Quote:
Originally Posted by TXCSSU
lol, yeah I am enjoying the 650 HP. What's weird is that the 450-ish HP I had in my SS Sedan (a few bolt-ons) felt a little quicker. I wonder if it's because the SS Sedan had just enough HP and weight to allow it to hook up a little easier. I would love to see an ICE with a bit linear HP/TQ curve like an electric, just to see how it would stack up against an EV. Of course, we all love peak HP/TQ numbers, but you still have to make use of all that power.
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So, the ZL1 hides its speed very well. That's what happens when you have such a good chassis. This car is very comfortable at triple digits. A Miata at 50mph feels like 80mph. The ZL1 at 100mph feels like 70mph.
I think part of what you are feeling is the tall gearing as well but the ZL1 would just annihilate the tires even worse if it had the shorter gearing of the SS. In the A10 I have to feather it quite a bit as it winds out 1st then it starts spinning again at the top of 2nd and gets a little squirrely but after that it tracks very good and acceleration is brutal as it rips through 3rd, 4th and 5th gear. IMO, the fact that you can overwhelm the tires and chassis is what makes these cars so much fun. EVs are on nanny overload and you can't really get them loose at all. What a waste of all that instant torque.
As for the Tesla and probably most performance based EVs, the traction control systems are very different. I am always shocked at how well our Tesla can launch and put power down with Prius Eco tires. In ICE based vehicles there is a lot of lag time with the traction control systems vs. EVs. In ICE based TC systems, once the system senses a specific amount of tire slip it has to signal the ECU, the ECU in turn pulls timing, reduces power until no more slip, tells ECU to add timing, add power, rinse repeat. This process is like comparing analog to digital if you see how it works on an EV.
With EVs, the ECU is communicating with the drive unit directly so it is like a super fast on/off switch from a traction control perspective. It is kind of like comparing a human pumping the brakes vs. an ABS system pulsating the brakes much more rapidly than a human can do it. As a result the EV can get much more grip out of crappy tires. Then factor in the dual motor versions of the Tesla Model 3s. The rear drive unit does like 90% of the acceleration as the weight transfers and then the front motor kicks in under hard acceleration. When just cruising you mainly use the rear motor to save energy.
The direct control over the drive units is what makes these EVs so consistent and less fun to drive at the same time. I remember when I first drove my Tesla Model 3 Performance. I was like, there is no chance of anyone beating this car off the line to about 60mph, unless it was another Tesla or some type of exotic Hybrid or something. Anyway, it is so good at being quick down low with no drama that it becomes boring. This is the fear I have for future performance EVs. I am curious if there will be much that can be done to overcome the lack of noise, vibration, tire spin, shifting, etc. How will a Dodge emusclecar be anymore "fun" to drive than a Hellcat? I think a lightweight Miata EV convertible would have a better chance at being fun.