Rant on ride comfort
#21
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the wankels are interesting little engines...not many people know how they work, but props the japense for using them. WHo knew a 1.3l could pump out a 223hp ( rx8). But the genesis is a fairly low car as well, not nearly as low as the rx8/7. Hmmm do any other jags have "bad" ride characters? I wonde how the ride comfort is for th people on here running 20's and 19's
#22
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the wankels are interesting little engines...not many people know how they work, but props the japense for using them. WHo knew a 1.3l could pump out a 223hp ( rx8). But the genesis is a fairly low car as well, not nearly as low as the rx8/7. Hmmm do any other jags have "bad" ride characters? I wonde how the ride comfort is for th people on here running 20's and 19's
#23
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I was a huge believer in the 50/50 mantra. Had driven an M3 and thought it was superb handling...then I happened to drive a Carrera 4S. The Carrera was amazing in acceleration, braking and the way it handled twisted roads (i.e. Blue Ridge parkway). The problem is that the Carrera is rear heavy. It's not even close to a 50/50 weight distribution. In all honesty, the Carrera was just flat out different and better than the M3 in every way - even without a 50/50 weight. Later I found out Porsche's tend to be rear heavy - even the great 959. Even a lowly Jag XK that I rencently drove had great handling and feel. I doubt it's close to 50/50 either.
There's always trade offs when designing street cars. Race cars are designed for the track they'll be racing on. There are no potholes, no oncoming traffic, no stopping, no groceries, no pets, no skis, no surround sound, and all the drivers are basically doing EXACTLY what you're doing.
On the street, your car has to be able to perform in a multitude of environments and it wasn't built for your roads or your driving style. In fact, trucks are offered with more options so you can tailor closer to your needs, but they still have to be jacks of all trades. Cars usually have more options geared toward luxury and comfort than performance. We've taken what used to be a cart to haul things and turned it into an extension of our living rooms.
Switching between the snows on 16s and the summers on 18s is a HUGE difference in ride quality. The 16s are like riding in a 70s caddy compared to the 18s. So thats 50 series compared to 40 series sidewalls. So I would imagine going to an exexpat style 20 on 30s would be similar to riding on bare riims. But his rims poke too much for performance, the tires would roll onto the rim at speed I'd imagine. But less poke on 20s and it would be like an indy car I think. The less sidewall you have the more you feel the road, but also the less roll you have in corners so it is definately a trade-off. Personally I want to be able to accelerate into a corner.
#24
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While 50/50 does seem to be a holy grail and I know BMW makes a big deal about their 3 series having a 50/50 weight distribution. I've always felt there is no single measure that determines how a great a car will handle and a great handling car is a combination of factors that include things like aerodynamics (drag co-efficient), tires, body (stiffness and weight) and suspension and of-course engine and other such stuff. While a balanced center of gravity is good, it is equally important to have a lower center of gravity for better balance (at least according to me). How did I come to this belief? I was a huge believer in the 50/50 mantra. Had driven an M3 and thought it was superb handling...then I happened to drive a Carrera 4S. The Carrera was amazing in acceleration, braking and the way it handled twisted roads (i.e. Blue Ridge parkway). The problem is that the Carrera is rear heavy. It's not even close to a 50/50 weight distribution. In all honesty, the Carrera was just flat out different and better than the M3 in every way - even without a 50/50 weight. Later I found out Porsche's tend to be rear heavy - even the great 959. Even a lowly Jag XK that I rencently drove had great handling and feel. I doubt it's close to 50/50 either.
So in a nutshell, I am sure 50/50 is an important metric, but it isn't as important or there are other factors just as important when it comes to handling. After all we are talking about road cars here, not F1 driving...
But appreciate all the responses. I am better educated now![Smile](https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif)
So in a nutshell, I am sure 50/50 is an important metric, but it isn't as important or there are other factors just as important when it comes to handling. After all we are talking about road cars here, not F1 driving...
But appreciate all the responses. I am better educated now
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#25
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the wankels are interesting little engines...not many people know how they work, but props the japense for using them. WHo knew a 1.3l could pump out a 223hp ( rx8). But the genesis is a fairly low car as well, not nearly as low as the rx8/7. Hmmm do any other jags have "bad" ride characters? I wonde how the ride comfort is for th people on here running 20's and 19's
A few years ago my sons friend bought a brand new RX8 or whatever the model is now, and kept it six months and sold it. The gas mileage, he said was horrible.
After Mazda introduced this engine it only took them a few years to offer a compression stroke engine as they were receiving too many complaints about gas usage and blown seals in the engine, an inherent problem with these engines. My sons friend went thru one set of seals in 3 months, which was under warranty. But this kid drives like he is on a suicide mission. My son won't ride with him, when the go out my son always drives.
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#26
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Yes, Mazda always seemed to be way out there on engine designs and I always that that was good.
In addition to the rotary design a few years ago they had a "Miller cycle" V6 in the Millennium sedan. That engine used a super charger to maintain constant cylinder pressure through out the stroke. A very interesting idea.
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My karma just ran over your dogma
'05 Jaguar X-Type
In addition to the rotary design a few years ago they had a "Miller cycle" V6 in the Millennium sedan. That engine used a super charger to maintain constant cylinder pressure through out the stroke. A very interesting idea.
================================================== ====
My karma just ran over your dogma
'05 Jaguar X-Type
#27
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After Mazda introduced this engine it only took them a few years to offer a compression stroke engine as they were receiving too many complaints about gas usage and blown seals in the engine, an inherent problem with these engines. My sons friend went thru one set of seals in 3 months, which was under warranty. But this kid drives like he is on a suicide mission. My son won't ride with him, when the go out my son always drives.![Smile](https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif)
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I used to squirt Marvel Mystery Oil right into the carb of my 79 rx7 as a cleaner. Car ran like a fine watch from day 1, and I sold it with over 115k miles still as strong as ever. No small feat for a car built in the 70's. I liked it so much I went out and bought an 86 rx7. Too bad the car grew faster than the engine. They solved that in 93.
#28
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Rotary engines got a bad rap from a lot of people who didn't understand just how important oil was for their engine. Motor oil was injected into the fuel mixture for lubrication making it similar to a 2-cycle engine. The problem was worsened because they were selling the cars so cheap, anyone could afford them. They wouldn't have had half the problems if it was marketed strictly to enthusiasts who would actually take care of their cars.
I used to squirt Marvel Mystery Oil right into the carb of my 79 rx7 as a cleaner. Car ran like a fine watch from day 1, and I sold it with over 115k miles still as strong as ever. No small feat for a car built in the 70's. I liked it so much I went out and bought an 86 rx7. Too bad the car grew faster than the engine. They solved that in 93.
I used to squirt Marvel Mystery Oil right into the carb of my 79 rx7 as a cleaner. Car ran like a fine watch from day 1, and I sold it with over 115k miles still as strong as ever. No small feat for a car built in the 70's. I liked it so much I went out and bought an 86 rx7. Too bad the car grew faster than the engine. They solved that in 93.
HAHAHA that distributor race story made me laugh. Some people ehh. And the rotary's are difficult only becuae its not easy to find mechanic who understands them.
#29
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Here's a pic of what's probably the most fun car I ever owned on Daytona Beach. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the stage of my life I happened to own it, but it was a blast none-the-less. I loved those Gotti wheels.
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#30
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A Mazda mechanic taught me the distributor trick when I asked him how they adjusted the points at the dealership since there was no access hole like on other cars. It took forever to adjust both sets having to open the distributor cap for every adjustment. He grinned but eventually told me their "secret". Setting the point gap went from a 30 minute swear affair to a 5 minute miracle.
Here's a pic of what's probably the most fun car I ever owned on Daytona Beach. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the stage of my life I happened to own it, but it was a blast none-the-less. I loved those Gotti wheels.![Icon Playing](https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_playing.gif)
Here's a pic of what's probably the most fun car I ever owned on Daytona Beach. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the stage of my life I happened to own it, but it was a blast none-the-less. I loved those Gotti wheels.
![Icon Playing](https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_playing.gif)
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