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Old 12-28-2011, 11:57 AM   #45 (permalink)
Pharmacist
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Toronto, Ontario
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Drives: 09 370z Sport 6MT
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeffblue View Post
the best way to avoid accidents on the street is defensive driving. Defensive driving has much more of an impact then how well you can throw your car around a corner at a road course. Every time i approach an intersection, i assume some a-hole is going to make a left turn in front of me because they aren't paying attention.

horsepower doesn't matter in snow or inclement weather. Does horsepower matter when you stop? no. A high HP car will only handle worse in the snow/rain than a lower hp car if the driver is doing something they shouldn't be doing anyway, which is getting on the throttle hard during the turn.

most snow accidents aren't the result of accelerating and lost traction. They are when someone tries to stop and the car keeps sliding. or when they try to turn and the car keeps going straight.

Z's just seem like they are more accident prone because they are less expensive than corvettes and more accessible to people will poorer judgement.
indeed, an a-hole making a left turn is what destroyed my car a month ago. I agree with almost all you're saying. Except, that higher hp cars are still more difficult to handle than lower hp cars. Even at partial throttle, a car with a bigger engine will still be delivering more torque to the wheels than a car with a smaller engine assuming the same throttle position. More torque delivered to the wheels increases the chances of power oversteer. Especially with a car like a corvette or a viper that produces a lot of torque even at very low rpm.
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