Speed or Handling? The Poll

What floats your boat?

 

Speed (power): Access Port, Pipes, Turbos, Inter-coolers…

 

Handling: Tires, Struts, Springs, Coil Overs, Brakes and Sways…

i would go towards handling. the legacy is plenty fast

Both, the stock LGT is way too slow, Camry's are faster

I think you should change "Speed" to "Power" just because if you have 400awhp and can only take an off ramp at 30mph... that's not speed.

 

I'd personally like a balance of both, because in my daily driving, I'd love to just blast on the highway once or twice, but I take frequent trips up to NH and hit up some nice winding backroads, so handling and grip are important too.

I think you should change "Speed" to "Power" just because if you have 400awhp and can only take an off ramp at 30mph... that's not speed.

 

I'd personally like a balance of both, because in my daily driving, I'd love to just blast on the highway once or twice, but I take frequent trips up to NH and hit up some nice winding backroads, so handling and grip are important too.

 

I agree.....I can't have one without the other!

i would go towards handling. the legacy is plenty fast

 

Exactly!

Both - besides they have to complement each other after some enhancements. It can corner like an F1 car but if on the first straight you are overtaken by an entry level Corolla... Or similarly, you can have 400 whp but the first corner will kill you cause you cannot stop or take the turn...

Speed is useless unless you have good handling.

 

Otherwise you will end up in the wrong spot - like a funeral home or hospital.

i say handlings ... cuz i have no turbo :'(

I've had my LGT for 13 months. In that time, I've spent well over $2k in mods, and an UP is the only power mod to date...

handling... i went speed first, but i kinda regret that and wish i went handling first because

 

"the legacy is plenty fast"

- lazy quote

For me, personally: power first, handling second.

 

And I don't really car much for the "handling first, in the name of safety" mindset. Your probability of disaster is not related to how well your car handles, it is related to how well you understand where its limits are, and how close you like to be to those limits. Raising the limits just means it will take longer for you to reach them, at which point you are no safer than you were with the stock limits.

 

Upgrading handling can make someone safer, but only if they have a permanent and subconscious aversion to driving near the improved limits, and no such aversion to driving near the stock limits. I doubt that actually describes very many people. Most people will steadily push the envelope as their confidence increases, and eventually they'll find the limit, wherever it is. Raising the limit with handling mods just means you'll be going faster when you find that limit. I'm not at all convinced that this is safer, in the long run, than simply understanding where the limits are and staying away from them.

 

There was a scene in the Black Hawk Down movie that mirrors my feelings on this exactly. One of the regular soldiers noticed that a Delta Force guy had his weapon's safety off, and he pointed it out. The Delta Force guy pointed at his own head and said, "this is my safety."

 

When it comes to cars I feel the same way - your safety has everything to do with your mindset, and very little to do with the car itself.

 

(I'm assuming for the sake of discussion that your car is fundamentally reliable. If it's not, then that does become the limiting factor in your safety.)

When I used to ride motorcycles my theory was always suspension first. You can always have more power available, but if you cant usefully put it to the ground, you're wasting your money.

ehh both.

 

if you can accelerate more in a shorter amount of space you should be able to stop.

 

but brakes > handling. as long as your brakes are good enough you can get down to an acceptable speed for the turn.

 

i got my coilovers and brembos at stage 2. that was a very complete car IMO. now at stage 3.49 (;P) i think the handling and braking is lagging slightly..

 

There was a scene in the Black Hawk Down movie that mirrors my feelings on this exactly. One of the regular soldiers noticed that a Delta Force guy had his weapon's safety off, and he pointed it out. The Delta Force guy pointed at his own head and said, "this is my safety."

 

The regular soldier was capt. Steele, the Delta force operator was sgt. Hoot. Good analogy! My handling isnt on par with my power right now and i got a pretty good idea of what that means, found out exactly what it meant in some spirited backroad driving. So i've put power output on the back burner and started with my brakes and suspension work. After some steel braided brake lines and sway bar, the car feels more controllable. Handling before power imo, the legacy has enough power.

Races are truly won, opponents bested through the corners in racing, so im going with handling.

For me, a good-handling car is a lot more fun to drive than a fast boat, so I went with handling. On the other hand, I enjoy accelerating out of those corners. That's why I went sway bars-->Stg I-->springs/struts-->(working on Stg II)

Right now my car is completely stock power, but with a completely modified suspension, so you can probably guess which option I voted for.

 

Both the power and the handling far outclass my abilities as a driver, so that is my next "mod".

Power, can enjoy way more often in the street with a daily driver that my LGT is. Also used to 2500 pound car, LGT still feels like a boat in the corners.

Speed.

 

You can enjoy speed anywhere, through twistys or straightaways.

guess hus back! i think its fairly apparent this is a subie forum lol 27 - 8 want straight line speed? go buy a viper

I voted for handling. I enjoy a GT track or autocross much more than a drag race.

going fast in a straight line seems kinda lame...more corner speed please!

both.

 

the most important thing is to manage what you have.

Right now my car is completely stock power, but with a completely modified suspension, so you can probably guess which option I voted for.

 

Both the power and the handling far outclass my abilities as a driver, so that is my next "mod".

 

 

even on stock suspension...it takes a bit to mess with it...assuming good tires.

 

been too scared to really severly "push it". but at the limit before but not past it.

 

as another member said. my old mazda was around 2700lbs. i can feel the diff of course. but the mazda was more tight corners and the gt is more for long sweepers and high speed cruising.