Hate Mail of the MonthI've been a pretty loyal reader of your mag for some time now and know what to expect...until I read the bull, ironically titled, "SCC Technical Assistance Program" (August, '02). What the hell were you guys thinking? Were you angry at your editor for making you get off your prissy ass and actually answering a hard letter, or did you think it would be cool to take advantage of a dyslexic (and downright stupid) boy by hacking the crap out of his car and then running it down a drag strip?
How the hell is he supposed to drive that hunk of junk home? Dave Coleman and the other three idiots, especially the loser in his grandma's sun hat should all be fired or forced to put everything back on the car. Here's a kid who reads the magazine, tries his hardest to keep up, and then some piss-poor writer tears it all down to write a full article about the experience. The article should have been canned.
Don't lose your publishing integrity or you'll be no better than "Import Tuner." Looks like you guys owe that kid a Sentra.Samy SanFrom the Internet
Hey, I like that sun hat.
Pullin' gMy friends and I wanted to try out your equations for lateral g found in the Performance Dictionary (June, '02). We found a parking lot banked the wrong way and did a 80-ft diameter circle (the best we could do to avoid hitting lamp poles). Using the lap time equation, one of my friends in a Mazda MP3 circled in 8.0 seconds, which comes out to .7625g. If I recall correctly, the MP3 has pulled as high as .92g on a 200-ft skidpad. Can you give us some driving tips to tighten that difference? Also, all else being the same, will a car be able to handle more force on a larger circle?Mike EschAnn Arbor, MICH.
First, you are right in assuming a larger circle would be better. We use a 200-ft circle as our standard, as do most magazines. "Car and Driver" uses 300 ft because it likes to be difficult.
Second, we've found the best driving technique on a skidpad is to be very smooth, with minimal steering input. Ease up to the maximum speed, then modulate the throttle to keep it on the line. With many front drivers, the circle ends up being more of an octagon or decagon. Some cars like smoother inputs, others like being manhandled. The only way to be sure is to try both. You should also alternate between clockwise and counterclockwise every lap to delay overheating of the tires.
Third, someone had very rudely parked an airplane on our skidpad the day we were testing the MP3. We can tell you, though, that the Mazdaspeed Protege, which has better tires and more grip, managed a 0.88g average over four runs (two clockwise, two counterclockwise).-Dave Coleman
QR25DE(T)?Nissan's new QR25 is big but has taken hits for being short on power. This seems like the perfect platform (strong handling and braking) for forced induction. In terms of performance, it would put this car to the head of its premium competition. So come on, guys. Let's see what this baby can do with a turbo/supercharger.Fred ConfortoFrom the Internet
Desert missileI live in a small desert town near San Bernadino, Calif. I really like the Subaru WRX, but saw at the LA auto show that it topped out at 120 mph. Is there any way to raise the car's top speed?Paul FloresFrom the Internet
I've seen the speedometer pegged straight down where 150 mph would be if there were still numbers on our Project WRX. Production cars may be limited to 140 mph, but not 120 mph. -Josh Jacquot
$$$ buys success?Your USCC tests included everything but price. How much was the vehicle and how much was invested to get the vehicle to its current condition? In the 2003 USCC, please add a price comparison test to the total score. J. WyczalekPhoenix, Ariz.
Duly noted.