What is "Quick"? What is "Fast"?

[Swarzkopf]

I've seen threads like this posted on other forums...thought it may be good to stir up some discussion here!

So...with the on-going and completely awesome horsepower wars GM and Ford have been waging recently, along with the extra firepower that even mundane sedans bring to the table now, I think our definitions of what "quick" and "fast" street cars are have changed alot over the past decade or so.

When I was a little kid in the 80s, stock 5.0 Mustangs that ran 14s were considered quick. If you ran 13s you'd beat 99% of what was out there on the street, and anything running 12s was considered $$$$ fast. Even 5 years ago I think that running 12s had a....pride?....about it that's kind of gone now.

Now that Nissan and Honda V6 commuter sedans run 14s, V6 Mustangs run 13s, and the base V8 model Mustangs and Camaros can run 12s stock...where does that leave us? Has everything moved up a "second"- meaning, do we consider 11.x second street cars "fast" now, and 12.x second street cars "quick? How have all the easy bolt-on big horsepower Terminators and LSx cars changed what we view as fast? What do you guys think?

[Rodeheavers]

i think your right, i have noticed how i myself and others have kind of adjusted there answers to those questions.

[Quik83Z]

I would say:
11's = Quick
10's = Fast

[95riosnake]

I think 12 second cars are considered quick now, and 10 second and below are considered fast. I think ever since the terminators started getting turbos slapped on them everything has changed. I mean if you go on svtperformance.com you're a little guy if you're layin down 500hp.

It seems that in recent years the popularity of turbos and big twin screw blowers have really raised the bar. It seems like 6xx rwhp is run of the mill these days on anything with boost, people barely even seem to be impressed by it. Once it started getting popular to put twins on a terminator (or even doing compound boost like a Hellion Hellraiser setup), it made it impossible for us 12-second guys to even compare, those guys are putting down 4 digit power numbers and running 9's or faster.

I really don't worry too much about it these days, there's always someone with more money and a faster car so I had to tell myself to stop trying to keep up so I'm just happy with being faster than the average car on the road :thumb:

[Swarzkopf]

I think 12 second cars are considered quick now, and 10 second and below are considered fast.

I think that this is about right- in my mind, if it's running 10.99 or better it's goddamned damned fast.

I really don't worry too much about it these days, there's always someone with more money and a faster car

No doubt about that.

[08Snake]

I would say 11's are quick, 10's are fast, and 9's and lower are just plain sick.... I just hope to make my car fast enough for me someday :crutch: if I can ever stop being a walking accident

[Rodeheavers]

9s is flat out fast, 10s is pretty stinking fast, 11s in very quick, and 12s/13s is quick for a street car! I look at it this way, a 12 or 13 second street car is gonna be faster than 99% of anything you come up against on the street.

[Tom]

I think its still the same, 13s are pretty good, 12s are quick, 11s are fast, 10s are hauling and 9s are UGH fast!

[2001GTTT]

i think it all depends...a gallardo might run a low twelve/high eleven stock and you can call it quick....but then when it blows by you at 200 mph what is it?? lol

[97LaserRed]

agreed with everyone

[97LaserRed]

i think it all depends...a gallardo might run a low twelve/high eleven stock and you can call it quick....but then when it blows by you at 200 mph what is it?? lol

i call it ricer fly-by.. I already hit 200mph and now im slowing down....

[2001GTTT]

lol ricer flyby in the gallardo FTW

[97LaserRed]

lol ricer flyby in the gallardo FTW

:hippie:

[Swarzkopf]

Cool discussion. Now I need to save some pennies and buy one of these factory horsepower freaks out there now. :D

It's still totally insane to me that you can roll into a Ford dealership, drop some coin, and drive home in a fully warranted, 400+ horsepower, 12 second running stock Mustang GT right now.

[Ruthless]

I think quick and fast are to diffrent worlds.

Quick= subaru STI. The thing is quick to leave the line, dart threw traffic and rev with constant shifting. Doesnt breath at all on the topend and falls on its face if you are not in the right gear. (blistering 0 to 60 but slow 1/4 miles)

Fast= KB Cobra. It doesnt care what gear you want to punch it in and it will go. Its smoother in handeling (unlike the dartyness of the quick cars) will pull until the rev limiter. (blistering 0 to 60 if you get traction and fast 1/4 miles)


But thats just my impression of the two.

[94svtcobra]

yellow GT's are quick, black 347 cobra's are FAST, hahaha

[Rodeheavers]

i call it ricer fly-by.. I already hit 200mph and now im slowing down....

+1:mod:

[Swarzkopf]

I think quick and fast are to diffrent worlds.

Quick= subaru STI. The thing is quick to leave the line, dart threw traffic and rev with constant shifting. Doesnt breath at all on the topend and falls on its face if you are not in the right gear. (blistering 0 to 60 but slow 1/4 miles)

Fast= KB Cobra. It doesnt care what gear you want to punch it in and it will go. Its smoother in handeling (unlike the dartyness of the quick cars) will pull until the rev limiter. (blistering 0 to 60 if you get traction and fast 1/4 miles)


But thats just my impression of the two.


To me, "quick" is slower than "fast" and that's about it...if that makes sense. LOL

[somethingclever]

For a street car on radial tires:

12's are quick
11's are fast
10's are very fast
9's are ridiculous

Guess "street car" definition opens up a whole other thread. ;)


Take 1 second off each time for race car definitions.

[ChuckT]

My buddy and I were talking about this last night, sitting in the bleachers at PRP. It is amazing how the technology has evolved where the factory horsepower can give you a 13 second v6 ride that will get you 31 highway mpg. I'm just a knuckle-dragging, classic musclecar, carburetor and slicks kind of guy. When I fiirst started racing in the late 90s, any 13 second street car was considered fast, and a 12 second car was f'n impressive. Now, between the Street class, and the test and tunes, it's like every decent street car is at least in the 12s. I learned long ago to not care about how fast I go. I'm a bracket racer... hitting the tree and keeping the car consistent are what I focus on. Then being able to change tires and drive home, that's good stuff to me. I still think, like Tim said, a 13 second car is quicker than 99% of the vehicles on the road, and that's impressive out in the big pond. Don't lose sight of that when the ponds becomes small at the drag strip. There will always be someone faster.

[95riosnake]

Guess "street car" definition opens up a whole other thread. ;)

Haha, oh the countless threads I've read through over the years that debate what is or isn't a race car.

I always thought your sig over on SCS put it well

"Mathematics: car+race gas = race car"

BUUUUUUT let's not take this thread into that black hole of debate, lol.

[somethingclever]

Haha, oh the countless threads I've read through over the years that debate what is or isn't a race car.

I always thought your sig over on SCS put it well

"Mathematics: car+race gas = race car"

BUUUUUUT let's not take this thread into that black hole of debate, lol.

I think I may have seen you today...in your scion (lowered and exhaust?)...I got off 28 at the exit for the turnpike...I was in a lifted up grey F250. This was about 1:30 I would guess...

[95riosnake]

I think I may have seen you today...in your scion (lowered and exhaust?)...I got off 28 at the exit for the turnpike...I was in a lifted up grey F250. This was about 1:30 I would guess...

Yea that was me, I was leaving work (half days on fridays). Now you've seen my fast car ;) haha