Think low power can compete with high HP

[nissanguy_24]

alot of good opinions on this thread.

[NismoSigma]

Ok so it depends on driver, and track. I guess higher power is good if wanna drift it than take it to drag, but I dont think people would just waste theyre money on a hachi if they didnt think it was gonna own in drifting. as for shumacher losing to kimi, only until shumacher retires, that guy can get himself outta any situation. maybe if the mp4-19 wouldve been as well performing as it is now in the beginning of the season, than he would definitly be a contender for the championship. to tell you truth im always rooting for the underdogs, but shumacher at 1 point was an underdog. the only reason he has done so good is because ayrton senna's tragic death.

[streetkid]

There are several things to take into account when saying lowHP against highHP. Like the driver,track conditions, and the car. But personally I'd go with the lower HP car because you'd have more control plus I always root for the underdog..lol

[Emagdnim]

You can't measure a cars ability just by its horsepower. I think a cars weight affects far more aspects of performance.

I do agree tire choice would affect performance the most, especially for drifting.

[Nemesis]

Power/weight ratio is probaly one of the most important thing there is when it comes to racing. Like you said, why woudl you want to drift a "low powered" AE86??? Well let's look @ Alex's 86 for example...it's a boosted 4ag, that sounds like some decent power is gonna be comin out of that thing. Ueo's 86 is a 200+hp monster....but 200 hp in a wee itty bitty car like that will send that thing flying, and since it's a smaller ca,r it has smaller tire width and size....which means it will require less power to drift a smaller car....suspension and everything else is a variable as well, but u catch my drift....no pun intended

[slidingsky]

no no no of course Im not saying well because I have more power than you Im gonna beat you. Im saying Im able to do things an underpowered car cant.

OK did you see this race in germany? Kimi wiped out but he is giving shumacher a very good run for his money. Dont forget ferrari has the best team. Schumacher is awesome, but its a team effort. He hasnt had the problems Kimi has, blown engines, now a broken wing. Kimi has the potential. BUT we will see. Im rooting for the underdog! Go underdog!

I think at a certain point the car limits the driver. I know alexs hachi is limiting him. Exactly as kimi, blown engines. I think if you gave Alex a well prepared 240 hed start really kickin *Censored**Censored**Censored*. How can the hachi really compare to the 240s potential.
Im sure you guys have all seen the videos from Japan with the street guys burning tons of tires down straights and sweepers. Thats the fun stuff. Thats where you really get up to speed. Notice there are no underpowered cars out there. Please if you can let me know where there are guys sliding like that with an underpowered car?
Anyways Im done for this power thing Ive made my opnion clear.

[Nemesis]

ueo...

[AlexPfeiffer]

First thing, its not a hp thing. Example, the sweeper in hawaii that your talking about sky, the reason why the 240's can drift faster than the corolla guys is because they can accelerate faster than the corolla guys. There is simply not enough straight for the low hp cars to gain the same speed as the larger hp cars. If you had a longer straight before the turn (and got up to the same speed) then you can drift at the same speed as other cars.

Something you guys are missing is that you can have less hp and drift as long as you can gain the speed before the corner.

With a lower hp car, you have to gain the momentum and use as much of the car as you can. With more hp, you can simply use that pedal on the right to gain speed when needed (and it gets you out of trouble if you make a mistake!). Given you still have to ballance out your tire size to your hp.

In D1, it looks bad if you lift off the gas once you have commited to a corner (on the entry mainly). So if you use to much hp and are not full throtle, less points. Also notice that with the lower hp cars (ueo last year us D1), they are not deducted points for not starting the drift early (end of bank), where as Kazama (this year US D1) would start his drift at the beginning of the bank. It really shouldnt matter where you start your drift but that you are using the full potential of the car you are driving.

Look at Nobuken, his car is high hp and more wieght, so he drives with more angle and more smoke. Doesnt mean he has less control. But he is driving at full throtle and going as fast as that car can go.

One thing that bothers me about the image of drifting here in the US is that you have to have hp inorder to do a proper drift. That is wrong, just cause you cant start a drift as early as others doesnt mean your doing it wrong. Just means they have more hp and that you have to work harder.

For the guys in hawaii. If your in a low hp car, dont worry so much about drifting once you pass the off camber but straighten the thing out and gain as much speed as you can to hit that sweeper. If you have the hp, then cool, you are cool and are winning already. Tire smoke isnt everything.

[NismoSigma]

Good point Alex. I think most americans are used to high HP cause since the start of the muscle car era, all americans ever want high hp. America has more drag strips cause of that. In america we just think the higher your horsepower, the better the car. Thats not exactly correct but its what were used to. Nascar is a good example. Most americans that like the whole muscle over driveabilty laugh at japanese cars but its just not what theyre used to. And anyways, is HP really that bad, NO! It never gets to the point that you have to much, you always want more from your machine. Maybe in the next 5-10 years americans will realize this but were a stubborn bunch. .

[slidingsky]

ALex my problem when I was driving my NA 13B was just the lack of torque. I couldnt keep the tires spinning through most of the turns. Talk about low power I think my NA made somewhere around 160-165 at the ground, I could almost keep up with a stock TII. The car was OK as long as I was above 6k, but as soon as revs went down I couldnt get it to stay sideways. Clutch kickin it didnt help. Maybe I was just running tires that were too big for the power I was making, 225s and cheap ones at that.
I know your car cant make BIG power, torque, but its making at lot more than an NA 4age right? Isnt it almost impossible to hang a long, high speed sweeper consistantly, one after anonther? Really D1 or any other competition is getting every edge over your competitor, right? Like you said the power gets you out of problems. It basically increases your margine of error. The same is true for the increased steering angle. Sure it makes the car more sideways but it also gives you a fatter margine of error. Eventually you get good enough to opperate in a smaller and smaller part if your margine, so the two the same. You could argue "well if your really good you wouldnt need the extra steering angle you could make do with the limited angle you have" BUT why would you. Same for power why would you want to be limited by you acceleration. If you make 400hp and have huge tires then you have the oppertunity to go faster. Right?
Alex Ive heard from Ted what your driving is like. I would love to see you hop in one of the big power 240s and kick *Censored**Censored**Censored*.
Are you comming back here anytime soon?

[otakugt4]

I drift a moddified RX-7 w/ about 180hp out of a carbed 12A and I can come through a turn at the same rate, sometimes faster then an STI. Cornering is all about skill not power.

[Deluxe_247]

Pick the one you like:

1. Some one should tell Ueo and all the other 86 drivers that they cant WIN!!!

2. you are just mad cause you cant find a corolla.

3. You are sooo right I'm selling mine right now and getting a 240.

4. Corollas SUCK... now maybe the prices will go down.

To you the corolla is under powered, but its just right for its specs.

Have ever driven one? Most people fall in love with them as soon as the drive one. I know my friend with an SR20 wants to buy one now since I let him drive mine at an event.

The corolla is a cult classic, unless you were around in its hey-day or own one now you will never understand why people still use this car.

[AlexPfeiffer]

I dont think this post is supposed to be corolla specific but all low hp power cars.

Sky's point is that if you have less hp, then you cant drift longer sweepers or connect large turns. In one aspect he his right. There are limitations to what your car is capable of. But I think his view on it is different since he is in hawaii and they only have one legal place to drift. There is a different style of drifting there and speed is something they dont have, most of them have to have that hp and more of a margin of error because if you loose it, you hit a wall. I have even swaped paint with the gardrails there.

The point I was trying to make, is that you can drift the corners with low hp car. At the same speed if you can gain the momentum before the corners. But you have to do it right, full throtle, never lift, all sterring inputs, and at the right angle so as not to scrub off speed. If i get to hawaii again soon, I'll prove that you can do it. Never underestimate the power of the handicap.

[slidingsky]

Thatd be awesome alex.

actually I have driven a hachi. I liked it, it was really fun to drive. If you know any driftsession guys, the car was Stans. ITs a sliver coupe w/ a CF hood. Dont get me wrong I really liked the car and I understand why most of my friends have them. Also I can get a carolla.
After driving the 20b I now understand the advantages of torque. Plain and simple I can do things in my FC that would scare the crap out of me in an underpowered car. I havent even pushed the car to its limits. And its an FC talk about twitchy. IF you think I suck get a friend to let you slide his FC. ITs probally one of the harder RWD cars of it kind.
Oh and Alex its right about the rails. I dont know how everyone else does it up there but when you smash here bombing a turn it sucks pickin up the pieces. IM sure most of you guys are like me and dont have stores of replacement panels, radiators, intercoolers, ect.

About the 12a vs sti. So you think you can turn times as fast now as you would if you were turbo making 2x the power. Well assuming you can put down the power on your tires. How the hell did you put down 180? Are you running a bride or a huge street? I dont know many 13b NAs making 200rwhp.
Damn Im only making 230 on my NA 20b. Well stock port and ~200 lb/ft.