Why are cars faster than motorcycles?

[Triumph]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mxTAbxIAMU4

People actually pay 30 bucks for a dvd of this shit? LOL!

 

[Triumph]

and the other 3 quarters is politics

and the other 3/5ths is that humans couldn't handle the kinds of cars that they could design.

 

[JackBurton]

People actually pay 30 bucks for a dvd of this shit? LOL!

Yeah, I don't get it. I got what I needed from that short clip on YouTube.

 

[norseamd]

actually team size has had a lot to do with the more current regualations. but what teams are currently favored probably play a huge part. eccelstone is a billionare.

also how do ground effects make a car harder to control

 

[jagec]

part of that is for safety reasons, the other part is the industry wants R&D focused on more environmentally friendly engine designs.

I would LOVE to see what it would look like if someone made a completely unrestricted F1 car and put a computer in the cockpit. Obviously it would never be allowed to race against humans, but I'm curious just HOW much faster it would go around the track than a human in a restricted F1 car.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mxTAbxIAMU4

Well I'm a bit suspicious, but I'm not going to say for sure there was something amiss. I'm wondering why the busa performed badly. Here's one the cars wouldn't fare well against.

278.6 mph

I think even silly old me would pass on that one.

 

[marincounty]

For some real crazy, look up the Ghostrider Suzuki Hayabusa turbo on youtube or dailymotion. In the real world, motorcycles kick ass. For around 12k$ you can go 180mph. Try that in your corolla.

 

[MongGrel]

I would LOVE to see what it would look like if someone made a completely unrestricted F1 car and put a computer in the cockpit. Obviously it would never be allowed to race against humans, but I'm curious just HOW much faster it would go around the track than a human in a restricted F1 car.

F1s are computer run.

I take it you meant computer operated then.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

F1s are computer run.

I take it you meant computer operated then.

The computer wouldn't have a chance.

 

[Triumph]

also how do ground effects make a car harder to control

in today's F1, the computer is doing a lot of the work. it absolutely takes the best drivers in the world to pilot them, but if it weren't for the computers, even these drivers could not attain the speeds that they are attaining. And the limit for human G force is about 8 or 9 g's for highly trained fighter pilots wearing pressure suits. so figure about 5g's for an athletic racing driver for brief stints. And I believe that's about where they are. A few years back, they had to reduce the speeds of CART cars at theTexas Motor speedway because the drivers were seeing too many G's in the banked turns.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=93412

 

[Brian Stirling]

Youre still talking F1 though which is several hundred thousand dollars per vehicle more than any bike, even one of the highest end bikes out there which could keep up decently well on straights and such would be under $100k no problem. Not really a fair comparison.


if you wanted to go all out $135k will get you an MTT Y2K Jet Turbine superbike.

Top speed around 240-250mph.

You wouldn't have to spend F1 money to build a car to smoke ANY motorcycle on a road course. The main thing is giving it down force and making it light.

Yes, a jet turbine bike can go very fast in a straight line, but how well would it do on a road course?

The fastest ground vehicle ever broke the sound barrier in a special purpose car, the English Thrust jet car at Black Rock.

If you're talking normal people money then bikes have it all over cars but mostly in acceleration. I was at Daytona for bike week many years ago and a bunch of us got into a clover leaf race looping around on the clover leafs and I was driving a nothing fancy Nissan 240SX as I didn't have my motorcycle at the time. The guy behind me on a crotch rocket almost lost it in the turn trying to keep up with my -- I was doing about 75mph and he was at his limit and losing ground.

But, the greatest race in the world is the Isle of Man TT motorcycle race held every year on a 40 mile course that goes through small town streets at upwards of 175mph catching air over the bumps -- f'n insane!


Brian

 

[norseamd]

the ariel atom cost 65000 and is on par with the bugatti and probably goes faster around a track

 

[mnewsham]

You wouldn't have to spend F1 money to build a car to smoke ANY motorcycle on a road course. The main thing is giving it down force and making it light.

Yes, a jet turbine bike can go very fast in a straight line, but how well would it do on a road course?

The fastest ground vehicle ever broke the sound barrier in a special purpose car, the English Thrust jet car at Black Rock.

If you're talking normal people money then bikes have it all over cars but mostly in acceleration. I was at Daytona for bike week many years ago and a bunch of us got into a clover leaf race looping around on the clover leafs and I was driving a nothing fancy Nissan 240SX as I didn't have my motorcycle at the time. The guy behind me on a crotch rocket almost lost it in the turn trying to keep up with my -- I was doing about 75mph and he was at his limit and losing ground.

But, the greatest race in the world is the Isle of Man TT motorcycle race held every year on a 40 mile course that goes through small town streets at upwards of 175mph catching air over the bumps -- f'n insane!


Brian

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDtrAE964_g

Ferrari 458 vs Ducati 1198 S

In both a straight line AND on the track the Ducati wins, it takes an exceptional car to out pace even a $20k bike.

 

[norseamd]

In both a straight line AND on the track the Ducati wins, it takes an exceptional car to out pace even a $20k bike.

what about the ariel atom?

 

[PliotronX]

I rushed into this thread thinking I'd have to set someone straight on a tiny twist of a throttle shooting ahead of 99% of four wheeled vehicles but found a good laugh. Thanks!

 

[mnewsham]

what about the ariel atom?

The atom is $60k+ and it might go faster it would depend on circumstances. 0-60 speed is going to be slightly slower than a decent bike, it could likely take a motorcycle on the track though.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

cars are probably going to be faster. bike is going to be cheaper though. i've actually been on a track on a s1000rr with the throttle pinned so if anything i'm more biased for bikes.

 

[Brian Stirling]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDtrAE964_g

Ferrari 458 vs Ducati 1198 S

In both a straight line AND on the track the Ducati wins, it takes an exceptional car to out pace even a $20k bike.

The Ferrari is a street car, a fast street car to be sure, but the amount of down force is pretty limited.

About the best cornering force a racing motorcycle can achieve is 1.3 g's whereas a race car designed with ground effects and wings can achieve cornering force beyond what the human body can handle and rules limit the down force to keep the g force within reasonable bounds 4-5 g's).

So, take your high zoot racing motorcycle and put it in a turn where it's maxed out at about 80mph and in the same turn an F1 car is going 150mph!

I'll say it again ... on a typical road course an F1 car would lap ANY motorcycle in about 5 laps. A CART car might take 6 laps.


Brian

 

[JulesMaximus]

The Ferrari is a street car, a fast street car to be sure, but the amount of down force is pretty limited.

About the best cornering force a racing motorcycle can achieve is 1.3 g's whereas a race car designed with ground effects and wings can achieve cornering force beyond what the human body can handle and rules limit the down force to keep the g force within reasonable bounds 4-5 g's).

So, take your high zoot racing motorcycle and put it in a turn where it's maxed out at about 80mph and in the same turn an F1 car is going 150mph!

I'll say it again ... on a typical road course an F1 car would lap ANY motorcycle in about 5 laps. A CART car might take 6 laps.

Brian

So what? Nobody can own or drive an F1 car on the street and you would never have an F1 car and a motorcycle on the track at the same time except maybe for a one off comparison so it's a moot point.

Michael Schumacher said the following after doing 58 laps on a Ducati MotoGP bike a few years ago:

Schumacher said that he couldn’t think of anything else he could compare the feeling of riding a MotoGP bike to, not even a Formula One car.

“I tried to find a good comparison but it is difficult to say. It is impossible to compare the two (Formula One and MotoGP), as they have nothing to do with each other. It helps you to find the line because when you drive you understand what you have to do, in principle, but not in detail. But to compare these two things is two different worlds - it is like being on earth and going to the moon.”

Comparing the two is just ridiculous.

You wouldn't have to spend F1 money to build a car to smoke ANY motorcycle on a road course. The main thing is giving it down force and making it light.

Yes, a jet turbine bike can go very fast in a straight line, but how well would it do on a road course?

The fastest ground vehicle ever broke the sound barrier in a special purpose car, the English Thrust jet car at Black Rock.

If you're talking normal people money then bikes have it all over cars but mostly in acceleration. I was at Daytona for bike week many years ago and a bunch of us got into a clover leaf race looping around on the clover leafs and I was driving a nothing fancy Nissan 240SX as I didn't have my motorcycle at the time. The guy behind me on a crotch rocket almost lost it in the turn trying to keep up with my -- I was doing about 75mph and he was at his limit and losing ground.

But, the greatest race in the world is the Isle of Man TT motorcycle race held every year on a 40 mile course that goes through small town streets at upwards of 175mph catching air over the bumps -- f'n insane!

Brian

Anecdotal as you have no idea what the skill level of that guy behind you was.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

When I'm looking for a cheap speed fix I pick up a used bike. For under 3 grand I can be hitting 10 second 1/4 mile. Most cars I can afford are nowhere near that quick.

Cornering is another issue entirely. A miata could probably whip me on a twisty road. Knee dragging on public roads scares the crap out of me.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I give the joke 1 star.
Therefore a serious answer to the joke question.

It completely depends on which kind of "fast" you are talking about and what you are comparing.

You won't find many bikes that can accerelate, turn, or max out as fast as a Formula One car.

You won't find many cars that can accelerate, turn, or max out as fast as a MotoGP bike.

There are specially designed cars and bikes for accelerating/drag strips. There are cars and bikes optimized for top speed. There are cars and bikes that are optimized for handling.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Usually bikes are faster than cars. One exception is when an alpha is driving a m3.

 

[Brian Stirling]

So what? Nobody can own or drive an F1 car on the street and you would never have an F1 car and a motorcycle on the track at the same time except maybe for a one off comparison so it's a moot point.

Michael Schumacher said the following after doing 58 laps on a Ducati MotoGP bike a few years ago:

Comparing the two is just ridiculous.



Anecdotal as you have no idea what the skill level of that guy behind you was.

Not many people can afford an F1 car of any vintage, or, for that matter, a CART car of any vintage -- so what? If the question is "Why are cars faster than motorcycles" and if you look at the title of the thread you'll see that it is, then I need only point to one example to prove my point and arguing that no one can afford it proves nothing. Point blank ... cars are faster than motorcycles ... deal with it!

Now when it comes to what mere mortals can afford, and again, the OP's question didn't ask that, but when average guy money is taken into account a good sport bike will flat kick ass against most any car you can drive on the road.

As a racing fan and techy I prefer F1 to, say, NASCAR, but for shear racing thrills it's hard to beet motorcycle racing as they tend to be within inches of each other and frequently there are 4 or more guys real close for a good part of the race. And, as I mentioned before, the single most incredible race in the world is the annual Isle of Man TT motorcycle race. For those that are not familiar go to youtube and search for "Isle of Man TT" and you'll come across stuff like this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRWp9rhfS_0

You can't watch that without a sharp rise in heart rate -- f'n insane!


Brian

 

[olds]

On this mornings commute a 328i with a fart can came flying up beside me and raced his engine. I looked over and the kid had a grin on his face. I blipped my throttle and he punched it. I guess he wanted to race. I dropped a gear, caught him in about 1 second and 5 seconds later was a block ahead of him.
I dropped back down to the speed limit and let him go. Can't see the cops at 5:30 AM.

<--- Dangerous street racer

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

On this mornings commute a 328i with a fart can came flying up beside me and raced his engine. I looked over and the kid had a grin on his face. I blipped my throttle and he punched it. I guess he wanted to race. I dropped a gear, caught him in about 1 second and 5 seconds later was a block ahead of him.
I dropped back down to the speed limit and let him go. Can't see the cops at 5:30 AM.

<--- Dangerous street racer

they are what we refer to as squids.