[mattslope]

I like Maximas. Think of the number of times that you've taken a luxury car cornering in the States. Multiply that number by 1 million. Still have zero? FWD cars only irritate me in corners, thus Maximas do not irritate me. I like that they are comfortable, well built, and came with three pedals. I would in no way diminish the merit of a Maxima.

I would mock, however, any modification that makes a car unsafe.

[redbaron]

Originally Posted by The Phantom Mullet

One of the best(worst) is a first-gen MR2. It has hood pins. Because we all know that you need to get under the front hood all the time during your trackday with an MR2.....

NOFX was right. The idiots are taking over....

In all fairness, old latches fail, and having a hood (even if it is the trunk in this case) come up at you on the highway/track/etc is pretty lame. Plus hood latch assemblies are heavy and hood pins are light.

I'm ditching my latch assembly and just getting the locking aerocatch latches.

[mulletman]

Originally Posted by redbaron

In all fairness, old latches fail, and having a hood (even if it is the trunk in this case) come up at you on the highway/track/etc is pretty lame. Plus hood latch assemblies are heavy and hood pins are light.

I'm ditching my latch assembly and just getting the locking aerocatch latches.

Yeah.... but it was an MR2 with hood pins, and a stretch n' poke. I doubt it was going to be seeing any track time any time soon...

[Chinchilla of Doom]

They do have tuner car shows, which my car does fall under category of a tuner car.


But on the bright side, i blew a tire last night.

[LaserRacer]

Stretch and Poke FTL!

[mulletman]

Hahahahaha....

"Tuner" cars have to be tuned, do they not?

[Chinchilla of Doom]

Originally Posted by The Phantom Mullet

Hahahahaha....

"Tuner" cars have to be tuned, do they not?

Every one i know considers a tuner a car a light weight foreign car that can be easily tuned.

Also, mine will be tuned up in due time.

[mulletman]

Originally Posted by Clasic/Rock_man

Every one i know considers a tuner a car a light weight foreign car that can be easily tuned.

Also, mine will be tuned up in due time.

Ah. I was under the impression that a 'tuned car' was one that had undergone a complete dyno-based tune....

And as far as 'light weight' goes... you car weighs in somewhere between 3200 and 3300 pounds.....

[What5647]

Well, technically you don't have to have a dyno to tune a car. HP tuners can log data, and if you're buying from a good tuner he can use that to adjust your settings.

IMO, a tuner car is a Japanese car that used to be slow, has had some work done and is still slow. (this is a generalization. Some are quite fast, like the only good Toyota ever made, the Supra. Most are not.)

[mulletman]

Originally Posted by What5647

Well, technically you don't have to have a dyno to tune a car. HP tuners can log data, and if you're buying from a good tuner he can use that to adjust your settings.

Ah, indeed.

Originally Posted by What5647

IMO, a tuner car is a Japanese car that used to be slow, has had some work done and is still slow.

Amen.

Originally Posted by What5647

.... like the only good Toyota ever made, the Supra.

This is one of the most insane statements I've ever read. Need I remind you of the supercharged and turbocharged variants of the MR2? If you don't like those, then I have no idea what you see in a Solstice/Sky... Toyota has also produced some of the most bulletproof vehicles you'll ever find, none of which were performance-minded. A good car can be fast. A slow car can be good. Early Corollas are a prime example.

[What5647]

Well, an MR2 can't really compare to a late-model Supra.

It's not that I don't like the MR2, I just don't consider it when I think of Toyotas. So, mostly oversight on my part.

That being said, a stock LNF would whoop a stock MR2 Turbo. They are in a faster class than us for street prepared, but then most of the simple, dirt cheap handling improvements for a Kappa aren't SCCA legal. For example, replacing the stock tunnel brace with a beefed up one. Major improvement, $100 part, not SCCA legal. An MR2's mid engine setup probably accounts for a good bit of it's advantage when running in a modifie category as well. I'd also assume it's a good bit lighter than a Kappa. A steel frame is nice in a collision, but not so nice when it comes to weight...

It's not that we can't make the cars handle better than an MR2, just that the rules won't let us. (And that's why I don't inten to A/X in the SCCA just yet. Found a local club with friendlier rules.)

Tidbit: There Prius is actually classified for SCCA Autocross.. Can't imagine too many owners racing one though...

[doulos14]

Originally Posted by What5647

Well, an MR2 can't really compare to a late-model Supra.

It's not that I don't like the MR2, I just don't consider it when I think of Toyotas. So, mostly oversight on my part.

That being said, a stock LNF would whoop a stock MR2 Turbo. They are in a faster class than us for street prepared, but then most of the simple, dirt cheap handling improvements for a Kappa aren't SCCA legal. For example, replacing the stock tunnel brace with a beefed up one. Major improvement, $100 part, not SCCA legal. An MR2's mid engine setup probably accounts for a good bit of it's advantage when running in a modifie category as well. I'd also assume it's a good bit lighter than a Kappa. A steel frame is nice in a collision, but not so nice when it comes to weight...

It's not that we can't make the cars handle better than an MR2, just that the rules won't let us. (And that's why I don't inten to A/X in the SCCA just yet. Found a local club with friendlier rules.)

Tidbit: There Prius is actually classified for SCCA Autocross.. Can't imagine too many owners racing one though...

Torque, think electric motor

[mulletman]

Originally Posted by What5647

Well, an MR2 can't really compare to a late-model Supra.

It's not that I don't like the MR2, I just don't consider it when I think of Toyotas. So, mostly oversight on my part.

That being said, a stock LNF would whoop a stock MR2 Turbo. They are in a faster class than us for street prepared, but then most of the simple, dirt cheap handling improvements for a Kappa aren't SCCA legal. For example, replacing the stock tunnel brace with a beefed up one. Major improvement, $100 part, not SCCA legal. An MR2's mid engine setup probably accounts for a good bit of it's advantage when running in a modifie category as well. I'd also assume it's a good bit lighter than a Kappa. A steel frame is nice in a collision, but not so nice when it comes to weight...

It's not that we can't make the cars handle better than an MR2, just that the rules won't let us. (And that's why I don't inten to A/X in the SCCA just yet. Found a local club with friendlier rules.)

Oh, absolutely. I was just wondering if you had forgotten the MR2.... And as far as drawing a Solstice/Sky-MR2 comparison.... I was mostly just basing my similarity on the fact that they're both small 2-seat cars that handle well and are fun to drive. Speed-wise, it's all down to the individual car's preparation, and the driver....

Originally Posted by What5647

Tidbit: There Prius is actually classified for SCCA Autocross.. Can't imagine too many owners racing one though...

Originally Posted by doulos14

Torque, think electric motor

That only gets you so far when you're driving a non-handling, non-braking, high CG, wrong-wheel-drive, useless piece of crap of a car.

As Jeremy Clarkson put it.... "It's a very expensive, very complex, not terribly green, slow, cheaply-made, and pointless way of moving around."

[redbaron]

Electric motors may make torque, but that doesn't really matter when there's not enough of it to do sub 10 second 0-60 times. Driving a prius is kind of like getting punched in the face or setting your crotch on fire, except people laugh at you instead of feel bad.

Also, turbo MR2's are a nightmare to work on and have reliability problems when substantially modded *shrug*

@ maximas being a true 4 door sports car. WWD != sportscar. 4 door M3, gvr4, S4, etc = 4dsc IMO