Okay, so my car looks fast...
 

Attention: All motorists in the Georgia/Tennessee/North Carolina tri-state region...

From time to time in your travels you may see a somewhat exotic-looking, bluish-green sport coupe with unusual windows. That's me. It's a Subaru SVX. No, s-VEE-x. Yeah, I know you've never heard of it, and that you thought all Subarus were ugly; I hear that all the time.

The speedometer? Umm... one-sixty, and no, I haven't tried. Well, it won't exactly light-up the tires when the light turns green, if that's what you're asking, but when all is said and done it could probably give you a pretty good run for your money, as if that mattered.

The thing is, it doesn't matter. If you've got a trick intake and a Wonder Chip and no cats and a turbo muffler and a horn that plays the first few bars of "Dixie," well, good for you. That thang's gotta hemi? Then you must feel mighty special. But I don't care. So, IF I SHOULD HAPPEN TO OVERTAKE YOU ON THE HIGHWAY, I AM NOT CHALLENGING YOU TO RACE.

(There; I feel better now.)


dcb

-You aren't ..??? :D :D


(could not resist:))


/Sonny http://cc.smisk.us/smilies/ang_dev/angel3.gif

Re: Okay, so my car looks fast...
 

I hate that. Every time I drive my SVX I get tail-gated by some 17 year old in a riced out Honda/Hyundai/Toyota that just HAS to prove to me his car is faster.......I DON"T CARE!! I'm not challenging your manhood, I'm just driving to work!! Besides, I don't care how fast your car is.....IT"S UGLY!! I'll take style over speed ANYDAY!



Dave

Spoken like a guy...
 

...with a verified 165mph+ top speed! Go Sonny!!! :D

-Chike

It's not that I don't think my car is faster than a 120hp civic... It's just that I don't like to engage in exercises of futility :D .

Just this past friday there was a kid in a 3g (if you can even call the new bodystyle that) eclipse with a 4-banger that challenged me to a race. at first I smirk, then he adds "on the highway" at which point I have to keep from laughing. he mumbled something about intake or exhaust or something. I asked him if he had turbo, SC, or nitrous. he shook his head. then I shook my head. he really wanted to race me.

the funny part (yeah, there's still more funny) was that I mentioned that DSMs were quick cars, just to make him feel better (even though I don't think of the newer eclipses as "DSM"s per se). he asked me what a DSM was. hrm.....

variations on a theme
 

A couple of cars pounced on me from an on-ramp a few of weeks ago. Dark night, curvy 4-lane. Really moving. Just as the lead -- small, late model, light-colored, with some sort of green neon do-dads on the hood -- got to my quarter panel, the car following lit 'em up.

Tennessee State Trooper. Or maybe a local Sheriff's Deputy...? Couldn't tell.

I glance up in the rearview and smile. Bye-bye, y'all.

Justice.

So anyway, if your brain is wired in such a way my passing you means you must catch back up and blow-off my doors: I could not care less quick you are. I like to drive my car at a speed I find comfortable, as conditions and traffic warrant, and I mind my own business. I have nothing to prove. Go away.


dcb

Bwahahaha!

That last part made the story golden! I can just see the expression on his face now... :p

-Chike

Just thinking about all these glamour boys that think their Civic's are fast just gets me rolling. I never race them anymore, but it is always fun to just give the SVX a little accelerator press and show them that I don't really need to keep up because if we were at the track, they would be gettin' served. I also think that it is so very comical that they try so hard to impress everyone by doing all those stupid ricer "mods".

A little of the subject, but I was hanging out in a parking lot after the friday night downtown cruises with a bunch of people listening to a guy tell me everything about my car. The guy said something to the effect that the boxer 4 cylinders that they stuffed into the SVX are amazing. Last time I checked I could have sworn that the SVX's were equipped with only 6 cylinder engines, but it is nice to know that my 4 cyl. engine is doing OK.:rolleyes:

Boy that guy had no idea what he was talking about.:D

Keith

Since when did front-wheel-drive cars become cool? Aside from old ladies and generic commuters, who buys a FWD car? They absolutely reek of the grocery-getting, always under-the-speed-limit driving, fuel misering, stop-and-go traffic driving mentality. ...and that's totally okay. But unless you fit that description, why on earth would you ever drive a FWD car? For those who fit that description, more power to ya. Just don't start thinking your Civic is anything a Geo ain't. …because it isn't!

Performance cars are RWD or sometimes AWD, but FWD is a safety-minded invention that is silly in a performance car. It's frightening how fast some of these econoboxes are becoming. I just can't understand how oblivious people are to the fact that FWD cars are not well suited to performance applications. I suppose the safety aspect does make sense, as many of these folk really need a low-performance feature like gross on-throttle understeer to reign them in.

Sigh... Is it just me? Was I the only one who thought 'The Fast and The Furious' was a comedy? …at least they still make RWD cars for those who understand the difference.

Actually, modern front-wheel drive was popularized in the U.S. primarily as a means to save weight and space. No drivetrain tunnel through the cabin equals more room for passengers and gear, meaning the overall car may be downsized without sacrificing interior room. And that's why the configuration is still in use. The traction advantage over heavier, RWD cars in inclement weather is fringe benefit.


dcb

a few weeks agoseveral of the Northwest SVX contingent met up at a local mall, a half-dozen or so SVXi under the lights. we managed to attract the attention of a 3g dsm who persisted in gassing up the adjoining lanes of the lot, winding it up trying to lure one of us out. we responded in the only sensible way we could: we all got in our cars and went to dinner.

In case you may have forgotten, some SVX's were FWD. Are you implying that the FWD SVX fits into the category as all other FWD cars. Mind you that trying to give an excuse will only make you sound contradictory.:p

Keith

Yes, I am saying that the FWD SVX fits into the same category as all other FWD cars. I cannot fathom buying one. If you're using it to commute daily, it's not the most fuel-efficient choice of vehicle, but it'll do the job. Just don't get any ideas about it being a performance vehicle. It will exhibit horrendous understeer under throttle, will not have the self-correcting oversteer abilities of the AWD version, and will have a slower start off the line - especially if you decide to do any engine work. I'm also rather conspicuously omitting any deficiencies that would be noticed in adverse traction conditions.

I do not understand why anyone would buy a FWD SVX only because I do not understand why the FWD version is better than the AWD version. We could quibble about fractions of a mile per gallon, or tenths of a second in the quarter mile, but the difference is negligible. I suppose some people are attracted to the car for reasons other than performance, and it does have other attractive features. Saving a few bucks by foregoing the AWD would appeal to the non-performance group, but it seems silly to spend serious money on such an expensive car and then get cheap on the one feature that really makes it better than most other cars.

I do understand that performance just doesn't appeal to some of us. That's the FWD group. Most FWD owners are content with some other brand of car, which is precisely why Subaru caters to people who are not content with FWD. You'll notice that Subaru also doesn't understand the appeal of FWD, as they no longer offer FWD as an option.

Regarding the introduction of FWD as a feature to reduce weight and increase interior space, I partly agree. At first, and possibly still today, they cost considerably more to produce than a RWD car. I believe the weight and space savings were significant factors, but there must have been a great number of other factors involved to facilitate the introduction of FWD. And yes, having weight over the front wheels does help with traction on those slippery days. It just works very unfavorably in more favorable weather. (Center of mass, inertia, balance shift, tire loading and all that.) Subaru has been producing some extremely neutral handling cars. The AWD SVX is not their finest work in that category, but the FWD version is a strong candidate for their worst example of neutral balance.

I'm comfortable contradicting myself. ...just so long as nobody notices. :)

Wait til the haters start throwing coffee at it. Don't get too caught up in that immature crap.