[No one]

Originally Posted by ovekvam

I read somewhere that it was an aim for BMW R&D engineers to reduce the speed feeling in new cars. BMWs should be fast without feeling fast.

Wouldn't this induce dangerous driving? Last time I saw a moron (not in a BMW ) struggling to brake approaching cars awaiting a green light. I would guess they want their cars to feel safe (from being such in fact ), actually.

Originally Posted by ovekvam

I want to sense the speed even when going slowly, which is what I do most of the time in traffic.

Isn't speed feeling just feeling insecure? Choosing a car with a poor handling and a good acceleration should help you to achieve your goal, keeping you busy/concerned driving even slowly. No M-Sport (or even sport suspension) should've made a wise choice as well as weight reduction (no M-Sport brakes should let you feel slow is fast after all ).

Originally Posted by ovekvam

If you go from an F20 to something like an E30, going at the same speed feels a lot faster.

Can this be because of weight difference, in particular? F20 should feel more planted. When (test) driving a Mini, did you feel more speed?

[ovekvam]

Originally Posted by No one

Wouldn't this induce dangerous driving? Last time I saw a moron (not in a BMW ) struggling to brake approaching cars awaiting a green light. I would guess they want their cars to feel safe (from being such in fact ), actually.

This can be an issue, particularly for SUVs on winter roads. The drivers get a false sense of security by the high seating position and stable AWD handling. When it comes to braking, the driver can underestimate the stopping distance.

Originally Posted by No one

Isn't speed feeling just feeling insecure? Choosing a car with a poor handling and a good acceleration should help you to achieve your goal, keeping you busy/concerned driving even slowly. No M-Sport (or even sport suspension) should've made a wise choice as well as weight reduction (no M-Sport brakes should let you feel slow is fast after all ).

My experience is that underpowered lightweight cars usually give more sense of speed. There is less isolation from the driving process. You hear the engine and the wind, you feel the grip level and bumps in the steering wheel. You have to go through more gears to get to the same speed.

A car like the Mazda MX-5 has very good handling, but still feels fast at low speed.

Originally Posted by No one

Can this be because of weight difference, in particular? F20 should feel more planted. When (test) driving a Mini, did you feel more speed?

Weight is definitely a key factor. The Mini feels faster at the same speeds, maybe also because you can actually hear the engine.

[ashiohsiao]

Originally Posted by ovekvam

I think I would have gone for stiffer rear swaybar and less bump stops to improve turn in and make the car more stable at the limit.

Actually that was where I started, from the stock 13mm bar to a 19mm bar, which not only gave me quite harsh ride, but also caused my rear tires to keep losing grip when trying to accelerate out of corners.

Just did a quick touge test this morning, with one added set of packers. Man, I was SUPER BLOWN AWAY!

Never had I felt so in control when pushing the car to its limit for touge driving, it pretty much felt like I was doing this graceful ballad dance, with the ride comfortable, yet clear, and at the same time my speed was faster than ever taking those turns. It just felt so easy to drive at its limit, and the behavior was complete neutral, and while I was already way faster than ever on this touge path that I had previously driven for so many times, I felt as if I was simply taking a casual drive!

On top of those, I actually had a passenger on-board with me (he drives a GTI mk7 with KW V3), and he, too was totally blown away at the performance!

So far I can only say... I am never going back to other suspensions ever again... I will swear by FCM for every single car I own in the future!

[ashiohsiao]

Forgot to mention again, I am currently using 15mm rear sway as recommended by FCM~