I remember this argument. By your reasoning, my Miata is probably putting
almost as much torque to the ground as your Mustang in first (1415 lb-ft, if
you wanna know, don't remember the numbers for your car). This gives my car
an absolutely killer torque to weight ratio (1.6 lb/lb-ft; God, that's a
clunky-looking UOM ;). The trouble is, this little torque monster is only
traveling at 27 mph at its torque peak in first (5500 engine rpm). Check
the FAQ on Miata.net if you wanna double-check my math :)
So, this has almost NOTHING to do with the M3's dominance in ESP. And BTW,
a well-prepped Miata in CSP trim would also be quicker than most ponycars,
and nobody has ever accused a Miata of being torquey ;) This is because the
Miata is very, very light; my '91 in CS trim weighs 2100 in "autocross trim"
(~1/8 tank of fuel, spare, jack and tools removed) and that's with a trailer
hitch. According to his website, Bob T's car weighs around 2900 (don't
remember the exact weight) in SP trim, as opposed to mid-3K's for a typical
F-body or Mustang (my swag based on stock curb weights). THAT may be your
answer. It isn't torque to weight, just weight.
And for the record, I agree with you that the M3 shouldn't be in ESP. But I
think we should give it another year in ESP to see how the non-Tunnell M3's
fare next year (remember, all of THOSE M3 guys got beaten by Madarash this
time out :).
Scot
'91 CS Miata - definitely no dog in this fight, but I couldn't resist
throwing in my $.02 ;)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeff Winchell" <Jeff@WINCHELL.COM>
To: <autox@autox.team.net>
Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2000 9:35 AM
Subject: Re: M3 Torque (was RE: M3 in F-stock)
> Please look back at the threads a month or so ago to find out why this
> isn't so for M3 vs ponycars.
>
> >Using gearing to equalize a torque/weight disadvantage just means you
> >have to shift more often. And in this comparison the M3 has a peakier
> >motor meaning that along with having to rely on gearing, it's more
> >likely to get caught out of it's powerband coming out of a slow corner
> >even with shorter gears.
>
>
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