pking1122

Dude, I love my car...but seriously, wtf?!

ASH8

http://www.motortrend.com/features/p..._8_bmw_m3.html

"Already those of you who live and die by the numbers are aghast. Second-slowest lap time? Next to last in lateral grip and the figure eight? Yet a third-place ranking by Pobst? Above my beloved GT-R? Listen to Pobst: "In the purest sense of a sports car, the rear-drive RX-8 is the most satisfying through corners. I felt like it was a glove on my hand. I could put it right where I wanted. Extremely well balanced, easy to drift, unfettered by weight. The all-wheel-drive cars tend to understeer, and then when they do break loose it's a big event and a lot happens. In the RX-8, on the other hand, things happen a little bit at a time. It's just so much fun to drive." Pobst's words only reinforce our own: Big handling numbers are instructive and meaningful, but they often tell you nothing about the actual experience of driving a car, how it "feels." Though underpowered and under-tired compared with other entries here, the RX-8 has grace and fluidity and balance like few other sports cars on the market today. "The more powerful cars feel like riding a horse," Pobst says. "The RX-8 feels like wings bolted right to your arms."

Symbioticgenius

Remember this. GTR is fat, it needs AWD to overcome, and it has more processing power than the machine I'm typing this on. Its a fast car... that much is fact.
Sports car... meh, not so much. It just has no soul

ASH8

It is a Computer with 4 Wheels....

I like the "organic" feeling in cars...any type of car...that is why a PRIUS is a Puss Bag on Wheels.....no soul, no feeling, no noooothhhing...

bse50

In real life it is not even THAT fast.
I went to spa-francorchamps this July and there were 4 or 5 gt-rs...They were ALL lapping a couple of second slower than the porsches gt3 that were there, and the first series of scoobies (tuned).
There is a huge gap in what a car maker says and what it really does. Since every gt-r was slower than a gt3 i seriously doubt that it can be a gt2 killer.

Mazda on the other hand never talked much, just presented some facts. Be it in competition, in third party test drives etc so i really hope that they'll bite and build a new real sports car sooner or later to compete against that segment.

crimson-rain

I can see that. The GT-R just weighs too much. In time attack competitions, I think it will hold up well against some serious cars, but in actual lapping, tire conservation is a problem. The car is just too heavy.

Now as far as Mazda making a GT-R killer, among other cars, is it possible Ford is holding them back from that? It just seems to me Mazda is very willing to make a VERY kick anus car, but they are being held back. They have been racing with 3-rotor Renes for a while now and the technology exists to de-tune them to say 325-350hp (I think they are 480 in race trim, someone check that). I'm pretty sure they can get a 3 rotor to pass emissions and as far as gas mileage ... just get as close as possible to 20mpg. With an R3 version 8 and an engine like that, Mazda could DESTROY practically anything. Heck, even with heated leather seats!!!

REsuperD

ford no longer has controlling interest in mazda. and even when it did, it stayed decently hands off for such a big company

the reason a small company like mazda would hesitate to put out another super sports car is simple: volume and profit. the fd was such a car but, for many reasons, it was a financial disaster. it wasn't like they lost money on every car they sold, but it was too hard core and too expensive at the time for it to turn any profit. the gt-r is sweet, but it's a halo car. and big companies like nissan can absorb the development cost and even if it doesn't make that much money, it's ok 'cuz at least it's strengthening brand image. mazda also knows that it's good, really good, at making more classic light weight sports cars, and it also had little success in the past venturing into the more expensive, luxurious market despite their products actually being really good. i have no doubt that they can make another great super sports car. will they actually do it? i'd probably rather them make the next rotary car a simple, light, company sports car that's also affordable like the original rx-7...so i can buy it

MattMPS

the problem of GTR is the placement...Porsche have mixed the papers involving gt3 into game.

Gtr is a Porsche turbo killer. stop. the two car are more road oriented and for a daily use. not trackdays for primary purpose.

Nissan have made ALWAYS comparison against Turbo. not the special models of Porsche. in multiple laps of track both turbo an gtr turn in crisis for braking and tyre overload.

bse50

I saw several comparisons with the gt2 as well.
Anyway they were lapping just a second and a half faster than 2 jdm STis. That's where the car is
Nissan and bmw share the same route: more power and who cares about weight. The new m3 sports a good carbon fibre roof but a steel hood. the e46 had an alumium hood instead and costed\weighed less.

That's the direction that Mazda is NOT (thank god) going to follow with abnormous engine upsizing and useless weight.
So far they redesigned the plastics to contain more air bubbles and weigh less, new aluminiums and stuff like that.
That's all i want to see in my new rotary, not a 20b with 400hp and a 2tonne car!

delhi

Unless the GTR dude mistook the ATM machine as a drive through facility...





More: http://www.news1130.com/news/local/m...06_201745_9228

dmorales

I think what we are going for is....lacking emotion.

I love that quote from motor trend though.
________
DevilishMistress

ASH8

Attack of the TROJAN Comp Virus!!...Must Destroy!!, Kill, Must Destroy!!

Symbioticgenius

Damn, all those computers and you still can't prevent shitty driving.
Maybe he thought it was a sports car rather than a boat on wheels.
He realized it weighs more than a Jeep Cherokee and thought it could Off road like one too
When the topic is the GTR, the story ends with it under-steering into a wall
With all the buttons he thought "I bet this thing has an autopilot"
The GTR is so fat it makes Free ***** look like a tic tac
The GTR is so fat it makes sumo wrestlers look anorexic.
The GTR is so fat when they put AA stickers on the Side , people thought it was American Airlines biggest jet.
The GTR is so fat when it hauls ***, it has to make two trips.
The GTR is so fat the Bridge and Tunnel Authority classifies it as a Tractor Trailer
The GTR is so fat, Canada classifies it as a light duty truck

... Ok, Im done.

Symbioticgenius

Nah... I'm not

The GTR so fat I took a picture of it last christmas and its still printing
The old GTR Skylines ARE GODZILLA. This thing is Godzillas Fat Wife.
The GTR is so fat that when I tried to swerve around it I ran out of gas

pking1122

You guys are haters. The GT-R is by far superior to the 911 Turbo, depending on the track and weather conditions, is superior to the GT3, and rivals the GT2 and CGT. It is a couple of tenths slower than the ZR1 at the Nurb, and this is a base model 'fat' car. It caries its weight like no other car before it. Even with LC2, simple mods like flash tune and a midpipe have this car doing the quarter in 10s. Stock this car does low 11s. By no means should it be considered slow. Fat? Okay, but driven properly, it corners like a dream. I can understand if you're a purest, and prefer the setup on a RWD and true manual/clutch. In that case, the feel of an RX-8 is unmatched by most. But the GT-R is nothing short of an engineering masterpiece, and deserves respect. That said, I have no doubts that with the right R&D, Mazda can develop a rotary car that trumps Porsche, Nissan, and Chevy in performance and feel. But the GT-R is definitely a worthy benchmark.

bse50

I have actually LAPPED with gtrs and gt3s together in the same turn and i also took their times when they were doing other sessions.
Call me a hater but i've seen those things lapping slower, and i also had a chat with a michelin tech that was there with the 24hrs of spa.
It's just smoke.

Symbioticgenius

Don't lap the rest of these guys in with me. Some respect it, some dont. Most want it, I don't (maybe If I could sell it for an Exige). I though, hate it. Kids everywhere are going to miss out on what a real car is.
Also, I'll take Bse50' experience with the over your or my opinion any day.

delhi

The only thing I would get a GTR over say an Exige/Elise, 911 Turbo, used-supercars etc is because the rear seats are so dang spacious! My wife will approve of it over the other cars in that respect alone! Seriously it fits my Britex happily!

Symbioticgenius

lol. I agree, the GTR makes a great Family car.

pking1122

I don't understand how you openly parade your ignorance on this subject...

pking1122

See last post

pking1122

This all depends on the track, driver, and weather. There have been countless comparisons with professional drivers on different tracks that support and counter these claims. In many cases, people don't use the gas pedal to their advantage to put the ATTESA to use. The GT-R is arguably the fastest car exiting corners, despite its fatness. It caries its weight like a champion if you drive it as it should be driven at the limits.

delhi

What's wrong with wanting a performance car that is also practical? Is that a sin?

dos

I love how this post has turned into a GT-R sucks waaa fest. All the comparison as to IF I had the money I would get XYZ car over a GT-R. The GT-R does exactly what it was built to do, kick *** and take names, supercar performance without supercar price. The car is a benchmark. Notice how everyone now puts the GTR up as the target when they want to build a new supercar. No car's weight, computers, etc.. can fix a cars shitty driver. Anyone ever seen the Top Gear vid of a EVO hanging with a Lambo on the track? I've seen MK2 VW with a turbo VR6 swap dog Vipers and 911's.

Back on the original topic, I would love to see a Mazda GT-R fighter. I think any designer/engineer would love to make something everyone will talk about for ages and a benchmark in performance, the question is will the suits and money men let them.

pking1122

The GT-R has less room in the rear than an RX-8, with 2 less doors...WTF dude Are you judging cabin space by the exterior dimensions? Because, clearly you've never sat in one, or even seen one in person. You speaking on it is the sin, because you really have no clue...