Let me preface my thoughts by introducing myself. I'm your average car guy. I have been interested in cars since I was a kid. When my wife and I go to Borders or Barnes & Noble I head straight for the periodicals to check out the latest car rags. I pay attention to other cars on the road hoping to catch a glimpse of the occasional exotic or any other car the interests me. What I'm not is a professional driver. I don't do regular track days and I've never attended a driving school.

I've had my IS F for about a month now. I love the car. It is practical enough that I can drive it everyday while still being a thrill to drive. I have no intentions of getting rid of it anytime soon. Just before the F I has a 2007 Mustang GT and a 2007 Honda S2000.

What I have started wondering is if the average driver can actually have more fun in a less powerful car. When I take the back roads home from work and drive aggressively I find myself holding the F back in the same stretches where I used to push the S2000. The Lexus builds speed so quickly that I have to really pay more attention to my speed than I used to in my Honda. Honestly, I enjoyed the drive more in my S2000 because I could push the car fairly hard yet not end up going way too fast for the environment I'm driving in.

I know for a lot of people it is important to have the bragging rights a powerful car brings. It is fun to be able to stomp on the gas and melt the rear tires when pulling away from a stop sign. It is a nice feeling knowing you could shoot that gap on the freeway because your car has the power to do it. I get it.

I personally think I enjoy wringing all I can out of a car like the S2000 or even a less sporty car like a GTI than I do trying to keep a high powered car reined in. I'm sure that some serious improvement to the driver mod would help here, but most average car guys aren't going to spend the money and time learning the proper way to get the most out of their rides.

FYI, I'm not trying to marginalize the performance of the S2000. I know that with the right jockey these cars are extremely capable.

Am I on to something here or should I just crush my F and get a Honda Fit?

 

It really depends on your definition of fun. For some people it's that rubber melting power that gets delivered to the rear wheels. For others, it's the precision handling you can find in a finely tuned Miata or S2K. I think the IS-F/M3/C63/RS4 are nice mixes of handling and power (each to its own extent of course).

 

I understand exactly what you mean. In a less powerful car you can reach the limit faster...so for instance you could wring your S2000 out in almost every straight away whereas your IS F would be just getting started by the time you hit another bend and had to slow down. Hearing the revs build and the rush that goes with it before you bang into the next gear is exhilarating. The IS F packs so much power that it's just starting to stretch it's legs once you reach that corner whereas the S2000 was screaming and your heart was about to beat out of your chest.

I think it just depends on the drive, the car, and the driver, but I definitely know what you mean.

 

Give me a lightweight cars with less power over a heavy chunk of metal with 2x more power. When it comes to having fun, I like tossing around light cars and bringing them to the max.

Some guy on the Supra forum sold his 800hp Supra as soon as he stepped into a stock E46 M3 just because it was more fun to drive.

Power is nice on the straights, but when the curves are right ahead of you.. power means less. You dont want to floor your car going into/during a turn

 

Point taken. I would guess to a drag racer there is nothing more fun than more power. I was just trying to look at it from the average car enthusiasts' point of view that enjoys driving sporting cars on public roads.

 

If precise corner carving in a high horsepower machine is your thing, then I believe you purchased the wrong car. Not all high horsepower cars are created equal.. There are a few BBC Top Gear vids including the famous "Apple on the apex test" which truly shows what some high horspower sedans can do in the corners.. "Control" is what a performance car should deliver to the driver.

 

I'm not disappointed in my car. I bought the F because I wanted to be able to drive my fun car all the time. Before I had a daily driver that had room for my kids and all the stuff I use from day to day and a weekend toy. What i found was my weekend toy sat a lot. The F handles day to day duty very well and I can enjoy a sporting drive when the situation presents itself.

The F actually is very poised in the corners. You can feel the weight for sure, but I think the handling is pretty good. I'm just not comfortable pushing the car anywhere near its limits on public roads. The acceleration from corner to corner is very strong so I have to be very careful that my entry speed isn't too high. Luckily the brakes are great if i happen to misjudge just how fast I'm going.

 

Sounds like you need a track day

 

Is this because of the horsepower rating of the IS-F? If so, then you need to get behind the wheel of a C6 Vette or M3 & try those same corners. You will not have that uncomfortable feeling about pushing either car to the limits.

 

Isn't there a saying that goes something like: "it's more fun to drive a slow car fast rather than drive a fast car slow."

I think most people don't realize just how true this is until the really experience it and maybe that is where you're at and what you've realized. Though I am not saying your S2000 and Mustang are slow cars, just a little different compared to your F.

You've only had the F for a month or so so I would think you're still getting used to the feel or the car. Once you figure it out I am sure you'll be able to push it a little more than you are at the moment.

 

I got used to my 335 on day one.. How much more time does the op need to take corners with his car?

 

I agree!

The lady that lives across the street from my dad is an avid road racer. She has a full track prepped e46 M3. She is a member at a local private road course. I'm trying to figure out a weekend when she can take me out and show me what it is like to really drive at the limit.

 

Everyone is different I suppose...

Maybe he hasn't pushed it enough in that manner to have a feeling for it? My friend's cousin has a 360 Modena and I once commented that it must be a blast to drive up in the mountains and he said "I've had it 3 years and I can honestly tell that I have no idea," simply because he never drives it that hard.

 

I guess we all have different learning curves. I can drive my car fairly quickly. It is just I reach my limits and the limits of the local roads well before the car's limits.

 

Is that MotorSport Ranch? They probably have non-member track days or you can tag along with BMWCCA or PCA events at that track or other tracks around you. Unless her name's Sabina Schmitz, I don't see why you have to go with her.