Power is relative, and (mostly) over emphasized

[Sonolin]

@ftc~brz nice! I used to have over 3000 (counted them all in one sitting before...) alpha, beta, unlimited, legends, ice age assorted cards and my father in law threw them all away

I only have room for 1 hobby any more though, and the 86 takes up most of that room. Still play the occasional game on MWS & Cockatrice though (you should check it out if your not familliar, pretty much 100% free to build any deck you wish - I recommend Cockatrice as its a lot better than the former).

[ThisIsChrisKim]

Originally Posted by WolfpackS2k

^Good luck proving to that V6 Camry or Ford F150 Ecoboost that you're faster than him. Also don't forget that the F150 is the best selling vehicle in US...so yeah you encounter a lot of them.



No, in that case they just don't/can't pass at all. Or get a much bigger head start by anticipating the pass further in advance.

So here are the two fastest versions of the most popular cars in America (and these two trims are pretty rare, less than 10% of each example).

According to this: The EcoBoost (Turbo V6) in the F150 produces a 0-60 time of about 6.8 seconds (http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2010/09...nd-50-v-8.html) and the V6 Camry in 5.8 seconds (http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...ad-test-review).

Our cars are a little faster than the F150 and slower than the Camry. But it's pretty darn close.

[pasternak]

I've been driving this thing for about eight months now and have totally changed my mind on the power. Coming from a Shelby Cobra roadster replica, I was initially underwhelmed by the performance. I could just mash on the gas in that car and have gobs of instant torque any time I wanted it. Now that I've got a good feel for the performance characteristics of the FR-S - ie rev it up ! - I feel totally confident passing. I'm also pleasantly surprised at how little the air conditioning robs power.

[lickitysplit]

Originally Posted by WolfpackS2k

Heaven forbid you actually restrain yourself and keep it under 80 mph!

Nobody is talking about racing an F-150 on a highway. More like stoplight passing to get ahead before a lane merge, etc.

Easy fix for that. Pretent like you are going to accelerate from the light, but instead just slide behind them when they launch off the line when it goes green. Makes them look like a fool, too. Win win

[meadowz06]

Here is my 2 cents worth. I drive a C5 corvette that has 560+ hp. Supercharged. I drive it back and forth to work everyday. I probably use 30-50% of the cars potential on a daily basis. Now there are rare occasions when I am on the freeway and really open the car up. Case in point. 2010-11 M5 wants some on the freeway. He was quickly disposed of with a couple of downshifts. The GREAT thing about the FR-S is that you can utilize almost all of the cars potential as a daily driver. I am thinking of selling the C5 and buying a FR-S.

[bestwheelbase]

Originally Posted by meadowz06

Here is my 2 cents worth. I drive a C5 corvette that has 560+ hp...

...The GREAT thing about the FR-S is that you can utilize almost all of the cars potential as a daily drive. I am thinking of selling the C5 and buying a FR-S.

I made a similar transition and it's been nothing but smiles. I am able to feel like I'm really having fun instead of constantly walking around on tip-toes. When it takes a lot longer to run through 2nd and 3rd gear while merging onto the highway, it gives you time to really appreciate the experience.

[meadowz06]

Originally Posted by bestwheelbase

I made a similar transition and it's been nothing but smiles. I am able to feel like I'm really having fun instead of constantly walking around on tip-toes. When it takes a lot longer to run through 2nd and 3rd gear while merging onto the highway, it gives you time to really appreciate the experience.

Yeah, and the fact that instead of going 120+ at the top of the on-ramp, you would be going the speed limit in a FR-S. I am a manager at a Toyota\Scion dealership, so I have driven a FR-S or 2, and the car is amazing. It has everything you need, and nothing you don't. Drives like a million bucks, and is reasonably priced. Fantasitc car. You would be surprised at the 45-60 aged people buying the FR-S. It truly is a no age limit car.

[Sonolin]

Originally Posted by meadowz06

Here is my 2 cents worth. I drive a C5 corvette that has 560+ hp. Supercharged. I drive it back and forth to work everyday. I probably use 30-50% of the cars potential on a daily basis. Now there are rare occasions when I am on the freeway and really open the car up. Case in point. 2010-11 M5 wants some on the freeway. He was quickly disposed of with a couple of downshifts. The GREAT thing about the FR-S is that you can utilize almost all of the cars potential as a daily drive. I am thinking of selling the C5 and buying a FR-S.

I want lol.

[CAMBAM_6]

Originally Posted by ftc~brz

this was MAGICal…….(cough) the gathering (cough)

I thought he was talking about POKEMON cards..lol

[bestwheelbase]

Originally Posted by meadowz06

I have driven a FR-S or 2, and the car is amazing. It has everything you need, and nothing you don't.

This is how I find myself describing all my great automotive experiences. The E30 is the same way.

[makesdrivingfunagain]

Originally Posted by red_comet

Guess what car Randy Pobst is talking about below...

"It handles so well that it feels underpowered. I find myself wanting more horsepower. I want to bolt a turbo on this thing or something. No, I do not want a turbo, because I love the direct throttle response of a naturally aspirated engine."

Here's a hint- it's the Porsche Cayman S.

Of course, Pobst has said nearly the same thing about the FR-S and the Mazda Rx-8 in videos I've seen on the yourtuba.

My question is this: If a(n) (expensive) car with a million horsepower can feel "underpowered" by the magnificence of it's own chassis, then what amount of power is enough? So much power that it overwhelms the car? Do you really want that? AMG did that with the SL black series they threw together, and it was obscene.

I feel that the toyobaru twins aren't underpowered. Driving them feels good because the cars do what you want them to do when you tell them to do it with no slush, which plenty of HI-POAR cars that cost more money can't even claim.

I say- put proper tires on these cars to unlock their potential, and leave the engine the hell alone. Unless you are racing... for money.

I am proud to own the FR-S. It looks fantastic, handles great, and has power, oh yeah and it stops, am I forgetting something...oh, and has good gas mileage.

IMHO I like this car a bit more than the s2000, only because it isn't a convertible, and the s2k is out of production. The one aspect of this car I am actually quite disappointed is the power, actually, perhaps the concern of most priority I have (IMHO) is the power. The s2k has us beat, severely, I might add. That tech is much older than ours, yet, they may make much higher power. I am honestly a little embarrassed about this fact. If Honda could make this amount of power, we should be able to make more (IMHO). This is my downfall, where I lost a little respect for this masterpiece. I lost just a little, however, it gets great gas mileage. And, honestly, if it came down to power over a significant gain in power, I would give up the hp for the gas mileage. It would have been nice for a little, just a little more power. Honestly this car is still worthy of respect, and I love it.

[makesdrivingfunagain]

Originally Posted by meadowz06

Here is my 2 cents worth. I drive a C5 corvette that has 560+ hp. Supercharged. I drive it back and forth to work everyday. I probably use 30-50% of the cars potential on a daily basis. Now there are rare occasions when I am on the freeway and really open the car up. Case in point. 2010-11 M5 wants some on the freeway. He was quickly disposed of with a couple of downshifts. The GREAT thing about the FR-S is that you can utilize almost all of the cars potential as a daily driver. I am thinking of selling the C5 and buying a FR-S.

Well said! And, seriously what a great insight! I often forget (as an enthusiast) there are speed limits, and the autobahn/Germany is out of reach in the US. Therefore, to much power with no utilization may not be the finest choice.

[ThisIsChrisKim]

Originally Posted by makesdrivingfunagain

I am proud to own the FR-S. It looks fantastic, handles great, and has power, oh yeah and it stops, am I forgetting something...oh, and has good gas mileage.

IMHO I like this car a bit more than the s2000, only because it isn't a convertible, and the s2k is out of production. The one aspect of this car I am actually quite disappointed is the power, actually, perhaps the concern of most priority I have (IMHO) is the power. The s2k has us beat, severely, I might add. That tech is much older than ours, yet, they may make much higher power. I am honestly a little embarrassed about this fact. If Honda could make this amount of power, we should be able to make more (IMHO). This is my downfall, where I lost a little respect for this masterpiece. I lost just a little, however, it gets great gas mileage. And, honestly, if it came down to power over a significant gain in power, I would give up the hp for the gas mileage. It would have been nice for a little, just a little more power. Honestly this car is still worthy of respect, and I love it.

There's nothing to be embarrassed about. The S2000 was also a much more expensive car than ours. In 2009, the MSRP was $35,000. So it would obviously be a higher performing car than ours. If the FR-S had a $35,000 budget today, we'd be talking a BRZ STi or FR-S TRD edition. Now imagine if we adjusted that $35,000 for dollars today, and it'd be even more.

[bestwheelbase]

Originally Posted by makesdrivingfunagain

The s2k

You bring up a great point. The S2000 was quite a package, especially considering it came out almost fifteen years ago. But let's not forget, it was also sold at a higher price than the FRS. In MY00 money, an AP1 retailed for $32k. Food for thought.