LFA SportAuto: LFA supertest

[330CIZHP]

So these are the LFA laptimes:

Nürburgring Nordschleife (20,6km): 7.38
Hockenheim - Short Track (2,6km): 1.11,0

Can someone please put up the scans for the article??


That is how it puts LFA with the same driver (Horst Von Saurma). Apples to apples comparsion with the same driver and same track so no manufacturer's claims here.

Corvette ZR-1: 7:38
Lexus LFA: 7:38
Ferrari 458 Italia: 7:38
Nissan GTR: 7:38
SLS AMG: 7:40
Ferrari F430 Scuderia: 7:40
Mercedes MacLaren SLR: 7:42
Lamborghini LP-670 Super veloce: 7:42
Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera: 7:46

 

[DeDe]

Lamborghini LP-570 Superleggera: 7:47

When did SA test it? I can't remember...

 

[330CIZHP]

When did SA test it? I can't remember...

Put the wrong name down. Sorry, it was not the LP-570 version. It was actually the Gallardo Superleggera so the 530 HP superleggera not the 570 HP superleggera.

 

[Sunny]

lol, so many cars at 7:38. Anyway, decent time, but definitely not blowing any of the other much cheaper cars out of the water either.

 

[Karabiner98k]

LFA performed well in N-ring but did the opposite in Hockenheim.

 

[Sunny]

What kind of tires does the LFA have?

 

[330CIZHP]

What kind of tires does the LFA have?

They are temporary Bridgestone street tires. However, still the production-spec tires are under development specifically for the LFA (and will bear the LFA lettering on it) as Lexus is still tweaking everything until production time.

 

[DeDe]

[scans] Sport Auto Supertest - Lexus LFA

They measured 4,3 seconds to 100 km/h. The reasons of this time: 1., high air temperature (30 Degrees Celsius), 2., Launch Control did not work properly.

 

[330CIZHP]

Thanks, Dede. Also for elaborating. I believe they got 4.1 secs 0 - 100 km/h in the 0 - 300 km/h.

Much Appreciated. I also believe the Bridgestone S001 are rated very mediocre in the performance world compared to say, Pirelli P Zero Corsa or Michellin Pilot Sport Cup + semi-slick tires.

Funny, how SportAuto noted the S001 grip even in the wet is weaker than hardcore semi-slicks like Pirelli P Zero Corsa.

Thanks for keeping your promise.

 

[DeDe]

Thanks for keeping your promise.

You're welcome, mate.

 

[Guibo]

Great scans, DeDe.

Is that only 1171 km on the odometer? If so, then that's a tight engine.
Speed at Flugplatz looks really low. Only 4 kph faster than the SL55 Black Series, and 7 kph slower than C6 Z06 (which has really crappy tires and aero lift). About as fast as the E92 M3 on Cup+.

 

[Mr Robert]

Are they testing productions vehicles now? Aren't the prototypes white?

 

[DeDe]

Are they testing productions vehicles now? Aren't the prototypes white?

I think this testcar is a pre-production car...

 

[330CIZHP]

So that means the car barely crossed the 1000 KM mark so it was not even broken in yet? A very green car.

What about the Bridgestone S001 tires. I have heard they are very sloppy tires compared to serious track tires such as, Pirelli P Zero Corsa, Michellin Pilot Sport PS2, Michellin Pilot Sport Cup+ tires that most of the competitors wear from factory.

Great scans, DeDe.

Is that only 1171 km on the odometer? If so, then that's a tight engine.
Speed at Flugplatz looks really low. Only 4 kph faster than the SL55 Black Series, and 7 kph slower than C6 Z06 (which has really crappy tires and aero lift). About as fast as the E92 M3 on Cup+.

 

[Mr Robert]

I think this testcar is a pre-production car...

Ah... ok, good to know. In my book, such cars are about as trustworthy as prototypes.

 

[bum-man]

So that means the car barely crossed the 1000 KM mark so it was not even broken in yet? A very green car.

So I guess according to you the LFA is only good for around 5000 Km somewhere between 3000 Km (after break in period) and 8000 Km ("worn out prototypes"). Sounds like a big rip off to me if the car only has a 5000 Km "sweetspot".

What about the Bridgestone S001 tires. I have heard they are very sloppy tires compared to serious track tires such as, Pirelli P Zero Corsa, Michellin Pilot Sport PS2, Michellin Pilot Sport Cup+ tires that most of the competitors wear from factory.

The SLS and 458 both use relatively normal sport summer tires. Continental Sport Contact 5P and Bridgestone Potenza S001 respectfully.

 

[330CIZHP]

So I guess according to you the LFA is only good for around 5000 Km somewhere between 3000 Km (after break in period) and 8000 Km ("worn out prototypes"). Sounds like a big rip off to me if the car only has a 5000 Km "sweetspot".
respectfully.

What???

That is ludicrous.

1 - Any car is broken in past 2000 - 3000 KM/H (1500 - 2000 miles). The pistons take that much time to seal properly. Us BMW owners are not even allowed to go anywhere near the redline until 1500 miles ( 2400 km).


2 - What are you talking about "short life span" and "sweetspot". Driving a car for 8000 KM mostly for city driving and occassional race track trip like most people will for a car like this has a massive difference with a car made for the press, demos and testing that has had 8000 KM of 100% abuse such as, drifts, powerslides, very frequent 9300 rpm trips. No comparison whatsoever.

 

[Mr Robert]

But as this is not a production vehicle, even the oddometer can't be trusted.

 

[Guibo]

But as this is not a production vehicle, even the oddometer can't be trusted.

Well, the speedometer of the earlier white prototype was closer to the actual measured speeds than that of just about any production car AMuS had ever tested.


It will take about 1000 miles before the rings are properly seated, but the car as a whole can still be faster quite a bit later. There are other components like bearings in the engine, transmission, and other driveline parts which take some time to loosen up too. Clutch packs for transmission and LSD also need to be broken in properly. This doesn't discount the validity of the test at all; merely an interesting footnote, and could be a factor in why this car was slower than in other tests. It's just rare to see a pic like that in an Sport Auto test.
Autocar records vehicle mileage in their full road tests, as does Car & Driver. Most test cars have at least 2000 miles on them, and when they're exceptionally low, C&D will make a comment like they did for the Audi S8:
"In straight-line testing, the S8's 0-to-60 time proved to be a couple of ticks slower than the more expensive, torquier, and 157-pounds-heavier 450-hp A8L W-12 (5.1 seconds versus 5.3). Our very green S8 had only 769 miles on the odometer and could not authenticate Audi's claim of 4.9 seconds to 60; a test vehicle with more mileage might have posted better numbers."

BTW, BMW still recommends some cautions even up to 3100 miles on the M3:

 

[Mr Robert]

Well, the speedometer of the earlier white prototype was closer to the actual measured speeds than that of just about any production car AMuS had ever tested.

...and my point is that we do not know if the car has 1,000 km or 10,000 km under its belt.