Quote:
Originally Posted by Tcoat
A big part of it is price. They could build the 86 with half the weight but then it would be a $100,000 car and nobody could afford it. The really lightweight cars are expensive for a reason and comparing them to an entry level coupe is not apples to apples.
As said the modern equipment which either people demand or the government requires unfortunately adds weight. The manufacturers try to make every car (even the SUVs and pickup trucks) as light as possible to meet their emissions and mileage requirements. Then another department requires even more stringent safety devices which add weight. On top of both of those they still have to meet a price point which keeps the vehicle competitive which in turn restricts the materials they can use. It is a balancing act that they struggle with on all vehicles all the time. Our engineers are tasked by our customers to shave as much weight as possible off our rotors each time we quote and it is truly amazing the ways they can come up with to cut a few ounces but maintain or even improve function with each upgrade. If we didn't have the tech we have now modern cars would be even heavier than they are!
|
I agree with everything you say
but what really bothers me is that they don't even mention the fact that some of these newer status cars are getting too heavy.
I'm following reviews of the new 911 992 (I love 911s and always considering one) and I am so saddened that now the 911 is no longer a car I would want to buy because of how heavy it's gotten, yet reviews are not even mentioning this.
I do believe car reviewers help shape the sports car industry. Maybe this is my own opinion and it is wrong, but I do feel that cars such as the 911 were made famous in large part due to the rave reviews they get. So if reviewers are not calling out modern sports cars for being heavy and just skipping over this point, than sports cars will just continue to get heavier and heavier.