| themadscientist |
05-14-2016 09:48 PM |
"Car is too smart for the driver." He nailed it exactly. My Nissan buddies can't understand why I hate the R35. The technology is amazing and it produces the numbers and for the guys just after going fast it will do that, but I can't shake the feeling that the driver is relinquishing too much control to do that. I want the car to be a tool, not a system. Again, that's my desire, not a suggestion that my way is in any way superior to the other.
My R32 GT-R has computer controlled AWD, but it's very crude, only a front/rear G sensor and you can really feel the car struggling to sort out the power distribution. It's a wild ride and you are really in the moment. That car isn't necessarily trying to kill me like, say, a Dodge Viper, but while it is helping me it's expecting me to do my part. That symbiosis, that feeling of the team working together is hard to explain to anyone who hasn't driven a car to the edge and survived knowing that they were at least 51% part of that success.
I have seen several descriptions of the different philosophies of Mitsubishi and Subaru for their respective AWD systems. Mitsubishi seems to go the route of computer support to the point of taking greater control away from the driver where it seems Subaru is trying to perfect the mechanisms to support the driver. Tsuchiya-san mentioned something similar at the end of the video. There's no doubt both systems work well; it's just a question of what the driver prefers.
Now, to the BRZ. One of the reasons I bought the car is because every control was physically located exactly where I would have put it if I had built the car. I clicked with the car 1000 feet into the first test drive and immediately felt a connection to it and an instinct about its mannerisms. I was also blown away by how the car handled. I've never driven a car so sorted. I understand that this is an entry level car and that to someone who has driven real high dollar heavily engineered top rank sports cars it's like a cheese sandwich, but the best you know is the best you've driven and coming from old Skylines and RX7s this was an eye opener.
Now, the car has rekindled my love of the act of driving. I wasn't a fantastic driver and I'm probably remembering my glory days too favorably, but I recall I had pretty decent skills and could put a car exactly where I wanted it. That was, damn, twenty years ago. :cry: I'm rusty, I'm older, my reflexes and concentration are probably a bit blunted, but I seems to be making a comeback. This car was a great way to ease back into it. I never use traction control, but the way this car handles, the sticky tires, it's sort of like training wheels. I'm starting to see those wheels that helped me find my balance becoming an irritant as they drag along the road when I try to get edgy.
I don't want to mess with the engine. I don't like this engine and I don't want to spend money on it. Another reason I bought the car is so I would have a new car with a factory warranty. My Nissans need all my attention. It's nice to be able to toss the keys at the Subaru mechs and say "fix that." :D Maybe I could put skinny tires on it to eliminate the grip so the stock engine could kick it around easier. It would seem counter intuitive, but the big sticky Advans are inducing body roll where the stock tires might not have. I recall the rental I drove was still a cornering monster even with the Prius tires, but I likely wasn't pushing the rental like I push the car I own. I should experiment with the stock tires and see if the car gets a bit more teenage rebellious.
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