0 To 60 Mph - Criticism of Magazine Testing

Criticism of Magazine Testing

Automobile magazines often post 0-60 mph times that they achieve in testing. Many have questioned the practices and methods used to test the automobiles. Typically criticism revolves around:

  • "Roll out" here the car is allowed to roll for a certain amount of time or distance before the timing begins.
  • General conditions: Air temperature, altitude, fuel level, etc.
  • "Factory Freaks" which would be abnormally quick stock automobiles
  • The public's inability to achieve such low times
  • High level of differences between magazines
  • Possible bribery or other unethical practices of the testers
  • Optimizing the car's performance by making setup changes such as tire pressure
  • The ability of the particular driver
  • Using unconventional gearing, by where the drive does shift but uses a low gear only just capable of reaching the desired speed.

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