Harvey Wallbanger's Roadster Reviews!
Ole Harvey Wallbanger here with his test times and thoughts on the various cars in DigitalBaka's farewell blast to summer!
(Note I use a DS3, automatic transmission and have all driving aids turned off except for ABS1 and driving line. I have the track settings of tire/fuel on, real grip and no damage. If my schedule and time permits I will re-test cars starting with the slowest, as I feel they will show more benefit from extra track time.)
The following are listed in the order I've tested them in. At some point I may rearrange them but until then this is what you get.
Praiano63 SLK 230 Kompressor '98 Time=1:28.055
Need to push car hard, if you try and baby it you'll get understeer. Finding the point just before the rear slips out will give you very good times. Even when the rear slides out the car remains manageable. Has good acceleration which you need to take advantage of as much as possible since it's not quite as fast around slower corners as some. I did like its handling on the loop though.
Onboy123 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GTS '03 Time=1:28.393
Reasonably quick, handles the medium speed corners well. Wants to understeer on the slower corners. Has a tendency to push a bit on the loop but not bad. Biggest issue handling was through the esses, if angle of entry and speed were not perfectly matched it is almost impossible to maintain any speed there. Overall a good car and tune, but not one that inspires you to push the limits, as you are more likely to find understeer into the dirt than a faster lap time.
Tris_73 Honda S2000 '06 Time=1:27.441
Very quick car. Light steering that's very responsive but rear end feels overly loose. Easy to get oversteer. Once you commit to an action with this car its hard to make any adjustments. Should be an exceptionally fast car for those with a very smooth flowing style of driving. On the other hand it doesn't take well to those, like ole Harvey here, with a more aggressive, late braking, slam it into the corners, style of driving, unless your looking to create clouds of smoke as you drift the corners. While rare to totally lose control, it's definitely a car that requires your full attention to drive it at the limit.
Krenkme Chrysler(Plymouth) Prowler '02 Time=1:28.989
Now this, is a Roadster! Great ole skool looks with this factory Hotrod. I can even handle the surfboard mounted on the boot. Unfortunately those looks probably help contribute to its less than stellar performance. That long wheelbase means it wants to let its tail out to play. Having tested a few other Prowlers, I must say Krenkme has done an excellent job of uping its performance and making it a faster, more enjoyable car to drive. That being said it just can't quite hang with the top cars here. Not enough grip in the corners, especially the esses where it really wants to let the tail go, and not enough beans to make up for it on the straighter sections. Despite these short comings I find it very fun car to drive.
BigBerry Mazda Roadster RS (NC) '07 Time=1:27.376
Very quick car though it doesn't necessarily feel like it. Easy to drive and handles being pitched into corners fairly hard with composure. Where tris_73's S2000 demanded full concentration and smooth driving, this offers a more relaxing drive and almost seemed to help you find that smoother line. While you can easily induce oversteer, you'll generally see/feel it coming and can quickly correct for it with either a slight lift of the throttle or a little counter steering. Great car that almost seems to be whispering to you, "come on just a few more laps! We can go faster! This is fun!"
VTiRoj Honda S2000 '06 Time=1:27.311
Quick and edgy best describes this S2000. While it isn't riding the same knife edge of control that tris_73's tune is, it still remains a slightly squirly ride with the rear end ready to come out at a moments notice. While it doesn't seem to accelerate with the quite the same gusto as tris_73's car it's slightly more forgiving handling equates to the Wallbanger here posting marginally faster lap time with it. Still very demanding car to drive near its limits. Rounding the loop is where its at its best on the track, while negotiating the esses is its biggest challenge.
Dragonthing Mazda Roadster RS (NC) '07 Time=1:26.837
At least on this track its as quick in its acceleration as either of the S2000s while remaining very driver friendly. Might be just a hair looser in the rear than BigBerry's Roadster, but that just seems to give it a little more speed and make the car feel faster overall. While this car is good all the way around the track, it's the best I've tested yet around the loop. My only quibble with the tune is the brakes as they feel a touch soft for my taste and I found myself questioning my braking points a few times. However, this is more a personal preference and would be an easy fix outside the contest. While BigBerry's car is like your sort of quiet mate that urges you on and cheers with you at each new success, Dragonthing's is that wildchild party animal friend that's constantly screaming
"Yipee" as the track and cool Autumn air flash by!
Indy_Racerfan BMW Z4 '03 Time=1:28.628
I like this car and it feels like there should be more there, but I just can't quite get to it. Seems like if I try to push it for that extra bit I start to lose the rear end which is odd since it doesn't feel particularly loose. The car does feel a bit heavy and slow to respond at times, making the esses a real challenge to carry any speed through. To fast a wrong angle on entry and you lose the rear, which is great for drifting as its easily controlled, but not good for hot lapping. To slow into the esses and your struggling to get it to rotate while trying to accelerate. Does fairly well on the longer corners like the loop but is still nothing special. Acceleration is decent enough, though not quite up to the top cars. Overall it's a pleasent car to drive, that for me at least, seems to promise a lot more performance than it actually delivers on this track.
Rotary Junkie Honda S2000 '01 Time=1:26.723
This is more like what I expected to get with all the S2000s. Extremely quick acceleration and corner hugging grip, in a package that allows the less skilled driver to explore its potential. Definitely a much more civilised car than the other S2000s tested so far. Perhaps that more driver friendly nature allows it by carrying more speed, but it seems to have the best acceleration I've yet seen. While giving a good sense of speed and being less demanding on the drivers skills and concentration than the other S2000s tested thus far, it comes away sort of sterile feeling like a surgical instrument. For me if I just wanted to go racing or lay down the hottest lap possible this would be a top choice, however if I wanted a fun drive while still being semi competitive, either BigBerry's or Dragonthing's Miata's would get the nod, as they add that extra eliment of fun to the drive instead of being just all business.
CyKosis1973 Mazda Roadster RS (NC) '07 Time=1:27.260
More business like and less playful feeling than either BigBerry's or Dragonthing's Miata's. It's fast, competent and easy to drive, but it seems to have lost some of the fun loving, playful nature you expect with these cars. My only minor complaint with the car was that it didn't seem to like turning in while braking unless you really mashed the brakes. This wasn't helped by the brakes feeling a little soft for my taste.
Sean10mm Honda S2000 '06 Time=1:27.702
Well this is the most fun and easiest S2000 for ole Harvey Wallbanger here to drive. Very good in the turns and through the esses, with by far the best performance on the loop I've seen by any car. Unfortunately the extra downforce that helps keep the rear end under control eats up so much PP that it is well down on HP, leaving it without the killer acceleration and higher top speed seen with the other S2000s. There is a little more left in the car but getting that final bit out of it will take a lot more effort as the car gets pushed to its absolute limits. It really drives and feels more like one of the Miata's rather than the other S2000s, good for fun, not so great for performance.
ACSR421 Mazda Roadster RS (NC) '07 Time=1:27.023
Fast and fun sums up this little rocket. Just a hair slower than most of the S2000s in acceleration, its driver friendly handling and corner devouring grip help make up most of the difference on this track. If I didn't already have the lap time for Dragonthing's Roadster, I would have said this was probably the limit of Miata performance. Of course there is still a little bit left to squeeze out of both cars so who can say which is truely the fastest. Very solid tune all around giving great performance while maintaining the fun loving attitude of the car. A definite must drive.
Shmogt Honda S2000 '01 Time=1:26.987
Yes! Now this is a S2000 that works for me. Fast and Fun. It may just be a tick slower than Rotary Junkie's, but where his feels like a precision surgical instrument with no life, this is like riding a well trained horse at a gallop. If you guide it along smooth lines never overdoing either throttle or brakes it will give you lap times with the best of them. On the other hand you can have a blast hitting the brakes late as you throw it into corners, snapping the rear end around and hammering the throttle as you smoke your way out of the turn. Great handling no matter how you drive and always making the driver feel like they're in control.
Johnnypenso Honda S2000 '03 Time=1:26.387
Solid, glued to the track, doesn't feel as fast as the other S2000s, which is a real trick of your perceptions, as it runs so smooth that when you look at the times you'll be shocked. While it doesn't have the fun factor that Shmogt's has, it's still more enjoyable and engaging of a drive than Rotary Junkie's. The grip on this car is really amazing and it shows as you just flow around the track.
-raVer- Chevrolet Corvette Convertible (C1) '54 Time=1:33.116
Krenkme's Prowler and my SSR were designed and built as tributes to the hot rodded cars of '40s and '50s, this however is no tribute to the past, but a living breathing example of that era in automotive history. While the Prowler and SSR may have the looks that would let them fit in at the local drive in when this Vette was new, they also have the benefit of 50 years worth of technological advances and it shows. I salute raVer for bringing this classic to the Fall Roadster Battle, unfortunately age combined with a nagging understeer leave it trailing well behind the pack.
Jackthalad Honda S2000 '06
Time=1:27.198
Another driver friendly yet fast S2000. Very nice handling and smooth. Unfortunately its actual speed is a bit of a question for me as the car as shared isn't fully broken in, so a quick check after posting the listed time showed it at 451PP, causing me to cut short any further testing.
Madmyk MG TF160 '03 Time=1:27.988
Fun car to drive and fairly quick. However, it does seem a little nervous in its handling at times, especially through the esses, where the suspension can become a tad bit upset by the curbs, causing the entire car to slide wide of the desired line. Also doesn't have the acceleration of the faster cars. As long as you don't upset the suspension it has very good grip and overall is an easy car to drive. It's only when trying to push it to the limits that you'll encounter any issues with it. If you removed the S2000s and Miatas from this battle you would find this to be one of the fastest and best cars in the class.
XDesperado67 Chevrolet SSR '03 Time=1:27.230
So your tired of all those little Miatas and S2000s buzzing around the track laughing at how slow the rest of the roadsters are in this class. Here's your cure. 1,772kg of A1 Prime Grade A all American V8 Musclecar wrapped up in a 1940's retro rod styled truck! Yes you read that right a giant truck ready to squash those little Japanese convertibles. All that weight means that it's a tad sluggish in the acceleration department when compared to the top cars, even though it packs 326HP and 371ft-lbs of torque. But it's the corners where it unleashes its real sports car eating nature. After pulling away from you on the start finish straight, the last thing drivers in those little soft tops expect to see is this monster creeping up on them through the turns. It is especially good going through the esses as the rock steady ride over the curbs and tightly carved line at speed is unmatched. While you might expect a car of this size to be rather a handful to drive at speed, the opposite is actually true as it runs completely smooth and is almost impossible to get out of sorts with, unless your foolish enough to apply its heavy duty brakes way to late on an especially hot corner entry. Go ahead and make every day Halloween as you trick all those Honda and Mazda drivers and treat yourself to a fun filled cruise in this "Super Spooky Rod".👍👍
Drivers choice awards
Okay first I want to thank all the tuners for putting together this great group of cars. Hats off to all of you for such fine cars. Personally I don't think anyone could go wrong using one of these tunes for a bit of open air fun on the twistier tracks.
That said you've made my job of choosing three of you for nomination as drivers choice especially difficult. Just about every one of these has something to recommend it.
As per DigitalBaka's instructions and in fairness to the rest of the tuners I won't nominate my Super Spooky Rod. (Even though its by far the best and deserves all three votes by itself!
)
So faced with this problem I've decided to take the somewhat easy way out.
I'll be picking my favorite S2000, Miata, and one from the rest. So here goes.
1st ACSR421's Mazda Roadster RS (NC) '07
Superb blend of exceptionally good handling and fun driving in an easy to handle car. This was a tuff call since Dragonthing's car is so much fun and possibly faster but hers takes a touch more focus to drive and isn't quite as smooth.
2nd Johnnypenso's S2000 '03
Fastest car I tested by nearly 4 tenths of a second, yet remained entertaining to drive and perfectly poised at all times. Another hard call as Shmogt's car showed how much fun an S2000 could be while remaining extremely fun.
3rd madmyk's MG FF160 '03
This was the car I was going to use if I had been unable to get the SSR to perform the way I wanted and madmyk did a fine job of tuning this British sports car whose roots date back to cars I associated with the terms, roadster and sportscar, when I was growing up. We might not have any classic MGs or Triumphs here but at least we get this modern MG to carry on the Banner for Queen and country.👍👍
Once again thanks everyone this has been great.
Remember as Harvey Wallbanger always says...
Drive hard and have fun!
:tup:
👍
