[ZDan]

Originally Posted by vtmike

Wrong. The Corvette wasn't the fastest.

WTH?! I never said it was! I specifically said I didn't read the article! I said that *if* it had posted a slow lap, then you would be on that. In your post, you said it did post a "fast lap".

I never said or implied that the Corvette was "fastest".

The gt3 was and also happened to win the comparison. Corvette was second fastest and the driver did not care for it. Instrument readings supposedly backed up subjective rating.

And this says absolutely nothing about whether coils are better than leafs as springs. Or, indeed, whether struts are better than double-wishbones...

Second one the fastest car (viper acr) did not win. R8 won this one.

These are the only comparisons I could think of that tried to test cars on the merits of their handling alone and use both subjective ratings and instrument testing of cars in stock form. There were cars with way less grip and worse track times that faired well (rx8. )

You mean "fared well".
Anyway, you must surely admit that it is a little bit nutty to look at a comparison of cars that are ALL on coil springs, and suggest that the results imply coil superiority over leaf springs!

I haven't seen you post any data from testing in defense of the leaf spring other than theory. I would love to see some solid figures in defense of your opinion.

You *really* think that the above referenced comparison tests say anything at all about leafs vs. coils? HA!

Track times alone are not an indication of handling well. Most all reviews I see for various trim Corvettes are its fast and has lots of grip but not pleasing to drive because of its unrefined handling characteristics.

You're playing a funny game here. When presented with emperical evidence (fast lap times) that doesn't agree with your preconceived notions, you dismiss it with statements like this. You're all about "emperical evidence" when it's negative SUBJECTIVE impressions ("unrefined"), though!


The springs are the simplest, dumbest part of the suspension. They provide a restoring force pretty much linear with deflection. You can design in progressive rates with either coils or with leafs, but usually straight rates are preferred for serious performance cars.

Handling feel is going to be VASTLY more affected by all the factors I mentioned in my last post than by whether the springs are coils or leafs.

Being that is the only car with that suspension setup I have no other car to form a different opinion of transverse leaf springs.

Extrapolating a curve based on a single point?

It is worth noting that while giant sticky front tires provide more grip, they can hurt handling feel quite a lot. Both the Corvette and Viper suffer from this.

But in the Viper's case it can't be due to leaf springs, now can it?

Actually I happen to have a new Viper/C6 ZR1 comparison test in front of me (Feb Car and Driver). Similar power/weight, ZR1 2 seconds(!) faster at Laguna Seca. AND they liked the Corvette's handling feel a lot better.

Is the difference down to leafs vs. coils? Of course not. Tires and dampers? More likely...