Pedal of Choice - Issue 4 Out Now!!!

Paulie · Jan 18, 2009

Pedal Of Choice

- The Real Driving Magazine -

Back Issues

Issue 1- Bang for Buck, Tyre Potential
Issue 2- F40 vs M3, Tune Potential, Time Attack Viper Capability
Issue 3- Kei Car Kup, Muscle Car Madness
Issue 4- Japanese Tuning Shootout, Hire a Writer

Paulie · Jan 18, 2009

Pedal Of Choice

- The Real Driving Magazine -

Welcome to the very first ever issue of a new magazine called Pedal of Choice. Using GT5 as a base, we will cover many automotive stories. Allow me to first introduce my fellow writers though. Joining me is doblocruiser and ASH32. Unfortunately ASH32 will be unable to join us for this issue because of his PS3 dying. I don't want anyone to think this is mostly mine though, this is split 3 ways in ownership and work put in. At the moment, we are simply using GT5

as a way of testing our methods and improving where we can before the full GT5, as obviously as you can imagine, the range of stories we can actually cover are limited in GT5

, and you may see some overlapping data from issue to issue every once in a while. So please, any feedback good or bad is welcomed on the way we do things.
Most of the stories we cover will be using production cars, which means we will use the tyres stated as "standard fitment" in the manual in nearly all tests. For comparos between different cars, all the writers shall do their own testing, this is to avoid any biases, driver differences/preferences, and to obtain a fair and average score/result for the cars.
In this issue you will find the bang for buck performance test in GT5

and an article showing just how much better tyres can do for you. For a car to be eligible for the bang for buck, it had to be under a RRP of $70,000. This leaves out any supercars, because if you're the average man/woman and you're looking for a good bang for your buck, chances are supercars aren't in your scope of price range. Similarly, if you're in the market for a supercar, price is probably not an object, and you'll simply buy what you like most/what performs best anyway. Also of note, each tester has not spent much more than 5 laps with each car if that even, so don't expect perfect lap times, they are a measure of the car's general performance, and we didn't want any cars getting more time spent with them than others. So, please enjoy the following read, what will hopefully be the first of many many performance tests and stories.

GT5 Bang for Buck

Introduction
Rather than just tell you which car won, we shall explain our method of points scoring. First thing was first, we sent a Suzuki Cappucino out to do some performance testing, which included a hot lap of Suzuka and a top speed test on Daytona Oval. For all cars we rounded down the top speed to the nearest 10 for simplicity and to try and avoid any possible driver error for top speed. The Cappucino was then the standard by which all the other cars were measured. For every whole second under the Cappucino's lap time the car got a point, for every 10km/hr higher top speed the car got a point. Then we also used the car's power to weight ratio as we don't have a 1/4mile or any other way of doing accleration tests. The car's power to weight ratio (in kw/tonne) divided by 10 gave it that many points. Then, because this is a bang for buck performance test, in order to tie the car's performance to its' price, we added the points scored from the 3 performance tests, then multiplied it for every whole $5,000 the car's price was under $70,000.

So, the Cappucino's performance results?
Suzuki Cappucino (Factory fitted N2 tyres)

Suzuka Lap Time: 3'02.293
Top Speed: 190km/hr

Now the results you've been waiting to hear, all the performance testing of cars in the GT5

bang for buck performance test.

Paulie's Results:

Alfa Romeo 147 TI (Factory fitted N3 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $31,400
Suzuka Lap Time: 2'50.597
Top Speed: 210km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 85.94kw/tonne
Tester's Comments: It has a fiery engine note, attractive looks and that familiar Alfa Romeo soul. It handles well when on the throttle but has bad turn-in. The car also really needs 6 gears, as 3rd and up are too long and this hurts acceleration. You don't even get to use 5th gear at Suzuka.

Car Points:
Lap: 11pts
Top Speed: 2pts
PWR: 8.6pts
Multiplied by: 7
Car Total Points: 151.2pts
---------------------------------------------------
BMW Z4 (Factory fitted N3 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $38,600
Suzuka Lap Time: 2'39.763
Top Speed: 240km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 123.81kw/tonne
Tester's Comments: 3rd gear felt really long to me in this car, but a reasonable performer with decent front end bite.

Car Points:
Lap: 22pts
Top Speed: 5pts
PWR: 12.4pts
Multiplied by: 6
Car Total Points: 236.4pts
---------------------------------------------------
BMW 135i (Factory fitted N3 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $64,300
Suzuka Lap Time: 2'33.113
Top Speed: 260km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 144.23kw/tonne
Tester's Comments: 2nd gear is easy to light up, but overall it has nicely spaced gearing. Certainly a car that needed better tyres.

Car Points:
Lap: 29pts
Top Speed: 7pts
PWR: 14.4pts
Multiplied by: 1
Car Total Points: 50.4
---------------------------------------------------
Citroen C4 Coupe (Factory fitted N3 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $31,900
Suzuka Lap Time: 2'45.088
Top Speed: 220km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 99.25kw/tonne
Tester's Comments: It has an impressive, smooth and hard revving engine which is reasonably powerful for a N/A 2.0L 4cyl. The gears are pretty long but it doesn't seem too plagued by it. In my opinion the car looks to narrow, and it has some nose push on acceleration.

Car Points:
Lap: 17pts
Top Speed: 3pts
PWR: 9.9pts
Multiplied by: 7
Car Total Points: 209.3pts
---------------------------------------------------
Ford Mustang GT (Factory fitted N3 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $48,500
Suzuka Lap Time: 2'40.023
Top Speed: 240km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 136.81kw/tonne
Tester's Comments: 1st and 2nd gear are way too short, 3rd gear is alright, 4th and 5th gears are way too long. The car needs better tyres, the rears arc up too easily. It's not as good on track as it is on paper. It does have a really nice sound, and is really fun to drive thanks to some powersliding antics. It wasn't even close to the power band for the top speed test. Where is a V8 Camaro when you need one?

Car Points:
Lap: 22pts
Top Speed: 5pts
PWR: 13.7pts
Multiplied by: 4
Car Total Points: 162.8pts
---------------------------------------------------
Ford Focus ST (Factory fitted N3 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $32,000
Suzuka Lap Time: 2'38.912
Top Speed: 230km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 115.38kw/tonne
Tester's Comments: Nice sound and decent power from the turbo 5cyl. It's mobile yet stable with some slight nose push under full throttle. The gears are great for Suzuka and it's faster than the Mustang but at a cheaper price.

Car Points:
Lap: 23pts
Top Speed: 4pts
PWR: 11.5pts
Multiplied by: 7
Car Total Points: 269.5pts
---------------------------------------------------
Honda Integra Type R (Factory fitted S1 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $27,300
Suzuka Lap Time: 2'29.273
Top Speed: 240km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 136.44kw/tonne
Tester's Comments: Incredible V-Tec power, superb handling and great on track gearing. The car isn't right in the power band for the top speed test.

Car Points:
Lap: 33pts
Top Speed: 5pts
PWR: 13.6pts
Multiplied by: 8
Car Total Points: 412.8pts
---------------------------------------------------
Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione (Factory fitted N2 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $54,500
Suzuka Lap Time: 2'45.892
Top Speed: 230km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 114.07kw/tonne
Tester's Comments: A real classic with beefy old school sound and looks. The brakes are weak and you must slow down quite early for corners, but once on throttle there is pretty much no understeer. Quite impressive for such an old girl.

Car Points:
Lap: 16pts
Top Speed: 4pts
PWR: 11.4pts
Multiplied by: 3
Car Total Points: 94.2pts
-----------------------------------------------
Lotus Elise 111R (Factory fitted N3 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $54,400
Suzuka Lap Time: 2'32.338
Top Speed: 250km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 163.95kw/tonne
Tester's Comments: Whether you are braking or lifting off the throttle, if you want to slow down the car wil oversteer, it's absolutely wild to drive on the limit. It has great stopping power and is very nimble. I was getting a constant steering vibration while cornering. It has really good gearing, but it's hard to bring out the car's potential. It's also very twicthy at high speeds.

Car Points:
Lap: 29pts
Top Speed: 6pts
PWR: 16.4pts
Multiplied by: 3
Car Total Points: 154.2pts
---------------------------------------------------
Lotus Elise '96 (Factory fitted S1 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $37,600
Suzuka Lap Time: 2'32.656
Top Speed: 230km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 116.56kw/tonne
Tester's Comments: Easy to drive, and hard to drive fast. It has lift off oversteer. The car requires commitment in the corners, but is almost as fast as the new model. It has amazing stopping power. For such low power and grippy tyres it's still very twitchy at high speeds. I still think it looks like an annoying bug.

Car Points:
Lap: 29pts
Top Speed: 4pts
PWR: 11.7pts
Multiplied by: 6
Car Total Points: 268.2pts
---------------------------------------------------
Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A (Factory fitted S1 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $40,000
Suzuka Lap Time: 2'23.872
Top Speed: 270km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 161.42kw/tonne
Tester's Comments: It's very waspy and easy to drive, not to mention fast, loads of grip available. The interior looks warped and whacky, while the engine sound is boring.

Car Points:
Lap: 38pts
Top Speed: 8pts
PWR: 16.1pts
Multiplied by: 6
Car Total Points: 372.6pts
---------------------------------------------------
Mazda RX-8 Type S (Factory fitted S1 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $28,980
Suzuka Lap Time: 2'27.246
Top Speed: 260km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 139.69kw/tonne
Tester's Comments: Superb all round handling. The engine is absolutely gutless below 7,000rpm and it could well be the ugliest car here. It has good gear ratios, and the performance/dollar is simply amazing.

Car Points:
Lap: 35pts
Top Speed: 7pts
PWR: 14.0pts
Multiplied by: 8
Car Total Points: 448pts
---------------------------------------------------
Mini Cooper S (Factory fitted N3 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $28,500
Suzuka Lap Time: 2'41.399
Top Speed: 220km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 105.93kw/tonne
Tester's Comments: It understeers and it has 2nd gear wheelspin.

Car Points:
Lap: 20pts
Top Speed: 3pts
PWR: 10.6pts
Multiplied by: 8
Car Total Points: 268.8pts
---------------------------------------------------
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX GSR (Factory fitted S2 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $35,700
Suzuka Lap Time: 2'25.030
Top Speed: 250km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 145.39kw/tonne
Tester's Comments: The car "bounces" through corners, it understeers, the gears are too short meaning you must always change gear at inappropriate times. It looks too boxy for my taste.

Car Points:
Lap: 37pts
Top Speed: 6pts
PWR: 14.5pts
Multiplied by: 6
Car Total Points: 345pts
---------------------------------------------------
Mitsubishi Lancer Evoloution X GSR (Factory fitted S2 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $42,400
Suzuka Lap Time: 2'21.943
Top Speed: 250km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 133.12kw/tonne
Tester's Comments: Less understeer than previous model by far, but the gearing is still too short. Bad turn-in means you need to brake that bit earlier. It does some stange weaving on the straights.

Car Points:
Lap: 40pts
Top Speed: 6pts
PWR: 13.3pts
Multiplied by: 5
Car Total Points: 296.5pts
---------------------------------------------------
Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R V-Spec II (Factory fitted S2 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $61,000
Suzuka Lap Time: 2'21.408
Top Speed: 270km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 131.41kw/tonne
Tester's Comments: It has beautifully neutral handling and great gear ratios with truck loads of grip as well and at my helm was the fastest car. However, it's way over priced, and I think the engine note sounds too raspy with the stock exhaust.

Car Points:
Lap: 40pts
Top Speed: 8pts
PWR: 13.1
Multiplied by: 1
Car Total Points: 61.1pts
---------------------------------------------------
Nissan 350Z Version S (Factory fitted S1 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $36,300
Suzuka Lap Time: 2'24.408
Top Speed: 270km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 155.41kw/tonne
Tester's Comments: Awesome grip and a powerful V6 (which happens to sound very nice) make for a potent combination. It seems this car suffers from high speed understeer, where the faster you go the more reluctant it becomes to turn. I wouldn't call it the prettiest car out there either.

Car Points:
Lap: 37pts
Top Speed: 8pts
PWR: 15.5pts
Multiplied by: 6
Car Total Points: 363pts
---------------------------------------------------
Nissan Skyline Coupe 370GT (Factory fitted S1 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $44,730
Suzuka Lap Time: 2'24.990
Top Speed: 270km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 146.99kw/tonne
Tester's Comments: The handling is quite neutral with a slight "bouncing" as you corner. Gears 3rd and on are way too long, but the shifts are lightning fast.

Car Points:
Lap: 37pts
Top Speed: 8pts
PWR: 14.7pts
Multiplied by: 5
Car Total Points: 298.5pts
---------------------------------------------------
Renault Clio Sport V6 (Factory fitted N3 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $45,500
Suzuka Lap Time: 2'36.662
Top Speed: 240km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 128.09kw/tonne
Tester's Comments: Turn-in oversteer when you're pushing the envelope means earlier braking and a slower entry is required, and the turn-in oversteer can easily lead to corner exit oversteer as well. The gear ratios are pretty good, but the tyres light up fairly easily in 2nd gear.

Car Points:
Lap: 25pts
Top Speed: 5pts
PWR: 12.8pts
Multiplied by: 4
Car Total Points: 171.2pts
---------------------------------------------------
Subaru Impreza WRX STi '07 (Factory fitted S2 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $36,540
Suzuka Lap Time: 2'21.996
Top Speed: 260km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 153.74kw/tonne
Tester's Comments: It has a horrible sound and looks but it goes like the clappers. There is a slight nose push on acceleration. It has superb gearing.

Car Points:
Lap: 40pts
Top Speed: 7pts
PWR: 15.4pts
Multiplied by: 6
Car Total Points: 374.4pts
---------------------------------------------------
Subaru Impreza WRX STi Type RA '05 (Factory fitted S2 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $38,220
Suzuka Lap Time: 2'24.091
Top Speed: 250km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 147.48kw/tonne
Tester's Comments: It feels better than the newer version in every way but somehow it is slower due to less straight line gusto.

Car Points:
Lap: 38pts
Top Speed: 6pts
PWR: 14.7pts
Multiplied by: 6
Car Total Points: 352.2pts
---------------------------------------------------
Suzuki Swift Sport (Factory fitted N3 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $16,300
Suzuka Lap Time: 2'49.773
Top Speed: 200km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 85.85kw/tonne
Tester's Comments: The turn-in is sub par like the acceleration. Even though it has no LSD it doesn't seem to need one, the "Sport" seems to refer more to the appearance than actual performance. It's the cheapest car here, but manages to be faster than the 147 in my hands so isn't necessarily the slowest.

Car Points:
Lap: 12pts
Top Speed: 1pt
PWR: 8.6pts
Multiplied by: 10
Car Total Points: 216pts
---------------------------------------------------
Volkswagen Golf V GTI (Factory fitted N3 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $32,750
Suzuka Lap Time: 2'40.803
Top Speed: 230km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 110.03kw/tonne
Tester's Comments: The wheels threaten to spin in 2nd gear but they always seem to find their footing. It can be difficult to get the nose pointing at the apex but once you do it's all smooth sailing. I've always liked the look of this car thanks to the red accenting in the grille which really sets it off in my opinion.

Car Points:
Lap: 21pts
Top Speed: 4pts
PWR: 11.0pts
Multiplied by: 7
Car Total Points: 252pts

Under Paulie's testing the RX-8 has turned out to be the best bang for buck with an impressive 448pts with the Honda Integra Type R not far off in 2nd place and the 2007 STi just scrapes 3rd.

doblocruiser's Results:

Alfa Romeo 147 TI (Factory fitted N3 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $31,400
Suzuka Lap Time: 2.49.960
Top Speed: 210km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 85.94kw/tonne
Tester's Comments:
Pro- Stable and easy to drive / good cornerning / brilliant looks and sound
Con- Torque steering / has not enough power for the long gears / under 4000 rpm no power at all
Verdict- In general this is a good car, to bad gearing is so long and therefore this one is quite slow. However, looks, sound and driveability make up for its minor flaws.

Car Points:
Lap: 12pts
Top Speed: 2pts
PWR: 8.6pts
Multiplied by: 7
Car Total Points: 158.2pts
---------------------------------------------------

BMW Z4 (Factory fitted N3 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $38,600
Suzuka Lap Time: 2.43.045
Top Speed: 240km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 123.81kw/tonne
Tester's Comments:
Pro- Driftability / sound
Con- bad brakes / understeer fast corners / snap oversteer / loose backend / ugly design / difficult handling
Verdict- About this car there is not much positive to say. Very hard car for a beginner and a handfull for an experienced driver. It understeers heavily in fast corners and it will sudenly snap when acceleration out of the corner in 2 and 3 gear. Avoid!

Car Points:
Lap: 19pts
Top Speed: 5pts
PWR: 12.4pts
Multiplied by: 6
Car Total Points: 218.4pts
---------------------------------------------------
BMW 135i (Factory fitted N3 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $64,300
Suzuka Lap Time: 2.36.291
Top Speed: 260km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 144.23kw/tonne
Tester's Comments:
Pro- Good sound / acceleration is there in all gears / can brake into corners well / stable car / brakes can be applied hard
Con- Looks ugly / backend can be twitchy / to soft on springs
Verdict- A good ride. If you can deal with the idea that grandpa's drive this car then this is a very good choice. It's engine revs happily in all gears and the ride is stable. Look out for it's hanging out bottom though.

Car Points:
Lap: 26pts
Top Speed: 7pts
PWR: 14.4pts
Multiplied by: 1
Car Total Points: 47.4pts
---------------------------------------------------
Citroen C4 Coupe (Factory fitted N3 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $31,900
Suzuka Lap Time: 2.45.631
Top Speed: 220km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 99.25kw/tonne
Tester's Comments:
Pro- Funky interior / powerful engine / good cornering / nice handling / loads of grip
Con- Can be understeery sometimes due to FWD / it's not a real looker
Verdict- This is one of the nicest stock fwd cars to buy. It handles extremely well and is easy to control. Very good value for money.

Car Points:
Lap: 16pts
Top Speed: 3pts
PWR: 9.9pts
Multiplied by: 7
Car Total Points: 202.3pts
---------------------------------------------------
Ford Mustang GT (Factory fitted N3 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $48,500
Suzuka Lap Time: 2.40.962
Top Speed: 240km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 136.81kw/tonne
Tester's Comments:
Pro- Proper muscle car / mighty v8 sound / good handling / easy to control when backends comes out
Con- 4 and 5 gear are really lacking power / soft suspension / carefull with 2nd gear
Verdict- This American muscle car delivers / nice sound with comfortable handling makes this an easy drive. Be carefull with hammering down the throttle in second gear, it makes her dance

Car Points:
Lap: 21pts
Top Speed: 5pts
PWR: 13.7pts
Multiplied by: 4
Car Total Points: 158.8pts
---------------------------------------------------
Ford Focus ST (Factory fitted N3 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $32,000
Suzuka Lap Time: 2.38.527
Top Speed: 230km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 115.38kw/tonne
Tester's Comments:
Pro- Very powerful / good gear ratios / nice dashboard / front wheels can handle the power / not a lot of understeer / good brakes
Con- Dreadfull looks
Verdict- Only negative part is its looks / this car really knows what a family father wants on a Sunday drive / you can drive your kids comfortably to school and on the way back feel like Michael Schumacher / Great allrounder

Car Points:
Lap: 23pts
Top Speed: 4pts
PWR: 11.5pts
Multiplied by: 7
Car Total Points: 269.5pts
---------------------------------------------------
Honda Integra Type R (Factory fitted S1 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $27,300
Suzuka Lap Time: 2.30.959
Top Speed: 240km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 136.44kw/tonne
Tester's Comments:
Pro- Sporty looks / v-tec engine / powerful / grippy tyres / racey sound / acceleration
Con- Lifeless below 5500 rpm /
Verdict- This is easily the best fwd car to buy / it even outclasses many more expensive rwd cars / must buy!

Car Points:
Lap: 31pts
Top Speed: 5pts
PWR: 13.6pts
Multiplied by: 8
Car Total Points: 396.8pts
---------------------------------------------------
Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione (Factory fitted N2 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $54,500
Suzuka Lap Time: 2.46.497
Top Speed: 230km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 114.07kw/tonne
Tester's Comments:
Pro- Mighty '80s sportscar / growling sound / stabillity / gorgeous looker / lots of traction in slow corners
Con- Turbo lag / massive understeer
Verdict- The lancia, a car that left me with mixed feelings. It's really beautifull to look at but driving this car is not that thrilling / I excepted more from this car. Loads of understeer and highspeed corners are not it's favorite. A mixed bag.

Car Points:
Lap: 15pts
Top Speed: 4pts
PWR: 11.4pts
Multiplied by: 3
Car Total Points: 91.2pts
-----------------------------------------------
Lotus Elise 111R (Factory fitted N3 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $54,400
Suzuka Lap Time: 2.35.122
Top Speed: 250km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 163.95kw/tonne
Tester's Comments:
Pro- Fast / powerful / suspension / brakes / good cornering / driver's car
Con- Huge oversteer / lift off instant oversteer / twitchy high speed corners / needs to be driven very carefully
Verdict- Nice ride but be careful with your right foot / steering should be silky smooth / this car cannot handle roughness / little but fast car

Car Points:
Lap: 27pts
Top Speed: 6pts
PWR: 16.4pts
Multiplied by: 3
Car Total Points: 148.2pts
---------------------------------------------------
Lotus Elise '96 (Factory fitted S1 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $37,600
Suzuka Lap Time: 2.36.516
Top Speed: 230km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 116.56kw/tonne
Tester's Comments:
Pro- Amazing cornering / good brakes / immense grip
Con- Slow acceleration / feels powerless / boring looks
Verdict- Driving on a technical circuit is a dream with this car / it has great grip and handling / much easier to control than the 111R but the downside is that it lacks power and gear ratios are way too long

Car Points:
Lap: 25pts
Top Speed: 4pts
PWR: 11.7pts
Multiplied by: 6
Car Total Points: 244.2pts
---------------------------------------------------
Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A (Factory fitted S1 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $40,000
Suzuka Lap Time: 2.26.101
Top Speed: 270km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 161.42kw/tonne
Tester's Comments:
Pro- Stable car / good brakes / nice looks / suspension / traction / cornering
Con- Needs high revs for power / ugly cockpit
Verdict- A good drive. This car is easy to handle and easy to drift / car control is very manageable.

Car Points:
Lap: 36pts
Top Speed: 8pts
PWR: 16.1pts
Multiplied by: 6
Car Total Points: 360.6pts
---------------------------------------------------
Mazda RX-8 Type S (Factory fitted S1 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $28,980
Suzuka Lap Time: 2.30.284
Top Speed: 260km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 139.69kw/tonne
Tester's Comments:
Pro- Rotary sound / grip / cornering / interior
Con- Dull looks / engine dead below 6000 RPM
Verdict- The RX8 sounds really great / this car has loads of grip but you have to keep revving the engine to keep up the speed / accelerate into the redline between 9,000 and 10,000 rpm / very good car and easy to drive.

Car Points:
Lap: 32pts
Top Speed: 7pts
PWR: 14.0pts
Multiplied by: 8
Car Total Points: 424pts
---------------------------------------------------
Mini Cooper S (Factory fitted N3 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $28,500
Suzuka Lap Time: 2.42.572
Top Speed: 220km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 105.93kw/tonne
Tester's Comments:
Pro- Funky looks / interior / acceleration
Con- Fixed final gear ratio / midcorner understeer /
Verdict- The Italian job car is just not fast enough to rob the bank / it handles nicely but has no real negative and positive points / average car

Car Points:
Lap: 19pts
Top Speed: 3pts
PWR: 10.6pts
Multiplied by: 8
Car Total Points: 260.8pts
---------------------------------------------------
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX GSR (Factory fitted S2 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $35,700
Suzuka Lap Time: 2.25.626
Top Speed: 250km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 145.39kw/tonne
Tester's Comments:
Pro- First 4 gears / traction / grip / cornering speed / handling / very good 4WD system
Con- 5 and 6 gear lack power / hideous /
Verdict- Easy to throw into every corner / it's almost impossible to crash with this car / easy to control / powerful car / good buy!

Car Points:
Lap: 36pts
Top Speed: 6pts
PWR: 14.5pts
Multiplied by: 6
Car Total Points: 339pts
---------------------------------------------------
Mitsubishi Lancer Evoloution X GSR (Factory fitted S2 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $42,400
Suzuka Lap Time: 2.25.298
Top Speed: 250km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 133.12kw/tonne
Tester's Comments:
Pro- Aggresive looks / fast acceleration gear 1 up to 4 / easy to handle and correct / fresh dashboard
Con- 5 and 6 gear lack power / understeer when accelerating out of corner.
Verdict- Good car to drive, easy to handle but you are probably better off with the Evo IX which has better cornering.

Car Points:
Lap: 36pts
Top Speed: 6pts
PWR: 13.3pts
Multiplied by: 5
Car Total Points: 276.5pts
---------------------------------------------------
Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R V-Spec II (Factory fitted S2 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $61,000
Suzuka Lap Time: 2.23.271
Top Speed: 260km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 131.41kw/tonne
Tester's Comments:
Pro- Lovely looks / superb 4wd system / light oversteer / gorgeous handling
Con- No use for 6th gear / boring dashboard
Verdict- The R34, superb handling, superb driveability, easy to control. Just another dream to drive

Car Points:
Lap: 39pts
Top Speed: 7pts
PWR: 13.1
Multiplied by: 1
Car Total Points: 59.1pts
---------------------------------------------------
Nissan 350Z Version S (Factory fitted S1 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $36,300
Suzuka Lap Time: 2.25.480
Top Speed: 260km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 155.41kw/tonne
Tester's Comments:
Pro- Stunning dashboard / lots of grip / powerful / great sound / brake late into corners / drift easy to control
Con- Ugly design / maybe a bit too stable to drive
Verdict- While it is a great car to drive, the looks are really ugly. It's like a wolf in sheep's clothes / car handles beautifully and there is loads of traction and grip. Great drive if you can handle its looks

Car Points:
Lap: 36pts
Top Speed: 7pts
PWR: 15.5pts
Multiplied by: 6
Car Total Points: 351pts
---------------------------------------------------
Nissan Skyline Coupe 370GT (Factory fitted S1 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $44,730
Suzuka Lap Time: 2.26.915
Top Speed: 270km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 146.99kw/tonne
Tester's Comments:
Pro- Stunning looker / awesome handling / cornering speed / brakes / luxurious feel
Con- Gearbox should be a 6 speed manual / 4 gear complete powerless / no use of 5th gear
Verdict- It feels like a real luxury saloon / a car that handles very nice but due to its awful gearbox you may choose another drive

Car Points:
Lap: 35pts
Top Speed: 8pts
PWR: 14.7pts
Multiplied by: 5
Car Total Points: 288.5pts
---------------------------------------------------
Renault Clio Sport V6 (Factory fitted N3 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $45,500
Suzuka Lap Time: 2.39.548
Top Speed: 240km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 128.09kw/tonne
Tester's Comments:
Pro- A real hot hatch / powerful / fast / cool sound / brakes
Con- Very twitchy / strange looks / instant oversteer / shortwheel base makes it unstable
Verdict- Lovely V6 which delivers / fast small car that goes like a rocket / sadly due to it's short wheelbase it's not for the faint hearted / it suffers from the instant oversteer and impossible to correct disease

Car Points:
Lap: 22pts
Top Speed: 5pts
PWR: 12.8pts
Multiplied by: 4
Car Total Points: 159.2pts
---------------------------------------------------
Subaru Impreza WRX STi '07 (Factory fitted S2 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $36,540
Suzuka Lap Time: 2.22.329
Top Speed: 260km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 153.74kw/tonne
Tester's Comments:
Pro- Awesome handling / carry loads of speed into the corners / good brakes / nice sound / power /grip
Con- When braking too hard into the corner, back end wants to be in front / dull looks /
Verdict- This car can be driven hard and fast / it has immense grip and is really easy to corner. Too bad they changed the design

Car Points:
Lap: 39pts
Top Speed: 7pts
PWR: 15.4pts
Multiplied by: 6
Car Total Points: 368.4pts
---------------------------------------------------
Subaru Impreza WRX STi Type RA '05 (Factory fitted S2 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $38,220
Suzuka Lap Time: 2.24.473
Top Speed: 250km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 147.48kw/tonne
Tester's Comments:
Pro- Powerful / cornering / brakes / grip / cool looks
Con- When too early on power it tends to understeer / sound like a vaccuum cleaner
Verdict- Subaru has done it's job on this one. It is a bit more gentle than it's new brother / It handles really well / good 4wd car for the beginning enthusiast

Car Points:
Lap: 37pts
Top Speed: 6pts
PWR: 14.7pts
Multiplied by: 6
Car Total Points: 346.2pts
---------------------------------------------------
Suzuki Swift Sport (Factory fitted N3 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $16,300
Suzuka Lap Time: 2.50.874
Top Speed: 200km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 85.85kw/tonne
Tester's Comments:
Pro- Funky looks / value for money / gearbox / grip / cornering / springs
Con- Soft brakes
Verdict- Very good value for money / it's not the fastest FWD car out there / it does a lot of things very good / it performs well on the track / if only the brake system could be a bit better

Car Points:
Lap: 11pts
Top Speed: 1pt
PWR: 8.6pts
Multiplied by: 10
Car Total Points: 206pts
---------------------------------------------------
Volkswagen Golf V GTI (Factory fitted N3 tyres)

Car Stats:
RRP: $32,750
Suzuka Lap Time: 2.41.915
Top Speed: 230km/hr
Power to Weight Ratio: 110.03kw/tonne
Tester's Comments:
Pro- Nice looks
Con- Bad brakes / loads of understeer / cornering is not that great / no feel when driving the car / engine feels lifeless
Verdict- I expected a lot of this car but it turned out to be a complete let down / strange handling / bad braking, massive understeer / this car just doesn't feel right

Car Points:
Lap: 20pts
Top Speed: 4pts
PWR: 11.0pts
Multiplied by: 7
Car Total Points: 245pts

Under doblocruiser's testing the RX-8 has once again emerged triumphant, with a solid 424pts, with the Honda Integra and 2007 STi again bringing in 2nd and 3rd.

Conclusion
As we now draw to a close on the GT5

Bang for Buck performance test, it is time to reflect and talk about final standings and to give out special awards. The final standings are the average result between the testers, and so, here they are:
1. Mazda RX-8 Type S: 436pts
2. Honda Integra Type R: 404.8pts
3. Subaru Impreza WRX STi '07: 371.4pts
4. Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A: 366.6pts
5. Nissan 350Z Version S: 357pts
6. Subaru Impreza WRX STi Type RA '05: 349.2pts
7. Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX GSR: 342pts
8. Nissan Skyline Coupe 370GT: 293.5pts
9. Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X GSR: 286.5pts
10. Ford Focus ST: 269.5pts
11. Mini Cooper S: 264.8pts
12. Lotus Elise '96: 256.2pts
13. Volkswagen Golf V GTI: 248.5pts
14. BMW Z4: 227.4pts
15. Suzuka Swift Sport: 211pts
16. Citroen C4 Coupe: 205.8pts
17. Renault Clio Sport V6: 165.2pts
18. Ford Mustang GT: 160.8pts
19. Alfa Romeo 147 TI: 154.7pts
20. Lotus Elise 111R: 151.2pts
21. Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione: 92.7pts
22. Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R V-Spec II: 60.1pts
23. BMW 135i Coupe: 48.9pts

It's now time to give out some special awards to the cars that deserve them. First, the Nissan GT-R R34, thanks to its high grade factory tyres and impressive AWD system gets the award for fastest car under $70,000. In Paulie's hands in under 5 laps at Suzuka it cracked out a very respectable 2'21.408 lap time, just nudging out the late model WRX and Evolution. Despite not scoring well, the cheapest car sent to us by manufacturers was the Suzuki Swift Sport which has a RRP of just $16,300, and is still a decent little car.

That concludes the Bang for Buck performance test. It was a long one, and has indeed taken many hours to complete. We included so many cars because being only GT5

with a relatively small number of cars available we thought it best to represent nearly all of them. We hope this segment has been both entertaining and informative for you.

The Potential of a Tyre

It's amazing how many people don't know how much a tyre can do for your car. It is easily one of the greatest attributes your car can have, a good car on bad tyres is still going to be slow. In this article, we will show you just how much of a difference a tyre can make to your car's performance by taking 2 cars, the Mustang GT and 135i, that have come from the factory with bad tyres and fitting them with better ones.

Ford Mustang GT by Paulie.
First, let me run through what the car is like to drive on N3 tyres. Driving it is like trying to juggle a water balloon. You must be very slow and careful with every move or the result will not be favourable. The tyres will fry in 2nd gear no matter whether you're turning, going straight or the engine speed. This is particularly bad at the Suzuka hairpin where the tyres can start spinning at as little as half throttle. Even in 3rd gear you must carefully feed the throttle while cornering at risk of powerslides. The braking distances are long, and turn-in is bad- understeer is a constant battle. With N3 tyres equipped the Mustang takes 130R at just over 155km/hr and manages a lap time of 2'39.416.
Now, I brought the car into the pits and had S1 grade tyres put on. The change is instantly recognisable, it feels like a true sports car now. 2nd gear wheelspin is essentially gone, except when cornering where even then it is minimal and easily managed. The rear end doesn't step out at all in 3rd gear when cornering without provocation. Braking is so improved stopping distance feels halved and as for turn-in, the nose is more than willing to point in the right direction now. Not to mention 130R can now be taken at 180km/hr, that's a 20km/hr plus turn around! The lap time? Dropped 9sec to a 2'30.279!

BMW 135i by doblocruiser
This morning as I woke up in my hotel room the sun just rose and was shining in my room. I opened the door to my balcony where I looked over the beautiful Eiger Mountain. Over my cup of coffee I realized today was the day. The Germans have sent over a nice BMW 135i with two different tyre sets for me to test on the winding road in front of my hotel.

After I got dressed I got to the main room and had breakfast, not eating too much because of all the extra weight I'd have to carry around. At 10 o'clock I walked outside of the hotel and the personell got me my first test car. The 135i with N3 tyres. I fired up its engine and started to roll down to where the start of the tour was. Comfy seats and a nice dashboard was what I was looking at. I liked what the Germans did on the inside. It sounded nice too!

I set my GPS timing device and off we went. The corners were tight and twisty. This is where I had to be very careful with the power and the brakes. I could brake rather late but the same was for the power. It took long before I could floor the pedal because the back end tends to come out quite easily. With those tyres it could be scary near those cliffs. The lap time I achieved with it was a 1.21.850. With sweaty handpalms and face I parked the Beemer with the N3 tyres in the parking lot and I took the one with the S1 tyres. What I did not know at this point was I was in for a hell of a surprise.

3..2..1..and off we go......Immediately it was obvious that the amount of grip had increased, braking could be done later and I could hit the throttle sooner. The back end was less twitchy and even though it was a stable car with N3, with S1 it was an amazing improvement. The car could be driven a lot more aggressively and was easy to control. After I finished it had an amazing 1.17.185 on the stop watch. The difference was tremendous.

Upgrading the tyres improves handling, makes the car more stable, allows later braking and sooner on the power. Car control is better. So this small change of rubber has a positive effect on the complete car. I wish they equipped them standard with S1 tyres. It surely made me smile and it made me feel like a race car driver.

In the evening the guys from BMW came and loaded the test cars in the truck again. I sneakily took a peak in their truck to see if they had some more candy in store for me. Unfortunately this was it. I thanked them and went back to my hotel for dinner. It had been a beautiful day!

So this brings us to a close on the very first issue of Pedal of Choice, we hope you have enjoyed it! It's taken us hours to make, especially thanks to the bang for buck requiring a lot of planning, formatting and testing. Future issues will hopefully be slightly shorter for your reading enjoyment. If you have any queries or complaints with this issue, let us know, as has been said we are using GT5

as beta testing before the full GT5, and if there are ways to improve we'd like to hear them. Once again, thanks for reading, and until next time, see you later!

mu51im · Jan 18, 2009

wow, how long did it take you to type all that?

Paulie · Jan 18, 2009

mu51im
wow, how long did it take you to type all that?

Some of it was done by doblocruiser, and it's taken us a couple of weeks to do. We sort of added to it as we went and as we could.

Zimmerd · Jan 18, 2009

Nice done

!

Tired Tyres · Jan 18, 2009

A quality post and a good read. Excellent work Paulie. 👍

Paulie · Jan 18, 2009

Zimmerd
Nice done!

Thanks.

Tired Tyres
A quality post and a good read. Excellent work Paulie. 👍

And? And? And doblocruiser.

Plus thanks for the comment. :dopey:

Tired Tyres · Jan 18, 2009

Paulie
Thanks.

And? And? And doblocruiser. Plus thanks for the comment.

Oops

Sorry about that doblocruiser! 👍

Soundtrack · Jan 18, 2009

Thank you guys. Long live the Pedal of choice Magazine.

steven · Jan 18, 2009

Excellent work guys 👍 this is the sort of stuff that keeps GTP alive to all of us petrolheads :bowdown:

Paulie · Jan 18, 2009

Soundtrack
Thank you guys. Long live the “Pedal of choice” Magazine.

Funnily enough you're the 2nd person to have said "Long live Pedal of Choice", the first was via PM.

Thanks for the comment.

bigracer
Excellent work guys 👍 this is the sort of stuff that keeps GTP alive to all of us petrolheads

Thankyou very much.

spyrrari · Jan 18, 2009

wow,great work guys...fantastic read and much apreceated by many ,i am sure...👍👍

spyrrari.

GTP_JASE72 · Jan 18, 2009

Brilliant stuff guys 👍

A good read. And thanks for all the work you put into it. :bowdown:

Dissapointed with the Alfa's results though.

Looking forward to issue #2.
And ASH32 I hope you get you're PS3 sorted out soon.

wnffe · Jan 18, 2009

:tup:Very interesting write-up indeed and keep up the good work!!👍

Just being curious, the lap-times for so-called 'factory fitted' tyres by PD are way too fast imo. :dunce:

I attached the real Suzuka's lap time from www.fastestlaps.com

Man..I mean look at that..PD made the standard RX-7 with S1 tyre in GT5 faster than the real F40!! :ill:

bicycleshorts · Jan 18, 2009

Good post, guys.

I enjoyed reading this

nissman · Jan 18, 2009

Great idea guys 👍
I'll be reading every issue

myke6699 · Jan 18, 2009

Great post and a work well done.

JDMKING13 · Jan 18, 2009

Very well put togeather article! I have one question though for your tire selection did you use GTP standards, or your own. For my own crazy personal reason i did huge research on OEM tire selction For all the productions cars. What im trying to get at is i saw you had cars such as an RX-8 fitted with S1 for stock tires. In my tire selection the RX-8 is fitted with N2 tires, like i said before this was a great article to read and i cant wait for the next. Do you think im ratting my tires to low? With all the reasearch i did i felt that the RX-8 should be fitted with N2 tires in a stock trim.

JDMKING13 · Jan 18, 2009

wnffe
:tup:Very interesting write-up indeed and keep up the good work!!👍

Just being curious, the lap-times for so-called 'factory fitted' tyres by PD are way too fast imo.

I attached the real Suzuka's lap time from www.fastestlaps.com

View attachment 67176

Man..I mean look at that..PD made the standard RX-7 with S1 tyre in GT5 faster than the real F40!!

I agree with you i actually have the RX-7 fitted with N2 tires.

boiltheocean · Jan 19, 2009

Good Post guys. Can't wait for the next issue. Gonna take a while by the sounds of it!

wrcsti · Jan 19, 2009

wnffe
:tup:Very interesting write-up indeed and keep up the good work!!👍

Just being curious, the lap-times for so-called 'factory fitted' tyres by PD are way too fast imo.

I attached the real Suzuka's lap time from www.fastestlaps.com

View attachment 67176

Man..I mean look at that..PD made the standard RX-7 with S1 tyre in GT5 faster than the real F40!!

Also do remember the guy driving the F40 had his life on his hands, we dont and will push way harder than he will.

niky · Jan 19, 2009

wnffe
:tup:Very interesting write-up indeed and keep up the good work!!👍

Just being curious, the lap-times for so-called 'factory fitted' tyres by PD are way too fast imo.

I attached the real Suzuka's lap time from www.fastestlaps.com

View attachment 67176

Man..I mean look at that..PD made the standard RX-7 with S1 tyre in GT5 faster than the real F40!!

As JDMKing13 says, N2 tires are closer to real-life... at least, after endless months of discussion on Gran Turismo 4, that's what we concluded a while back here on GTP. S1 tires are equivalent to trackday tires, probably on par with R-compound street legals.

And as wrcsti says, the driver of the F40 could just as well be laid up in a pine box if he messes up a turn. Us? Pause. Reset. Next lap.

LolCats · Jan 19, 2009

Hey Paulie this is great! I love the graphics on the PS3 although i don't have one. Looks great but is that true about the RX-7?! That discourages me to buy both PS3 and prologue for a unrealistic game. Are there any good Hondas in the game? It's quite obvious i'd ask that question...

dasgtr · Jan 19, 2009

Excellent work:tup:
I look forward to the next issue, tuner cars like the Mine's GT-R perhaps?

Boffin · Jan 19, 2009

Great work with this guys but wouldn't it be a better bet to have a uniform tyre? Are you not reviewing the cars as they are in GT5P or are you using GT5P as a platform to try and guess what the car is like in real life?

If the tyres are uniform, then you could do comparisons better as to what they are like to drive under the same circumstaces.

It's like saying that a latin dancer doesn't sprint as fast as a tennis player because she's in high heels and the tennis player's in trainers.

Anyway, if you ever need inspiration or want to write a more extended review about what a car's like to drive, feel free posting on a thread I made earlier called "GT5P, Clarkson style".

Good work

Paulie · Jan 19, 2009

Thanks to all the guys posting comments.

But now, as this is our way of beta testing, let's address the tyre issues raised.👍

wnffe
:tup:Very interesting write-up indeed and keep up the good work!!👍

Just being curious, the lap-times for so-called 'factory fitted' tyres by PD are way too fast imo.

I attached the real Suzuka's lap time from www.fastestlaps.com

View attachment 67176

Man..I mean look at that..PD made the standard RX-7 with S1 tyre in GT5 faster than the real F40!!

JDMKING13
Very well put togeather article! I have one question though for your tire selection did you use GTP standards, or your own. For my own crazy personal reason i did huge research on OEM tire selction For all the productions cars. What im trying to get at is i saw you had cars such as an RX-8 fitted with S1 for stock tires. In my tire selection the RX-8 is fitted with N2 tires, like i said before this was a great article to read and i cant wait for the next. Do you think im ratting my tires to low? With all the reasearch i did i felt that the RX-8 should be fitted with N2 tires in a stock trim.

niky
As JDMKing13 says, N2 tires are closer to real-life... at least, after endless months of discussion on Gran Turismo 4, that's what we concluded a while back here on GTP. S1 tires are equivalent to trackday tires, probably on par with R-compound street legals.

And as wrcsti says, the driver of the F40 could just as well be laid up in a pine box if he messes up a turn. Us? Pause. Reset. Next lap.

Well it shouldn't come as a surprise that cars come from the factory with different tyres, but I often wonder if this is programmed into the car's natural grip level in the game anyway. So you all think we should use maybe N3 tyres for sports cars and S1 tyres for supercars? I say definitely S1s for supercars, because if you've ever tried driving an F40 or Z06 on N3s it's rediculous. Using some of PD's stated tyres have given some cars an unfair advantage I admit, we just wanted to try and do production cars. Apparently you can't trust anything PD tells you. :dopey:

SweetshopUnion
Good Post guys. Can't wait for the next issue. Gonna take a while by the sounds of it!

Probably not as long because we're not doing another bang for buck, but we're taking things cruisy and doing things at our own pace. This might mean it's a week or 2 before we even start the next issue.

LolCats
Hey Paulie this is great! I love the graphics on the PS3 although i don't have one. Looks great but is that true about the RX-7?! That discourages me to buy both PS3 and prologue for a unrealistic game. Are there any good Hondas in the game? It's quite obvious i'd ask that question...

Is what true about the RX-7? The game is awesome, even if the Japanese cars and a couple of random others are probably faster than they should be, I say get it. :dopey:

doblocruiser · Jan 19, 2009

Thanks for all the nice comments guys!

Regards,
doblocruiser

NLxAROSA · Jan 19, 2009

Nice work guys. 👍 Looking forward to the next issue.

ASH32 · Jan 19, 2009

NLxAROSA
Nice work guys. 👍 Looking forward to the next issue.

I agree they did a really good job and I am looking forward to the next issue too, I can be a part of this one, I have a working PS3.

Now I just need to start playing GT5p again.

dzidza · Jan 19, 2009

Guys excellent work, much appreciated 👍

Pedal of Choice - Issue 4 Out Now!!!

VF Ute Driver

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Karma Chameleon

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King of Rockay

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