Originally Posted by billvp
off topic
60-130 sounded reasonable to me because that is about what two cars on the highway might get in a quick race (if they slowed down a bit at the beginning to have more of a race)
However, from looking at the MB thread, they don't actually start at 60 and punch it, like they would in an actual short highway race. They punch it at 25 or so and then subtract the time taken to get to 60 from that taken to get to 130.
So they are actually racing from 25-130 but only counting the 60-130 part, which is not any race at all, is purely numbers-only, and makes the 60 starting point even more arbitrary (since it isn't for highway racing since they don't actually floor it at 60).
I could just about assume this was started by a car group that had a shift right before the 60mph marker, and so favored their car (they probably also shift right after 130). Even better, for the C5 or C6 Vette, which is the standard "fast" car around most areas, they hit slightly over 60mph in 1st gear, so they get an extra shift right at the beginning. I smell intentional BS in the 60-130, whereas I initially liked the idea.
Actually,
AFAIK the idea was started by the mega-HP car guys at 6speedonline.com as a "truer" test of real-world performance (which, of course, is subjective). Check out some eyebrow-raising times here:
6speedonline's official 60-130, 1/4 Mile, and standing mile list - 6speedonline.com Forums
The MBWorld thread acknowledges that the idea is "borrowed" from 6speed. Agree that it absolutely is "numbers-only," much like someone quoting an ET achieved at the strip. Has to be a GPS-based recording, has to be within certain incline/decline parameters, etc. People try different techniques to improve their results - flooring it from zero-130 doesn't necessarily give the best results, nor 59-130... so they try different things and post their best results. Gearing and powerband curves make the most difference in how the owners plan their runs, IMO.