discussion Getting used to acceleration?

[Alex/M5]

Hey guys,
Do any of you get used to the acceleration of your cars? With driving some performance cars the acceleration initially felt brutal, pinning me to the seat but after a little while it didn't feel that quick anymore. Does one get desensitized to the sensations of acceleration? What's your experience?

 

[TBP88]

Hey guys,
Do any of you get used to the acceleration of your cars? With driving some performance cars the acceleration initially felt brutal, pinning me to the seat but after a little while it didn't feel that quick any more. Does one get desensitized to the sensations of acceleration? What's your experience?

Short answer, as somebody with one of the less "brutally fast accelerating cars", no.

I think it depends on the person and the frequency they're doing those 2nd gear pulls as well. If you're drag racing every 2 days then yeah, your launch control will get boring fast.

Also worth considering that a hot hatch (something like an RS3) is as fast as supercars of 20yrs ago. The democratisation of speed is extreme. Even if I think back to the "hot" cars of being a youngster, an F40 or F50 even is probably slower around a track and slower in a straight line for sure, than a hot hatch.

 

[Nick]

buy an e90 320i and drive it for 2 weeks, that will restore the thrill...

 

[modocrat]

buy a e90 320i and drive it for 2 weeks, that will restore the thrill...

2 days bro, 2 days.

 

[Teezoh]

Short answer, as somebody with one of the less "brutally fast accelerating cars", no.

I think it depends on the person and the frequency they're doing those 2nd gear pulls as well. If you're drag racing every 2 days then yeah, your launch control will get boring fast.

Also worth considering that a hot hatch (something like an RS3) is as fast as supercars of 20yrs ago. The democratisation of speed is extreme. Even if I think back to the "hot" cars of being a youngster, an F40 or F50 even is probably slower around a track and slower in a straight line for sure, than a hot hatch.

Pretty much this yeah.

buy a e90 320i and drive it for 2 weeks, that will restore the thrill...

Or get a trustworthy friend to drive your car while you ride shotgun, tends to get the cheeks biting into the seat again.

Had this when cruising with Ashley from Xcede, fml, and he does it one-handed 98% of the time...

 

[FILV]

Yeah i think its normal.
If you like acceleration, like everything else in life you get used to it, then want more.

 

[DRCraig]

I'm leaning towards yes.

When you're driving yourself, your body prepares for thrust-blood pressure rises, muscle contractions, pupil dilation etc. Now imagine the amount of g-forces your body experiences with said car on the regular; it adapts on how to react.

When sitting passanger, you're caught off-guard most of the time.

 

[Sabretooth tiger]

Or I can organise you a drive with my eldest sister. Doesn't matter what she is driving, afterwards it will feel like you driving a jet car.

 

[r0ckf1re]

Hey guys,
Do any of you get used to the acceleration of your cars? With driving some performance cars the acceleration initially felt brutal, pinning me to the seat but after a little while it didn't feel that quick any more. Does one get desensitized to the sensations of acceleration? What's your experience?

Yes, especially if you daily it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bugger]

Acceleration is like a mistress, best keep on the side and for special occasions.

 

[Alex/M5]

Maybe the secret is to only drive slow cars haha

 

[AshG108]

Pretty much this yeah.

Or get a trustworthy friend to drive your car while you ride shotgun, tends to get the cheeks biting into the seat again.

Had this when cruising with Ashley from Xcede, fml, and he does it one-handed 98% of the time...

You use 2 hands on the steering wheel Teez? Haaibo 👀

 

[Teezoh]

You use 2 hands on the steering wheel Teez? Haaibo 👀

haha, not all the time. But, that guy is on another level, I'm pretty sure he can throw a tank around like he does with cars

 

[Benji]

You need a slow daily to make your weekend car faster - easy upgrade!

 

[TurboLlew]

Hey guys,
Do any of you get used to the acceleration of your cars? With driving some performance cars the acceleration initially felt brutal, pinning me to the seat but after a little while it didn't feel that quick any more. Does one get desensitized to the sensations of acceleration? What's your experience?

You do become desensitised in some sense.

There is some merit to the idea of having a slower daily so you feel like the other car is 'fast'. However that doesn't restore the heart palpitations and trembling fingers from the first few weeks of owning that same fast car. Not for me anyway with the Alfa or M5s (or S2000s or STIs or other such things). Your only solution is to find something faster/more extreme if that is what you're after IMHO.

Good point on democratisation of speed/power. I mean I (and many of us really) have four door luxury sedans that have done a faster (measured) time than the claimed quickest accelerating cars in the world from when I was 10 years old. The same won't be true for my son (who is now 10) since we have hit a plateau of sorts and beyond a certain point (probably 3.5-4 seconds for me), everything is just 'fast'... and then other things become more important.

As to what happens after 100, and all the other visceral elements of the experience? That's another story, but the point stands for the purposes of this particular discussion.

In the early 2000s, you could have a bleeding edge bankrupting hypercar that was about the same acceleration as your <checks notes> 2020 R2M family sedan with motorplan and affordable maintenance

 

[Nick]

Very good point.
I took my 97 year old grand father for a ride in my H6 ( a boring 2.0l turbo for most of us) I was nearly responsible for his heart failure.
The man had never experienced what a turbo does...
It was actually quite a humbling experience knowing what we take for granted.

 

[922-ZN]

Very good point.
I took my 97 year old grand father for a ride in my H6 ( a boring 2.0l turbo for most of us) I was nearly responsible for his heart failure.
The man had never experienced what a turbo does...
It was actually quite a humbling experience knowing what we take for granted.

If you want to be humbled by things we take for granted, go drive an old Cortina or Escort

 

[nirvash]

Hey guys,
Do any of you get used to the acceleration of your cars? With driving some performance cars the acceleration initially felt brutal, pinning me to the seat but after a little while it didn't feel that quick any more. Does one get desensitized to the sensations of acceleration? What's your experience?

Definitely a desensitized feeling as you own a car for longer and longer in my experience.
I've noticed this with a lot of cars I've owned.
I guess that's also why people are constantly chasing more mods and power, faster cars etc

I definitely feel it.

Good point on riding shotgun and letting someone else drive to get the sensation back. Much different feeling to being in control of the car yourself!