Sensation of speed: Theories? Factors?

[Twizted_3KGT]

Originally Posted by evil6remlin

I think the less control you have over the car the faster it seems to be

Yeah i'd have to agree with that. My Formula's steering is kind of "wandery" and the suspension is very very "hard", so when i'm going 65 mph it feels like i'm flying. Whereas in my 3000GT the steering is "tight" and I feel like I have complete control, 110 mph doesn't feel fast at all even while blowing by people. And even when doing 135 mph when I can't register everything I see, in the 3000GT, it doesn't feel like i'm going fast I just know I am because the speedometer says so.

I don't think it's just the instant lurch off the line that causes the sensation of speed, I think it's the lurch and then the force that keeps you pushed back in your seat. For example, my Formula will throw you back in the seat in 1st and 2nd gear for the first 3000 rpms, but after that RPM range it feels slow. Whereas in a TT Stealth, it throws you back and holds you there for the entire RPM range through the first 3 gears, and that feels amazingly fast.

The size and power of a car alone has little to do with the sensation of speed. A VW GTI feels almost exactly the same speed as a supercharged Pontiac GTP. Huge weight/size difference, no difference in feeling. Power-to-Weight ratio has a lot more to do with it.

As for the car that has the best sensation of speed, from my own personal experience it would have to be TT Stealth/ VR4. But i've never driven anything N/A that runs under 14 seconds, so I have no idea what non-boosted speed feels like.

[beef_bourito]

i think g forces deffinately give the highest fun factor of anything. i can imagine shifter karts that can pull over 3g's are amazigly fun to drive. also i bet they feel extremely fast, they can get up to 125mph but they probably feel faster because 1) they are very small and low to the ground so that amplifies the optical sensation of speed. 2) they don't have windscreens or anything so your head gets pushed around with the wind and it probably feels like you're doing 150mph. i know as a kid when i rode my dads motorbike with him i thought we were going 120kph when we were doing 80. in my oppinion, karts and other open cockpit vehicles that go fast and pull high g's should give you the best sensation of speed and the highes fun factor, of course none of them are street legal.