Speed vs Comfort

SlicedBread22

SlicedBread22

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On any given NASCAR race weekend. During practice the drivers hit the track looking to feel out their cars and make improvements for the race.

A lot of the time I hear drivers are looking to make their cars comfortable to drive and handle, and when they do that then they look for more speed. Or maybe its the other way around..

Im just wondering what you guys think? What would be more important... making sure the car is handling to your liking? Or making sure the car is fast despite handling issues?

A loose car is a fast car, but a loose car for 500 miles can usually end up a wrecked car.

Or you can drive comfortably but not quite be able to outrun these other guys...

Im thinking having the speed is more important and then you just drive the hell out of it.... but then again you see some guys win poles and drop outside the top 5 in 2 laps.... Its hard to say really...

Input?
 
I think that what makes the great drivers great is their ability to find comfort in the fastest set up possible. There is no replacement for speed. Find that, and then try to dial in comfort/handling with the least sacrifice to speed possible.
 
Subjective and open to a lot of interpretation, probably would be hard for drivers to fully explain. I suggest letting Fender science it out :).

Also the conversation changes based on the track. Aside from following their radio scanners during practice, through qualifying, and happy hour I think all we can do is speculate. Even that has some limitations, their probably using some discretion. If you are a front runner why would blab your strategy, or set up targets.
 
SlicedBread22 said:
Isn't that all we do here anyway?.. I just figure its a good topic to discuss while we wait for the 500
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In short I think handling is king, you have to be able to drive the car 500 or so miles. But if the other guy is consistently faster you better do what you have to do, comfortable or not.

Comfortable is a good definition, but a catch 22 dont get complacent. You cant be truly comfortable, 42 others will do whatever it takes.
 
I'd think it would depend on what kind of race it was and how long it was.
 
Greg nails it on both posts.

Speed is good but if you dont have handling and comfortability to drive the car then the speed doesn't matter.

Guys like Gordon, Kenseth, Martin rely on handling/comfortability while guys like Johnson, Stewart and K.Busch rely on speed.
 
Got the opinion of a current driver, and it was what you'd expect. In short, to paraphrase, "It totally depends."

Went into differences with passing tracks like Bristol (good handling car...even passing lap traffic smoothly can buy time) vs longer tracks where cars tend to get strung out, not much passing (need speed.) Mentioned that on restarts, a great handle can allow him to find holes and pass much easier than speed, since a lot are checked up anyway. Handle on the restart going into turn 1 is huge. Said he remembers plenty of times he passed many cars on a restart, only to eventually let them catch up b/c he lacked speed. The best case scenario when you have handle but lack speed is multiple cautions. One thing he said before we changed the topic, was (paraphrasing) "gun to head, I can only blindly choose one, then give me speed. I might be able to win with speed alone, but it would take luck to win without it."
 
Dont forget the importance of tire longevity, It might be fast and handle good but the right front might last 2 laps. with all the variables they are faced with its amazing that they ever get it all figured out. Oh and dont forget the fuel mileage vs. horsepower--driveability, another can of worms
 
I agree with what Kyle and Greg said.

Adding only that comfort and speed require a bit of definition.

Here's how I'd define the two:
Comfort = control and stability
Speed = raw fastest lap times

It's a balance between turning fast lap times with the ability to run flexible lines coupled with equipment reliability (specifically tires). Everything is a trade off finding the balance is what makes a car good or great.
 
reck said:
Guys like Gordon, Kenseth, Martin rely on handling/comfortability while guys like Johnson, Stewart and K.Busch rely on speed.
Click to expand...

Old guys like comfort & new guys prefer speed on edge. Who knew
 
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