0-60 confusing

Martin_DSG

Active Member
Apr 26, 2009
154
1
Stevenage
Ok, this is why im confused.

saxo VTR 0-60 9.3 secs (old car)
2.0 Leon TDi DSG 0-60 9.3 secs (new car)

i know for a fact my leon does 0-60 quicker then that.

Anyway my question how can these 2 cars have the same 0-60 times?
 

Ruddmeister

Everything in Moderation
Jun 23, 2003
8,218
1
Weston-super-Mare
en.wikipedia.org
Remapping is the answer to going quicker (assuming removing the seats etc is incovienient ;) ), although the most obvious advantage is in-gear acceleration 50-70mph etc.

Diesels aren't really built for 0-60mph sprints.
 

warren_cox

Back from the dead
Weight yes, but don't forget it's also about relative traction.

Diesels don't have great 0-60 times as the enormous amount of torque that comes in is somewhat overwhelming for a front wheel drive car when the tyres are trying to get traction from start off.

As you accelerate hard from a standing stand, the front of the car lifts up reducing the weight over the front wheels. The wheels are then overwhelmed by the torque and the various electronic limiters will kick in to restore order.

Personally I think you can beat the book times in the dry, but you need to be very considerate of the loud pedal.
 

Jordan20vt

Mk3 20VT
Jan 14, 2006
256
0
Rugby
I can remember doing some timed sprints in my old PD130 ibiza (9.3 sec standard) Revo and Forge front FMIC was running around the 7.5 second mark.

Traction is an issue with 300ftlbs all coming in at once!!
 

wjohnson

Active Member
Dec 17, 2008
212
0
yeh was gonna say if u want a car thats got a quick 0-60 u shudnt have bought a tdi. The thing that makes petrols quicker to 60 from a stand still is the higher rev range. I remember on my old V6 coupe 1st gear could get u from 0 - 40 UNBELIEVABLY quickly! In the leon uve gotta really get urself quickly into second or third then use the low end torque. Where the TDI really starts to excel tho is 40-70 range where my old V6 coupe would look like it was going backwards! In fact quite a lot of things look like ther going backwards compared to my FR TDI. And unless ur doing red lights to red lights 0-60 is useless!
 

wjohnson

Active Member
Dec 17, 2008
212
0
yeh was gonna say it prob doesnt matter what u do in an S3 its all good! lol. Same in a Mapped Cupra if u can get all those crazy rampaging horseys down hee hee
 

stuartsjg

Active Member
Oct 22, 2008
244
0
Aberdeen
ive tried moving off quickly in my TDi in 1st gear and it can be uncomfortable, you hit full rpm by 35 i think and the traction control is in there and you feel every change in power as the turbo kicks in, not so smooth (unless i dont have the knack)

I like getting to 10-15mph in 1st, going into 2nd then applying full power... feels a bit like a plane taking off!

If you go faster in 1st so that there are higher revs when you go into 2nd, the power will be there quicker as there will be boost pressure there immediately, but i kinda like the feel as it builds from 1200rpm upwards, the big push comes in around 17-1800.

To compare like with like Go to the likes of Parkers for the Weight and Power data and compare power to weight ratios, for example:

A leon TDI FR is 167hp and 1415kg, or 118.02HP/ton (=167/1.415)
A Cupra is 236hp and 1375kg, or 171.62HP/ton (=236/1.375)

This makes the cupra 53.66HP/ton more powerful than the TDI FR, or 45% more powerful.

You can use this for equivalents too, for a TDi FR with the extra weight to be as powerful as the cupra, you need 243HP (=171.62 x 1.415).

It may feel more powerful, and may do a range (such as 30-50, 40-60, etc) faster than the petrol both due to the torque. On sprint where the TDi needs a gear change, the petrol has the edge.

The aerodynamics and ancillary loads will also affect things. An older car wont be so streamlined but may also have a smaller or larger frontal area.

The older car may not have an AC unit taking several HP... Although, during high acceleration, many cars switch off the AC compressor. BMW even switch off the alternator thus putting every drop of engine power into the drive.

Stuart
 
Mar 30, 2008
621
0
Edinburgh
have to agree also derv is not ideal for 0-60 times. My Standard Mk2 TDi Fr does 0-60 in about 7.5-8.0 secs. supposedly has 190 horses according to last RR i did last yr.
Aswell as weight, another think to consider with 0-60 times are tyres. A softer stickier tyre will get off the line a little better. If you get a chance to player around with different tyres you'll know what i mean.
 

/dev/null

Active Member
Nov 12, 2008
1,649
101
My mates BMW 320d is far quicker in first than mine, however get into 2nd and it's over.
 
Mar 30, 2008
621
0
Edinburgh
your mates BMW 320d will have the advantage of rear wheel drive off the line, then your car will muller it because of its weight advantage.

If only they made a rear drive leon :(
 
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