60-0-MPH Braking

Only the Porsche 911 Turbo could outdo the Viper; the all-wheel-drive Weissach rocket bolted to 100 mph in 9.4 seconds (0.6 second slower than the Viper), but more than made up for it with a phenomenal 4.3-second stop. (Interestingly, the Porsche needs a whopping 59 feet less than the Viper to halt from 100 mph-309 feet as compared to 368 feet.) Total time for the Porsche to accelerate/stop: 13.7 of the most exciting seconds you're ever likely to spend in an automobile.-Jeff Karr

60-0-MPH Braking - #9With the current high level of performance that manufacturers have designed into tires and braking systems, it's remarkable how little driver skill is required to elicit a full-on stop. The ABS systems fitted to all but one of our seven thrill machines are so good that no mere mortal, however skillful, could improve on his performance with manual pedal modulation. For proof of this fact, you need look no further than the Dodge Viper GTS, the lone non-ABS-equipped player. With its huge power-assisted discs, the Viper has no trouble locking the wheels anytime, anywhere. Braking power isn't the issue, stopping control is.

Despite rolling on the biggest production car tires in the known universe, the Viper ate up the most real estate while stopping from 60 mph. Achieving its 129-foot best stop required heightened concentration and fine pedal control, and even then the Dodge was prone to lockup as it neared a halt. In other words, it has the potential to be among the best-stopping cars here, if ABS-equipped. Time and technology march on, and not only do the current ABS systems milk the most possible stopping power out of the tires fitted, but stability logic, which governs application of the rear brakes, makes many cars more stable under braking than they otherwise would be. This can be a big help when things are quickly going sour and a loss of directional control seems imminent.

The secure predictability of ABS made our 60-0-mph panic stop easily the least thrilling of our performance tests-the only test run during which you can munch on a donut and in no way affect the outcome (not that we would ever do such a thing, of course). The ease with which six of our cars attained their shortest stops in no way lessens the importance of their braking performance. A five-foot difference in stopping distance between two cars seems insignificant, unless that five feet is occupied by the tail end of a flat-bed truck.

At 120 feet, our NSX-T was 9 feet out of first place, but way ahead of most passenger cars. Gumball sport tires aren't only good for going fast; they do an excellent job of getting you slowed back down, too. The Mitsubishi and Chevrolet, at 116 feet, were able to shave four feet off the NSX-T's figure. The Supra lopped off still one more foot, and the Ferrari snuck in another foot shorter at 114.

That left one car, the Porsche 911 Turbo, out front (or should we say behind?) with a retina-separating 111-foot stop from 60 mph. The 911's rear weight bias seems a big help in evening out the braking load between front and rear tires, and as a result, allows the car to find a bit more grip than more evenly balanced or front-heavy chassis layouts. Regardless of the complex science behind it, the 911 can stop this hard with any chimp at the wheel. He'd just better remember to hang onto his donut real tight.-Jeff Karr