The acceleration aspect of this game is mostly bullshit. I guess its made so all cars can be in competitive range of each other... but saying a radiator and oil cap add horsepower, a rx-8 stock can keep up with every other car, etc. is crap.

However... being able to mess around with the suspension, LSD, and gear ratio's is a plus. I started with the 180sx, then bought a Supra, reloaded the game after seeing the Supra can't turn worth a damn, and bought a bnch of suspension stuff for the 180sx. The car's slower than 100% of the cars in the game in a straight line, but through turns is where I make the pass and try to maintain the lead. It leads to more fun gameplay using a slower car instead of immediately upgrading to the most power.