I moved this guide to the Guides page. I also made several updates, corrections, and additions; I feel that the new version is accurate and complete enough that I will likely not update it without receiving some feedback. Therefore, I will leave this thread open so people can give feedback if they have any.
I made a spreadsheet of the more useful cars in the game. On the second page is an upgrade calculator and comparison tool you can use by selecting cars and upgrades from the dropdowns. Access it with the link below:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17AGPB3f7vS6KYm4bCUN5Lg_4iFf88dbWb1srS840BZ0/edit?usp=sharing
In a lot of runs I see the player turning the pod sideways very frequently. It's not a strategy that I ever considered before. What all does it accomplish in a speedrun?