TenderTendon
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2016
- Posts
- 313
- Likes
- 115
I think it would be interesting to get an overall picture on the how the Head-Fi community, in general, makes purchase decisions. Here's a scenario:
You have your mind made up that you want to buy a new Ford Mustang. While on their website, you notice that there is a new option available called the "Ultimate Performance Carbon Fiber Engine Package" for an additional $2500. The package consists of a carbon fiber intake manifold, air intake and valve covers. They claim that "carbon fiber is a space age polymer used in Formula 1 race cars because of it's light weight and strength. It allows us to extract the most possible power from the engine, while saving weight at the same time". There is no more information given. There is no claim made regarding an increase in horsepower.
In a quest to find more information, you join a Mustang forum, where you find a few people discussing this option. They are sharing their observations and how excited they are to own it. Some claim that they test drove both versions and were stating things like "The carbon fiber package gave an obvious horsepower increase. You can feel it in the seat of your pants. It also feels more agile in the corners".
You later find a Road and Track article where they are reviewing the new Mustang. They report that the Mustang with the carbon fiber package does not have any more horsepower than the one without. Dynamometer results are the same for both. Furthermore, they report that the carbon fiber parts offer a weight savings of only 8 pounds and that wasn't enough for any noticeable improvement in acceleration, braking or cornering. Reports and videos from race tracks and drag strips reveal that cars with the carbon fiber package are not winning any more races than ones without. It's easy to conclude that these results are more of a reflection of the drivers, not the cars. Owners of the carbon fiber package still insist that it is more powerful and that it must be driven to be felt. They claim that dyno numbers don't mean anything and owners that are losing at the track are just bad drivers. You really can't compare at the dealership, because they don't allow full throttle road tests.
What would you do?
You have your mind made up that you want to buy a new Ford Mustang. While on their website, you notice that there is a new option available called the "Ultimate Performance Carbon Fiber Engine Package" for an additional $2500. The package consists of a carbon fiber intake manifold, air intake and valve covers. They claim that "carbon fiber is a space age polymer used in Formula 1 race cars because of it's light weight and strength. It allows us to extract the most possible power from the engine, while saving weight at the same time". There is no more information given. There is no claim made regarding an increase in horsepower.
In a quest to find more information, you join a Mustang forum, where you find a few people discussing this option. They are sharing their observations and how excited they are to own it. Some claim that they test drove both versions and were stating things like "The carbon fiber package gave an obvious horsepower increase. You can feel it in the seat of your pants. It also feels more agile in the corners".
You later find a Road and Track article where they are reviewing the new Mustang. They report that the Mustang with the carbon fiber package does not have any more horsepower than the one without. Dynamometer results are the same for both. Furthermore, they report that the carbon fiber parts offer a weight savings of only 8 pounds and that wasn't enough for any noticeable improvement in acceleration, braking or cornering. Reports and videos from race tracks and drag strips reveal that cars with the carbon fiber package are not winning any more races than ones without. It's easy to conclude that these results are more of a reflection of the drivers, not the cars. Owners of the carbon fiber package still insist that it is more powerful and that it must be driven to be felt. They claim that dyno numbers don't mean anything and owners that are losing at the track are just bad drivers. You really can't compare at the dealership, because they don't allow full throttle road tests.
What would you do?