Power-to-weight Ratio

[Marcos]

I can't help but find it funny when the cars I drove when on my P's had no

airbags, T/C, ABS, Premium brakes, computer designed suspension or decent tyres yet same engine outputs, and now you are limited and even fined ? I suppose we can thank a few dickhead drivers over the years for this, but I don't understand the fact that a Hyundai Daewoo is capable of high speed, (not as quickly as a T), and is not a restricted car. I'd feel 100 times safer in the T, that's for sure.

P.S. Thanks to my daddy, I have driven some very nice machines !!!

[Mondie]

Just as well then that the turbo badge is only held on by double sided tape

[Adam]

You can drive a turbo car in Victoria on your P's as long as it's within the 3.5l per tonne or 125kW per tonne, in the XR6T you are well within the 3.5l per tonne but screwed by the 125kW per tonne though. However, there are loop holes in the rule that may allow you to keep drivin your T.

Taken from the VIcRoads website

You may drive a high powered car if your employer requires you to drive it in the course of your

employment, or if you hold an exemption issued by VicRoads. VicRoads will only grant an exemption if:

• it is the only car owned by your family

• the car is used for business as well as social use and no other non high powered car is owned by your family.

Applications for a high powered vehicle exemption must be made in person at a VicRoads office. Exemptions are for a nominated vehicle and must be carried at all times.

[Cobra]

thanks for that alxr6t ...

[cdm]

OR....just don't wear your P's... simple solution. However if for some reason you do get caught, you will get stung for no P’s and over the power to weight. Having said that, I know people that have gone through booze bus’s etc in a T without wearing P’s and they weren’t asked any questions. I guess that wouldn’t work if you look pretty young though... Alternatively, as Mondie said, jut loose the turbo badge and go sleeper style for a while...

[Macktheknife]

Being in Qld, this law is unknown to me.

However. I'd be very careful in exploiting it as there may be some very BADHURTY things if there were to be an insurance claim.

Better to check it out first.

I know we're all bullet proof in our youth but the dead-uns dont back up the theory.

[curious]

More important things to chase I recon.

[plonky]

At the risk of incurring the wrath of some people, I think the power to weight ratio for Provisional drivers is a good thing.

Take away a competent car such as an XR6T and look at some other examples that use a power to weight ratio:

Mazda RX3 with a turbocharged 13B

A 351C Falcon with some mild porting, camshaft, exhaust etc

A 'fully sick' Nissan Pulsar ET with a TO4 and intercooler.

These examples show a significant power to weight ratio change compared to standard.

None of those three cars are an integrated package from the factory : Traction control, superior driving dynamics, heavy duty brakes, well sorted out suspension etc

Each one of those vehicles in inexperienced hands would be an absolute handful with plough understeer and back off oversteer with the addition of incompetent brakes.

Those types of cars are more within the reach of a P Plater than an XR6T and VicRoads has exemptions where the XR6T is the only car within the family.

So, whether you like it or not, I think the Power to weight restrictions are pretty reasonable.

I think the Provisional License holder restrictions should go even further. I know that the majority of traffic violations that occur with P Platers result from 'peer pressure' from within the car that casues them to do dumb things like burnouts, race at the lights etc.

I fully support any moves towards restricting P Platers to only driving 'immediate' family around in their first year. I also support a curfew of P Plate drivers in their first year except if exceptional circumstances allow and application is made for exemption (live out of town and travel to work early and finish late etc)

Perhaps if Provisional drivers spent money on a defensive driving course instead of wasting it on ricey bodykits, ricey blow off valves and rampods, underbody neons etc they could learn to accept the restrictions for the first three years of their driving.

[hammer007]

The ACT has had power to weight ratio for motorbikes for some time whereas we used to have the 250cc restriction There are some real problems with the application however as most of the cruisers are L & P plate OK. The difficulty for a learner rider who is riding a harley/yamaharley ect etc is not the power (cause there isn't any) its the weight.

Most of the bigger cruisers are in excess of 320kg - this weight is too much for a novice rider to comfortably manage.

Restricting high performance sportsbikes to learner riders is a good thing but allowing them to ride small tanks is not.

I'd like to see some of the L&P plates restrictions NZ has imposed in Australia ie 10pm curfew unless working, limits on the number of passengers.

[BlueXR6Turbo]

Some of the proposals re restrictions to P plate drivers scare the sh!t out of me. In particular is the idea of not allowing them to drive other young people around. There are a few examples of how this would be really bad.

Example 1, a party:

Currently it would be quite easy to have a designated driver who doesn't drink and they take 4 mates home at the end of the night. If you ban them from taking their mates home, then surely this just encourages drink driving.

Example 2:

Well this isn't really an example, more just a point. If such restrictions are introduced, wouldn't it just increase the number of P platers on the roads (because they can't travel as a passenger with their mate)?

I think that this is an issue where all the pros and cons need to be carefully considered before making rule changes.

As for the power to weight thing, I think that maybe they should grant exemptions if the P plater does an advanced driving course in the car in question, showing that they can control the vehicle. Just a suggestion.

I'm sure glad that I was on my P's before any of this stuff was introduced. I used to think it was bad enough having to have P plates displayed!