#4580, "RE: Is mph a good indication of your hp if you don't launch the car?" In response to In response to 7
Me and my ex-roommate used to go screw around right after I got the jetta, just to compare the two vehicles.
Thing is, if he gave me any head start over 1 - 1.5 car lengths, the race would be very even. His AWD and shorter gearing would grip and launch like hell, and that needed some balancing. At 20+ runs, he can edge me slightly in 2nd, and can't pull any farther from 3rd on.
The point is... a WRX's weakpoint is it's high-end. The car has awesome midrange and can pull some sick launches, but the AWD system taxes accleration along with the car's weight (which is about that of a jetta.) This lack of high-end is what gives you bad MPHs. You get such a good start that you can cover the distance in 14.3, but the lasers at the end of the run will catch this.
There's no question that you'd blow a 2gnt out of the water, even many of the lightly turbo'ed ones. The majority of this lead is going to come from the 0-60, and the rate of gaining is going to diminish after that.
