+ rpm for a standing
start and/or slipping your foot sideways off the clutch.
My car is a 1995 165 HP 2.5l legacy wagon with 4 speed automatic.
Sitting in drive with engine idling, traffic light turns green, simply
press hard on the gas and it gets to 100 km/h at 5600 RPM in 2nd gear a
little less than 9 seconds later. My grandmother could do it.
My friends car is a 2000 280 HP 2.0l twin turbo legacy wagon with 5
speed manual. It feels really really impressive when it comes onto the
turbo in 1st and 2nd from a standing start. But there is a long time
before the turbo comes in in 1st and again after the shift to 2nd. I
timed myself doing 0 - 100 km/h runs and found it *really* hard to beat
the 9 seconds my 2.5l does. I'm sure it actually will do the 6 seconds
(or whatever it is) that the reviews say, but in order to do that you'd
have to abuse it *way* more than I'd be prepared to abuse a car on a
daily basis and expect it to last.
Maybe I just can't drive. I don't know. But I've been driving manual
cars for more than 25 years (the sooby is the first automatic I've ever
owned), including high performance ones such as a 3l twin turbo AWD
Mitsubishi GTO (only 300 HP but I get much better 0 - 100 times,
presumably due to the 3l vs 2l thing). I also commute every day on a
BMW motorcycle that does 0 - 100 km/h in 4 seconds, no problem.
Incidentally, my passengers (GF...) sometimes complain that I launch too
hard in the Legacy, especially around corners. I only give it about 1/3
to 1/2 gas, but it goes pretty good.
My GF had a flat tyre a few days ago and ruined it so we had to buy a
new one. The old ones had 4mm tread left and we've put two new ones
(8mm tread) on the front. I was wondering how much strain this was
putting on the center clutch so I've just been out now doing some tests,
including doing hard acceleration and tight low speed turns both with
and without the fuse to put it in FWD mode. (it seems to be fine)
The really interesting thing is how *very* easily the 2.5l spins up a
front wheel on dry tarseal. I was totally surprised. Just what I
consider a normal stright line start breaks a wheel free every time.
Accelerating out from a side street becomes an exercise in delicate
throttle management. Not that I can't do it, but the AWD has definitly
spoiled me in the last year or two. Just mash the gas and the car
simply *goes*, straight line or turning, wet or dry.