I think the whole Starion status thing has come full cycle. Starion cred is on the rise, just like what has happened to other cars like Datto 1600s. I used to get the whole 'I used to own one of these' stories from people who saw the car, and most of the time, they had rather fond memories of the car.
With regard to the whole RWD vs. FWD thing. I've been very pro RWD in the past, but I've seen too many examples of FWD doing just as well, if not better in certain circumstances. Just look at rally results to see that on the odd occasion, a FWD car will stick it up the 4WD cars. If you look at results in club motorsport khanacross, you'll often see sh*tbox KA Lasers finish ahead of many RWD cars too. They're not as fun to drive, they're far less interesting to watch, but you can't argue with results.
It is true that RWD is theoretically better, but it takes more skill to extract that advantage, and many people will be able to extract as much performance from FWD as its much easier to drive. All things being equal, RWD is better, but the difference isn't as great as you may think. The given setup and driver has far more influence than which end the power is being put down from. I have a lot more respect for FWD these days.
stiff springs on the rear will not change the weight transfer on a car. Best way of thinking of this is what would happen if you stood on a scale once with a normal spring and once with a stiffer spring, assuming the spring weight is the same, they are gonna read exactly the same.
CussCuss, I like your Integra Type R example, but had to comment on your statement above. Yes it will under dynamic cornering. Its like falling on a soft pillow or falling on hard concrete. Same weight, but the time over which you exert the force is what is important. The important factors for grip are that the co-efficient of friction isn't constant over load (it gets less with more load) and that static friction is higher than dynamic friction. If you wear shoes on a ice rink, we walk gently and transfer load slowly. We don't stamp our feet to get more grip.
then get off the computer you GEEEEEEKS and out there into the real world :D
