I would like to see car magazines do repeatability tests on the track - and throw back a P value on the differences in lap times, 0-60s etc. Agree on the need for weight reduction - the X needs to lose a couple 100 lbs.

 

just to comment, it's been the norm for every test i've ever seen.

I remember reading about the conditions somewhere, there's a lot of info about the test on the web - it's been running for four years straight now.
i think it's safe enough to assume the conditions are similar enough that they aren't going to add or subtract seconds from times. i can't find what the conditions have been, but there haven't been big fluctuations. the evo's actually never been the fastest in class on this course, but the fact that a mustang will run a similar time surprises me.

 

After going over results in fastestlaps.com and looking at the specs of the TT-S, I really don't like the comparisons. I don't like the fact that these weren't done the same day, and don't like the fact that there isn't any data / information except for lap times. The TT-S 0-60 time is 4.9 seconds. That's slower than both the Evos.

Really the TT-S only has 26 less hp than a factory X. And it is almost 400 lbs less. 5 seconds is quite a bit though. Very interesting.

 

Me too, that's the biggest flag to me. Also do they use the same exact driver?

I'd really like to know more about this course.

Edit: here is a layout of the track...



1. Corvette ZR1, (2:51.8)
2. KTM X - Bow, (2:52.3)
3. Lamborghine LP670, (2:53.9)
4. Ariel Atom 3 (2:57.6)
5. Corvette Grand Sport (2:58.8)
6. Audi R8 (2:59.5)
7. Lotus Exiqe S 260 (3:05.0)
8. BMW M3 (3:05.4)
9. Porsche Cayman S (3:05.8)
10. Porsche Carrera S (3:05.8)
11. Jaguar XKR (3:06.4)
12. Ford Shelby GT500 (3:07.4)
13. Audi TTS (3:08.4)
14. Camaro SS (3:09.5)
15. Audi S4 (3:10.8)
16. Nissan Nismo 370z (3:12.0)
17. Ford Mustang GT (3:13.3)
18. Genesis Coupe 3.8 (3:14.8)
19. Mazdaspeed 3 (316:2)
20. Subaru WRX (3:16.6)
21. Mini Cooper Works (3:17.1)
22. Volkswagen GTI (3:19.3)

Random comment on another board: That bothers me.

 

i love those magazine tests
That is makes the Evo even looking better, in the real life situations
And it happens very often . At least we dont go the battle with too big head

 

just goes to show you what evolution has taken place in the auto industry. a evo 8 or 9 is getting outclassed 7 years after it was introduced and the new evo is overweight. go figure..

 

Not sure what you're saying rob?

I just watched a video of VIR... pretty wide open track.

 

they said in that article that they experienced a data problem with it's quickest lap, so they retested it the following year. (in reference to the c6 corvette comment)

 

actually, on this course, the evo ix lost to the nismo 350z the same year. and the x lost to the 370z

 

they use different drivers (i believe), but i mean overall it is fair to assume fluctuations in time aren't going to be too big when they do these tests. The point is not the exact time, but rather that the relative range of times are so close in the case of the mustang and the evo. but like I said, the tts' time is beyond a reasonable assumption of fluctuation

 

kyooch, as an autocrosser... I'd think you wouldn't look closely at these tests. Autocrossing and that kind of track are seriously different. What do you think about it overall?

 

agreed - one good point to consider here is that the Evo is going to be way easier to drive fast than most of these cars - except they do talk about how easy it is to drive the tts. other than that, most drivers don't have the skill to pull a similar time from a mustang as they could from an evo

 

Looking at the times for this years Corvette GS and last years Corvette Z51 (which is what the GS replaced), there is a 2.xx second difference with roughly the same equipment. So would it be fair to assume that the +/- would be around the same for the Evo this year? Just to throw this out there, the 2008 Evo MR carries about 12.5 pounds per HP. The Audi TTS carries about 12.4 pounds per HP. So the weight issue is a non factor IMO. Other things have to be the difference, but i dont think its weight.

 

I'm thinking the SS-T might have a higher top speed. Watching the videos for VIR on youtube, it's a very wide open track. There are only a few "tighter" corners. No wonder the mustang kept up.

 

Sorry, I left for a bit.

A mainly look at these things for references. On a course as long as 4.1 miles, I honestly consider anything up to around a second fairly negligible between cars. I was just surprised how well the tts performed without having any advantages in power or anything like that.

Another thing is that CT9A evos stock don't perform very well on courses with long sweeping corners etc. They tend very much to push midcorner, when even STIs will rotate ( https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...-handling.html )

That, plus the fact that my focus is more towards autocross these days, I mainly look at these with respect to where the competition is. I think a few years ago, Evo owners could be relatively proud of the cars performance, but it seems its competition has caught up to it.