Why do the USA folk keep harping on about the Xfires performance ? I have driven in the states and the average road speeds are much slower than the UK and Europe. So where do you need all this power you don’t think you have ?

I’ve managed to get mine up to 140mph – and that was fast enough for me. I don’t get overtaken much on the moterways, unless I’m slowing down. The car has plenty of performance.

I think it’s because in the states you have great big engines (not that efficient) poking out lots of bhp – but the cars out there just don’t drive well, or fast, or around bends. So is it standing starts at traffic lights that is the problem ?

 

I think that you might notice that the need for speed is more prevalent amongst the young. There is also a correlation between complainers and those that live where the roads do not bend. Notice also that many of complainers have never put their car onto a track other than a drag strip. Here in Chicago we have to drive over 100 miles to find some interesting twisty roads. So many do not get to use the car on the kinds of roads for which it was intended and on which it accells. For some that leaves just straight line accelleration as a means of judging a cars merit. Unfortuately this straight line accelleration can be seen as a test of manhood for the imature.

You are right that 140 should be fast enough for most. The main complaint from the land of square and flat is how long it takes to reach 140.

 

What Uncle said, plus the roads in the U.S. are crap compared to the autobahn. There aren't any well made roads for the public(despite lots of taxes paid to make them good), so maybe if people took their cars on the tracks, they might be able to go the speeds they want!

 

good points.

i think one thing that the u.s. has been spoiled by is really cheap fuel costs. so instead of investing great effort into handling and refinement, we add cubic inches. when we research our next car we're much more likely to investigate how much power it has without much regard for fuel economy. we've expected cars to have ever increasing amounts of power ever since the mid 80s following the "oil crisis". until fuel costs $3 or more gallon the trend might continue.

 

I couldnt disagree more!
I've had mine up to 135 here in Wi... and of all the cars I've owned, including Grand National, 300ZX, corvette, etc... this car has THE best 'through the range' acceleration rate... i.e. from 0-70, and still from 70-130+... the rate is QUICK... certainly not "The" fastest, but most other cars I've owned built in the US have had a 'top end' of about 95-105 and THEN they start dragging ... the rate of acceleration curve bends dramatically.... Not so with the Crossfire.

It's acceleration curve doesnt even curve!
And yes it's great in the curves too.

 

I feel the same as the rest of you, acceleration is pretty good and if I want more, I will add after market stuff in the years to come. As for now, I am very pleased with the car.

 

Doesn't seem to matter now a days guys, seems like everyone is always unhappy about something or another with what ever it is that they have, be it women, house, job, car, wife. It's human nature, people are just malcontents, it's the way of the world.

 

I wonder if BULLSEYE is listening!??

 

Nah. He is over on the SRT4 forum, communing with all of the other whizzer toaster operators.

 

because now the market is different.

consumers demand High quality materials, high performance, and style.

the crossfire is behind the times in this, since it is a nearly ~9 year old platform.

 

Now I'm confused... as an "Old fart" from europe, where I used to drive about 40,000 miles across England, France, Germany and Holland every year, on super smooth fast, safe roads, I land , in the land of OZ... and oh my, you need the Crossfire's agility to dodge the one foot deep pot holes... which are so frequent it is rediculous to call some of these tracks roads !!
The technology may be old, but it is more than adequate..the build is very good, and comes from an impecable production plant, .the styling is about as sharp as you can see anywhere... and dare I say it, this car was designed for the over 40's who have a few more in their stable , can afford to be sanguine about purchases and really are not "boy racers" .Been there, done that, and have moved on... which reminds me I was digging in the garden the other day, and came across this round flat 12 inch disc, .. I put it to my ear but I couldnt hear a sound.... the label said.. "Fill your head with Rock" !!

 

Yeah you could've had a Lotoy or a Neon on steroids. Why not a PT GT !

 

To mpmedic, I am always listening. If that was a 81 Crossfire Injection corvette that doesnt count LOL. Ive seen one of those get beaten by a GSR integra. That vette was a disgrace. My 99 corvette, pulled like a demon anywhere even at your said hot spot, C5/C4>crossfire. And I'm guessing the the 300zx was n/a. That makes sense. But the grand national? That would suprise me, I love the GN, and they have uber ballz. But they run stock what my SRT-4 does.

I think the crossfire has no power anywhere, though it does feel capable from 3-5k in second gear. Other than that it performs like a dog that wants to be put to sleep.

Okay you guys got me, I like the crossfire. It is the nicest winter beater I have ever had.
:-D

 

I'll make a general statement to everyone else as I feel I am the one being targeted here. I like fast cars, have owned one since I was 16, and that was a low 13 second car. 93 firebird formula w/ bolt ons. I was born into my driving life with fast cars. It has nothing with me being young, as my dad is still the same way, so is his brother, and my brother who is quite older than me. We all are into fast cars. And it definetely has no relationship between how fast my car is to how well in dowed I am, if that were true to equate I would need the career vechicle driven by John Force.:-D Lil' Humor. Pun intended.

If only youngsters were interested in fast cars, why do I see old people in these fast cars?
Why because the passion to go fast is old as time. And it is either born in you or not. There are two types of people in the world, astronauts and astromoners. The people who feel no need for speed(astromoners -talkers and obversationists) and guys who go for the gusto (astronauts- hands on.)

Jay Leno is old and he is one of the biggest car nutz known as long as Nicolas Cage. It's a passion i have grown up with plain and simple.

BTW, to the euros, my corvette with its big engine was rated at 29mpg on highway, my avg MPG was 23mpg. Not bad. Better than the rebaged slk, as my total avg is prolly pushing 17.

 

\

we can only hope that eventually happens!

 

Well the one thing I love about this forum is the variety and differing views in a debate. I am getting to think this it might be a mellow-yellow thingy and we older (but wiser) folk are much happier with our purchases. I know I for one went into the purchase with my eyes wide open, having tested other makes, so no surprises or shocks involved in ownership.

Interestingly out here in the old world we have to pay through the nose for fuel - cheap whiskey is of a similar price - although not cheap women. So a 3 liter engine is big, well above average. We have lots of 1, 1.2, 1.6 litre cars putting round. So with that opposition the Xfire prevails – in the land of the blind the one-eyed-man is king.

 

It appears that I'm being addressed here;

I think you should get your Corvette facts correct before you quote them; The Cross Fire Injection was available only in 82 & 84 (I had an 84), not in 1981 as you stated.

You commented that you appear to be a "target" here; I wonder why; you continually post the most negative messages compared to any of the other members; constant negativity, primarily about the Crossfire. We know you don't like the car but most of us don't want to continuously here about it.

 

Gas is cheap here. We also are not taxed as function of engine size or horse power as some over there are. We like big engines and only give a passing nod to gas mileage.

Over here the mindset of many of the younger tends to drag racing and numerous mods of one sort or another. They like to personalize their cars and make them quick between stop lights. Everyday on the way to work I pass by many of these tweaked cars. Some of them nicely done but most, obviously, a work in progress. Within easy driving distance of where I live there are 4 or 5 drag strips. To my knowledge there is not a single purpose built drag strip in all of Europe. Most Europeans do not "get" drag racing but this fact is apparently lost on our young. The cars that the kids played with in high school were fairly easy to mod. Of course none of these cars were Mercedes based. If they had been, the kids would have known that speed and Mercedes only come together when big bucks are applied and not much can be easily done in the home garage. So now some kids not only find themselves with a car that does not meet their personal requirements but one that can not easily and cheaply be made to do so. This is the squawk. Since nothing is ever their fault it must be someone elses. If not them, then it must be the car, or the idiots that built it, or the nimrods that designed it, or that bastard that sold it to them but certainly not them.

 

what uncle al said