How Important Is Raw Speed? (A question for discussion)

[jrbabbitt]

Having this question come up in a chat with friends I found myself being the difference of opinion in this, I do not believe that raw speed is important, in my beliefs, it's below the importance of control and handling.
I would like to hear your thoughts in this in relation to GT7.
Thank you.

 

[Chikane_GTR]

I can only speak for how much I drive my beloved P1 but I care more about handling and control while cornering and taking a turn as fast as possible then top speed.

I guess with the Enzo I care more about top speed since I have it build for it.

 

[Mafio]

This reminds me of when I rented a 488 Pista for a track day in Las Vegas. The main question I got from civilians was, "How fast did you get up to?". Whole time Im thinking, thats not even the point. A better question would be, "What was your fastest lap time?"

Personally, I prefer control over speed. 70/30. I guess it would depend on why one plays GT. For me, its to save hundreds of thousands of dollars on track days. If I had my way, I probably wouldn't play at all as I'd be too busy racing in real life. So no wall riding here.

 

[Zero2Oblivion]

Raw speed is important, but so are the handling characteristics.

If you have raw speed exclusively, you may end up with something like the Bugatti Veyron - phenomenal top speed, but handles like a yacht around corners.

Or you could have raw speed and handling in something like a Koenigsegg that does everything well.

Intended use and/or track is also a huge factor. If you're planning to just blast around an oval, raw speed is the most important factor, but if you're planning to do track days on a short, technical track, handling characteristics become more important.

Just look at the Dodge Tomahawk - the fastest car in GT7, but absolutely useless in 99% of races, yet it comes in to its own on Special Stage Route X.