0-100km/hr in… does anyone still care?
1 Aug, 2007
29 Comments 
My girlfriend and I went to a hardware store yesterday to try and find some bricks to elevate a guinea pig cage we had recently bought. Not too hard of a task you would imagine, walk into bunnings, buy some bricks, and walk out.
I asked an elderly gentlemen wearing a bunnings uniform where I can find some bricks, he started talking about all sorts of weird and confusing things, maybe we can try some timber from an ancient rainforest, or maybe some organic plates? Maybe we can suspend the cage in mid air using wires? Or, maybe we can just buy some bricks?
We ended up with some Hebal Bricks, these weird, organic-like, pink, brick looking things that according to the bunnings guy are strong enough to build houses from, even though they nearly fell apart on the way to the car. A hebal brick? Has the world gone mad?
It’s obvious that certain groups come up with their own language just so that everyday people don’t understand them, be it mechanics, IT people, lawyers and even the men in blue. Take IT people for example, when was the last time you had any idea what a computer salesmen was trying to sell you, “…it has 2GB of RAM, a 300gb hard drive and has a dual core 2.2ghz CPU…”… uha.
What most of us fail to realize is that we, the car-lovers, also have our own language, you can’t be a car person if you don’t understand the terminology; RWD, FWD, AWD, N/A, EBD, ESP, DSG the list goes on and on…
However the most important of all these car terms is the all important, 0 to a 100, “nice car mate, what’s the 0 to a 100?“. What is the 0-100? It is the time (in seconds - unless you have a Proton) it takes for your car to go from a standstill to 100km/hr.
Back 25 years ago, 0-100 of around 7 seconds was regarded as really quick. A 1980s SC Porsche 911 would go from 0-100 in 7 seconds while a Lamborghini Countash would do it in a blistering 5.9 seconds - supercar performance for the 80s.
Today your everyday turbocharged Japanese car or the XR6-Turbo will keep up with the Countash and put the SC 911 to shame (although the new 911 GT2 does the 0-100 in an unbelievably quick 3.7 seconds). So cars have gotten faster and faster over time but the real question is no longer what does it do 0-100, but more so, does anyone still care?
Anyone that judges a car on its 0-100 times has missed the point. Sure it goes a long way to show the car’s accelerating ability, but there is so much more to a car than 0-100 times. HSV’s recent GTS claims to get from 0-100 in 4.9 seconds. I simply don’t believe this to be true, at least not for your everyday driver.
Firstly no one in their right mind would ever drive their own car at its maximum capacity. To achieve the best 0-100 times, one needs to be extremely brutal on the clutch, a treatment that no drive shaft or gearbox will withstand for long.
Launching the car from at least 4,000 RPM (around 5,500 for AWDs on average) a sudden burst of power is applied to the entire car, this usually causes extreme pressure on all the cars components - not something you’d want to do in your brand new HSV more than a few times a day.
But that’s not all, the biggest problem is gear changing, at least with the autoboxes and DSGs getting better and better, you can come close to achieving the quoted figures but for a manual car, when was the last time you flat shifted, or even thought about it? What you need todo to achieve the best 0-100 times is to redline and simply wrench the lever from first to second without touching the clutch! Try that tomorrow if you dare…but make sure you have a few grand ready for a new box.
So how did HSV achieve 4.9 seconds from a car that weighs nearly 1800kgs? Was the track wet or dry? Was the wind in their favour? How many gear changes were needed? Who was driving? How many clutches/gearboxes were broken to achieve the result?
The clutch in my car recently died on me after I attempted one too many 5,500 RPM launches in a night. Sure my car can do the 0-100 dash in 5.5 seconds, but at the expense of my clutch does the extra 0.5 second really matter? Besides comparing 0-100 times for cars can be meaningless when one car can achieve 100km/hr in 2nd while the other has to be in 3rd.
So how shall we do it? Should we use the American quarter-mile system where cars are measured for how long it takes them to travel 402 meters? I don’t think so, the point is, while your super-cool heavily modified Skyline R32 GT-R can do the 0-100 in under 5 seconds and do the quarter-mile in mid to low 12s, something will break every few weeks - so what’s the point?
But if we ignore the quarter-mile and 0 to a 100 times, how can we brag about our cars to our mates? You would be the ridiculed if you decided to quote your fuel economy figures or how little pollution your car produces, and I’ll personally punch the next person that tells me they have a hybrid and I should too…
What are your thoughts? Do 0-100 times mean anything to you for your next purchase?
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August 1st, 2007 at 6:11 pm
I vote for a new system…
SGM
Second Gear Max.
Start the car in second gear (skip first), them take it up to red line.
Measure the max speed and how long it took to get there.
;)
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August 1st, 2007 at 6:26 pm
in the days of draconian speed limits, car lovers are left with only one thing- how fast they can pull of the line at traffic lights.
handling is simply irrelevant in many cities as most cars can go forward,stop,reverse and change lanes while driving at 40km/h or less.
while the few that have time to actually enjoy thier car and modify it are left fighting with the cops about the legality of car and speed fines.
when i drive, i keep to speed limit becuase i dont have much money to spare but the only time i get to show off my car or feel somewhat justified spending a huge amount of money on a moving couch.
so there! in the world of stupid rules and horrible police- Let me have this singular vice and keep my sanity! haha:)
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August 1st, 2007 at 7:33 pm
The only reason that thre 0-100 times do count is when getting a supercar like a Ferrari or Lamborghini, but doesnt matter in everyday car, even performance cars like FPV’s and HSV’s.
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August 1st, 2007 at 7:41 pm
What i was trying to get to, was when you go out there and buy a car, say a corolla, do you care that the mazda 3 is 0.5 seconds faster or slower than ur car? does that come into consideration at all?
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August 1st, 2007 at 8:15 pm
i have a proton, and believe me they count!
on a more serious note, tyres play a huge roll in the 0-100 or indeed in the 1/4 mile. so even if your car can do a fast factory time on factory tyres whats it going to do when you don’t want to spend a 1/4 of your cars value on tyres!
Matt
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August 1st, 2007 at 8:23 pm
hey alborz,
are you sure they werent hebal bricks/blocks not “herbal” as you said. on a personal note i find bunnings one of the most useless places for information. if it doesnt have a barcode they dont know what it is either. but anyway…
i see what you are getting at though yeah i think people care too much about 0-100 especially when most people wont test it out. but hey if thats what people want to compare and at the end of the day thats what people see as important then thats why manufacturers will continue to promote. its like the power figure they promote. just because its titled “power”(kw) most people think you can use that to compare the true power when the power figure really doesnt count for much (give or take 30kw)
what im getting at is 0-100 is prob a fairer indication of performance on a car but it will still never be correct due to temp at time of test, driver, wind etc.
i guarantee they ran the HSV on a frosty night too and prob after they took the fuel out of the freezer
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August 2nd, 2007 at 8:42 am
I see the print media (Herald-Sun) seems to care. Every morning there’s another story or two about speeding motorists/motorcyclists, usually in Sydney.
Who’s their insider on the ‘force’? Why do they seem to think we care? I mean if some tool in his silver Magna attempts to race a motorbike (today’s big story - hah) that’s not drag racing, it’s stupidity.
As for 0-100 times, I still care. A vehicle’s performance is key to my selection criteria in buying a car, and is also an important safety factor, especially when overtaking is considered.
Although manufacturer’s times are generally exagerrated, I personally wouldn’t buy something that couldn’t pull the skin off a custard.
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August 2nd, 2007 at 9:06 am
0 - 100km, In the real world, NO. I believe Nm of torque to be the most important stat to look at if you are concerned about the overall grunt of the car, afterall this is what counts at mid range speeds and for ease of overtaking.
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August 2nd, 2007 at 9:43 am
I think you’re right Aston, I look at kW and Nm.
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August 2nd, 2007 at 10:05 am
0-100km/h figures matter imo… as people have said you really cant gun it around corners or speed through streets so all most people are left to safety do is have abit of fun accelerating hard off the line, so how quick a car accelerates is relevant. And it doesnt also mean flooring it all the time, at the very least it gives an indication of how quick the car is, so you know that if your overtaking a Corolla you can do it safely without having to floor it etc.
In something like a Corolla as mentioned I would say no it doesnt matter, or any other small car like that… because they are the kinda cars that most people dont exactly buy for performance. Anything that can do the 100 in below 9s then people start to think about it.
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August 2nd, 2007 at 11:35 am
The 0-100, power, torque, handling, track and 0-400m figures all mean next to nothing on their own. The only way you can accurately guage the performance of a vehicle is by considering all of these figures as a whole.
Would you buy a car with a sub 4.5sec 0-100 if it handled like a Kenworth?
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August 2nd, 2007 at 11:41 am
There are a lot of HSV owners RPITUP? :)
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August 2nd, 2007 at 11:52 am
I think 0-100 figures are still extremely relevant these days, and lets not forget that reducing weight will affect this figure significantly. I think manufacturers should concentrate less on the horses under the bonnet and more on total mass to improve performance, and subsequently fuel economy.
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August 2nd, 2007 at 12:02 pm
Lol exactly HSV owners dont care. Thing is you cant exactly test your cars handling on local roads… the only thing you can do with relative safety is accelerate. And we all mention torque and power but you look at say the Civic Type R, I know I certainly made the mistake of thinking it wouldnt be fast. On paper; something like 150kw, 220NM or so of torque, 1400kg… that doesnt translate into 0-100km/h in 6s when you look at it. But the car does get their that fast. For me that highlights the relevance of it.
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August 2nd, 2007 at 12:03 pm
Hehe, exactly right Alborz. Im not saying that I don’t like the HSV’s (I have been described as a Holden/HSV acolyte from time to time) but lets face it, the grunt is great, although handling on the Commodores has left a lot to be desired.
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August 2nd, 2007 at 12:03 pm
I think the important thing to realize though is that the 0-100 times are not standardized, so one manufacturers 0-100 figures are tested differently to anothers, hence the meaningfulness on paper is a little irrelevant.
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August 2nd, 2007 at 12:33 pm
Watch the guinea pig’s dont eat the bricks as their cage might collapse and wipe them out!
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August 2nd, 2007 at 1:04 pm
Figures at large are mostly just to sell the cars. You see it alot with the American cars where they even debate over skidpan and slalom figures to try and say which car handles better.
You can get a reasonable indication of the cars performance with the figures, but theyve all got to be considered together.
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August 2nd, 2007 at 1:56 pm
I realise that these things matter to a lot of car heads, but after moving from a standard EL Falcon to a BA XR6 I’m not blown away by how fast it is, or how many cars I can overtake off the lights. It’s how fast it feels, how well it can handle and how even when stopped the thing looks like it goes fast. I get this grin that creeping across my face whenever I can go through a roundabout a little bit quicker, then pull up at a stop sign right on the line. I think sports cars should be all about giving you that confidence rather than leaving you clinging to bolsters and praying she doesn’t break.
Like driving a luxury car; you feel pampered and you get that wry smile in knowing that you feel better where you are than the bloke stopped next to you in a Camry.
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August 2nd, 2007 at 2:22 pm
youll find that 0-100 times are a ballpark figure on how fast the car is. for instance its reasonable to assume a car that does 0-100 in 3 seconds will beat a car that does it in 5 seconds.
but when they get they get technical like the m5 is .3 seconds faster than the audi rs4 its too close to matter that when you actually raced the two it could go either way.
but generally, I myself and im sure a lot of others would have a browse over a cars standard 0-100 when considering a performance car.
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August 2nd, 2007 at 5:03 pm
you are dead right sam
i recently got into an arguement with some loyal HSV followers on here and they were pulling them selves that on paper the spanker GTS beats the typhoon by .1 sec over 400m (thats like 1/2K)
yep you wont notice .1 sec and yep 5/10 times the result would go the other way
yeah but then they didnt want to talk handling
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August 2nd, 2007 at 9:58 pm
When I was a younger lad 0-100 did mean a lot because all I cared about was the speed.
These days I am older, wiser (I hope) and a lot fatter so that figure doesn’t mean much anymore.
I certainly still look at the times but only on performance type cars for curiosity, not your everyday family commuter.
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August 3rd, 2007 at 7:45 am
Where can I accelerate 0-100? Not in the city. It will be much better if we measure acceleration from 60 or 70 to 100 and than how many times I will do that. On average we driving in the city crawling at avg speed of 30-40 km/h. What I need in Nm at low revs.
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August 3rd, 2007 at 1:45 pm
Lol 0-60 figures will be similar for most though… a Camry for example does it in 2.5seconds which is prity quick. Buts its the 60-100 where most cars die in the arse…. which is why some reviews do state 80-100 times as well.
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August 5th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
IMO, f/c matters more for a majority of people than 0-100 times ever will.
So what if you could sprint from 0-100 in 5 secs? For the average commuter who travels 50km a day, that’s a AUD5-10 difference in daily spending on fuel. So a guy in a 1600kg family sedan can save about AUD220 a month in a more fuel efficient car like a Yaris or Jazz - that is much cheaper to buy to begin with.
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August 5th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
Yes buy a Yaris if you need to tow a boat… or tow a caravan…. or tow a trailer… or have a family etc….
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August 5th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
ezra,
i dont know where you learnt maths but save $220 a month?
more like $50 per month saving. thats all.
large cars arent as uneconomical as people think, and then you have to look at what you are getting as well, main things being space, power and versatility
also you will cut your fuel bill in half just by putting an LPG system on, and still keeping the 3 points i just mentioned.
Paul, i assume you were being sarcastic in your last post?
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January 21st, 2008 at 6:05 pm
You fucken complain too much!!
Three quarters of that crap you wrote is either bullshitor plain fucken nonsense!
Grow some balls.
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September 9th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
0-100km is just about grip, acceration and power. Anyway main thing is longest you like driving what you drive. A MR2 can be a realistic way of owning a wannabe ferrari. Cornering and reliability is also good to have in a car. So, you have a car over 1000hp Wow why don’t will all compare how much $ we wasted on our rides and think wait a minute that’s how the banks make billions in profits every year. Because, we live in a world of borrowing to keep up with each other. Just 0-100k’s to mean alot to me. Everyday driving it’s useless when your stuck in traffic all the time?
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