NASA racer

Its amazing how 4 wheels and an engine can be so radically different to drive from one car to the next.

leslie

Wouldn't it be fair to compare the Speedvision GT cars though?

NASA racer

just becuase they have shells that look somewhat like a street car doesn't mean they have anything to do with production cars under the skin. The GT3 cup Porsche and the Speedvision S4 don't even have engines you can buy in the US and they carry weight equalization that isn't there on the street.

Curb weight of a 996 is 2910lbs and an S4 is 3593lbs...that plays a HUGE part in lap time differences. Also, a 996 has 50 more HP and the torque/power band and gearing is more set up for a road course than an S4 which is better optimized for normal driving on the street.

Sure, a modded S4 can be made as fast as a stock 996 in pretty much every way and a 996 can be made faster if one is so inclined too. Off the shelf though, they aren't remotely in the same areana handling wise. Remember, I've driven plenty of S4s to (and past) their limits and the 996 has another tier of handling performance that an S4 needs considerable mods to achieve.

The other factor in the Speedvision races is the huge amount of "help" that some teams get from the sanctioning body...usually in proportion to the advertising dollars the manufacturer is giving the series. When was the last time you went to your local Acura dealer and got one of their supercharged NSXs? How about your Audi dealer for an RS4 engine'd S4? Uh Porsche dealer for a 3.8 cup engined car? See...they're really NOT modified street cars, they're race cars built around the shell and basic layout of a street car.

leslie

Just that there are so many variances that perhaps the most equal playing field is where there are full race teams behind each. But yes, there are plenty of rules in Speedvision to try and level the playing fields which complicate comparisons...

I should have said more fair.

lionsfan54

Are you sure the NSXs are blown?

NASA racer

which is one of the reasons they were so unbeatable all year. Since the stock NSX can't make more than about 300-320hp and the S4 was making 420 and the porsche's around 360 it would have been totally uncompetitive so the answer was to make it 400+ with a racing supercharger hehehehe go figure.

CreoS4

Also, where are you staying in Maui?

-Mike-