Is performance captured by test track numbers?
 

I am engaged in a debate on another forum with someone who claims that test-track numbers tell the complete story about whether one car is a better driver than another. I maintain that test-track numbers cannot possibly tell the whole story and that he misses a lot when he claims that "Handling is nothing more than the sum of its parts".

What are all your opinions on this?

The thread with the debate is here. My nick on that forum is "Zenmervolt".

I'm just curious about what you all think about how accurate test-track numbers are at capturing a car's abilities.

Aaron

test track numbers are just one more statistic. hp isnt everything and test track numbers arent everything either. when you look at all the stats then you can use them to compare the stats of other cars. that is to say they are all arbitrary in the real world, they are only good as a comparison.

Best example is the 911.

There are a lot of cars that can have better stats on paper than a 911, such as 0-60, or cornering G's, but put them on a track for a few laps, and their brakes are fading from overheating, the 911 is finally getting warmed up.

A 911 does not have the most impressive 0-60 times, but after it gets past 5000 rpm, not many will keep up. And a 911 has quite the impressive record of staying above 5000 rpms for 24 hours at a time.

The proof is on the race track. Not the school parking lot.

Another thing they do not mention or even consider is track durability. In general, Porsches, BMW's, and Ferraris can stand track use over and over. Other marques don't stand up to it. They overheat, either engines or transmissions, they break, their brakes fade, etc, etc.

This what pretty much my contention. My 914 gets owned in terms of test-track numbers by almost any modern econo-box, but it will run away from those cars on a track. I think that it's easily possible to have a car with "inferior" test-track numbers that will consistantly out-race another, supposedly "superior" car.

Aaron

i also think its possible for driving to overcome a lot of those handicaps.
if you are comfortable in your 914, and you can drive it better than you would a car which may be faster etc, thats what matters.