Gutmann pug

I own a MY03 STi and a track day 205GTi and I reckon the pug feels much better settled round bends than the scoob does. Dont get me wrong I aint saying its faster or anything like that, but come the bends, especially the tighter one and the pug feels better planted.
Do you lot reckon your car is the handling daddy or would a good hot hatch like a clio cup put the wind up ya?

Im talking corners, lanes, roundabouts etc .not big loooooooooong straights

TURBO RAY

the only other car up to a pug is a mark one golf gti the daddys they do both handle wicked for a hot hatch

Elmer Fudpucker

I would imagine that the Exxon Valdiz went round corners quicker than my 03 STi...I'm really beginning to hate my Toyos,particularly in the wet

Cold Turkey

Interesting question. I had a 205GTi 1.9 many many years ago and was the first real 'drivers' car I'd had and for driving enjoyment it was hard to beat. Many of the recent hot hatches I've driven felt heavy in comparism - but I haven't driven a Clio Cup (or a Seat Cupra R). At lower speeds an original 205 may well be more fun to drive than a scooby but at higher speeds (not straights) I feel safer and more 'planted' in the scoob.

(may well be = me sitting on fence. memory is a funny thing )

AstroBoy

I've just traded my 106gti in for a wrx (receiving on the 1st Sept yipee!!) and I must admit that the pugs do handle really well round corners. I've lost cars which have been more powerful than mine round the twisty stuff many times. Now I just need to get my hands on the scooby and see what it can really do!!

WRXPete

I think it comes to the age old difference between grip and handling....the scooby will grip to death, but can't help but understeer, until you really push when the back end will just fly round (just ask chappy at JapFest!!)
The Pug's have always been great....at 18 i had use of my mum's bog standard 106, and then my saxo....you can just throw them into the corners...brilliant fun!!!

Daz34

I have a Clio 172 & have recently had Eibach Pro springs fitted to it & it now sticks like $hit to a blanket & is HUGE fun

Daz

sg72

Think the answers are. All of the above!

Having had a Modded STI 5 Type R (with DCCD)and over 400bhp

Think it would take an absolute driving God to be able to go round the twisties faster than one of todays primed Hothatches.

Then again maybe I'm not that good

Jamescsti

My old Fiesta Zetec-s was fast round corners after I fitted Eagle F1 tyres and lowered on Eibach springs, would say it wouldn't be far off my standard STi on tight corners, having said that i've not really got used to the STi yet!

nellie

only one answer really.....EVO...i had a STI7PPP with eibachs,anti lift kit,whiteline roll bars,powerflex droplinks,front and rear strut braces,and my FQ330 standard suspension goes round corners better feels secure just the right amount of slide if you want it to....iv got HKS Hipermax suspension going on shortly so it should handle like a go-kart then.....

CraigH

nellie,

It will never handle like a go kart when it weighs as much as a bus

All comes down to weight doesn't it? An Sti has wider tyres, but an extra 500kg (min) to contain over a 205 gti. It will never be as nimble unless all that weight is stripped out.

I thought my 1.9 handled "better" than my Sti, but it left you with white knuckles and sweaty palms - wasn't faster that's for sure. Apart from maybe tighter bends. The M3 was - handled much much better than the scoob. The westie - well, maybe it handles a "little" better

Diablo

My Integra was probably quicker round some corners than my Scoob.

Less understeer

Scoob maybe had more lateral grip, but the 'Teg was better on (and over) the limit

Gutmann pug

I was just wondering which is why i asked the question....

The little pug has done a good few track days and trips to the 'ring' and sits behind STi's and CSL's on bends, infact it begs to overtake. But come the straight they are gone again.

I guess this weekend we will get to see how close the driving experience and cornering speeds really are. I'm off to the 'ring' again in the STi (for a change)and my mate is taking his clio cup. Lets see how we fair against eachother .........although he is undoubtably a better driver than me ........... cue for Davyboy to enter the thread

davyboy

The Clio Cup will kick your ***

Gutmann pug

Its like saying beetle juice three times and he shall appear


If Clare is driving the Clio then it might well beat me but you spend too much time lifting and having comfort taps on the middle pedal to worry me........

Senior_AP

Handling and grip are two very different things. Something that 'some' scoob owners can't seem to grasp.

Gutmann - your Pug is crazy on corners, just keep it planted. You get so close to so-called better cars you're almost penetrating!!

Dracoro

Caterfields.
Proper minis (i.e. not those new lardy things).

nuff said

nellie

CraigH,"like a go-kart",was a figure of speech,all im trying to say is everyone knows how well the EVO handles,and im sure a 375hp/340lbs EVO with HKS Hipermax suspension will handle "quite" good!!,ok maybe not like a westfield/caterham but we are talking a family 4 door saloon,and i dont think a M3 will get anywhere near a sorted scoob yet alone a EVO....

Senior_AP

Err, where exactly is this particular "race" taking place??

Jiggerypokery

Ford Mondeo TDCi

Mine suffers on tight corners (90 degree right turns on small roundabouts). Mondeo man managed to go round the corner without a squeak, while the WRX was in an embarrassing under-steering screech at low speed. Geometry and alignment work is next!

LoneGranger

reading this little lot and watching rally day at castle combe makes you wonder what advantages the scoob really has - M3 and Honda seemed to easily out corner the scoobs as did some hatches - 4WD rally bred seemed to count for nothing....

Are we all just masochistic and narrow minded?? - 20 mpg, not exactly pretty, arguably flat sounding engine (take a lead off a 6 and it will sound familiar?!), bandit target and no quicker through corners than a £3k Pug???!!!

Gutmann pug

I think quite a bit of it relies on driver ability ....... in fact most of it does

My little pug is quick on the bends but come a short straight and it stands no chance....I will be timing myself at the 'ring' saturday and let you know the differences. The pug just breaks 9 mins the scoob I dont know yet

RS day on sunday saw a 325bhp STi whipping most of the big BHP cossie's, but then the guy has done 100's of laps of donnington before. I do say MOST though coz there were a couple of monsters there on the day.

CraigH

What on earth has power got to do with handling?

I'd personally say with HKS suspension on typical uk b roads the handling will be crap. On smooth roads and circuits it will be good.

I reckon Dave is gonna whup your phat sti 4ss Gutmann

Senior_AP

Craigh....

I 'm still waiting for the reply on this (see above)....!!

m

Is it just me or is the HANDLING of an Impreza really overrated? I'm not talking about grip, traction etc but the turn-in and poise during cornering. In this department all you get is understeer and that's dull to the extreme - 205GTI (I have one as a second car too) is better, even quicker when it's really twisty - and it's so much more FUN. Isn't that why we drive .... for smiles? Sometimes the EVO/Scooby types think power is the answer to everything - you're missing out.

Senior_AP

I work with a guy who says the same (he owns a scoob). Grip is good but handling is very different - contrary to the "Scoob is best car in the world" club.

FWD is fun for mortals.

RWD is fun for Tiff Needell.

4WD is reassuring.


Grip/handling - totally diferent.

Leslie

If you take it to Powerstation to do a proper suspension set up and get rid of the bump steering in the earlier ones, fit the solid anti roll bar links, and then fit F1 Eagles, you will not believe how it will go round corners especially in the wet. Stops wearing the front tyres out on the insides too. And the understeer will have disappeared.

Les

CraigH

not if you run 5 degrees negative camber it doesn't

Senior,

You won't get a reply 'cos they couldn't handle the outcome

I'd have to slightly disagree - I think scoobs are quite poised during cornering - in a very forgiving "you can be the worst driver in the world but I won't bite back" kinda way.

Of course this is why they so often end up off the road - lack of talent on the drivers behalf bred by being cocooned in a car that teaches you absolutely nothing about car control. imo

nellie

Thats why im putting the HKS on,for track days,its fully adjustable so best of both worlds....

nellie

eveyone surely knows "NEVER LIFT OFF!!!!!"