Okay, so these three cars aren’t exactly the most compatible for a drag race. While the BMW M4 and Lexus RC F are pretty similar, in terms of power, performance and price, the Nissan GT-R is a bit out of their league. The GT-R is much more expensive, much more powerful and far, far faster. While the BMW M4 packs 425 hp and the Lexus RC F makes 470 hp, the GT-R makes 542 hp. That’s nearly a 100 hp advantage over both of its competitors. Plus, there’s common knowledge that the Nissan GT-R is faster than nearly anything with four wheels off the line and in a drag race, as it’s capable of 0-60 mph in 2.8 seconds. So this drag race isn’t the most fair of fights, as the GT-R is clearly going to be the faster car. But the discrepancy between the other two is what’s more interesting.
The Lexus has quite a bit more horsepower, but is down on torque and its power doesn’t come in until the higher end of its rev-range. So the Lexus has to rev out further to get the most of its engine, while the BMW’s torque is available way low down, thanks to its twin-turbochargers. This actually acts as a disadvantage to the BMW in this race, as it roasts its tires at first before really taking off. This gives the Lexus a better head start. But, oddly enough, the less powerful BMW is able to catch up and eventually take the lead.
Typically, cars with more horsepower than torque start off slower and end up winning races closer to the end, like the Lexus should. And it’s reversed for the BMW, whose low-end torque should help it beat the Lexus off the line, but lower horsepower number would suggest that it would run out of steam toward the end. But it actually acts oppositely. The BMW’s low-end torque actually ends up hurting it off the line, by shredding its tires and the BMW builds speed quickly and beats the RC F, despite the Lexus having more power. This likely has a lot to do with he M4’s faster DCT transmission and much lighter weight.
But it’s all futile anyway, as the GT-R crushes both of them, as we had expected. At least the M4 looks the best.
