Veyron on top gear track.

[SL3VIN]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9Sv3dh1Lxk
i expected it to do better.

[Thrizzl3]

its a heavy car..and all wheel drive so u cant really get that extra power since the power is distributed to all for wheels. the zonda on the other hand which is only two wheel drive will have more bite when going down straightaways IMO

[SpelingChampian]

The Top Gear track is a power circuit, meaning that the car can't abuse it's only strength (i.e. Veyron = fast in straight line - the Top Gear track has only one straightaway). On most other circuits I'd hope that the Veyron would do better. Still freaking fast for a two ton car!

[jaimie08mazda3]

still hit what he wanted it to hit lol

[Aitch]

For the 5th fastest car, it looked amazingly stable. Easily one of the most drama-free runs I've seen on that show.

[3GFX]

To heavy, and the understeer from all the power pulling at the front wheels.

Keep in mind that car was probably to rare for them to push it right to the limit. The owner/lender probably only let the stig push so far.

[Terrible3]

Keep in mind that car was probably to rare for them to push it right to the limit. The owner/lender probably only let the stig push so far.

Yea right. Everyone who allows their cars to featured on the show clearly knows that their cars will be pushed to the limit. I doubt the stig has ever been told to hold back. On top of that just look how many times James may spun the Zonda.



its a heavy car..and all wheel drive so u cant really get that extra power since the power is distributed to all for wheels. the zonda on the other hand which is only two wheel drive will have more bite when going down straightaways IMO

WHAT????

I think you have it all backwards. The 4WD on the the veyron helps it to get its power down much quicker. Without 4WD the veyron would have massive problems exiting a turn trying to keep 1000hp in check. The whole idea of 4WD is why the new GT-R was so ridiculously fast.

How is two wheel drive giving the zonda "more bite on the straight"? If anything the zonda is absolutely killed by the veyron there. Since the zonda is much lighter and set up more for road circuits than strait line speed it accels in the corners over the veyron.

In all I think the veyrons time was a tad faster than even I thought it would go. I figured the car would be pretty close to the enzo even though it cant take the turns nearly as fast as a GT-R. It was the sheer acceleration/ bruit force that saved its lap time.

Now go watch the T-1 review if you want to see a blistering lap!

[3GFX]

Explain to me then why there wasn't any tire squeel from such a heavy car? No slides or drifts at all? I don't think it was pushed as hard as it could have been. It might not have been that they held back, but the car didn't seem to have been pushed as hard by sound and looks of the movement on track. It was very composed mind you, but I think there was maybe a smidgen of room on the table.


AWD doesn't necessarily make a car faster on a dry track. The GTR has very sophisticated systems that combat understeer. Despite the price differance the GTR has less understeer since its lighter and has a great bias to the wheel that needs the most power. I'm unsure if it has four wheels steering but the GTR has a different type of AWD setup.

The MINIMUM power going to the front wheels on the Veyron is 20% which is 200hp which creates a great tug on the steering causing understeer. This type of setup is what hindered the Veryron in terms of turn in. The Zonda's rear wheel drive allowed sharper turn in and oversteer which allowed for a higher exit speed and mid corner speed. The only point where the AWD of the Veyron kicks in is the mid to exit acceleration where it puts the power down. In corner speeds are not necessarily any higher.

Having said all that, a different track might have yielded different results. The Nurnburgring would be an excellent showcase to compare.

[Unoriginalusername]

Explain to me then why there wasn't any tire squeel from such a heavy car? No slides or drifts at all? I don't think it was pushed as hard as it could have been. It might not have been that they held back, but the car didn't seem to have been pushed as hard by sound and looks of the movement on track. It was very composed mind you, but I think there was maybe a smidgen of room on the table.


AWD doesn't necessarily make a car faster on a dry track. The GTR has very sophisticated systems that combat understeer. Despite the price differance the GTR has less understeer since its lighter and has a great bias to the wheel that needs the most power. I'm unsure if it has four wheels steering but the GTR has a different type of AWD setup.

The MINIMUM power going to the front wheels on the Veyron is 20% which is 200hp which creates a great tug on the steering causing understeer. This type of setup is what hindered the Veryron in terms of turn in. The Zonda's rear wheel drive allowed sharper turn in and oversteer which allowed for a higher exit speed and mid corner speed. The only point where the AWD of the Veyron kicks in is the mid to exit acceleration where it puts the power down. In corner speeds are not necessarily any higher.

Having said all that, a different track might have yielded different results. The Nurnburgring would be an excellent showcase to compare.

The Gumpert lap record looked equally dull when it ran. A mustang GT looks and sounds faster because of the visual body roll, sliding, narrorower cheaper tires howlling and engine noise etc. yet is 15 seconds slower per lap.

The Veyron is a boat and honestly i was suprised that it even did as well as at did. Top gear always highlights that their track is a power track. The veyron at 1000hp is the most powerful street car they've ever had on and it still got spanked by cars with 40% less omph... this to me says the car handles like even more of a dog and it was fortunate for the straightaways and big power to keep it near the top of the board since on a true handling circut i think it would do even worse when it can't fall back onto its jet pack of turbo boost to save its fat arse

[Terrible3]

So in order for a car to be its fastest it has to be making lots of tire squeal? If that's the case then why don't we see F1 cars sideways in the turns and snaking under braking since according to your logic, that's faster?

Having the tires brake loose mid turn makes the look like it is going faster, but its the exact opposite. Every time the tires brake loose from the surface you are adding time to your lap. Ideally you want to be completely smooth with the tires never braking loose.

The GT-R did make a lot of noise, but you will notice it would squeal, adjust the diff, not squeal and then brake a little loose again for a fraction of a second. The electronics of the GT-R kept the tires at the absolute maxim amount of grip possible for them to hold, thus made for and epic lap. The GT-500 on the other hand with a live rear axle never had any mechanical grip. The car would drift like crazy scrubbing speed in every turn.

Like I said in my earlier post, the 4WD system of the veyron did help it a lot past the apex of the turn when the stig got on the power. The car remained balanced and controlled on the exit while it accelerated ferociously. The Zonda while slower in a straight line, stopped the veyron in the entry and exit speeds of each corner. While being lighter and more nimble it could make up a lot more time in the turns.

If you want an interesting look at what 4WD can do take a look at the article moter trend did a while back. It compared the entry and exit speeds of the GT-R to several other cars. While the GT-R was much slower in the straights, it made a heck of a lot of time up in the turns. Thats not to say ALL 4WD cars are like a GT-R, I am just saying it lets you get the power down a lot easier than in a rear wheel drive car.

Anyways watch the gumpert and ascari laps, they are super quick and no drifting.

[3GFX]

I'm not saying tire squeel means a quick lap. It means the tires have been pushed close to the limit of there adhesion. Long story short, the Veyron is not a track car, its an ultra fast tourer.

[Terrible3]

Long story short, the Veyron is not a track car, its an ultra fast tourer.

Bang on. While I love the Gumpert and the T-1, they would make your ears bleed and rip you neck apart even on the most mellow roads. The Veyron can take you to 250mph and you feel as if you were riding a magic carpet.

[Unoriginalusername]

Bang on. While I love the Gumpert and the T-1, they would make your ears bleed and rip you neck apart even on the most mellow roads. The Veyron can take you to 250mph and you feel as if you were riding a magic carpet.

i want the ascari a10

[3GFX]

The ascari is on my list for only one reason....the V8 M5 engine.....DROOOOOOL!!!!!

[Terrible3]

I am still waiting for them to test the Donkervoort D8
http://wheeltronix.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/donker2.jpg