[JJ]

The title of this thread is a direct quote from the STi Mini-Brochure given out through the mail and the various autoshows. They say the STi can take on "any car, any time". That is a pretty bold statement to make. So, I bought the Road and Track 2003 annual to do some reasearch on if SOA is doing fake advertising:

Disclaimer:
Please note that my observations are mine, your mileage may vary, and the STi has not been roadtested yet. Further, this is solely based on performance, not anything else.

WARNING!!!BENCHRACING OCCURING STARTING NOW!!!!
Results:
The STi I believe given a halfway decent driver will walk all over (i.e. they aren't in the same league performance wise):

350Z
G35
New Audi S4 (heavy pig)
Evo
330Ci
IS 300
and on and on and on

The STi given equal drivers will have a great chance, possibly coming out ahead against:
Z06 (real good chance)
M3 (real good chance)
911 Carrerra (awesome chance)
NSX (goodbye )
Volvo S60R (awesome chance)

The only cars in there that the STi would have NO chance against:

Lambo Murcielago
Aston Martin V12 Vanquish

Please note that this is in my opinion, a integrated approach to performance, taking into account not only 0-60 and 1/4 mile, but skidpad, slalom, and 60-0.

How's that for speculation. I've got another personalized plate for ya:

GINTKLR

 

[SnowbordrWRX]

I guess when SOA says "any car, any time" they mean cars you're actually likely to find on the road instead of sitting in a showroom :lol:

 

[Nate]

I'll play along... I assume we're talking performance on a paved road course?

If that's the case I think you can throw a Viper, Audi RS6 and Mustang Cobra into the Good Chance category. Better chance against the Cobra than the Viper and RS6. Actually the Cobra probably fits in the Different League category.

Put the Ferrari's (all of them) into the No Chance category.

The Boxster S probably fits in the Different League.

 

[deneed4spd]

I know a car that is about the same price as the STI and will spake it. Of course this car is not allowed in the US but might come in 2004. The LOTUS ELISE 2001 special edition!! That lil car will come with a 190 hp engine and produce a 0-60 in low 4 sec and a skip pad of .98. At the price tag of about 33k. And exactly like the STI the elise is made for pure performance. Forsake the radio and AC is an option! Not to mention the inside of the car looks like an aluminum box with two seats!

For now if you spend 8k and put in a rsx-s engine. The honda K220A engine, the car does 0-60 in 4 flat! THIS IS NON-TURBO! Just picture the possiblities of this lil beast! NOT TO MENTION HOW BEAUTIFUL THIS CAR IS!!

 

[thebigshow]

no chance on the z06. not until some mods, anyway.

 

[D$]

Are we talking straight line or track here? I don't think the STi will do as well on the track as many of these other cars. It sits higher than many sports cars, and will still have the front-end lift on accelleration that the WRX has, and will have more body roll than some of these track cars.

 

[thebigshow]

i agree, but there was a disclaimer; that's why i didn't flip out too much.

tip of the day: don't let your site get a bad name, dude.

sites get reputations for bein too brand-loyal, havin threads citing outrageous et's/dynoes/kill stories, and for just havin a generally dumb member body. if this site gets like that, i know i'm outty.

 

[CloNeGTS]

Where the heck did that come from???? I can't even see what you are referring to.

A 'generally dumb member body'? No offense man, but this is coming from a guy who asked what he has to do to beat a sport bike and thinks a car built in Japan is better than the same car assembled in the US. :roll:

Either way, people are just talking here, using educated guesses to place the STi in the world of sports cars. D$ was disagreeing with a few of the comments, but nothing here should cause anyone to "flip out".

 

[thebigshow]

lol, i'm not flippin out, dude. we were just treadin on some shaky ground there. i guess u guys were a little more comfortable with that than i.

the bike thing was just something i put up there one day when i was bored. it's almost an inside joke with me and my friend; u gotta b around us to appreciate it, i guess. also, american craftsmanship, i'm just not a big fan. it's an opinion, and u can't prove anything for it or against it.

peace.

 

[CloNeGTS]

reply to xjon

There's no way to 'prove' believing in your country and your fellow man either....so I guess I have to concede that point.

 

[Zx2->STi]

Ah yes... But you forget a very important area in which the STi will defeat all.... Rallying.... None of those cars could touch the STi on a nice dirt rally course. Not that I plan on destroying mine doing so, but its nice to know. And after all, that is why I am buying the STi.

-Rally Nut!

 

[thebigshow]

tis truth.

 

[MKIVSupra]

Central US Dealer

Yeah, I was going to bring that up myself. No stock car we can get in the US will touch the STi in a situation that it was built for and it will prolly still, I hope, be in the upper percentage of paved road performers too. Also for me it's a sports car I can drive all year around.

 

[91TB78]

I know a car that is about the same price as the STI and will spake it. Of course this car is not allowed in the US but might come in 2004. The LOTUS ELISE 2001 special edition!! That lil car will come with a 190 hp engine and produce a 0-60 in low 4 sec and a skip pad of .98. At the price tag of about 33k. And exactly like the STI the elise is made for pure performance. Forsake the radio and AC is an option! Not to mention the inside of the car looks like an aluminum box with two seats!

For now if you spend 8k and put in a rsx-s engine. The honda K220A engine, the car does 0-60 in 4 flat! THIS IS NON-TURBO! Just picture the possiblities of this lil beast! NOT TO MENTION HOW BEAUTIFUL THIS CAR IS!!

Not quite. Sure, the Lotus Elise 190 Sport is a little devil car, but its not a "spanking" machine to the STi. I just got back from Scotland and picked up the latest "Evo" magazine. They did a test between a bunch of cars and the new STi with Prodrive Power Pack (to equal about the same specs as our STi 300/299). The STi PPP ran a 1.25.15 dry lap time, 42mph @ .94g through the chicane, max lateral g was .94 and max brake force was 1.00g. The Lotus ran a 1.32.15 wet lap time, 38mph @.72g, max .91 lateral gs, and a max brake force of .75g.

Now, the Lotus did worse in every aspect compared to the STi PPP, but this was on wet track conditions vs the STi's dry conditions. However, I do want to point out that 7 seconds is a LOONNNG time, regardless of wet or not. I'm not saying that the Lotus 190 Sport is not an amazing car, but to give you an idea the Bentley Arnage T (the nearly 5700lbs of it) was only 4 seconds slower than the Elise in the same wet conditions.

I would have to say that between these two it would be a close call. Sure, in 0-60 the Elise 190 Sport would win, probably in lateral acceleration, but everything else the STi is going to own the Elise. On a track in equal conditions a lot would come down to the driver. Keep in mind the STi they tested weighed 1395kilos = 3075lbs and the Elise weighed 710kilos = 1565lbs.

In the same test the STi beat the M3 by close to a full second and came within about a second of the Ferrari 575M Fiorano and was 2 seconds off a Porsche 911.

I'll sum up the article with a quote from the article "One (STi) of the highlights of the test."

 

[deneed4spd]

You did state this was on a WET TRACK. I race solo II and wet makes a huge difference!! In a track where we were posting around 37 sec on dry pavement, turned to posting 43 secs wet!! There was a 6 sec difference!! You might think 7 secs is a huge difference but between wet and dry, it really isnt a big difference especially in a huge track

Further more the elise sport 190 does not have those fancy rain electronic systems which help the driver control the car.

Lastly, in a mag, the elise 190 beat out the Ferrari 550, a corvette zo6 and a porche.

The Elise 190 is a pure sports car capable of beating almost anything on the road on a track which come stock from the factory. Remember this was a STI PPP which is aftermarket!

 

[91TB78]

You did state this was on a WET TRACK. I race solo II and wet makes a huge difference!! In a track where we were posting around 37 sec on dry pavement, turned to posting 43 secs wet!! There was a 6 sec difference!! You might think 7 secs is a huge difference but between wet and dry, it really isnt a big difference especially in a huge track

Further more the elise sport 190 does not have those fancy rain electronic systems which help the driver control the car.

Lastly, in a mag, the elise 190 beat out the Ferrari 550, a corvette zo6 and a porche.

The Elise 190 is a pure sports car capable of beating almost anything on the road on a track which come stock from the factory. Remember this was a STI PPP which is aftermarket!

Right 7 seconds might not be that much comparing the same care from dry to wet conditions, but like I said a MEGA car like a Bentley was only 4 seconds slower than the 190 in the SAME CONDITIONS!! The Bentley is no supercar either. It is a rwd oversteering beast!

True, the 190 doesn't have a lot of auto functions like ABS, etc but the original intent of the post was to compare other cars to the STi..which has those. Additionally, the article was comparing the STi PPP, which is equivalent to our STi in terms of power..300/300 for US and 300/299 for STi PPP. Their weights are negligible considering the STI PPP has a radio, the US STI doesn't.

So, yes, we can compare a car with no electronic gizmos and the STi PPP b/c this is the car we get. I agree with you that the 190 is a purist car and would have no problems beating the STi in 0-60, 1/4, probably top speed, lateral g. But, all other things considered the STi would beat it..track laps, 60-0..and the STi is nearly twice the car the 190 is with only 110 more hp...geesh!

 

[deneed4spd]

Financing your STI

"I agree with you that the 190 is a purist car and would have no problems beating the STi in 0-60, 1/4, probably top speed, lateral g. But, all other things considered the STi would beat it..track laps, 60-0.."

Last time I checked, if a car can beat another car in 0-60, 1/4, lateral G, and top speed, I think it can flat out beat it on the track. Unless the STI can some how magically disappear and reappear in front of the elise. eheheh

 

[91TB78]

"I agree with you that the 190 is a purist car and would have no problems beating the STi in 0-60, 1/4, probably top speed, lateral g. But, all other things considered the STi would beat it..track laps, 60-0.."

Last time I checked, if a car can beat another car in 0-60, 1/4, lateral G, and top speed, I think it can flat out beat it on the track. Unless the STI can some how magically disappear and reappear in front of the elise. eheheh

Not necessarily.. The STi does beat it in braking and can handle chicanes quite a bit better. If the STi can sustain higher speed through a corner and brake later I would say that is a definate advantage. Just b/c a car can do well on a skidpad doesn't mean it does well on a slalom. Last time I checked the skidpad really tested how well tires grip on a car..more than anything else.

 

[CloNeGTS]

I think there is a lot about a car's abilities on an actual road course that can't be shown in testing numbers. One good test not discussed is the slalom. The AWD is really going to kick in when transitioning as 91TB said. And I don't know that AWD would be shown in a pure skidpad, certainly the differential will. But a skidpad is actual grip...which isn't how the STi will want to be really driven around corners. It wants to have the tail moving a bit, even 4 wheel drifting just a touch. That wouldn't show well on a skidpad since you aren't actually sticking to the ground.

 

[miked801]

you also have to consider that any given (stock) car will be better-suited to certain tracks than others. on a race car, you're swapping gear ratios and whatnot fer each specific track, which is obviously not reasonable for a street car. this leads to certain cars having advantages on certain tracks because of gear ratios; they can exit some turns faster because of the rpm range they're in, etcetera.