holy crap batman, micra gets bonkers 315bhp motor !

ds20prefecture

heggie wrote:

surely it does, i mean look at the shape of it

Well pretty much all cars that are capable of 100mph or more are shaped so that the car doesn't take off. This is technically "downforce", but hardly in the same league as f1. Passive downforce really only comes into play in terms of handling above 70mph.

Remember the first Audi TT? They had a problem with rear end lift when cornering above 90mph - solved with a little lip on the boot. So the big spoiler on the back of this 150mph micra makes a little sense.

Lighter cars can corner faster because
a) they have less mass to slow down in the braking zone. Fit big brakes to a light car and you can brake a lot later than a heavier car.
b) they have less momentum, so they are applying less force sideways on the tyre.
c) they have less mass to accelerate out of the corner.

I suppose it is true that if you put more weight downwards on a tyre, it is less likely to slide sideways. The problem is that same weight is applied sideways too, in a corner.

Interesting take on downforce

ando

hah, seen this in town today...



Forget the 300HP, just go in convertable style :rolleyes:

528i

AB03 wrote:

The top gear segment on the Atom is absolutely fckin hilarious. Clarkson ends up with a mashed up face from it. Classic.

:eek: :eek: :eek:

SouperComputer

HFS! That Arial atom is prettymuch a roadgoing F3 car without wings!

***checks ebay for atoms***