300 C Hemi vs 2002 Boxster S
 

My friend just traded his 300 on a brand new one with a Hemi over the weekend. Of course we had to go to lunch today in the new car.

He was giving me crap saying he was sure he would take my Boxster S. He did not have much concern over the weight of the 300, saying the difference in HP, torque and more cubic inches would more than make up for it.

Any thoughts?

IN NO WAY DO I APPROVE OF STREET RACING, However, I have run up against one of these on Interstate 5 around the Irvine, CA area.

The 300C may have lots of HP and Torque but it's just not a quick car. My Boxster kept a steady pace ahead of it but I could not lose it. It was about 1.5 car Lengths in distance. I would suspect your S model should have no trouble. Not too sure about how the two would do from a dead stop, but highway the Boxster wins hands down.

This story maybe different if faced with a 300 SRT-8. NOW that's a Monster.

his lunch will be eaten...

I say, take it to the track! Then you'll show him.

What does he mean by "take".. stoplight drag?

BTW.. Hemi Charger - 340hp.. 390ft-lb of torque... 4,000lbs ~ 11.7 lb/hp

Boxster S - 252hp.. no torque ;) 2900lb ~ 11.5 lb/hp

From a stoplight.. well.. do you like your clutch? That damn hemi is fast, but its also pretty darn heavy. I wouldn't sweat it, especially if you make it go through some turns :)

let us know how it plays out

He was talking off a light.

I agree, I'm pass the street racing days. I didn't drive it and he only got into it when we were moving, not from a standstill so it's hard to tell just how fast it is.

It growls, and is very quick for a car that size, but it was hard for me to believe he could take me in the quarter or eight mile. He seemed pretty confident though.

Mine has yet to make a appearance it work, so he hasn't ridden in mine. We are meeting up at a friends to help move a spa Saturday, might just have to drive the S :D

what do the factory 1/4 miles say for both cars?

Most likely he'll eat you in straight line, but not by far. Of course driving skills is another factor.

I say take it to track to those curvy roads and see how far you'll leave him behind :D

My dad can beat up your dad..... I think that your friend is jealous, cause he owns a boat, and you own a sports car.

a quick look up shows the 300C hemi as 5.9 and 14.4 compared to an '02S at what 5.5 13.9 I think? Since his is an auto how good are you with the stick? LOL Could be close if you are not perfect.

This is comparing apples to bricks, and yes, the 300c is the brick.


Anyways, the higher hp car will generally always pull away at higher speeds. (110+)

Especially w/ a difference that large.



However, I am almost CERTAIN that his car is electronically governed and yours is not. Therefore, in a straight line race, stock for stock, you would eventually out-top his top speed and win :)


I'm not suggesting you try it, either!

^ I totally agree. The non SRT 300C isn't exactly what I'd call a quick car. It's decent but a boxster S should handle it if the driver knows how to drive.

This is absolutely not the case. Horsepower is only part of the equation. Aerodynamics, however, dictates how much power is needed achieve higher speeds.

A Boxster has a much smaller frontal area and probably (though not definetely) a better coefficient of drag than the 300C.

This is why bullets are shaped like bullets and not like, well you know, bricks.

Exactly, areodynamics is just as much as a factor as hp especially at higher speeds. That has allowed me to show my tailights to higher horse cars.

Just about all newer cars will be able to fight the resistance until the 100s, so that isn't really as much of an issue until very, very high speeds.


Fact is: At highway speeds (75-115), the 300c should pull pretty hard on the Boxster S.

Okay, this is actually starting to annoy me. You are ignoring physics altogether. The chrysler is MUCH heavier

F = M * A (force = mass * acceleration). Therefore the 300 requires about 25% more force to accelerate at the same rate as the boxster.

The 300C has at least 30% larger aerodynamic cross section which means that the air is acting like a 360 lb weight on the 300C at 100MPH (given a reasonable drag coefficient) where the Boxster would be pushing about 240lb.

Now, if you're talking about the 425HP $50k SRT-8, yes, that car will pull on a Boxster S for a while. The standard Hemi just doesn't have that much in the way of performance.

--BTW: Member of Tau Beta Pi and Magna Cum Laude Engineering BS here--

There's a lot of cars faster than the Boxster on a 0-60 or 1/4 mile run. Thing is, there's not many that I'd really want to own. He may be really hopped up about his new purchase and all, but at the end of the day, it's just a boring family sedan with a big engine. IMHO, how boring.

Tell him to take your car for a drive one day when the weather is nice out....tell him to press the button to see the top drop down to let the sun shine in....let him wind out the engine to full revs to hear the wonderful sound of the flat 6 and take some fun curves. Let him see all the people in boring family sedan cars at stoplights look over at him with smiling faces and looks of envy, and then tell him, "yeah...I bet you want to "take" my car...take my car HOME that is!" After that drive, betcha he wont' be so hopped up about his Chrysler anymore. Instead, he'll start coveting yours ;)

I couldn't give a flying you-know-what whether a 300C is "faster" than a Boxster S. Somehow, given the state of the world, I don't like it when people ignore facts for pre-conceptions.

Very well said. I couldn't agree more.

This MIGHT be the silliest back and forth I have seen here on the forum.

Let your friend enjoy his new purchase. No need to start comparing manhood's here. I find it to be completely silly when people act this way. When I got my Boxster I had one friend questions me on my purchase of a Porsche. I informed him that I got this vehicle because I could afford it. That was the end of that. I am confident in my manhood and don't need to play the who's car is faster game. But, on the occasion that I am actually curious about it I like to just go to a local track and find out.

Magazine racing is inaccurate and doesn't make up for the driver factor. For instance there has always been the argument that the Mitsubishi Evo is a better car on the track than the Subaru STi. Sure that is true, but how many of those Evo or STi drivers that throw out numbers from magazines know how to actually drive their own vehicle. So what if it is faster? The real question should be are you and that car faster than the other person and his car. In that case, you should just stop the argument and set a track date.

OK, I am done venting now. Sorry everyone.

Sounds like we have a race! Say 3 out of 5 on a local drag strip for pinks. The only down side is you'll end up having to take that pig home. :o

You can use your rough calculations and approximations all you want, but until you get out there and see it, your word is mere speculation. Especially considering how many varying factors you are leaving out.


My 2003 SL500 will pull far, far away from my Boxster at highway speeds. It weighs actually more than 4000 lbs and has less hp (302) & torque (339) than the 300c.

It is far more aerodynamically efficient, however.

Granted, my Boxster is less slightly less powerful than a 986 S, it is not illogical to think the results would be comparable.



If you don't believe me, you're welcome to come over and try it out.





EDIT: I don't think the 300c would demolish the Boxster S, but I think it would definitely be ahead in some of those upper speeds, that is of course, until it physically can't go any faster and the Boxster is still going.

OK, you wanna get physics, lets get physics.

Hemi: Fk=rolling resistance, air resistance, vibration and loss of heat, gravity, and misc...

Box: Fk=rolling resistance, air resistance, vibration and loss of heat, gravity, and misc...

So, the 225's on the hemi will have a little less resistance than the boxsters wider tires (and probably stickier compound), air resistance will be more for the hemi, boxster is engineered better so im assuming the big v8 is inefficient, hemi weighs more, and the suspension is probably softer.

lets take generic percents to calculate:
Hemi=(.02)+(.3)+(.1)+(.4)+(.01)=.83
Box=(.025)+(.2)+(.08)+(.28)+(.01)=.595

So roughly a 23% difference and there is a 25% difference in power. So I dont know, im sure my numbers are crazy but I was trying to make it relative to each other. You can add on to that or change it.

Boxster vs Hemi
 

I agree with most of the posts but also consider that the Hemi with 340HP will beat your Bosxter in a 1/4 mile, however, you will beat it at top speed and on a road course.

American car manufacturers think that building a sports car is just to place a big engine in a car frame and thats it. Look at the Corvette and Mustang. They both have 500 plus HP and will beat any Boxster on a drag strip. Are they good race or sports cars? I don't think so. How many races have they won? The Boxster will leave them in the dust on a road course.

Porsche has won more races than any other car manufacturer by a factor of about 10. They're in business to build road race cars and have been very successful at it.

Ummm... look at some scca classes, the vettes are class killers.

That's not entirely true.

It's true that the manufacturers have to cheap out on Corvettes and Vipers (really the only 2 american sports cars aside from the solstic and sky) to make them cheaper, but they are still very solid cars in all types of performance, especially the viper.



<3 Vipers

"They both have 500 plus HP and will beat any Boxster on a drag strip. Are they good race or sports cars? I don't think so. How many races have they won? The Boxster will leave them in the dust on a road course."

This is the funniest post I have ever seen.

Tell you what, you bring your Boxster, I will drive the new Zo6 and we will head out to any top notch road course.

Bring your title, as I am going to getting a free Boxster.

Now, in regard to your comment on the Hemi, no one at Chrysler thought they were building a SPORTS CAR.

The 300 is a large sedan with a big ass motor.

No one thinks otherwise.

PS- Corvette has dominated the AMLS race series for about the last 4 yrs.

"Porsche has won more races than any other car manufacturer by a factor of about 10. They're in business to build road race cars and have been very successful at it."

It is noteworthy that Porsche stays away from the C6 class in Lemans racing. They also stay away from Audi in P1 class.

Wonder why?

Yes, a Corvette Z-06 IS a race car with license plates. Most car enthusiasts who own both will tell you that in a Vette vs Box comparison it's faster vs funner.

I think I agree w/ that :)

Before you take on this formidable muscle car at the drag strip try this excellent pre-race prep to help tip the scales in your favor. :cheers: http://crazyjim.ramelot.com/14seconds.htm

Well neither do we so take it easy.

He was giving me crap all in fun and the post was meant that way. We are very close friends for over 10 years, there is no jealousy on his part, infact he encouraged me to get the Boxster over a 350 Z.

I just know for a tank it was impressively quick, but it's boring. Be nice to have on a 500 mile highway trip.

You would think our cars against a ricer, Mustang etc. It would be a interesting match up, sure would draw some curious looks.

Still might drive it Saturday though :D

Your buddy should be jealous of you! You own a Porsche. Your friend owns a Chrysler. Did he talk to my grandmother last night on the Chrysler forum?

:D just havin' fun with this...

This is a comparison of chalk and cheese.

My wife liked the looks of the 300, it is sharp looking for an american sedan. We decided to take a test drive.

We sat in the car, the interior looks like as$. With some reluctance we decided to drive it anyway... 100 yards later and it was clear we could not be buying a 300. That ride and handling are that bad.

You are driving a Porsche. It is not the fastest car off the line, that is not what it is about - never has been. Porsche has built its reputation as a great handling car, not a 1/4 mile burner. You would kill a 300 on a road coarse, that is what a porsche was built to do.

Porsche is the benchmark, the one to beat. You have the Porsche, he has the chrysler. Case closed.

Please don't take offense to this, but I personally think the 300 looks like crap.


It looks like it is trying to be a poor man's Bentley, (notice they sell wire mesh grilles as an option known as "Bentley styled grille")


And it does not look sharp and classy like a Bentley. It looks very boxy and bloated.



I'm not sure why this car appeals to so many, though I admit, when it first came out, I thought it was cool, but that was when I was 14 or 15?