How much hp is too much?

[mkhalil83]

Ya, but that's a one trick wonder.
Try racing a zo6 (which is a road race car) on a road track.
Some of the best cars in the world (any price range) lose to the zo6.

Anyone can build a car that does one thing good, it's building a car that does multiple well that's hard.

I assure you, the guy in the zo6 isn't bothered losing to a primered mustang in a straight line. Runs mid 11's on regular tires and outruns lambo's, ferrari's and porches on a road track. That's enough to satisfy most.

SS, i'm not saying the 1000hp car won't win, but i bet you i sure as hell have more fun.
500 is dangerous enough in a car this light with no driving aids, double that is nuts.

It's almost impossible to build a 1000hp car that's good on the track and the street. You have to chose one, since the chassis must be basically equivalent to a race car for it to be stable.
Ever see what happens when you put down that much power in a street car? At about the 1000 ft mark, the tires spin and you hit the wall.

Know what it's like to maintain 1000hp? One little thing goes wrong, you could be $1000's in repairs.

I suggested nothing about an all out victory, if that is what matters most, build yourself a car you can't drive to do anything other than race from a roll in a straight line.

The "more the merrier" theory does not apply to street cars.

I am not trying to take anything away from a vette, its a amazing car and maybe one day when I am done with school I can afford one. But on the other hand you gotta admit its pretty impressive put some car lengths on a car with a almost super car price tag. Those zo6's do high 10"s on drag radials all day and the vettes around here run with drag radials. As far as the vette guy not being bothered, the question that you always hear over again is "do you want to run them again?" Ohhh and your red GT with the cobra motor in it is freaking awesome!!!!!!!!

 

[NIKwoaC]

Ever see what happens when you put down that much power in a street car? At about the 1000 ft mark, the tires spin and you hit the wall.

It's not fair to imply that high horsepower cars are the only ones at risk of losing control and crashing at the track. I was good friends with a guy who had a somewhat typical mid/high 11 second LS1 who got squirrelly late in the track and totaled the car, and that's not exactly a rare occurrence either. Anybody who races takes a certain amount of risk; that's not something exclusive to the high horsepower cars.

 

[90lxcoupe]

Bragging rights, that's all a 1000hp street car is good for.
vanity - definition of vanity by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

It's like bench pressing 450lbs, ya you can do it, you can stare at your chest like the other meatheads, tell your friends all about it, but what good does it actually do you?
Only difference with 1000hp is you are staring at you engine, instead of in a mirror.

I think your perspective on this is way off, you showed two supercars that i would consider vanity if they had 400hp... A 150k dollar ford, and a LOOK AT ME green viper... If you build the car right and it does its job well then its no exercise in vanity. Nobody said it has to hook at 150 mph on lo-pro street tires, but if you can make a 1000 mile drive to the track and rip an 8 second pass in true street, thats awesome, plain and simple. That car dosent belong in the same bologna supercar, more money that brains category.

This car is a perfect example
1991 Ford Mustang Coupe 1000 Horsepower - Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords

 

[2000xp8]

I think your perspective on this is way off, you showed two supercars that i would consider vanity if they had 400hp... A 150k dollar ford, and a LOOK AT ME green viper... If you build the car right and it does its job well then its no exercise in vanity. Nobody said it has to hook at 150 mph on lo-pro street tires, but if you can make a 1000 mile drive to the track and rip an 8 second pass in true street, thats awesome, plain and simple. That car dosent belong in the same bologna supercar, more money that brains category.

This car is a perfect example
1991 Ford Mustang Coupe 1000 Horsepower - Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords

You are missing the point with the videos.
The point was that it's too much power for street, if those cars spin in a controlled enviornment (especially the gt) with rubber on the ground, imagine driving it on uneven cold pavement, full of dirt, salt and other drivers.

And Nik, i know it's a risk and happens to less powerful cars, but you don't think the risk goes up exponentially by doubling the hp?

 

[smokin joe]

For a street car....I think 400-500 is perfect IF it's reliable. For a race car....the more power I can make the better....as long as I can get down the track at least a few times, or to finish the weekend. I know a few guys with 800hp turbo cars but all of them dial down the boost on the street and it honestly makes for a more enjoyable drive. As usual...JMO

My thoughts exactly.

 

[90lxcoupe]

You are missing the point with the videos.
The point was that it's too much power for street, if those cars spin in a controlled enviornment (especially the gt) with rubber on the ground, imagine driving it on uneven cold pavement, full of dirt, salt and other drivers.

Theres plenty video of that GT hooking better on the street than it did on that racetrack... and if your driving at those speeds in a 500hp cobra things can go wrong too, driving like an ******* has more to do with it.

 

[srtthis]

ive driven plenty of 600+ cars on the street nothing wrong with how they drove when acting like a normal person. hell the last one i drove was a 2011 GT500 and me and the owner raced from 40-140 with his GTR. did it spin? f'in right it did... did i lift enough to keep it from getting away from me? damn right i did.

putting a skilled driver behind the wheel of a 1000hp street car is no more dangerious then putting a 65 year old asain lady in a honda civic on a bright sunny day

 

[1987LXragtop]

putting a 65 year old asian lady in a honda civic on a bright sunny day

Thats unbelievably dangerous.

 

[srtthis]

Thats unbelievably dangerous.

yea... putting an asian lady behind the wheel of anything is i guess

 

[Pingvinov]

Being the one who posted the initial question, I want to say thank you to all of you for your contributions to this thread. It is very educating. I guess, I have the big picture now.

 

[DullTool]

From my experience.. I would say 450rwhp is just right on a weekend toy. However, I'm perfectly satisfied with 300ish. Depends what you do with you car. I drive mine to the golf course and will take it out cruising at night on the weekends.

 

[RacEoHolic330]

yea... putting a lady behind the wheel of anything is i guess

fixed

 

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

Being the one who posted the initial question, I want to say thank you to all of you for your contributions to this thread. It is very educating. I guess, I have the big picture now.

There is no right or wrong answer....it all changes depending on who you ask and who's driving the car. 300hp can get out from under you just as easy as 1000hp if you don't know what you're doing. One guy can't control his 500hp car, while John Force might drive it and be bored to death.

I do agree that there's a sweet spot around 400-500hp for a very fun street car, i just argued against this idea that a 1000hp car will never be fast because it won't hook, spins out, etc. It's all about how the car is built and how much control the driver has.

 

[Bullitt347]

Friend of mine has a 93' vert that does 140 mph in the 1/4. It was AMAZING how much more stable the car got once we figured out the chassis/suspension settings. Car used to be scary/crazy until the chassis got sorted, now it is almost boring to go a buck forty. For you guys that cant go 140 without almost losing it, do your homework on instant center, center of gravity, roll center ect. Apply that knowledge correctly, do a correct 4 corner scale on it, and bam! the car is transformed and so much "safer" at speed and getting to "speed". And this car does 140 in the 1/4 on a 235/55/15 drag radial. Traction is amazing for this small of a tire. 1.40 60 ft.

 

[FastDriver]

Bullit347, how do you recommend learning about suspension? Are there any good shops in NW Florida that can help me get dialed in?

 

[srtthis]

check out baseline suspensions site. there is some good reading there on the IC and CG

 

[NIKwoaC]

Bullit347, how do you recommend learning about suspension? Are there any good shops in NW Florida that can help me get dialed in?

I took a motorsports class at Purdue and I kept my text book. It's called Race Car Vehicle Dynamics, you can find it on Amazon. AMAZING book, lots of info, it's about 2 inches thick. The class was focused mostly on cornering motorsports, like F1, etc, but a book like that I'm sure covers weight transfer during acceleration. I don't have it in front of me (I'm at work) otherwise I'd double check. You should look into it.

 

[Mr. Rustypwnz]

Bullit347, how do you recommend learning about suspension? Are there any good shops in NW Florida that can help me get dialed in?

jaws racing in tally is good, tony knows how to make a car run hard//

 

[FastDriver]

thanks for the heads up, guys. I'll look into it.

 

[darthcual]

Here is my thought on the subject without getting into specific numbers. I have had several friends 'build' (take it to a shop and have someone do it for them) High Horse Power cars. Not just Mustangs. Everytime I see them they are in the daily beater not the built car. Its always broken, waiting on another part, caught fire, not tuned right, ad etc.... What the hell is the point of having a fun car if you cant take it out and drive it? They are always touting how much HP the car is pushing and I will say, "Lets run'em." But they dont have their cars with them.

Now Track only cars, thats another story....