Quote:
Originally Posted by autobrz
I disagree. I can definitely feel weight via responsiveness although it may not be completely accurate. Rubber bushings and all the slack in the suspension + tire flexibility contributes to a car's response as much as springs + dampers. A lighter car will not deform its bushings as much before the car follows the steering or throttle input. If we're talking about solid pillow ball mounts and race tires then it is harder to feel weight.
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A lot of it depends on the geography where you live. I grew up on flat all straight roads of the cornfield Midwest. My old man sold me an E30 BMW as a hand me down. I thought it sucked and bought a muscle car (turbo regal) wen I got a job. Loved it on those straight rural roads.
Then I moved to the foot hills of the appalachians. A light bulb went off, man I wished I'd have kept that E30 BMW. The FR-S is nice on these roads, but even it is a little too heavy compared to all the Miatas and MR-S's around here..
A new M3 or a Mustang just wouldn't work, you absolutely can't toss around the extra 1/4 to 1/2 ton of weight. On these road you really notice a cars overall weight more than the hp/weight ratio.