Quote:
Originally Posted by JusticePete
The Ford engine upgrade was a response to the Camaro out performing the Mustang on the track and in sales. It was announced almost 18 months early at the direct expense of every Ford Dealer in the country slowing Mustang sales while buyers HOPEFULLY waited for the new 5.0. The Z28 has been engineered for years. It was shelved do to GM financial issues or it would already have been in show rooms.
As for weight, your light weight WRX is fast and handles so well in large part to the curb weight being so low. Having watched the factory supported T2 WRX Sti run so well against the heavier vehicles in the T2 class we know that the light weight was a major factor in track success. Does AWD help of course. Does being lighter than the other cars on the track help -- we'll ask the guys that got beat the last two years by the Pontiac Solstice in T2. On some very tight tracks the T2 Solstice leaders were running the same speeds as the T1 Vettes.
Moving mass around a road course means fighting for every ounce of weight you can save. Anyone that doesn't undesrtand that would have to be...
On the Camaro5 forum we like to treat people with respect even when we disagree with the so I will stop here.
|
I know the inherent advantages of lower curb weight, but that does not make weight one of the major factors in which cars should be compared to each other. Yeah, ok a solstice is in the same weight class as a base civic. Does that mean people are going to cross-shop a solstice and a civic? Very unlikely. For the cars to be comparable and the weight to even be important, the most basic characteristics of the vehicles need to be similar. That is the reason for the vehicle "class." it means the vehicles in the same "class" are comparable. If it were just about weight and money, again we would be comparing cars that are nothing alike. I understand your point, but for the intents and purposes of the typical buyer, weight is not a major factor in comparison. I just find it sad and totally illogical
on both sides that this is the course of this discussion
<GT500 comparison with SS doesn't make sense (reasons being, power and performance difference)
>GT500 should be compared with corvette instead (reasons being price)
<GT500 comparison with corvette doesn't makes sense (reasons being physical characteristics and vehicle class)
>GT500 should be compared with corvette (reason being Ford doesn't have something to compare to the vette otherwise)
It is stupid to compare the gt500 with either the SS or the Corvette because it is a different class of vehicle than both. They have very different, major characteristics,
much like an apple and an orange (!!!). Your statement about the z28 only furthers my point. It has not been in the works since before the gt500, it was in the works to compete with the gt500 because GM has nothing to compete directly with the gt500, just like Ford has nothing to compete directly with the corvette.
***** This is my opinion. I respect that we all have our own opinions and we all have different views of what is important in a vehicle. However, I do think it is extremism on both sides if anyone honestly thinks it makes sense to
A. Compare the performance of two cars that have a 100+hp deficit and a major price gap(GT500 vs SS)
B. Compare the performance of a sports car to a muscle car.