Performance cars offer lots of benefit for travelling at speed, but can this be used to help keep you safe? Well, let’s look at the arguments.
What is a performance car?
A performance car typically conjures up images of something that is only built to go fast, either in a straight line or on a track. Likely the idea that it has an absurd amount of power and drinks fuel like Ernest Hemingway.
But in truth, because the cars are designed to be driven spritely, they often have all of the best bits of current engineering thrown at them. Whilst they can get up to speed quickly, they can also scrub that speed off in the same fashion. Need to get round a corner quickly? No problem for these.
But also, the argument could be had that quick cars egg you on to drive faster, and present the opportunity to do so more often than not. It could also be argued that having that speed means you may take greater chances. But as Spider-Man once said, ‘with great power, comes great responsibility’.
What’s the facts?
Well, the facts may be more obvious than you think. Performance cars have better brakes, better tyres, better suspension and are quicker. But do these attributes actually make for a safer vehicle?
Braking
Let’s digest that, starting with the brakes. In order to go quickly, you also need to stop quickly. A good set of discs and pads can make the world of difference with performance cars often having larger of them both. At the higher end of the market, fade-resistant carbon ceramics can also be had. Big brakes are simple physics. A bigger disc and pad means a bigger surface area to grip providing much better stopping power.
Being able to stop better means you can avoid hitting potential dangers in the road. Say an animal runs out and you react quickly enough, you could avoid hitting Bambi by being able to stop properly. Likewise, if there is a car that has just pulled out in front of you from a junction, being able to not end up in their boot is a bonus – and much more achievable with a decent set of anchors.
Tyres
It’s not news that tyre technology has come a bloody long way, even in the last 20 or so years. They’re able to operate with greater temperature parameters, offer fantastic levels of grip in both dry and wet conditions whilst helping you accelerate, corner and brake more effectively. Often standard, performance vehicles come equipped with, well, performance tyres. Brands like Michelin, Pirelli, Goodyear and so on are often wrapped on exotic (and not so exotic) wheels.
Why is a sticky tyre a good tyre and how will it keep you safe?
Take this example, you’re driving on an unfamiliar road which has lots of tight corners and hairpins. You’re travelling at a safe speed but you’re entering a blind corner that starts to get progressively tighter with no warning. You don’t slam the brakes on because that will upset the cars balance and could cause a spin. Instead, you make your way around the corner, faster than normal, but without straying off the road or into the incoming lane. A performance tyre will allow you to do that. Try doing it on budget offerings and you’ll have a widely different encounter. Check out Tyre Reviews to see how important tyres really are.
They’re the thing that connect your car to the road surface, so they are really not something to skimp out on. Dry performance is a fantastic asset to have, but here in the UK where it rains 178% of the time (trust me, the math checks out), wet performance is equally important. Road-focused premium tyres often have a high wet rating as they can easily disperse surface water keeping a greater contact patch on the road.
Tyres and brakes are the two most important things on your vehicle you should routinely check. But still, if you ask any racing driver, off-roader or trackday enthusiast what the first modification should be to perform better. They’ll all say tyres.
Suspension
Whether your suspension is air, coils or leaf springs – a performance car will give you the latest and greatest of current suspension technology. This allows you to absorb imperfections within the road surface whilst keeping the car poised and composed. Trucks and SUVs often suffer from substantial body roll due to their high centre of gravity and spongy suspension.
Granted, they are all designed for a purpose and perform well in their relevant fields, but they can be unduly on the road. Having controlled suspension stops this lolling about. It allows a car to turn tighter, linking back to my previous argument about tyres and handling. But it also stops the front end diving under sudden braking, reducing further inertia exhibited from the mass of the vehicle trying to slow down. In short, good suspension helps the tyres from wrestling with the weight of the car.
Performance
Now, the controversial one. Having higher performance figures allows a car to accelerate faster and reach higher speeds. But can this be used to an advantage?
We’ve all done it. Misjudge how quickly that car is approaching when you’re pulling out of a junction. An often unnerving position to be in, but having the power there to quickly get up to speed and either reach the limit or match their speed may avoid a collision and having a front bumper in your boot.
Similarly, if needing to overtake a tractor or other slow moving vehicle, getting past them quickly is far better. Reason being, you want to spend the least amount of time on the other side of the road; regardless of how far you can see. This, of course, has to be used in moderation. You can’t simply dispatch every car you come across because you’ll end up in an unfortunate situation one way or another.
So, is a faster car safer than a slower one?
The counter-argument that is presented is that a fast car will allow you to get to speeds quickly and put yourself in difficult situations more often. There’s a reason why the Government wanted to ban the Lotus Carlton. So the answer is all about self-control and restraint. You’re driving something that has the potential to kill. Not just you, but others, too.
The attributes that are linked to performance cars can certainly help you get out of trouble should you need to – but it should never be used as an excuse to cause others to get into those situations. Many people simply can’t handle the power and viscerality that quick cars offer, so they stick to slower, easier to manage cars.
The main reason why people flash you when you overtake (even when they’re doing 20 under the speed limit on an easy to navigate road) is because they can only imagine doing what you’re doing in their own car. The vast majority of drivers experience of speed is often in someone else’s car. Just remember not everyone is as reactive to dangers as you may be.
So, to summarise, I would argue that faster cars are safer than slower cars. Provided they are respected and not used to put others in danger.
I still think driving a car to its limits on a track should be mandatory in the driving test though…