Beyond The Numbers
This letter is a bit of an oldie, but.... JL
I really enjoyed the 'Apex Predator' article in the October 2006 issue. The piece was well written, as always, but what caught my attention this time was a bit different from most. It wasn't the numbers, although 263hp is a lot of power and 155mph is really fast. And it wasn't the humor, although just seeing a new issue in the mailbox is enough to make me grin like a fool. What caught my attention was a single sentence toward the end: There is a deep sense of passion surrounding the Mazdaspeed3 that is absent in almost every modern car, factory tuned or otherwise.
Now, I like numbers; they're easy to understand, categorize, rank, prove or disprove. I use them at work as a software developer to describe the performance of programs. I get as excited as anyone else when it comes to measuring and comparing the performance of cars. It's just that numbers don't always tell the whole story and it's nice to read a review written by someone who agrees.
Since I'll soon be in the market for a new car-and since it garnered so much praise-I decided a Mazdaspeed3 would be worth a test drive, even though I really wanted something other than front-wheel drive. I've been dealing with the understeer from my Jetta for too long and I get a huge kick out of rally, so I was leaning heavily toward a Subaru. But that test drive totally changed my mind. I agree that the Mazdaspeed folks have a winning combination on their hands. You really can feel the difference between that car and, say, a new WRX. Keep that passion in your engineering.
Jason Porritt
Grand Rapids, MI
It's completely true that many cars are more than the sum of their spec sheets. The Miata is a perfect example. The little sports car that could is more fun to drive than cars costing two to three times as much. That's what test drives are for. Whether new or used, take that new project for a spin around the block and get a feel for the power, response, steering and everything else that adds up to a driving experience. Then make up your mind about what car is really for you. -JL
Safety first
I've been following your Project Evo IX, as I have an IX, and I'm doing a lot of the same mods. For instance, I put in a Sparco harness bar and harness (only mine is with the stock seats plus a four-point). In your last article, you stated that it was best to mount the lap belt to the floor with i-hooks and not to the factory mounting points. On the Evo, the factory mounting point is the seat bracket frame, on the buckle side. Why would I not attach it to the same place the factory did?
Paul Hignutt
Nashville, TN
As per Takata's recommendation, if a car has a seatbelt mounting point that is higher up on the seat bracket and not on the car's frame or body, there might not be enough adjustment or room for the harness lap belt to function properly. In the case of the Evo, the seatbelt is mounted to the seat bracket and thus one would need to mount the lap belt to the car's body. This is simple enough for the outer side, as the eyebolt replaces the lower seatbelt mounting bolt through the rocker. But on the inner side, all chassis mounting points are hidden by the Evo's center console, necessitating a bolt through the transmission tunnel. Also, be sure to use an adequately large backing plate on the underside of the car. -JL