Axioms

Axiom | noun | a statement or proposition that is regarded as being established, accepted, or self-evidently true. | From French axiome or Latin axioma, from Greek axiōma “what is thought fitting,” from axios “worthy.”

All media is biased, with editorial that is colored by the convictions of editorial staff. At gjunkies, five Automotive Axioms shape our perspective on high performance vehicles:

1) Life is too short to drive a boring car – How one allocates disposable income is a choice: some people buy expensive organic food, some good wine, and others elect to top up their retirement fund. We believe spending significant amounts of disposable income on interesting cars is perfectly reasonable. What to buy, and whether to spring for something new or tap into the used car market is a personal decision. We think buying a two- or three-year-old, well  maintained vehicle with less than 30,000 miles (50,000 km) on the odometer is the smart choice in most situations. These days, selected high-performance cars be reliable well past warranty expiration, and the used market is awash with interesting vehicles that cost no more than a new transportation appliance such as a Camry or Accord.

2) Power is nothing without control - We’ve come a long way since the so-called Muscle Car Era. In their day, Chevelle SSs, GTOs, Vettes, Hemi Cudas and the like offered kick-ass performance relative to mainstream vehicles of the period. But they handled like skewered pigs, and their 0-60 and 1/4 mile times pale in comparison to the current crop of performance cars from BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Porsche and others who have raised the bar more than a few notches in the past 35+ years. Then as now, a high-performance car that balances power with handling and braking capabilities is more satisfying than a vehicle that only performs well in a straight line. Even a moderately powered, entry-level performance  car such as a Nissan Z is satisfying to drive because it’s a well-balanced package.

3) Weight is the enemy - We have a philosophical affinity with Lotus founder Colin Chapman, the godfather of the “light is better” automotive ethos. The less weight a vehicle has to accelerate, turn and stop, the higher the potential performance capability per given amount of horsepower. While crash standards and other legislation intent on improving safety have driven up vehicle weights over the past couple of decades, so have buyers’ demands for reduced NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) and heavy “luxury” items such as power seats, sunroofs, sound systems, etc. An often ignored vehicle stat that gjunkies pays attention to is curb weight. At around 3500 pounds, our Pork-O-Meter starts blinking, signalling that the manufacturer may have made concessions to comfort at the expense of performance.

4) Simple is better - Automotive electronics are a mixed blessing. While driver aids such as basic stability control provide a safety net for drivers, the value proposition for more sophisticated systems such as Porsche’s PASM is questionable. Ditto for other increasingly common electronics such as dual clutch manual gearboxes, adaptive lighting, keyless entry, and other powered gizmos in the cabin or beyond the firewall. Repairing complex electrical and mechanical systems out of warranty is expensive, and a strong case can be made for buyers of used vehicles or those planning to own a car past the OEM warranty period to opt for “stripper” models. Anyone buying new with an eye toward long-term ownership would be wise to restrict their ticking on the options sheet to only those items they can’t live without.

5) Racing belongs on the track - Spirited street driving in a high-performance car when weather and road conditions permit is one of life’s pleasures. There’s a fine line, though, between acceptably aggressive street behavior and dangerous, dumbass driving. Trouble is, many owners of high-performance cars don’t know either their vehicle’s or their personal limits, so they don’t know when they’ve crossed over into the idiot zone. Even with electronic stability nannies on-board, a physics smackdown awaits a driver who pushes a car past its adhesion threshold. In our view, if a driver hasn’t attended a high performance driving or racing school – or better yet, spent a couple of seasons doing Time Attack, autocrossing, or club racing – can’t possibly know when they’ve put their vehicle on the edge of disaster. Learning to control a vehicle on a track has the effect of turning you into a humbler – and better – street driver.