How much is too much performance?

There is another thread with the title how much hp is too much hp. I think that is what you're more concerned about. However, there is no such thing as too much performance, eventually we will create a close to perfect car (in many many years) that will be hard to improve on, I may be wrong of course; but if that only makes driving more enjoyable than good.
You can't have too much performance on the road or racetrack, so like i said No there isn't too much.

 

the trouble with all this hp is that you cant use it on the street, an d most people dont know how to use it on the track...the average driver would kill himself trying to drive a f1 car on the track....with 600hp, you will only use a few % of the cars performance..you will always be babying it .i agree a 355 has plenty of performance... you have at least rev it out once in a while..try that with a 600hp car and you are doing 140!!! and either killing someone or in jail!!!!the hp wars are all about bragging rights for the car maker and the owners

 

You cant really use all that horsepower on the street and not get arrested doing it. its just the fact that with those numbers you have absolutely endless power on tap, whenever you want it...whether it be on road or track.

-Doug

 

I think its very much what sportbikes have recently been though, HP up to nearly 200! BUT, the quickest bikes in the real world are the smaller more nimble, easier to control bikes like the R6 or the Gixxer 750. these bikes still have great power, but the delivery is smoother so they are a lot easier to handle....and stay alive.

Its a sad sight to see a Hayabusa trying to run Deal's Gap.

I think there will be HP wars with people who must have the most powerful cars wondering why they aren't all that much fun.

Then there are people like me that find a CBR600 or a Miata an absolute scream to play with.

 

It will never end, Ferrari produce a car that will do 205mph Lamborghini will make one that does 210mph so Ferrari will make one that does 215mph and so on and on.

 

Like Caroll Shelby said... "Too much power is almost enough."

On a serious note it is getting pretty darn extreme to say the least. Beleive it or not, these new Mustang Cobra's, which are electronically limited to 155mph, are theoretically capable of doing upwards of 190mph. I'v heard of a couple breaking the 180mph barrier... I mean come on, a factory stock Mustang for crying out loud.

I'v wondered this many times myself... My guess is it will eventually get to the point where people will not be able to afford insurence on some of these newer performance cars, so maybe that will be the limiting factor.

 

More is better.

186,000 miles per second: It's not just a good idea...... It's the LAW!

 

I'd get into some trouble w/ that one.

 

Street fun is the ticket. My 240Z has blinding hp but is not easy to drive. I suggest a happy medium.

 

It's really hard to say how much is too much. I have a Viper that makes almost 850 rear wheel horsepower that I drive on the street all the time, runs on pump gas, and up until this year held the world record for a supercharged Viper in the 1/4 mile. You can check out a video of my car at the track by clicking on this link:

http://heffnersperformance.com/bad%20asp%20video.html

There are now Vipers with even more HP on the street (twin turbos or superchargers). I drive mine on the street as often as I can. The point I would like to make is that there are many aspects of building horsepower than just seeing how fast you can go on the street. There's a lot of technology behind making cars go fast and that's what interests me.

Ultimately, the driver is responsible for how the car is driven. I'm sure I can get into some serious trouble with any of my cars (including my turbo diesel dually pickup truck!).

 

Its never TOO MUCH .
Just TOO little respect as well as experience.

 

Hey, do you know Treynor?

 

HP wars (simple marketing and sales)

BMW ///M wants to 1-up AMG and vice-versa

...and most guys quickly open the hood when they show another guy their car

 

One can never have too much horsepower but seriously, I find that anything I drive with over 400hp on the street keeps me on my toes. 2 wheel drive cars with 5 and 600hp are undriveable without all the electronic trickery to keep idiots alive.

 

Yes! I've never met Ben in person, but we both spent a lot of time on the Viper message boards in the past. Although, I haven't seen him around there in quite a while.

We were both trying be the first owner of a supercharged Viper to run 9 seconds in the 1/4 mile. Unfortunately we were both beat out by another one of Jason Heffner's creations.

 

That's cool. Yeah he frequents SVTperformance from time to time. I'v only spoke with him on a couple occasions, but just wondered about that. Must be fun fighting for the 9's. I wager the best I'll end up with in my Cobra is a high 10 once I'v fulfilled my mod list, unless I switch to a Kenne Bell.

 

You guys with the big engines...the blower on my poor 308 is at 18 psi to deliver 425 rwhp...which sure seems like more than plenty on a street car.

 

My thoughts. I have a M3 and it has 343 hp - thats not enough. My other car, the 575 has 515 hp and that is more than enough. The Maranello is the first car that is faster than me
For me, 400-450 hp would be ok. I don't need more power.

 

That's really not bad at all, actually impressive (esspecially when you concider that's out of a 2.9). It takes about 14lbs to get about 440-450RWHP out of these Cobra's, and remember these newer Cobra's weigh about 350lbs more than the 308's do. I will say this, if I had a 308, or any F-car for that fact and I were pushing over 400horse, I'd be content... Hell I'd be content with one in stock form. I plan on getting a 328 in the not so distant future and I'd be more than happy with one with nothing more than a tubi exhaust.

I think it just depends on the car to me. Certain car's dont need all of that power to be fun. A Ferrari, like I said, I could drive and be happy with the car for what it is, regaurdless of performance. A Mustang Cobra, on the other hand, even though they've always been one of my favs, should turn your guts to jello, IMO, when you mash the gas (Mine should have approx. 500RWHP once I get everything I want). It's just the nature of different cars, and what they stand for to me I guess. Then you have your speed nympho's who want everything as fast as it can be reguardless of the car or the circumstances. *shrugs*

 

Its not only how fast you but how you go fast. Someone earlier made the comparison to 600 sportbikes. Put another way Ducati are iconoclastic and huge fun they dont have the weight or power of a hayabusa. There is something to be said for actualy having to wring out a car to extract the performance. A 355 at a tight track or mountain road may be more than plenty.1000hp on a straight open dessert road may just be ok. The thing is to experience pushing the car to its limit, if the limit is way below the road it is not much fun corrospondingly if the limit is way above the road youre not really experiencing it either. Its all about the right car on the right road at the right time. A lotus elise is going to suck on a straight dessert road and a viper
will feel like a truck on a road that best suits the lotus. Maybe a 355 is the best compromise its fast and nimble. But then the 288gto has to be the ultimate, its streetable, trackable, fast enough to be scary without electrnic nannies, nimble and beautiful, everything a fun car should be. Some may be faster but are they better.

Another thought a lexus 430 is too fast for its suspension so power must be matched by grace under pace, I guess thats why the german sedans still rule.

While 600hp is probably too much for a 2500lb street car its not too excessive for a 5000lb barge, horses for courses.