Hot Rods Horsepower minimum, got a number?

Mark Moriarity asked me a question the other day on a post and it started me to thinking. He asked "Why do you need 600 HP on the street?"

I have my own reasons, but I started to think, "What Can I live with HP wise to make it tolerable?"
The Produce Truck ended up with the L31 Crate engine rated at a whopping 255 HP. It literally feels anemic to me.

I think my minimum is somewhere in the 350-400 range. That gives me the pull I am after. Stick cars always feel faster and that's what I like.

What's your number 85? 300? 600?

 

125

 

I drive one with 100 HP and I'm fine with it. My '63 has over 350 HP but it weighs over 2 tons so it kind of feels like less.

I don't really see the need for big horsepower, but that's just me.

 

My Buick has 375 HP, but it also has almost 500 ft lbs of torque at 3200 rpm.

 

I guess I'd be happy with an honest 250-350 hp as long as it's in a light car. The 430 hp 383 in my '29 coupe feels reeaal good. But it's expensive to drive here in GasTaxifornia.

 

My driving fast and having the scary torque on the street “need” left after I bought and drove daily … my 85 horse 21 bolt. Now its all about sound with “a little torque” that tickles my gonads.

 

1 HP per CI.

 

I had a vette at one time that, advertised on the console, 190 horsepower. Didn’t think that was possible for a SBC.

 

Disco killed horsepower

 

7 lbs / HP.
( e.g. 400 HP in a 2800 lb car)

 

I'd like to take this a step further to treat all of the answers fairly. Let's change this to hp per pound of vehicle weight. For me to be generally satisfied, I want 10 lbs per hp. One of my friends has a nice 34 roadster. He has said after several engine changes that after 400hp, they run the risk of being over powered at the wrong time. During regular driving, many things happen. that's not to be confused with straight line on dry pavement. I don't disagree with his statement. I have a history with high powered sport bikes. All of the newer units have electronics to keep the rider from being in trouble instantly. Looking at a 65 Buick full size car with a gross hp. rating from the factory isn't the same as 32 Ford pickup with a dynoed 400 hp. I was never a worrier about too much power but the lack of suspension and frame to go along with it is where I see the problem. If I have a real strong low end power and it will accelerate rapidly before getting into serious trouble, I'm ok. If you have high rpm power only, I'm out. I'm using low rpm way more often than not. I do like being able to fry the tires from the stop light. I don't believe I will ever get to old to enjoy that. Sorry for the long answer.

 

400 at the LEAST for me, with a 4-series gear out back at a minimum, just for a nice jump.

 

350-400 for me. I have driven a few foreign sports cars with 100-200hp and it was such a boring experience. Also need good amount of torque for that suction into the seat.

 

I spent a s#/tpot of money expecting to be able to brag that I had a 500 hp engine in my roadster...........I was summarily disappointed!

 

10 lbs per hp should get ya deep into 13 second 1/4 mile times, pretty dog gone fun IMO. Is more better? - don’t know never had more in a car/truck although I have plans in my head for maybe 400 hp in a 2800 lb car or 7 lbs per hp. Much more than that and I’m sure I’m exceeding my skill level on the street LOL.

 

I think the basic 350 to 400 hp. BUT there's more (always is)..

I like the 350 to 400 range because it can be felt on the street, from a dead stop to cruising the hiway at 65 mph and passing.

I like more but let's be realistic 250 hp vs 650 hp means jack sh*t if you can't plant it.

Sure you got bragging rights and dyno sheets showing how awesome your motor is but if you can't make it bite it don't mean nothing.

If I had a car that would plant the rear tires and get bite and traction then I'd be adding horsepower until the car wouldn't handle anymore.

But that's just me....

..

 

Its all about the weight to horsepower ratio. My buddies 1300 lb t bucket hauls ass with its 200 hp flathead.

 

Let's talk torque instead. Think ot Buick muscle cars with the 455 engines. Not killer hp numbers compared to say 454 Chevelles, but gobs of torque in the lower rpm range.

Also ot, my Mini only weighed just under 1300 pounds (without my lardass in it... let's not say what the total was with me), and one of the engines put out just over 135 hp. Yeah, a screaming 1275 ccs of British engine, 8200 rpm redline. 1st and 2nd could keep up with mid 90s performance cars, but then fuggetaboutit going into 3rd. Great for autocross and Waterford Hills.

 

I don’t know Denny 460 HP and 400 ft lb torque is nothing to sneeze at. A few years back a friend spent crazy $$$s to have a big name build a BB Ford for his 57 Ford Truck the Target was 800 hp they got close, 790 something anyway I don’t remember the exact $ amount but I remember $30/hp wouldn’t cover the cost. Way out of my league!
Dan

 

Street HP for a toy? All I can get. Realistically tho I'd be shickled titless if I had about 475-500 in a midsized car, think 65 GM A body. With about a 2400 stall and OD I could see it getting my attention when I wanted it. Once it gets too easy, well isn't that was NOS is for? "Whadaya need that for?!" Need's got nuthin to do with it...

 

I'll need to know,how much the car is LB's ,what ya really feel,,as HP is only one Factor,in feel,I like lite.
If the car is big sled, ya going to need a lot more HP n bite.
So anything that can; Zero to 60 around 4sec. is good.

 

Depends on the car. The Corvette is fun with 250 or so. The Chevy II is also pretty fun, with 700.

But then, I had fun driving the T with 20! Too bad it would only get up to 25 mph.

 

200hp squeals the tires.
300hp smokes the tires.
400hp melts the tires.
500hp disintegrates the tires.

Ummm... 400hp

 

I was fine with the 135ish my 235 made.

anything over that is a bonus

 

1800 lb car with 40 hp can be a blast... 100 hp on the same car is downright real fun and will smoke a tire... All depends on what you want the car to do, how you want the power to weight ratio to work out. Hell a basic SBC is 160 hp roughly... People slap those in a Model A and have a blast... Same with a 100hp flathead in a Model A or T...

 

Horsepower? Fudget abow'dit.
Honestly, on the street, I'm usually lifting the throttle by the end of second gear. Third and fourth are still practically new with a light polish on the backside of each tooth. I'm a responsible, tax-paying citizen who never gets near triple-digit mph anymore. But I still am all about torque and responsiveness to make me smile.
400 foot-pounds is my minimum. More is better.

Thumbs up for a good question.......
..

 

Denny looking at the AFR looks like the engine is running lean I wonder if you ran a little richer if you make more power?
Dan

 

I’m with you on this one it all depends on the vehicle. In my ‘51 Ford (daily driver) with a 347 had a 500 shot of NOS on top of the 450hp that it put out on the motor. And yeah it had way more motor than it needed but was fun as heck to drive even with 670/15 www’s on it. But I had a set of drag radials mounted on another set of wheels if I wanted to play on the street

 

Torque is the key. You will get big horsepower if you have big torque, then throw lots of money at the engine to make it rev higher. And yes, the answer you seek changes relative to vehicle mass.