Handling vs. Power

[mikejet]

What's more important to you? Handling or pure power?

I think to me I would rather have a car that handles extremely well over one that is extremely fast.

There was an article(can't find it now) where they talked about having a great handling car over a powerful one for some conditions. Like a twisty mountain pass. A short gearbox and great handling is more fun that a car that can accelerate great but you never get out of 2nd!

I'd personally love an old BMW 2002 or a 89 Miata.

What do you guys think?

[xtop]

there's a reason cars like the nsx never needed an engine upgrade....

[mikejet]

Originally Posted by xtop

there's a reason cars like the nsx never needed an engine upgrade....

Cause it was hand built with love and Japanese sweat?

[MaCruz]

I rather have handling now.

My TL is big, but it's lowered by an inch, and has Comptech rear sway bars with bigger wheels. Even though my car can push hard my car still feels big when I turn. I want to drive a BMW!

[MrFattBill]

I like both, although if you include brakes in handling I would lean more that way. I loved my 02 M3....man I miss that car My twin turbo Z was a beast but very twitchy in the twistys.

Bill

[Batman1980]

My car handles well and beats most other cars off the line at traffic lights so I'm pretty happy.

[mikejet]

You guys should look up the mountain pass that we have here in SoCal.

Glendora Mountain Road.

Awesome driving. Scary as ****.

Been a while since I've been there. Handling is important on a road like that. So many haripins....

[xtop]

Originally Posted by Wolverine1980

My car handles well and beats most other cars off the line at traffic lights so I'm pretty happy.

what do you drive?

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by xtop

what do you drive?

Toyota Camry but the fact that I beat most cars off the line may be my chronic impatience.

[MaCruz]

Originally Posted by mikejet

You guys should look up the mountain pass that we have here in SoCal.

Glendora Mountain Road.

Awesome driving. Scary as ****.

Been a while since I've been there. Handling is important on a road like that. So many haripins....

We don't have mountains, but we have lots of forrest, and bridges!

[mikejet]

Originally Posted by Wolverine1980

Toyota Camry but the fact that I beat most cars off the line may be my chronic impatience.

That's more of a reaction time thing than actual power.

[xtop]

i wouldn't call a family car like that good at handling or power either, but hey..whatever

[pokefan]

Well after living in HI and racing about 3 years I'll take handling any day! When I moved back to Oklahoma everyone had a litre bike, it was crazy, you might see one or two a day in HI but most of those guys just cruise. I could handle my bike better then most everyone here so until I reached the limits of the bike I almost never got out ran. I could almost always match the guys in a 1/4 mile run but after that I was smoke. Hit the twisties and it was all over, they never stayed up more then 1-2 turns. Nothing beats the feeling of zipping in and out of the corners!

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by xtop

i wouldn't call a family car like that good at handling or power either, but hey..whatever

He may have the SE model, which is supposed to be a slightly sportier setup than the LE, and the V6 does have some pep to it, but having driven it myself, its handling characteristics are the furthest thing from my mind. This is one area where the Accord has an edge over the Camry, but both are still too heavy for my taste.

As for the original question, if I had to choose one over the other, I give the nod to handling. Give me a light, nimble car any day.

[brettallica]

Someday I'd love to have me one of them 370Zs. Plenty of power, and fantastic handling.

I can't say for sure that I'd rather have one over the other (handling or raw power) flat-out.

[LynxFX]

I would rather have a car that handles extremely well, but also has the power to pull you out of the corner. I love me some G's. Big power in a straight is fun, but not if the car handles like a brick.

[Polygon]

Handling over power.

I'm not too impressed with drag racing, at least not anymore. I would rather have a car that can go fast around a corner than a car that just goes fast in a straight line.

[ManUtd]

Can't I have both? I want my next car to be a GT-R. Should be a huge upgrade from my IS350.

[my99svt]

I just bought my wife an 2010 Subaru Outback Limited. Although it doesn't have the biggest amount of power, That all wheel drive is awesome!! We are in Dallas visiting her Aunt, and the drive here was a blast. I'm ready for the drive back!

[PrivatePixel]

Regardless of what you may think of Leno, I respect his line of thinking (with reference to his custom Camaro):

"As much as I like the big V-8 cars and certainly have some, it's fun to have something that's a little lighter and nimbler, and when you're not on the turbo, you get V-6 mileage." Adds Leno: "When people made fun of the fact the Model T was so light, Henry Ford used to say, 'Did you ever see a fat man win a race?' And it's true. Why have this big lump of iron if you can get the same horsepower from a V-6? People come back and say, 'Well, you can get 800 horsepower with the V-8 if you put the turbos on it.' Okay, but at some point you need something that is fun to drive and handles. That was the idea behind this car."

For those wondering, Leno's twin-turbo Camaro weighs 10 lbs. less than the base Camaro LS, and ~100 lbs. fewer than the V8 SS.