The Focus RS is Officially Faster Than

"jjhats" (ssaxman)
09/14/2016 at 14:46 • Filed to: None

C&D did a lightning lap with it and the results are shocking.

http://blog.caranddriver.com/lightning-lap-…

DISCUSSION (28)

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > jjhats
09/14/2016 at 14:52

I’d like to see how it compares on a real track.

Echo51 > jjhats
09/14/2016 at 14:53

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/light…
Doesn’t excactly show it as faster then most of the cars you mentioned, where’d you get your times?

jjhats > Echo51
09/14/2016 at 14:54

scroll to the bottom

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/light…

jjhats > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest.
09/14/2016 at 14:55

whats a real track?

Party-vi > jjhats
09/14/2016 at 14:55

I was surprised the Lexus prototype beat a Viper ACR by over a second.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > jjhats
09/14/2016 at 14:55

Makes sense with the Lotus. VIR has a very long straight. Most of the rest I’d chock to tire improvements, which they brought up.

jjhats > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
09/14/2016 at 14:56

I like that even with 2015 tires its faster than golf R sti and evo.

Echo51 > jjhats
09/14/2016 at 14:56

Ah i see. In it’s defense, it’s just picking off the older cars, such as beating the old R8, but not the new one.

Also 2nd last, miata!

TheHondaBro > jjhats
09/14/2016 at 14:57

Kinja'd!!!

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > jjhats
09/14/2016 at 14:57

One that is used for racing leagues, not an abandoned airport.

jjhats > Echo51
09/14/2016 at 14:57

that audi was sold until 2014. it is a mid engine supercar with twice the cylinders and awd. how the fuck can a hot hatch keep up?

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest.
09/14/2016 at 14:58

Like VIR where it occurred?

jjhats > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest.
09/14/2016 at 14:58

why does this matter?

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Party-vi
09/14/2016 at 14:58

Ran bespoke slicks.

Party-vi > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
09/14/2016 at 14:59

fak.

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
09/14/2016 at 14:59

Oh, I thought they were doing it at the Detroit airport again.

Hey Julie > jjhats
09/14/2016 at 15:06

How is a camaro faster than the r8 v10 and the f type? that makes me angry

Audistein > jjhats
09/14/2016 at 15:07

I don’t really like to pour over magazine stats and be an armchair driver but a couple things are bothering me.

I was surprised to see that the RS is faster than the 07 R8 4.2 because the R8 is faster to 60, still has AWD, and has more tire. The R8 is a lot older so I can understand if it isn’t quite as fast as later R8s.

The 2007 911 Turbo is way to low on that list of lap times. They say that the ‘07 Turbo, 09 Carrera S and 09 Cayman S all have the same lap, time nearly 2 seconds behind the Focus RS.

997.1 Turbo has AWD, 480 hp, and hits 60 in 3.5 seconds. There’s no way it gets the same lap time as a 997.2 C2S and it’s not 2 seconds a lap slower around this track than a Focus RS.

Batman the Horse > jjhats
09/14/2016 at 15:07

Because buyer’s remorse.

jjhats > Audistein
09/14/2016 at 15:12

I mean blame it on tires if you want an easy scapegoat. VIR is the perfect length to really let these cars fall where they should. and many people will tell you 0-60 and 1/4 mile don’t translate into lap times. RS did amazing and we should pride it on that. now in the real world yes from a stoplight any of these cars might dust the RS but at the track where it matters the RS comes through.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > jjhats
09/14/2016 at 15:21

I rode in an RS, Challenger Hellcat, and Camaro SS on a very short, almost AutoX like course up at Barrett-Jackson East (Uncasville, CT). Granted that “track” favors a small nimble little car like the RS, but regardless, color me impressed.

The RS absolutely hooked and planted and was completely unshakable. The Challenger I think spun tires the whole time, which was grin inducing beyond words (all I could do was laugh like an idiot it was so much fun) but it was hardly practical for a road course. The Camaro is a bit heavier but also makes 90HP more (on paper), and by all accounts should be a competent track car.

The RS absolutely slayed it in every way. First, I think the are making a fair bit more power than advertised. That 350HP is probably more likely 350 at the wheels. And it’s got some amazing tech, the torque vectoring system is absolutely phenomenal on this car. As a Chevy guy, and a Subaru guy, I can’t say enough good things about the RS. It really is that good.

Echo51 > jjhats
09/14/2016 at 15:40

AWD and innovation. The Torque vectoring is probably a big part of it, along with the seemingly lack of lots of straights where the bigger engine will become useful

Audistein > jjhats
09/14/2016 at 15:41

I would agree in the case of something like a Hellcat or E63 AMG that is really fast in a straight line but weighs a lot but the 997 Turbo is still a track weapon, not a straight-line, stoplight racer.

Not only is the 2007 911 turbo way faster than the RS in straight line, it also pulls slightly more G on the skidpad. It should be able to out accelerate, out brake, and out handle a 2009 Carrera S at the least, so it having the same as that car seems suspect.

The RS is definitely very fast and very, very impressive, but I don’t think that these lap times are accurate for all of the cars tested, especially going 5+ years. Some of the pre 2010 times seem too fast and others seem way too slow.

Jazzy > jjhats
09/14/2016 at 16:36

The results are shocking? Nahhh. I feel like part of their whole “historical lap times” for the lightning lap is rubbish. The RS is a great car, but when you boil down to it, it all comes down to the tire. Tire tech has definitely evolved of the years. I feel the Focus RS was set up to be a “ringer” using the Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires over the base Super Sports. Even with the PSS on, it still probably would have beat half the cars you listed above.

Just for the sake of the argument, take the STI. The PSC2 tire on the RS pulled 1.16g in the first turn using the PSC2. Where as back in 2014, the STI was running on Dunlop Sport Maxx RTs, and only pulled a 0.98g.... If the RS was on the PSS, it still would have beaten the STI, due to power and grip. Put the STI on PSC2 tires and it wouldnt be a 7 second difference, more like a second or 2.

jjhats > Jazzy
09/14/2016 at 16:40

ok.....then imagine this all these cars are on pc2 tires run them again. the results would still be within 2-3 seconds across the board. so it is still almost equal to carts that used to be premier performance powerhouses. its also the cheapest car they tested this year so you are getting 100k performance from a 40k car

Jazzy > jjhats
09/14/2016 at 16:56

If you wanted to go by their grading system of the cheapest car, the Camaro would be the cheapest car they tested this year. ;) (sub 35k class vs. the LL2 35-64k the focus is in). But even that is mis-leading because the if you look at the “as tested” price, the Camaro is actually more expensive than the RS.

But with the Camaro being 3:04 flat to the RS 3:03.9 on Eagle F1 Runflats (which didn’t even show up on their grip leaderboard)... Im pretty sure you could give the Camaro PSS’s instead of PSC2s and it would beat the time of the RS.

I get what you’re saying. It’s an impressive feat of engineering and the car is absolutely insane. Its a good bang for your buck. But to me, showing what 2016 tech can do over cars from 2007/9/12 isn’t as impressive :/

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > Jazzy
09/20/2016 at 14:20

The Lightning Lap print issue even had a side bar article on the improvements in tire tech over the past decade.

I just put some Pilot Super Sports on my 03 Jetta GLI and it literally transformed the car. Modern summer compound tires are insane.

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > jjhats
09/22/2016 at 12:07

I think their were two surprises. First was the performance of the V6 Camaro with 1LE option package. Second was how the Tesla responded to track time.