Fastest Sport Compact?

[amp88]

I wish I had some solid numbers on the old MKII-based Corrado, my all-time favorite FWD sports car... It would be interesting to see how close it is to the current gen FWD standards are these days...

http://www.stainlesssteelrat.net/Corrado.htm

0 - 60 = 6.5 seconds
BHP = 190
Top speed = 144 mph

Fairy quick!

 

[Disturbed07]

the only thing that would probly hurt it would be brakes, maybe. back just a few years ago, and brakes werent nearly as "in" as they are now

 

[barryl85]

What about the Fiat Coupe Turbo? is that front wheel drive? whats the performance figures like?

 

[niky]

0-100 km/h in 6.2-6.5 seconds, top speed of 150+ mph. 220hp. Comes with an LSD as standard, but still has bags of torque steer at full throttle.

Nice car, but not really on anyone's radar as a handling demon.

 

[Poverty]

If you had a choice of the best 200hp rwd car or a fwd car Id take the fwd as it would be more fun. Ie Honda civic type r over a bmw 325ci.

 

[Max_DC]

Weight, drivetrain losses.

250 crank horses in a 4WD car becomes ~188 wheel horses.
210 crank horses in an FWD car becomes ~179 wheel horses.

A weight difference of only 100kg (220lb) sees the FWD car with more wheel hp/tonne than the 4WD one.

You get all the power on the road though, don't forget to mention that
AWD is a great thing, especially in winter and when it's raining....

 

[humbo]

If you had a choice of the best 200hp rwd car or a fwd car Id take the fwd as it would be more fun. Ie Honda civic type r over a bmw 325ci.

That's quite a poor example, the Civic Type R was made with performance and sportiness in mind, whereas the BMW isn't. The BMW is still a nice drive, though, but obviously not nearly as much of a boy racer type of car as the Civic.

Would you take the Civic Type R over a Lotus Elise?

 

[Famine]

You get all the power on the road though, don't forget to mention that
AWD is a great thing, especially in winter and when it's raining....

If you can't get 200hp onto the road in an FWD car, you've got the wrong FWD car.

 

[Poverty]

LOL you got me there. Forgot about the elise. You are right it is a poor comparison.

 

[Disturbed07]

You get all the power on the road though, don't forget to mention that
AWD is a great thing, especially in winter and when it's raining....

he's kidding right?
Famine was specifically stating that the 4WD does NOT get a high of a percentage to the road.... 4WD losses far more power through the driveline than RWD or FWD, with, I believe FWD getting the best results... to bad you need those wheel to turn...

Unless you were talking about his example's lower, drivetrain loss figured-in numbers, but then, what would be your point?

 

[Revheadnz]

He was saying that a AWD car can transfer more of its power to the ground because it has superior traction through the AWD system. FWD cars are more likely to lose traction under acceleration, especially higher-powered ones.

 

[YSSMAN]

There is a point where there is too much power in a FWD cars, and most people agree that it comes around the 300-mark. Nissan has had a lot of problems with torque steer in the Altima and Maxima, and the same can be said of Acura in the TL. Pontiac magically seemed to cure the torque steer problem in the Grand Prix GXP with the 303-hp V8, rather strange...

But to me, FWD performance is still strange...

 

[Disturbed07]

There is a point where there is too much power in a FWD cars, and most people agree that it comes around the 300-mark. Nissan has had a lot of problems with torque steer in the Altima and Maxima, and the same can be said of Acura in the TL. Pontiac magically seemed to cure the torque steer problem in the Grand Prix GXP with the 303-hp V8, rather strange...

But to me, FWD performance is still strange...

Well, GM does many wonderful things.... Like a 303HP 3600lb sedan that handles with less understeer than a Subaru WRX STI, granted, that's going round a turn without accelerating, but, holding speed, it's more neutral, which amazes me

Strange, yes - but safer, it is, for the idiot teenager in America - you should see them wreck a RWD or AWD

I'd also like to not that if FWD engineers simply put bigger than 225 tires on FWD's, they'd handle better.
Subaru's STI has 245's on the front, with far less power driving them than say, an Integra Type R, imagine, the Type-R has 245's or, hell, 275's instead of 225's.... that thing (or any other Compacts mentioned here) would murder these other cars around tracks
Seriously, imagine a FWD with tires like a Z06, 295's or something....crazy stuff could happen - why not?

 

[Disturbed07]

He was saying that a AWD car can transfer more of its power to the ground because it has superior traction through the AWD system. FWD cars are more likely to lose traction under acceleration, especially higher-powered ones.

OK, sorry, makes sense now
But, see my other post for a nice problem fixxer for that particular problem

 

[Famine]

There is a point where there is too much power in a FWD cars, and most people agree that it comes around the 300-mark. Nissan has had a lot of problems with torque steer in the Altima and Maxima, and the same can be said of Acura in the TL. Pontiac magically seemed to cure the torque steer problem in the Grand Prix GXP with the 303-hp V8, rather strange...

But to me, FWD performance is still strange...

For FWD the limit is 200-220hp. For FWD with LSD the limit is anywhere, depending on how severe the LSD is.

 

[Max_DC]

If you can't get 200hp onto the road in an FWD car, you've got the wrong FWD car.

Well, luckily I have a WRX STi and a Civic Type R at home. Both without ESP and other funkillers.

If I take out my Dad's Civic Type R and start off with an full throttle start ( limited to 6000 rpm without gear, if I remember that correctly, don't do those starts very often ), you'll have a lot of smoke. My Sti makes a kickstart at 7000 rpm without loosing traction.

On the road, let's say a winding one on the countryside, the Civic will drive great with a fantastic sound at 8500 rpm.... but in tight corners, on small "jumps" etc you don't have full traction, whereas my STi as perfect grip all the time on the same road.

I was talking about dry conditions. Add snow, gravel or water on the road and things get ugly for FWD/RWD cars....

Well, GM does many wonderful things.... Like a 303HP 3600lb sedan that handles with less understeer than a Subaru WRX STI, granted, that's going round a turn without accelerating, but, holding speed, it's more neutral, which amazes me

The new STi (2005/06) has very little understeer, I'd even say there is a oversteer tendency sometimes...

I'd also like to not that if FWD engineers simply put bigger than 225 tires on FWD's, they'd handle better.
Subaru's STI has 245's on the front, with far less power driving them than say, an Integra Type R, imagine, the Type-R has 245's or, hell, 275's instead of 225's....

STi's have 225's , both in front and back.
Evo's have 235's , both in front and back.

that thing (or any other Compacts mentioned here) would murder these other cars around tracks

No, I don't think that they would be faster, but the gap would be smaller for sure.