Date: Mon, 27 Jun 2005 14:37:52 -0400 From: Malt_Hound <Malt_Houndnospamm*yahoo.com> Subject: Re: Maintain Your Identity - Saab
Tex wrote: > "Malt_Hound" <Malt_Houndnospamm*yahoo.com> wrote in message > news:SJqdnbTg_rtFYiLfRVn-3wnospamphia.com... > >>Tex wrote: >> >>>For cornering, I give the edge to the Saab. The 9-3 tracks any corner >>>you give it w/o so much as a flinch. >>> >> >>You apparently did not push them very hard. > > > OK..._you_ tell me if I pushed the 9-3 hard enough. On several runs I got > it up to 60-65 mph (100 km/h) then, at short distance (less than 40 > ft...about 1/2 sec of drive time) and w/o braking (and other runs w/braking > but f/higher speeds / & w/& w/o esp), steered it around an object directly > in the line of travel. Now, I can't say it was easy doing this maneuvre, > but the car definitely followed my command unhesitantly. > > >>The BMW, with its RWD and 50/50 weight distribution, > > > Actually, under hard braking (typical of an emergency accident avoidance > situation or simply coming into a curve/corner at high speed w/brakes > applied) a car will naturally lurch forward, shifting its weight > distribution directly onto the front tires. This is good because this is > exactly where the car needs the best traction (both for steering control and > braking). So whilst from a topical viewpoint, a car with a 50/50 weight > distribution _sounds_ good, in reality a car which has a slight weight bias > towards the front wheels will indeed provide the driver better control in > both steering and braking. > A smart driver tries *not* do his steering and hard braking at the same time. It's better to get the majority of braking done *before* entering the corner and the only light braking if any, transitioning to acceleration on the exit. Yes, under heavy braking almost all of any car's weight will be toward the front. And in the reverse situation, under acceleration, the weight is shifted toward the rear, which is another reason that it makes a lot of sense to have the drive wheels back there, huh? The 50/50 weight distribution thing is a very salient measurement. > >>is relatively neutral with only a touch of understeer, which can be >>modulated with varying the input to the (rear) drive wheels. The SAAB >>being a FWD wants to plow through corners with incredible amount of >>understeer and pressing the accelerator only makes the situation worse. > > > And you've experienced this firsthand? While this may be true for other fwd > cars, it's definitely, not true for the 9-3. Of course. > > You're bringing this topic up with the right person. Having driven the 9-3, > 9-5 and 9-2x under conditions which should have lead all three to illustrate > severe understeer, I found neither of them to display severe understeer. I > actually did find the 9-2x a bit unruly in the slalom (w/late apex turns) > but eventually managed to get it to perform well. The 9-3's and 9-5's both > performed very well. Despite its fwd platform, the 9-3 displayed no > understeer at all. It gripped amazingly well through the turns w/o even > having to tap the brakes once for additional downforce (which I had to do > numerous times with the awd 9-2x). > > I had an accompaying professional race car driver whilst doing these > maneuvres and he walked away saying the same things about the car (yes, he > was driving it as well). > > - tex > > I must confess that I have not driven one of the newer 9-3SS, and perhaps these are better. But I have my doubts as I *have* owned a 2000 9-3SE CV and it had serious under-steer, as well as torque steer, cowl shake and host of other handling ills. I got rid of it 6 months after I bought it. I also currently own a '98 900SE and a '93 9000CSET and have in the past owned a '93 9000T and a '90 C900. These all pushed pretty somewhat in the corners, though not as bad as the '00 ragtop. I also presently own 3 RWD BMWs, all of which handle far better, IMO. It is simply the physics of Front vs Rear wheel drive. It is a personal preference, I suppose, but the contrast is so stark *to me* that I have difficulty understanding anyone preferring FWD *handling* to RWD. There are other attributes that I could see could make one prefer a SAAB over a BMW, but I just don't see handling being one. -Fred W
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