Technical How much is enough for you?

I see more and more cars and articles about cars being built with what I believe to be excessive (I'm trying to be nice.) amounts of HP these days. In the 80's, very few cars put out over 250 HP but today's technology has 800 HP cars rolling off the showroom floor and people are still "souping them up" for more! These engine builds are often featured in hot rod and old car builds by OT magazines. Really!?

I know what i just described is OT but there are BB's and Hemis, with blowers etc. That have been used on hot rods and street cars since I was a kid....and I'm 65. I used to race on the track but as I've gotten older, and hopefully wiser, I don't drive at excessive speeds on the road any more and I'm not drag racing. I like to drive my cars on the road, tune them to get around 18 mpg and still have enough HP to pass quickly or accelerate briskly.

Mine are all in the 250-350 range and I find that adequate. Help me understand the seemingly unlimited appetite for more HP.

So, here is my question. How much HP is enough for you and your ride?

 

Too much makes it just right!

 

Well I've got a merc flathead for my AV8 '31 Ford fordor project.If I get a little over 100 ponys that'll do.

 

I really don't understand it either, rockable. It wasn't just the gas embargos of the 70's that killed the muscle cars, the high insurance premiums played a large part as well. I can't imagine what it must cost to insure some of these "new" muscle cars. If you have more than 400-450 hp on the street today, it's all you might ever want or need. 800hp! What do you need it for unless you are going racing with it. Legitimate racing that is.

 

It's like anything else---- people pushing the envelope to get the most of anything when technology makes it available and less expensive.

My worry is that people usually push too far and ruin a good thing. Remember the muscle car era was killed by the insurance industry. I have a feeling we are going to deja vu this one.

 

As long as the vega and the pinto don't come back I'm all for it.

 

Used to have to have the most HP I could get, not anymore. Old style HP was harder to get and maintain than most of the modern HP of today. Now like more drive-ability, mileage and less maintenance. Guess I'm getting old.

 

Small penis..... have I got a car for you!

 

My O/T daily driver ATS-V Caddy is rated at 464 hp. The dealer, a car guy, sez he can tune it for an additional 100 hp. I've declined. It is already more than I'll ever be able to put to good use.

 

My thoughts are that 350HP is all a street car needs. There is not enough traction on the street for more than that. Just my thoughts, your mileage may vary.

 

LOL!

 

Pecker measuring contest for the most part. From the top of the corporate ladder, all the way down to the eventual user. Not saying that's a bad thing. Give me 300hp and some traction, I'm happy.

 

I'm in at around 425 HP in my car, definitely not enough. The next will be 450-500 HP, I like it to be enough to scare me.

 

195 -220 hp 283 in a 40 Ford coupe with a black air cleaner with one snorkle will be enough for me.

 

I love going fast, and strong cars. With torque that is. 400 HP with similar torque is a strong feeling car if under 4000 pounds. The Queens' Z51 has 465 HP in a 3350 pound vehicle. It's absurd! 11.9 factory quarter.
The '57 has just under 800 HP proven on the dyno. Weenie size is just fine, thanks. Years ago I set out to build my dream car, 10 second quarter mile has always been the goal. We'll see soon.

 

I couldn’t agree more! The horsepower race in cars and light trucks has gotten utterly ridiculous. My boss has a Hellcat Charger, ZR-1 Corvette, and a Viper. He drives the Charger almost everyday. I drive a Cummins Dodge, and an old F-150. The F-150 is a 302 and it gets around just fine. I personally think it’s all an ego thing.


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I personally have never been into the HP game.
I have watched several folks with outrageous HP do terrible damage to their cars due to the driver not knowing how to handle it.

 

Attention HAMB Moderators! I think posts from the Ford Barn are being misdirected here by mistake. It could be a router problem at the Senior Center, please fix.

 

Just me, But you can't have a, { hot Rod } that's too fast. It's like a girl that's too pretty. But you can only go as fast as you can afford. I just can't afford, to GO all that fast.lol Ron.....
The gun doesn't kill, or the car. It's the nut that doesn't know when where, and how to use them

 

At 72 I'm in no hurry to go no place!

 

If it wasn't that the clown behind the wheel thinks they are a pro driver it wouldn't trouble me as much. Try driving Atlanta interstate with these bozo's.

 

Like James Taylor said in Two Lane Blacktop, You can never go fast enough!

 

For me, my 292, 206 HP, is fine. Never been on the ass end of a tow truck and I don't need a computer to tune it.
If I do get the urge to get dangerous and faster than a 70 year old can handle, I'll change from the 2 bbl to a 4 bbl.

 

Next build has a blown, injected Hemi going in it, guess I haven't grown up yet and this is Hot-Rodding you know.

 

Advancing age does seem to alter one's perspective, it seems. Remember back in the day when you were searching for evey bit of HP you could get? Now it's too fast. Time changes everything........

"Hey you kids, get off my grass !!"

 

From my experience with owning a modern muscle car and the older stuff, it takes these stupid high numbers to make the cars feel on the edge. I can hop in the 55 Chevy or my O/T 68 Camaro both with 327's with around 250-300hp at the rear tire and they feel like a rocket when you floor it on a back road. My 2017 Camaro SS that is my daily driver and a car i drag race in a modern muscle class has 400ish at the tire from the factory. The car runs 12.1's on the showroom floor, but it feels slow and docile even at the finish line. To get these new cars to feel crazy and on the edge they have to have big hp numbers. I got to test drive a Hellcat Challenger a buddy owned and its about the only new muscle car i have driven that gives the scary fast feeling when you mash the loud pedal.

 

I bought an extremely low miles ‘07 Mustang GT recently. They came stock with 315HP with around 280 at the back wheels. Fun to drive, enough power to make me giggle and the wife scream. Full coverage Insurance is under $250 every 6 months. I’ve added about 50 HP and it still gets over 23 MPG. The new stuff is too easy to modify and make more power. It’s a lot of fun to drive but it’s a lot different than the old days.

The problem is anyone with a half way decent credit rating can buy 6-800 HP cars and drive off down the street. They usually don’t last long. Kind of reminds me of the rich kids getting new Shelby Cobras in the early 60’s and not living to the first payment.

SPark

 

What is this "Horse Power" you speak of ???

 

Well used to be if you were getting one horsepower per cubic inch you were really doing something. Thats why a lot of older hot rods had big cubic inch engines like Hemi’s. Or the old saying “nothing substitutes cubic inches”. It was easier to produce big horsepower with big cubic inches.

Nowadays a lot of cars stock from the factory get reliable two horsepower per cubic inch. I have an OT Ford Fiesta ST 1.6 liter (98 ci) that produces 195 horsepower and gets over 30 mpg that is also very quick. My nephew has a Charger with 490 factory horsepower as his daily driver. The times are a changing! How much is too much is as different as each individual.

 

yeah, nothing to do with weenie size, my old lady is happy with what I got.

It's fun to drive a 10 second (or quicker) car around on the street. It does take self control to not get in trouble with it. It's also OK if you don't get it. We don't all have the same desires, etc.