Between most of these cars, it's usually gearing and redlines that make the difference. If the gearing is shorter, your acceleration is helped big time while the top speed is lowered. And if your redline is a couple thousand rpms higher than another car, you can stay in your gears even longer. For the NSX, the gears are shorter than our cars and the revs are higher. Explains how its acceleration is higher than most of the cars you listed.

 

Yeah, I thought about the gearing, but I figured if the NSX was geared any lower than our car that it would have to make a shift to 3rd before reaching 60 mph and that would slow it down...I don't know.

 

but the higher redline can make up for that (imagine the speed you could reach if our cars redlined at 8000k RPMs)

 

yes...but our cars actually make power below 5000rpms...while cars that redline @ 8000 and above don't. A higher redline doesn't automatically make your car faster.

 

i dont get why some ppl just dont understand it. it's like reading 180 on someone's speedometer - doesnt actually mean they can go that fast...

 

Reading about the shift points are interesting.

My car is not even in the same class as a 350Z.

Redline is 5800rpm
1st ~ 50mph
2nd ~ 80mph
3rd ~ 120mph
4th ~ unknown

 

Well, the NSX actually doesn't feel like it doesn't have power in the lower rpms. It's actually really awesome to drive as a daily driver. Hands down, if I had found a good 93 and up NSX before I got the Z, I don't think I would've gotten my car. I can almost say that the NSX is a better daily driven car if you believe it or not.

 

Hey..your time mph and 60ft are close to mine. Check out my time in my sig. I think I'm in the 230's at the wheels..

 

Redline doesn't mean much, I have to shift at 5200 for my best times and MPH...and my car is not too slow really for pretty close to stock.

 

I would guess weight transfer of the rear engine design. Having the weight over the rear tires would give it better tracion and therefore better 0-60.

 

A big point that I think yall have missed..... Lookat the dyno sheets for hp and torque and how the gearing is affected for each car....

For example, the M3 redlines at 8000 rpm but when I shift to 2nd, 3rd or 4th the revs never drop below 6XXX rpm staying well within my big powerband.

Even though the M3 makes less torque than the Z, what matters is where the torque/hp curves are at durring the acceleration run. While the Z may have a **peak** torque # that is higher than these cars, what really matters is what the torque curve looks like over the whole range....specifically 5000 rpm to redline.

Theoretically, In an acceleration run my M3 would start at a 4000 rpm drop w/ a clutch feathering and then never drop to less than 6XXX rpm in gears 2nd-6th.

Does that make sense?
Can someone post a dyno sheet??


Oh,

TX style.... I am back from vacation but traveling to Chicago this week for work. I am back on Monday so maybe we could arrange a "friendly run" next week?? I am around Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

 

I would guess mainly gearing... Just look at the BMW's like the Z4... only 225hp, but 0-60 in 5.4... of course if you look at 50-100 acceleration, we kill it (and, in fact, I have had this very race and stomped on a 3.0 z4).

Also, keep in mind that the low torque cars will have an easier time getting off the line with little tire spin. With our cars, we spin the tires like crazy (from all of the torque). I would guess that our cars would reap a larger gain from slicks than, let's say, an NSX...

 

E46M3 redlines at 8000 with fuel shutoff at 8200 or so....

 

we aren't talking about mustangs, we are talking about high reving 6 cylinders, REDLINE makes a Huge difference, esp with a car with less torque. That is part of the equation-RPMS

 

oh, me too, but I would want a 97 or later, my dad had one for a while, VERY VERY easy car to drive as a daily driver. But I don't think there are many low miles 97s for less than $35k

 

he is a car enthusiest

 

This is a confusing topic, the gearing seems to make sense, but than how do you explain the 170+mph top speed for the Porsche and NSX, the M3 will do the same if it wasn't for the 155 electronic MPH limiter. The Z does 156 mph. I also notice the digital and analog speedo is off in the Z. I did 3 top speed runs with my Z and the analog was sitting on 160 everytime. BTW there was a very loud whine noise coming from the diff. from 130mph or so, and up. It was so loud I thought it was going to blow up. Good thing for warranties!!

 

Unless I am mistaken, the Z also has a cut off at 155 or so. I'm sure it will go much faster too (and, if I remember, there was one person who actually had the car still accelerating strongly when the limiter kicked in)