What new sport cars handle equal or better than FC?
 

What new sport cars handle equal or better than FC?

FC has same performance specs as base RX8 and Nissan 350Z except acceleration (0-60).

I know Mazda miata handles better.

Recently, I test drove base new Mustang which was inferior to my FC.

BMW Z4 roadster coupe uses Mcferson strut suspension in front.

I am trying to determine if FC is still one of the best handling cars on the road.

yes it is

its good but in the past 20 years things have progressed.
the rx-8 is better, miata is better, im willing to bet most sports cars today are better.

If you drove RX8, please indicate how handling was better.

Of course thats not to say our cars can't be made to handle better using about 10% of the cost of one of those newer cars.

yea that is true to the statement avobe.. if you put as much money into the suspension and stuff as you would buying a newer sports car.. the RX7 would handle way better.. for the money.. if it makes sense to you guys.

I want a Lotus Elise.

so would i. but i think i would be happier with a helicopter.

i owned a 05 rx8 for a year before i traded it in for a toyota tacoma and bought my fc, rx8 is quicker than my n/a fc, but i feel the fc has much better turn-in than the 8. i'm doing bushings this week so we'll see how it feels then. but for now my opinion is stock t2 vs rx8 would be pretty close in the twisties, fc feels nimpbler though

For the price an FC destroys an RX-8 (assuming you use some of the money you saved to get some nice tires and preferably some suspension mods... and refreshing)

I've driven both pretty hard (actually I drove the RX-8 harder since I haven't really had a chance to thrash my own car yet...as theres no place to do it without getting arrested, kicked out, or sued...).

One should realise that just because a car can pull large numbers on the skidpad, slalom and so on doesn't mean it handles well. You can't measure handling, it's purely subjective and is also subject to personal preference.

If you're looking for great handling on a budget, the Miata is THE car to have, it has some of the best handling out there, but it won't pull the huge Vette and Viper numbers unless it's heavily modded.

'99 FD, but everyone knows that.

Please. The FC is a great handling car, but lots of cars handle much better than the FC, even when modified.
Out of some of the cars I have driven...
S2000 >>> FC
RX-8 >>> FC
350z >= FC (only because of the weight and soft ass suspension the base model comes with)
FC > SL 550 (Well, its a 4000 lb touring car, and people don't exactly buy this for 'sport')
etc etc...

Sure, for the money, you can make an FC handle much better than any of those stock cars. But what if you start modifying those stock cars?
This might suprise some of you, but people like to have new cars instead of our 20 year old FCs. People don't just go for all out performance...

IMO, is the FC a great handling car? Yes. Can the FC compete with sports cars today? Yes, when modified...But is the FC a better car than sports cars today? At least with those that I mentioned and others like it, no.

If you start upgrading the suspention on most modern sports cars, they will be about as good as the FC when upgraded. On the limit at the track, the FC might have the advantage over some due to its low polar movement, but thats getting into stuff thats beyond most FC owners. For the money, the FC will own almost any new car, but thats just because theres so much extra money to throw at it.

problem is people are comparing their suspension modded FCs to stock sports cars.

stock sports cars have even camber and toe to prevent tire wear while gripping as good as they can without causing the suspension to give a harsh ride.

stock for stock an FC is inferior to most sports cars today, period. modded it can rival most cars out there because there is limitations to what you can do to any car so it boils down to overall weight, ground clearance and weight distribution.

Suspension setups have gotten better over the years...

No realistic tire\shock\spring combo will make an FC handle like an Elise.

The elise is not a fair comparison. A Ferrari can barely be made to handle like an elise. It is in a class by itself. I know the FC isn't the best handling car out there, but comparing it to the elise is just unfair.

I test drove an RX-8 and was not super pleased. I felt like driving my FC after that. That's just me though...

Of 20 year old stock car with old struts and soft springs won't handle as well as a modern sports car.

However, it doesn't take much modding to make the FC a very competitive car. My car is only mildy modified (shocks, springs, sways), and I did a run through the mountains with a brand new Carrera and could easily run with him in the turns. Of course, there was zero contest in a straight line, but that's not really a fair comparison is it?

Neither is a run in the mountains. If i had a carrera i wouldnt push it to its limit in the mountains at all or even get it close to it. But im not saying the FC wouldnt handle just as good. Im sure there are FCs who have kept up with carreras on a track or even put up better times in an autox event.

here's a fun comparison.

stock FD > FC with full suspension

FD with modified suspension feels like you are driving a mine cart. For as much speed + cornering abuse it can take comes down to your tires and just how well you know the throttle. Too much = spins, too little = spins.

The FD is the only car I've driven that could take a 90* turn at 50mph without a single chirp. That was with stock suspension and low profile tires. Now after riding in my buddy's with coil overs all I have to say is god damn!

Then after all the hear say, supposedly an RX-8 will out handle a FD stock for stock. If that is true then the RX-8, S2000, and 350Z all put the FC to shame. I drove an 8, but didn't get to beat on it too much, but from what I did get to do, it was fun a ride at 10K rpm :D

^^ I disagree...I didn't think a stock FD was that outstanding. An FC with suspension tuning will be a great car, comprable to tuned FDs (not necessarily better, but hey, they should be able to hang with them, and driver skill can make up for the rest...)

But yes, the RX-8 and the S2000 outshine the FC and FD, stock for stock. Not so much the 350z, IMO...

any car with double wishbone rear suspension (FD, miata, S13, S14, 350z, rx8, s2k) will outhandle car with trailing arm suspension (FC, s12, rwd celica, starion, older bmw).

FC suspension is old design, because the car is old, you cant compare it with new design... duh...

The FC's multi link rear suspension is not limited to the trailing arm motion, so it can perform better than most trailing arm setups.

I think the FC has a lot of potential even though it isn't setup the best right out of the box. The FC does have it's limitations and I agree that it will never beat the FD, or probably the RX8, S2000, or Miata as far as handling goes. But it would be CLOSE and with enough skill you could probably pass any one of those cars on the track. For the money it's pretty good.

Lets all start realizing one thing, we love our cars, and for the most part are a little biased to them.

That being said, i would imagine that our cars were one of the best handling cars in its leagues in the late eighties/early nineties...But nowadays, suspension setups are much different.

The FC will dominate any comparable car out there. How do I know? Two words..."Rear Steer".

"Rear Stear"...is...two words..."really worn" After 16-20years these bushings are shot. Most of them are eliminated, and very few hav been replaced.
-a

my fc is starting to look really old.....

therefore i am driving it harder and harder the uglier it gets....

therefore enjoying my car tons....

therefore i dont really care if its suspension design is old since its fun to drive and i drive it hard since im not too worried about aesthetics.

it is an old dated car
it is dated and have a suspension design from the early 80s.

if it is a new sports car - chances are, it will handle better.

true we all are biased towards the 7's, by the way i sat in a elise at the sac car show this weekend and it has to be the smallest most unfomfortable car i've ever sat in , i'm 6'3 150lbs, my buddy is 5'8' 150lbs and had absolutely no elbow room on either side, the only way i can see cruising around with a passenger in that car is if they didn't have a left arm, cause theres literally 1 inch inbetween the 2 seats and the shifter and e-brake are there. i think when it really comes down to it, the fc is more fun to drive than the 8, s2000,350z by far. it has the most interior room, it's the lightest, the most comfortable, and it has almost unlimited potential if you have the budget

most new cars will outhandle a 20 year old stock car.

if you start modding it comes down to one major thing for handling: grip:weight ratio.

the elise is a great handling car mostly because of its light weight and it even has a slight bit of downforce

the fc is a reasonably light car, so with new components that arent 20 years old, and sticky rubber, it will handle pretty well. Modern cars tend to be heavier because safety standards keep getting tougher, for this reason an fc can be competitive with modern cars provided it has new parts.

The FC does handle pretty well, but modern cars are better.

One of the FC's greatest strenghts is it's predictability and stability. It's incredibly confidence inspiring and it'll won't bite you. I've had mine on track for a total of 6 days at 3 seperate 2 day driving schools and that predictable, stable handling was great. It allowed me to push very hard, without too much worry. I've managed to pass some seriously fast cars because I had the confidence to go harder and faster than them. That's not to say that it handles better or is faster, but they didn't have the confidence to try. I've passed a Lotus Esprit S4, a Porsche 996 Carrera 4S, BMW M Coupe, BMW M3, and so on and so forth, all in my cheap, old, low powered car on hard street tires. My springs and shocks are still stock, but I've got RB sways, some extra bracing, DTSS eliminated, and poly bushings.

On mountain roads, you CANNOT judge how fast a car is or how well it handles compared to you, it's up to driver skill and how far they're willing to push.

You also shouldnt forget its alot easier for someone driving a small investment to be confident taking risks than someone driving a larger investment... not true for everyone but it's the general truth....

I'll toss my zx6 all over the place dragging parts not worrying much about low siding it, its value is 3500 at best... on my r1 im alot more careful, $8k fully paid with liability coverage does that. I want to get at least $6k back when I go to sell it, thats not going to happen if i make a mistake finding its limits.

now imagine someone in a $60,000+ porsche that is paid for and insurance that doesnt cover track accidents... it's going to take them a while to get comfortable with tossing it around.

there are many factors to consider when comparing the observed performance of one car in another persons hands to yours, especially when there is a tremendous value stratification.

On that note, I would say the fcs greatest strength is its price:performance

I Have read everyones comments about the handling of the fc compared to todays cars and yes i will admit that the newer cars are built better and may handle better due to new gen suspension design but one thing that i have notice is that the fc have a almost perfect front to rear weight retaio which most new sports cars today dont have to me IMO the fc kicks but just becuase of that yes its old but if you take care of it it can hang better yet be better and yes its skills its up to the driver to bring out the best in any car, how ever the cars that you guys have been naming dont even compare to the skyline r34 the subaru wrx or wrc and the evo why because they are all wheel drive and any all wheel dirve car is better than a none all wheel drive car by far

wrx's are wonderful cars, just prone to rolling over, hella of alot faster than anything else i've ever owned though

http://photos.yahoo.com/gregowen420

i had a girl cut me off on a country road, rolled it 5 times and climbed right out without a scratch on me

switching cars won't improve your car's handling abilities as much as learning how to drive will.

gotta remember tire technology plus how many of you have driven a fc w/o shit bushings and good stock struts?

We've covered this before...

Lots of cars have a 50/50 weight balance. What makes the FC special is that the weight is centered more towards the middle which gives it a lower polar moment of inertia allowing it to change directions quickly. It also has a short wheelbase which makes it even more nimble.

The 50/50 weight balance isn't that special if you think about it. For instance my MK2 Jetta weighs 2,100 pounds and has a terrible weight distribution of about 65 front 35 rear even though I have moved the battery to the rear and removed extras like A/C. So 2,100 x .65 = 1,365 pounds on the front tires.
My FC is roughly 2,700 pounds because it has 5 lug suspension, with all the GXL stuff, and a stereo. So 2,700 x .50 = 1350 pounds on the front tires.

Can you guess which car handles better with the same sized tires and similar spring stiffnesses? Yes my Jetta does handle much better as my autocross records will show. The FC transitions faster and feels more neutral but the Jetta has higher overall grip and turn in. Yes it has a bad weight distribution but it's not front heavy because the overall car is light. I also have a stiff rear swaybar which transfers the load of the front end onto the rear tires. The body roll is absorbed by the rear tires and since they don't have much weight on them to begin with I can run with a very stiff rear swaybar. Of course that is just a crutch but it does well.

Yea, for sure the cost thing is a big inhibitor for the Porsche and BMW owners. There was a guy with a new Cayman who kept coming over and talking with my dad about his turbo Miata, because in his words "I can afford a Cayman, but I can't afford two". So if he crashed it, that's it, no more fancy Porsche for him. For me, crashing my FC would put a big dent in my plans for the moment, it won't affect me for very long. Within a few months of working I could buy another one.

The 7 is a solid car. I was at Gingermann Raceway (South Haven, MI) this summer testing and tuning my father's fully prepped SCCA ITS 2nd Gen Rx7 N/A. There happened to be two Elise's on the track at the same time as me. I was able to pass one of them and pull away while the other kept his distance in front of me. Obviously there was a difference in driver skill level between the two. But the slower Elise was no slouch on the track, he knew what he was doing. Now I am not foolish enough to think that an Rx7 can hang with an Elise but I was very surprised at how well it did. I think it was a great comparision between a fully modified RX7 and a stock sportscar of today.

How About Asking Someone Who Drives One And Drifts One Professionaly And Ask Them What They Think Because I Truly Believe The Fc Is An Amazing Car With Wonderful Handling You Wont See A Jetta Drifting But You Will See A 7 Makes You Wonder Dont It

i dont remember the question being about drifting... or is that just me?

Yea Its You Lol

Yeah, you kow what, hes right, the fact that a relatively inexpensive and easy to replace RWD car is drifted more than a FWD sedan is really odd....makes me think alot...great comparison.

--Alex

Thanks But That Is True That And The 240 Is Always Used So Why Is Everyone Dissing The Fc Well Not Dissing But You Know........i Mean The Car Stock Has Good Handling Why Compare It To A Car That Has 21st Century Design Thats Not Fair And It Still Kicks Most Of Those Cars But By Far

That's pretty sweet that you were able to pass one Elisa and kind of hang with the other. The Elise is just an amazing car so it proves that the FC has a lot of potential, obviously you weren't slacking either.


I don't know anyone who drives or drifts an FC professionally, do you?
I know someone who drives a MK2 Jetta professionally. His name is Brooks Hill. He is sponsored by Thule roof racks and is active in rally racing in north america.

http://www.johnrettie.com/RimRally20...e/_5081762.JPG
http://www.johnrettie.com/RimRally20...e/_5081763.JPG
http://www.johnrettie.com/RimRally20...e/IMG_0548.JPG
http://www.johnrettie.com/RimRally20...e/IMG_0549.JPG

That was at Rim of the World rally I believe and no it's not a photochop.

You won't see a Jetta drifting but will you see an FC launching 20 feet in the air?
Different strokes for different folks. FC's are well established in drifting and Jetta's are well established in rally.

Here's a pic from the last rallyx I went to:

http://www.god-squad.net/images/auto...42235066-M.jpg

Someone brought an 88 NA FC there that day too. They got stuck in that mud because with only 50% of the weight on the driving wheels they could not get enough traction to overpower the drag caused by the mud. A Jetta however has a higher percent of it's overall weight on the driving wheels giving it better traction in the mud.

I can't wait for the drift fad to die. Drifting has nothing to do with handling or going fast, so why would you bring it up in this discussion? How about asking for real racers oppinions, you know, those that compete against other drivers and against the clock? Road racing and autocross are good places to compare, drifting isn't.

Drifting is just automotive figure skating. Anything that needs a judge isn't a sport.

This isn't a discussion about drifting, so lets get back on topic and discuss handling.

Learn how to use caps properly, not every word needs a capital first letter, it makes it more difficult and annoying to read.

I didn't read much, just incase this is a repeat. But nonetheless, from my personal experiences, the RX8 is a better *overall* performer than the FC, stock for stock (My 88 GTU, stock, vs. my RX8, stock).

I agree, however, the FC has MUCH better turn in. (Note: This is with traction control + dynamic stability control turned ON, and both cars wearing Toyo Proxes.) The FC went right where you pointed it, however, it would oversteer at the limit. With TC+DSC on in the RX8, it will go where you point it, but will UNDERsteer at the limit.

However....with the TC+DSC turned off, the RX8 takes the cake. So. Easily. It will stick to the road, go exactly where you want, without a hint of understeer, the back WILL come out, but ONLY if you mash the throttle mid-turn (like..it will only come out if you WANT it to.)

ive never driven one so i cant say for sure, but isnt a mr2 better at handling than a fc? stock vs. stock. just looking at it makes me think of a go cart.