BMW MiniCooper S vs lightly modded WRX

[PlatinumWRX]

OK,

I beg to differ, AGAIN.

How is testing the WRX on the CRAPPY Potenza RE92s that it comes with stock at all fair? How about we take all stock cars and put the same tires on them? That would be fair.

Originally posted by pace
How did I know somebody would bring up the M2 car. I guess 'lightly modded' is a pretty subjective title.

If a stock WRX was slowest out of the vehicles I listed, imagine what the others could probably do with modified suspension and uprated tires. To me, comparing a modified WRX to a stock Mini is meaningless because the results you get are just dependent upon the depth of your wallet. There's a reason that SCC test the cars back-to-back in their factory configuration, anything else makes the test purely subjective.

-Pace

[pace]

Did M2 just change the tires to get that slalom speed?

I agree that it would seem fair to measure all the vehicles performance on the same tires, but Subaru chose to shoe the WRX with the potenzas - it was their choice. Once you change tires, how do you objectively decide when to draw the line: "All the test vehicles were fitted with the same Tein coilover suspension, the same NGK sparkplugs, etc. etc" I'm not being pedantic, I'm just trying to point out that the vehicles leave the factory as a package and Subaru has the choice of specification for peripheral components like tires. As soon as you start modifying vehicles during comparisons, the whole affair becomes impossible to manage and the results impossible to analyze objectively. Is all I'm saying.

-Pace

[PlatinumWRX]

No,

M2 put custom coil overs, wheels, and tires on their vehicle.

Are we forgetting that you can get optional wheels and tires on the WRX? Sure, they cost a lot, but a "stock" WRX isn't stuck with Potenza RE92s. In all other markets besides North America, Subaru offers 17" wheels with WAY better Bridgestone tires on them.

In the G-Force challenge done by SCC and its sister mags, they used aftermarket prepped cars and the WRX did REALLY bad because the tuner was a moron and the WRX kept hitting it's bump stops during transitions.

Let me put it this way:
Shod the WRX in decent rubber and it'll run with some of the best handling cars in the world.

-Jim

[pace]

Originally posted by PlatinumWRX

..
Are we forgetting that you can get optional wheels and tires on the WRX? Sure, they cost a lot, but a "stock" WRX isn't stuck with Potenza RE92s. In all other markets besides North America, Subaru offers 17" wheels with WAY better Bridgestone tires on them.
..

Good point. Maybe all vehicles should have been tested with the highest level of performance trim available from the factory.

-Pace

[jk147]

You guys should stop knickpicking on this type of stuff.
So what if the WRX is a little slow on the slalom? we make up with a bunch of other stuff. WRX can't be "perfect" you know.

[RSXSucks]

Originally posted by jk147
You guys should stop knickpicking on this type of stuff.
So what if the WRX is a little slow on the slalom? we make up with a bunch of other stuff. WRX can't be "perfect" you know.

That's the point, it isn't any slower in the slalom. Oh, and the WRX IS perfect. Sheesh, haven't you learned anything here??

[pace]

Originally posted by jk147
You guys should stop knickpicking on this type of stuff.
So what if the WRX is a little slow on the slalom? we make up with a bunch of other stuff. WRX can't be "perfect" you know.

We're not nitpicking on anything. The topic is whether the Mini or the WRX is the better car, and I asked specifically in what category.

I think the jury is still out on how the Mini would fare against the WRX in the slalom. Once the US mags have their hands on a production model and do some serious testing, we'll know more. Any vote at this point would be pure conjecture.

-Pace

[MightyWRX]

I just auto-xed against a mini cooper type-s this past sunday. He was pretty quick and I was on RE92's. The thing only had 600 miles on and I don't know how the guy got it so early. It comes out in about a month or 2. Anyway, I beat him by about 2 seconds every time.