Handles like a go-kart?

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mattikake

Original Poster:

5,083 posts

206 months

Friday 1st February 2008
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Where the fcuk does this come from? Is it from some monkey journalist who has never actually driven a go-kart?

They handle nothing like them whatsoever! It's not even close. Go-karts have very fast and responsive handling that you can slide round corners or drive round corners at will. An mx5 (mk1 or mk2 at least) sort of floats round corners more like a small motorboat (that I have also 'driven'). The front end lifts too much under acceleration and goes far too light. Attempt to power out of a corner and you'll meet understeer before oversteer and you have to be really aggressive with the throttle to get the oversteer. Sure you can get the backend out at will, but it's progressively-out and progressively-in not instant, like a go-kart.

An mx5 is about a close to go-kart handling as a bus is to an mx5. This phrase should not be misused and should not disrespect go-karts anymore. Anyone seen coining this phrase on here and I'm going to leap in, cut you down and rip you apart. Capice? wink

Utter utter utter toss.

Edited by mattikake on Friday 1st February 12:06

hornetrider

63,161 posts

212 months

Friday 1st February 2008
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rolleyes

Yes, everybody else is wrong and you are right.

mattikake

Original Poster:

5,083 posts

206 months

Friday 1st February 2008
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WTF?

Apparently so. An MX5 handles NOTHING like a go Kart!! NOTHING AT ALL. The guy who first came up with this phrase should be shot.

heebeegeetee

28,960 posts

255 months

Friday 1st February 2008
quotequote all
mattikake said:
Where the fcuk does this come from? Is it from some monkey journalist who has never actually driven a go-kart?

They handle nothing like them whatsoever! It's not even close. Go-karts have very fast and responsive handling that you can slide round corners or drive round corners at will. An mx5 (mk1 or mk2 at least) sort of floats round corners more like a small motorboat (that I have also 'driven'). The front end lifts too much under acceleration and goes far too light. Attempt to power out of a corner and you'll meet understeer before oversteer and you have to be really aggressive with the throttle to get the oversteer. Sure you can get the backend out at will, but it's progressively-out and progressively-in not instant, like a go-kart.

An mx5 is about a close to go-kart handling as a bus is to an mx5. This phrase should not be misused and should not disrespect go-karts anymore. Anyone seen coining this phrase on here and I'm going to leap in, cut you down and rip you apart. Capice? wink

Utter utter utter toss.

Edited by mattikake on Friday 1st February 12:06
I totally agree. There isn't a single car in the world that will respond to a shift of the buttocks, there are few cars that will go from 40mph - 60 mph in 1 second like a good 2 stroke kart will, and there are no road car at all that will generate 2g in cornering like every pukka race kart will.

There is also no road car in the world that will excite Michael Schumacher, but he still likes to go karting and he can still compete at world level.

hornetrider

63,161 posts

212 months

Friday 1st February 2008
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You sound very mature, roflmao!!11! rolleyes

I see from you other thread you whinged about a Mk2. You do appreciate the geometry of the MX5 is fully adjustable I take it. Had the car you drove had an alignment done? Certainly made a huge difference to my car.

If I move my wheel 1 inch to the left or right the car changes direction. 1 inch. Pretty responsive. Before buying mine I drove a couple which drove like nails in comparison. Both Mk2's from a dealer, so needing a bit of TLC. Why not try a sorted one before making sweeping generalisations?

But... by the tone of your post you sound like you're not up for a sensible discussion.

mattikake

Original Poster:

5,083 posts

206 months

Friday 1st February 2008
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I just feel like having a rant. Maybe Mazda will hear of us when they design the mk4?

I can be up for a sensible discussion, but anyone saying an mx5 handles even remotely like an unspriung go-kart is not being sensible and deserves the same in response, if you like fighting fire with fire. wink

I've driven 2 mk1's and 4 mk2's (only one IMO seemed to be a minger), both handled nicely and pretty fun, in the wet where I managed to test drive 2 of them, but it was nothing like a go-kart, which I have also driven about 20 varieties, a couple of times in the wet and once at 1 degrees C. I'd take an mx5 to a trackday definitely, but I also happen to think the mk2 mx5 is not in the same league as the mk3 mr2 in terms of handling 'quality' and a levels of grip, IMO.

heebeegeetee

28,960 posts

255 months

Friday 1st February 2008
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It's not just the MX5, it's any car at all. No car handles like a kart. I don't know about turning the steering wheel by an inch, but when you see a proper race kart being driven properly, you can hardly see any movement of the steering wheel at all.

If the kart hasn't been set up exactly right, in some circumstances they generate so much grip that you can break ribs. I've seen it done and i knew more than one peeps that had suffered it.

I must add, that the average corporate 4 stoke kart is a lump of lard compared to a proper race kart.

The MX5 is still great though.

MX-5 Lazza

7,954 posts

226 months

Friday 1st February 2008
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Have you never made a statement like that? How many times have you heard statements like "it's boiling in here", "I'm starving", "he's as thick as 2 short planks", "it goes like stink", "it grips like sh1t to a blanket" etc.
Nobody is really suggesting that an MX-5 (or ANY other car) really handles like a go-kart. It's just a reference that people understand to mean that it handles very well and has great communication especially when compared to 99% of modern cars.

As for the MX-5's that you have driven, have any of them had a full alignment set-up and high-quality performance tyres? If not the chances are it will be on inappropriate tyres and the alignment will be all over the place which will spell death to the handling.

heebeegeetee

28,960 posts

255 months

Saturday 2nd February 2008
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Its not fair to karts though. Comparing them to lardy 1 ton+ machines.

MX-5 Lazza

7,954 posts

226 months

Sunday 3rd February 2008
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It's not fair to "the wind" comparing it to 2 tonnes of Bugatti but people still say that it goes like it!

mattikake

Original Poster:

5,083 posts

206 months

Monday 4th February 2008
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MX-5 Lazza said:
"it's boiling in here", "I'm starving", "he's as thick as 2 short planks", "it goes like stink", "it grips like sh1t to a blanket" etc.
Yeah but those are subjective metaphoric terms, "handles like a go-kart" is much more exact as a statement of fact, but it's not even close. Maybe handles a bit like a go-kart, but even that wouldn't be close. I don't know of any go-karts that have an overly-long snout that makes it feel like it wants to use it to fly or to skip over some breakers. No go-kart has a rear end that wants to slowly come out to play and then will just as slowly come back into line. No go-kart will fishtail if you get it a bit wrong.

An mx5 handles like a go-kart as a lorry does a Ford Mondeo.

Now, a mk3 mr2 that I just bought for this very reason, is far far closer to a go-kart than an mx5, but I'd still say if feels closer to a proper 600Bhp GT than a Kart, even tho it lacks 500Bhp of the power...

DennisTheMenace

15,605 posts

275 months

Monday 4th February 2008
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Does it really really matter ??


Kinky

39,800 posts

276 months

Monday 4th February 2008
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God - please don't tell me we're going to start one of these moronic idiotic MX5 vs MR2 arguments.

If you think your MR2 handles like a go-kart - then great, I'm happy for you.

I've got far more to worry about than whether my 5 handles like one or not. It's not why I bought my 5, and to be quite frank, I don't care.

K

Wigeon Incognito

3,274 posts

225 months

Monday 4th February 2008
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mattikake said:
Yeah but those are subjective metaphoric terms, "handles like a go-kart" is much more exact as a statement of fact, but it's not even close. Maybe handles a bit like a go-kart, but even that wouldn't be close.
Actually it's a simile, similes indicate a similarity or resemblance but are often used as a metaphorical function.

In this case any reasonably intelligent being would understand that the phrase is not to be interprated literally but should be read in the context of comparing road cars. To this end it simply makes the point that the MX-5, in comparison to the majority of other road vehicles, handles well and is fairly responsive.

You strike me as a fool.

MX-5 Lazza

7,954 posts

226 months

Monday 4th February 2008
quotequote all
Maybe you should try a properly sorted MX-5. You have obviously had a bad experience.
As for taking metaphors (similes?) literally - you much really hate watching Jeremy Clarkson!

Personally I wouldn't want a road car that handled like a go-kart. It would be rubbish on public roads!

Edited by MX-5 Lazza on Monday 4th February 12:03

mattikake

Original Poster:

5,083 posts

206 months

Monday 4th February 2008
quotequote all
MX-5 Lazza said:
Maybe you should try a properly sorted MX-5. You have obviously had a bad experience.
As for taking metaphors (similes?) literally - you much really hate watching Jeremy Clarkson!

Personally I wouldn't want a road car that handled like a go-kart. It would be rubbish on public roads!
Exactly. Someone understands at least.

Annoys the hell out of me when people use it (even though I know no car would ever handle like a go-kart). I've had a couple of people saying "ooh you must get an mx5. It handles just like a go-kart!" No it doesn't tt. (are these the same tts who insist you must try skiing even if you have and found it crap?) If you had raced a go-kart you'd know this... yet some even have! Probably explains why they were crap in a kart as well then...

Pathetic.

Actually I love Clarkson. He overexpresses and takes the p for the fun of it or the point of it, but when a mong regurgitates, it makes you cringe. Form a proper opinion you sheep! And while you're at it, stop being a sheep and buying what everyone else does.

btw, not saying an mr2 mk3 does handle like a go-kart, but it simply is a much better race balanced car (I mean, at least it even has a mid-mounted engine... a bit like a go-kart). It's far less squirmy at the rear and much happier to slide on the way in, round or out... er, like a go-kart.

Edited by mattikake on Monday 4th February 12:30

heebeegeetee

28,960 posts

255 months

Monday 4th February 2008
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And can we drop the 'go' out of karting as well please? A go-kart was a toy made in the 60's. A kart is a device built for proper motorsport.

DennisTheMenace

15,605 posts

275 months

Monday 4th February 2008
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mattikake said:
MX-5 Lazza said:
Maybe you should try a properly sorted MX-5. You have obviously had a bad experience.
As for taking metaphors (similes?) literally - you much really hate watching Jeremy Clarkson!

Personally I wouldn't want a road car that handled like a go-kart. It would be rubbish on public roads!
Exactly. Someone understands at least.

Annoys the hell out of me when people use it (even though I know no car would ever handle like a go-kart). I've had a couple of people saying "ooh you must get an mx5. It handles just like a go-kart!" No it doesn't tt. (are these the same tts who insist you must try skiing even if you have and found it crap?) If you had raced a go-kart you'd know this... yet some even have! Probably explains why they were crap in a kart as well then...

Pathetic.

Actually I love Clarkson. He overexpresses and takes the p for the fun of it or the point of it, but when a mong regurgitates, it makes you cringe. Form a proper opinion you sheep! And while you're at it, stop being a sheep and buying what everyone else does.

btw, not saying an mr2 mk3 does handle like a go-kart, but it simply is a much better race balanced car (I mean, at least it even has a mid-mounted engine... a bit like a go-kart). It's far less squirmy at the rear and much happier to slide on the way in, round or out... er, like a go-kart.

Edited by mattikake on Monday 4th February 12:30
So the MX5 that has near 50/50 weight balance is not that perfect handles like a pig and we are all wrong,
The mazda has a good following because it is a great little car the handling ive found to be very neutral even on my 130k mk1 ,
i will stick with a classic front engine RWD layout ta .

mattikake

Original Poster:

5,083 posts

206 months

Monday 4th February 2008
quotequote all
DennisTheMenace said:
i will stick with a classic front engine RWD layout ta .
Yeah, just like a kart, not!

I'll stick with racing's revolutionary mid-engine layout ta.

mycool

278 posts

209 months

Monday 4th February 2008
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your a dick!