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> Now it's bragging that in the near future a driver (user?) will be able to mash their car's throttle mid-corner with total impunity. Funnily enough, that's e

> Now it's bragging that in the near future a driver (user?) will be able to mash their car's throttle mid-corner with total impunity. Funnily enough, that's exactly what you're supposed to do in a Porsche (assuming it is a rear engine 911). Unlike most cars, 911s will understeer (or correct an oversteer) when you mash the throttle, and oversteer when you lift off the throttle. The reason they're called widowmakers is that the oversteer/understeer dynamics are the exact opposite from what you would expect. Think you're going too fast into that turn? If you slow down, you're dead, but if you speed up, you'll survive. It's also why crazy adrenaline junkies love them so much...in some senses, they're actually safer when you push them hard than they are when you try to be careful.

mcsb4 7y ago
> Funnily enough, that's exactly what you're supposed to do in a Porsche (assuming it is a rear engine 911). Unlike most cars, 911s will understeer (or correct an oversteer) when you mash the throttle, and oversteer when you lift off the throttle. That is only true for pre-1994 911s. The 928 never showed that behaviour due to having a Weissach axle from the very beginning of production in 1977.
- darksaints 7y ago
  It's also true of later 911s as well. I did carbon fiber bodywork for a PCA club racing team in college, and I definitely experienced it in some of the water cooled 996s. Some of the traction control methods reduced it a bit, but Porsche knows that they can't get rid of it entirely without changing the balance of the car (or alienating fans). The 928 and the 944 were also front engine with a rear transaxle, which evened out the weight distribution quite a bit, and that alone mitigated a lot of the lift throttle oversteer. I loved the handling of both of those cars...you get the 50/50 weight distribution of a mid engine car, but the handling is so much more stable and predictable because the weight is at the ends of the car. Too bad they were about as reliable as octogenarian flatulence.
- OnlineGladiator 7y ago
  > The 928 never showed that behaviour due to having a Weissach axle from the very beginning of production in 1977. I used to drive a 928. Perfect 50/50 weight distribution, beautiful throaty engine, and the most god-awful gearbox ever made. I had to rev match to shift up! in 2nd gear. They had a design flaw where the synchromesh just fundamentally would not work, and if you fixed it it would just break itself again. I had to learn heel-toe shifting just to be able to drive that car at all. I fucking loved it, and it really got me into cars. Also that car was great for whipping around a turn, just push on the throttle, slide around the back, then take off (I realize this is not the fastest way, but it is the most fun). I apologize for the tangent, it's just not often people talk about 928s anymore.
  - darksaints 7y ago
    Jeremy Clarkson also is an unabashed fan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiLc7GvmS_A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiLc7GvmS_A A 20 year old 944 was my first sports car. Simultaneously the best and worst decision I had ever made.
    - OnlineGladiator 7y ago
      Don't forget its role in the movie Risky Business: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O8_FMhW9dY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O8_FMhW9dY "Porsche. There is no substitute." I wonder what they paid for that line.

mcsb4 7y ago

> Funnily enough, that's exactly what you're supposed to do in a Porsche (assuming it is a rear engine 911). Unlike most cars, 911s will understeer (or correct an oversteer) when you mash the throttle, and oversteer when you lift off the throttle. That is only true for pre-1994 911s. The 928 never showed that behaviour due to having a Weissach axle from the very beginning of production in 1977.

darksaints 7y ago
It's also true of later 911s as well. I did carbon fiber bodywork for a PCA club racing team in college, and I definitely experienced it in some of the water cooled 996s. Some of the traction control methods reduced it a bit, but Porsche knows that they can't get rid of it entirely without changing the balance of the car (or alienating fans). The 928 and the 944 were also front engine with a rear transaxle, which evened out the weight distribution quite a bit, and that alone mitigated a lot of the lift throttle oversteer. I loved the handling of both of those cars...you get the 50/50 weight distribution of a mid engine car, but the handling is so much more stable and predictable because the weight is at the ends of the car. Too bad they were about as reliable as octogenarian flatulence.
OnlineGladiator 7y ago
> The 928 never showed that behaviour due to having a Weissach axle from the very beginning of production in 1977. I used to drive a 928. Perfect 50/50 weight distribution, beautiful throaty engine, and the most god-awful gearbox ever made. I had to rev match to shift up! in 2nd gear. They had a design flaw where the synchromesh just fundamentally would not work, and if you fixed it it would just break itself again. I had to learn heel-toe shifting just to be able to drive that car at all. I fucking loved it, and it really got me into cars. Also that car was great for whipping around a turn, just push on the throttle, slide around the back, then take off (I realize this is not the fastest way, but it is the most fun). I apologize for the tangent, it's just not often people talk about 928s anymore.
- darksaints 7y ago
  Jeremy Clarkson also is an unabashed fan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiLc7GvmS_A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiLc7GvmS_A A 20 year old 944 was my first sports car. Simultaneously the best and worst decision I had ever made.
  - OnlineGladiator 7y ago
    Don't forget its role in the movie Risky Business: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O8_FMhW9dY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O8_FMhW9dY "Porsche. There is no substitute." I wonder what they paid for that line.