Herm
Well-known member
Someone should drive a Leaf into a golf course, and actually play.. not many people can drive their golf carts home at hwy speeds.
Does this Leaf drive like it's on rails or is it just me ?
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TomT
Well-known member
Actually, I have on more than one occasion as tests. I found the tires to be by far the weakest link, and the adhesion limited and stopping distances long by modern standards. Both my (older) BMW and Acura brake significantly better. The car tracks fine in a maximum effort stop and the ABS works well, the absolute stopping distances are just simply long due to limited traction. It'll make far more of a difference at higher speeds than lower ones...
LEAFfan said:
A
Anonymous
Guest
LEAFfan said:
Yeah, in Phoenix, on dry pavement? Maybe it can stop decently. Not amazingly great, but yeah, it will stop. But I'm in Seattle. How do you think they're going to handle in wet weather? I can tell you not well. ABS and traction control kick in WAY more than they should have to in those conditions. I'm amazed at how much ABS is actually engaging on the Leaf, when in my other vehicles it wouldn't be slipping at all, therefore no ABS needed for the same maneuvers.
ABS helps with crappy tires, but better tires supported by ABS when needed is by far better/safer.
JPWhite
Well-known member
k2msmith said:
I agree it handles better than the average US car. Which isn't exactly saying much, I've needed to make a quick maneuver or two since I got a LEAF and it has turned sharply and I felt in control at all times. Other vehicles lean too much in bends, the LEAF holds the road well. Are there better handling cars? Sure, the LEAF isn't meant to be a sports car, nor have its handling.
The LEAF is the best handling vehicle I've driven since coming to the US 20 yrs ago.
TickTock
Well-known member
Anecdotal, but I will add my .02. I was rather disappointed by the cornering from day one. There was a low frequency oscillation (~0.75Hz) in the back end whenever I pushed the envelop at all (not breaking free, but squealing a tad). Last week I decided to try upping the pressure from 36psi to 40psi to see if it did anything to my efficiency and have not noticed the cornering issue since.
Road and Track's test of the LEAF puts it at 0.81g on the skid pad and 65.5 mph through the slalom. Those numbers would have been respectable not too long ago (assuming that R&T has not changed their testing procedures and that their old road test data is comparable to that of today). Of course, today, such numbers put the LEAF at the low to mid-range of car performance.k2msmith said:
Also, I would say that "other new cars of more modern vintage in a similar price range" is too broad a category. There are cars costing $10K less that simply kick the LEAF's butt. Of course, none of them is a BEV, and I'm pretty sure nobody buys the LEAF for its performance.
It's good that you do, but I'm afraid I do not have utmost faith in my LEAF's tires. It's good that the LEAF can "stop on a dime" (though I'm skeptical that a 3300 car on LRR tires can "stop on a dime"), but no matter how performant one's vehicle happens to be, there will be scenarios where it will not be adequate. While I can't have a car that will not fail me regardless of the situation (such a car is probably not practical nor cheap), I do want my LEAF to perform better.LEAFfan said:
(By "perform better" I don't mean "go faster" or "corner better" (only) for the sake of doing so, but rather I mean "have the added margin of performance" that may make the difference between getting out of a "situation" with my LEAF sunny side up and unbent, or not.)
DaveinOlyWA
Well-known member
there is nothing that is going to insure your safety all cars have performance limitations of varying degrees. nearly all of which can be cured with money but most also come with a performance penalty. this is a car that I expect to drive very conservatively . along with doing whatever I can to improve my range which means driving very non aggressively and whenever possible of course maintaining a greater than normal following distance which pretty much reduces my likelihood of being in an accident. so therefore I gladly trade a little bit of the traction for the increased performance
Thanks for all of your comments. I use the Leaf mostly for around-town and short commutes. It's basically an "office on wheels". With the quietness of it and slow rate of electrical usage when I am parked (using low ac and hands-free), make it really nice for me to do conference calls in the car. I'm not sure what kind of network connection it has for the Carwings, but at some point it seems that wi-fi (4G or whatever the technology) could be integrated and other devices (like laptops) could be used on a local network in the car.
Regarding handling. I think for it's intended purpose, I have VERY happy with the handling of the car. I think this thread though confirms, though, that my knowledge of the current market with respect to handling is dated. I have a '91 911 C2 with eibach suspension setup and that car has go-cart handling but it is not that easy to drive around town or in traffic on the freeway. Also, I realize that many new cars that cost much less than the 911 did when it was new (I didn't buy it new) are going to be much better than the 911.
At the risk of starting another topic here on the same thread, I actually think the 911 is the LAST ICE sports car I will ever have. I can see that with my Leaf, the "fun factor" of the electric motor (torque characteristics and lack of any required oil changes, transmission etc.) seems very well suited to a sports car. When battery technology becomes cheap enough for me (the Tesla is not in my budget) and someone comes up with an electric two-seater (I would like a ragtop also), that will fulfill any need I may have for next gen sports car. can't say that I will give up my air-cooled 911 though
Regarding handling. I think for it's intended purpose, I have VERY happy with the handling of the car. I think this thread though confirms, though, that my knowledge of the current market with respect to handling is dated. I have a '91 911 C2 with eibach suspension setup and that car has go-cart handling but it is not that easy to drive around town or in traffic on the freeway. Also, I realize that many new cars that cost much less than the 911 did when it was new (I didn't buy it new) are going to be much better than the 911.
At the risk of starting another topic here on the same thread, I actually think the 911 is the LAST ICE sports car I will ever have. I can see that with my Leaf, the "fun factor" of the electric motor (torque characteristics and lack of any required oil changes, transmission etc.) seems very well suited to a sports car. When battery technology becomes cheap enough for me (the Tesla is not in my budget) and someone comes up with an electric two-seater (I would like a ragtop also), that will fulfill any need I may have for next gen sports car. can't say that I will give up my air-cooled 911 though
TickTock
Well-known member
JimSouCal said:
Yes. I wasn't thinking about the cornering at all when I did it - was just trying to reduce rolling resistance. Hard to believe 5psi would have significant impact on the handling, but it seems that way. Felt like I was bouncing around the corners before. I suspect I had just learned to compensate with my driving and hadn't paid attention until I changed the pressure. I was wondering if anyone else notice this behavior.
TomT
Well-known member
I've been running 40 since day 1 (I usually add 4 pounds to the cold pressure on all my cars to improve handling). I've always thought the rear end was moving around and unplanted a lot so if it is indeed better at 40, I can only wonder how bad it must be at 36.
TickTock said:
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