Anyone own or driven one of these 'Smart' car thingies?

Curious to know what they are like. Only thing I have noticed is they seem quite expensive. Must be cheap to run though, tax fuel etc? Anybody on here got one?

cheers

Eddie

Reply to
Eddie
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Oh yes. Oversteer is usually a discretionary slide, whereas understeer "just happens." :)

They're reputed to be a bit of a handful in snow without stability protection.

One of the reasons. But with those skinny front tyres, they plough into understeer at rather silly (low) speeds.

Reply to
DervMan

which is why they have slightly higher profiles on teh front, to give you the slide factor rather than grippig for dear life and imitating an elk at the first small bend in the road

Reply to
dojj

what? Getting REAL big and growing antlers?

Reply to
Tim S Kemp

no, they tend to become uncontrollable :)

Reply to
dojj

I wouldn't like to try catching one that had just gone sideways.

The skinny front tyres are there to stop you having more front than rear end grip, and getting anywhere near oversteer. They could put wider front tyres on, and they'd still need the stability control.

Reply to
Doki

"DervMan" mumbled:

Santa'll be towing is sleigh with a team of 'em this year, you watch.

Reply to
Guy King

In fairness, they'd be like any other mid - rear car. You need to anticipate it, or have bloody quick reactions [1] and huge skill, to catch it. My mate's mark one MR2 was snappy in the wet, snappy with big teeth snappy, but it merely made it more entertaining! :)

Indeed, I quite agree, and of course the Smart really isn't designed for hooning it over roundabouts at breakneck speed.

Need it? We could argue about this quite a lot. The Smart's great fun, it has a funky gearshift, so you can prod it forwards or backwards to change ratio, it's small and nippy, and so (thus not unlike the Ka in some respects) it would make a great tool for roundabouts - except that if you tackle one and you're just a bit too eager, it just piles on in a straight line until you scrub off enough speed, then the front end tends to snap around on you, thus sending the stability control into a fit.

Being essentially Mercedes engineered, the car then produces a hand which slaps you on the wrists.

With more grip up front, it would make it a much more entertaining buggy on roundabouts.

Of course, entertainment in this sense isn't part of the Smart's design remit . . .

Reply to
DervMan

It would roll.

Reply to
Tim S Kemp

So lash a skateboard on the roof (wheels up of course).

Reply to
Peter Parry

now that would improve the ride quality....

Reply to
Tim S Kemp

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