RC-F in Top Gear [22x06] March 1st
03-02-15, 04:52 PM
#106
50/50 is a total myth but its great marketing. Guess what some of the best sports cars on the planet are, rear biased GT3 Laferrari are 40/60. What matters is your weight distribution when youre accelerating (rear wheels get more grip) and when youre braking (even distribution so one set of tire arent overworked). 50/50 sounds great and all but that happens during coasting on a track, something you are not suppose to do. Rear biased cars have advantages in accelerating and braking over 50/50 or front biased. What is the weight distribution of open wheel race cars? Heavy rear biased.
Those exotic rear-heavy cars compensate with wider tires i the back. Take a car that's front-heavy, put wider tires in the rear, and you have a recipe for understeer.
03-02-15, 04:56 PM
#107
50/50 is a total myth but its great marketing. Guess what some of the best sports cars on the planet are, rear biased GT3 Laferrari are 40/60. What matters is your weight distribution when youre accelerating (rear wheels get more grip) and when youre braking (even distribution so one set of tire arent overworked). 50/50 sounds great and all but that happens during coasting on a track, something you are not suppose to do. Rear biased cars have advantages in accelerating and braking over 50/50 or front biased. What is the weight distribution of open wheel race cars? Heavy rear biased.
I bet you also do some kind of simulation racing too right?
03-02-15, 05:01 PM
#108
Not a "myth" at all, actually. Good engineering, making for neutral, fun handing, as opposed to "safe" understeer.
Those exotic rear-heavy cars compensate with wider tires i the back. Take a car that's front-heavy, put wider tires in the rear, and you have a recipe for understeer.
Those exotic rear-heavy cars compensate with wider tires i the back. Take a car that's front-heavy, put wider tires in the rear, and you have a recipe for understeer.
A 50/50 is not the end of everything, you can have a crappy car that understeer so bad too or have a beautifully neutral steering car with 40/60. the weight distribution has to match with other components too.
Also, wider tires in the rear will lead to less spin during heavy acceleration which is a benefit.
03-02-15, 05:18 PM
#110
Clarkson Attempted to Materially Misrepresent the RCF and others
http://www.theguardian.com/media/200...a-electric-car
And it was not the first time. Read what Clarkson did in the Tesla "test."
Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson under fire over Tesla electric car test drive
"It was billed by Jeremy Clarkson as the ultimate test for an electric car – a drag race against a Lotus Elise on BBC2's Top Gear. And it was a test that the £92,000 Tesla appeared to fail after it dramatically slowed down on the show's test track and was pushed into a garage to await charging.
But it has since emerged that the Tesla, which can be powered from an ordinary domestic plug, did not run out of electricity.
The car's California-based manufacturer said that the charge on neither of the two Teslas used in the Top Gear test fell below 20%.
The BBC today denied it had misled viewers, saying that the programme had "at no time" claimed that the car had run out of power. Programme-makers instead showed it slowing down to illustrate what would happen when the car did run out of charge.
But some viewers were left with a different impression. "I understand trying to make interesting TV, but when it materially changes the image or performance of the product, it's pretty underhanded," said one viewer on a car website.
Another said: "How pointless, in the same way if a car runs out of petrol I know what happens without a reconstruction of the event."
The Tesla initially beat the Elise around the Top Gear track. Clarkson, who described "brown rice eco cars" as a "bit like cod liver oil – very good for you but you would rather have a plate of steak and chips", was impressed as it beat its rival from a standing start.
"God almighty, wave goodbye to dial-up, say hello to the world of broadband motoring," said Clarkson.
"I cannot believe this – that's biblically quick. This car is electric, literally. The top speed may only be 125mph but there's so much torque it does 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds. Not bad from a motor the size of a watermelon and which has only one moving part."
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But later the Tesla was shown slowing down on the track, the soundtrack came to a halt and Clarkson looked around dumbfounded before the car was pushed into a garage, apparently out of electricity. "Oh," he said.
"This car really was shaping up to be something wonderful," said Clarkson in his voiceover. "But then..."
"Although Tesla say it will do 200 miles we worked out that on our track it would run out after just 55 miles," continued Clarkson's voiceover.
"And if it does run out it's not a quick job to charge it up again. To fill the tank on a normal car it takes a couple of minutes. To fully recharge the batteries on this from a normal 13 amp socket like this takes 16 hours. So to get from here to the top of Scotland would take more than three days."
Rachel Konrad, a spokeswoman for Tesla, said at no time did the batteries in either of the two cars used in the Top Gear test drop below 20% charge.
She told MediaGuardian.co.uk: "The image of them pushing it off the track was so searing," she said.
But she said she was generally happy with the overall tone of the review. "I thought it was a positive piece for Tesla by Top Gear standards. I personally like the show – it savages cars in a very entertaining way.
"My concern was with American viewers who were tuning in for the first time and might not understand the whole angle of the show. We wanted to make clear that range was not a concern over the entire time of the [Top Gear] test."
She said the company would not be pursuing the matter with the BBC. "We would love to have them drive it again whenever they want."
But the BBC today stood by the programme, which first aired on 14 December and was repeated on BBC2 last Sunday, 21 December.
"At no time did we claim that the cars ran out of charge," said a BBC spokeswoman.
"When the car began to lose power we included a voiceover which stated: 'And if it does run out it's not a quick job to charge it up again.' Top Gear stands by the findings in this film and is content that it offers a fair representation of the Tesla's performance on the day it was tested."
Clarkson, famously cynical about efforts to reduce the impact of motoring on the environment, was nevertheless impressed with the electric car, describing himself as a "volt head" – as opposed to a petrol head – and declared: "Yes, it's snowing in hell"."
And it was not the first time. Read what Clarkson did in the Tesla "test."
Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson under fire over Tesla electric car test drive
"It was billed by Jeremy Clarkson as the ultimate test for an electric car – a drag race against a Lotus Elise on BBC2's Top Gear. And it was a test that the £92,000 Tesla appeared to fail after it dramatically slowed down on the show's test track and was pushed into a garage to await charging.
But it has since emerged that the Tesla, which can be powered from an ordinary domestic plug, did not run out of electricity.
The car's California-based manufacturer said that the charge on neither of the two Teslas used in the Top Gear test fell below 20%.
The BBC today denied it had misled viewers, saying that the programme had "at no time" claimed that the car had run out of power. Programme-makers instead showed it slowing down to illustrate what would happen when the car did run out of charge.
But some viewers were left with a different impression. "I understand trying to make interesting TV, but when it materially changes the image or performance of the product, it's pretty underhanded," said one viewer on a car website.
Another said: "How pointless, in the same way if a car runs out of petrol I know what happens without a reconstruction of the event."
The Tesla initially beat the Elise around the Top Gear track. Clarkson, who described "brown rice eco cars" as a "bit like cod liver oil – very good for you but you would rather have a plate of steak and chips", was impressed as it beat its rival from a standing start.
"God almighty, wave goodbye to dial-up, say hello to the world of broadband motoring," said Clarkson.
"I cannot believe this – that's biblically quick. This car is electric, literally. The top speed may only be 125mph but there's so much torque it does 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds. Not bad from a motor the size of a watermelon and which has only one moving part."
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But later the Tesla was shown slowing down on the track, the soundtrack came to a halt and Clarkson looked around dumbfounded before the car was pushed into a garage, apparently out of electricity. "Oh," he said.
"This car really was shaping up to be something wonderful," said Clarkson in his voiceover. "But then..."
"Although Tesla say it will do 200 miles we worked out that on our track it would run out after just 55 miles," continued Clarkson's voiceover.
"And if it does run out it's not a quick job to charge it up again. To fill the tank on a normal car it takes a couple of minutes. To fully recharge the batteries on this from a normal 13 amp socket like this takes 16 hours. So to get from here to the top of Scotland would take more than three days."
Rachel Konrad, a spokeswoman for Tesla, said at no time did the batteries in either of the two cars used in the Top Gear test drop below 20% charge.
She told MediaGuardian.co.uk: "The image of them pushing it off the track was so searing," she said.
But she said she was generally happy with the overall tone of the review. "I thought it was a positive piece for Tesla by Top Gear standards. I personally like the show – it savages cars in a very entertaining way.
"My concern was with American viewers who were tuning in for the first time and might not understand the whole angle of the show. We wanted to make clear that range was not a concern over the entire time of the [Top Gear] test."
She said the company would not be pursuing the matter with the BBC. "We would love to have them drive it again whenever they want."
But the BBC today stood by the programme, which first aired on 14 December and was repeated on BBC2 last Sunday, 21 December.
"At no time did we claim that the cars ran out of charge," said a BBC spokeswoman.
"When the car began to lose power we included a voiceover which stated: 'And if it does run out it's not a quick job to charge it up again.' Top Gear stands by the findings in this film and is content that it offers a fair representation of the Tesla's performance on the day it was tested."
Clarkson, famously cynical about efforts to reduce the impact of motoring on the environment, was nevertheless impressed with the electric car, describing himself as a "volt head" – as opposed to a petrol head – and declared: "Yes, it's snowing in hell"."
03-02-15, 05:28 PM
#111
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Relax guys. It wasn't a scientific review comparing 2 cars and it wasn't conducted objectively under controlled conditions. It was an entertainment piece designed to garner ratings for Clarkson and his show. You guys should know this by now. Reviews like this are not created as a public service for your benefit. LOL.....You have bigger problems than the weight of the RCF if you actually believed otherwise. Reviews like this are made for no other reason than to entertain and to win viewers for the show.
What is more baffling is why people hang on to Clarkson's words as if they were the 10 Commandments. Do you actually base your buying decisions on what some stranger said on a TV show? When buying a car, look at the big picture. Know yourself, your personality, your capabilities, your needs. Then know the car. Do your own test drives, compare cars, then judge whether you and the car are a match for each other.
What is more baffling is why people hang on to Clarkson's words as if they were the 10 Commandments. Do you actually base your buying decisions on what some stranger said on a TV show? When buying a car, look at the big picture. Know yourself, your personality, your capabilities, your needs. Then know the car. Do your own test drives, compare cars, then judge whether you and the car are a match for each other.
03-02-15, 05:30 PM
#112
Wow. He really smashed the rcf into the ground. After watching it and many other RCF reviews the weight is a big issue for so many.Im starting to feel like lexus really blew the rcf and the gsf. ... How do we go from isf (great car) to LfA (one of the worlds best cars) to two flops compared to the competitors. It's no good. I wanted an M4 killer and it is defiantly not that.
Last edited by darbs242; 03-02-15 at 07:32 PM.
03-02-15, 05:36 PM
#113
Clarkson, et al, aren't car reviewers. They're comedians. They use the automobile to generate laughs. I wouldn't invest in their opinions when choosing a car anymore than I would Chris Rock or Jeff Dunham. Maybe they should change the name of the show to Top Sneer for viewers outside of Germany.
03-02-15, 05:38 PM
#114
Mid-engined cars are best, but they are also more expensive and less practical.
Given a front-mounted engine, 50/50 is a damn good (and reasonably-obtained) weight distribution for street driving.
I understand FSportIS' point about it not being so simple, but why not start with a good basic design, rather that try to fix a problem that could have been avoided in the first place? I think we know the answer - they WANT it to understeer.
03-02-15, 05:40 PM
#115
What is more baffling is why people hang on to Clarkson's words as if they were the 10 Commandments. Do you actually base your buying decisions on what some stranger said on a TV show? When buying a car, look at the big picture. Know yourself, your personality, your capabilities, your needs. Then know the car. Do your own test drives, compare cars, then judge whether you and the car are a match for each other.
03-02-15, 05:45 PM
#116
Clarkson, et al, aren't car reviewers. They're comedians. They use the automobile to generate laughs. I wouldn't invest in their opinions when choosing a car anymore than I would Chris Rock or Jeff Dunham. Maybe they should change the name of the show to Top Sneer for viewers outside of Germany.
03-02-15, 05:55 PM
#117
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The IS is judged to be the most reliable luxury car of 2014. This is not the opinion of a handful of CR's reviewers. That's the collective wisdom of the millions of buyers of cars (i.e. the market) who responded to CR's survey. I put more weight on what the market said than on the opinions of a handful of self-anointed car experts.
Auto journalists look for qualities like "fun to drive" when praising a car to make themselves sound savvy and sexy, but for the people who actually pay the money to own the car, other characteristics (such as the vehicle not being a rolling coffin) come into play.
03-02-15, 06:03 PM
#120
I have been posting about cars starting in yahoo groups in 1994 and it never changes. If it's good review on the forum then he's the best and knows his stuff, if it's bad well then he's a moron.I also love the people who say the car is perfect and only post the good about it to justify the purchase, as if they too are dumb for getting a car if it has a bad review.
I will still have mine in April but I know it's not a track car and not as fast as the M4, but I drive in 35/45 mph zones all day, the seats / look / radio and how long it will last is why I got it.