How much hp is too much?

Pingvinov

New Member
Mar 7, 2011
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Moscow, Russia
I observe a real power craze among local Mustang enthusiasts where I live. Many guys seem to be mesmerized by four digit power numbers they read about in magazines. They are making plans to bring the output of their 99% street cars to a 1000 hp mark or close.
No one I know personally has had any experience with such high horse power engines. Therefore I’m looking for collective wisdom here. I suspect that too much power will hurt performance of a Mustang in several ways. A 800-1000 hp car could be difficult to drive in traffic. A little too much pressure on the accelerator could result in massive wheel spin or send a car sideways. A driver may end up holding horses more than pushing them.
An inexperienced driver may find it more difficult to race a super high hp car on a poorly prepped track which unfortunately is a usual setup for most race events here. I suspect it may be easier to find traction and show good results in a 600 hp car than in a crazy 1000 hp turbo car. I cannot imagine how one could make a car hook in such conditions.
I would appreciate it if people with racing experience could share their opinions on how much hp is indeed usable on a track without VHT coating and what would be an overkill. What is the level of power that gives a driver mostly bragging rights instead of good stable results on the track?
 
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too much? hmmm.

To me too much is when sh!+ keeps breaking when you step on the gas. In reality too much is when its more than you need. It depends on what you are looking to accomplish. I want enough power to not look foolish.

Will you feel foolish with a 1000hp engine under your hood when a 400 hp car in the next lane wins the race time and again because you can not make your ride hook up?
 
I don't know anyone with 4 digit HP numbers... Most I've seen in person was 580 RWHP in a 408 stroker... It's a street car (Thunderbird) and you wouldn't know it by the sound. It's scary as hell on the street, being in the passenger seat. Cars ahead of you come up quickly lol... 1000+ HP on the street is pretty useless, It's more about bragging rights than anything. I hope your buddies are planning big braking power and some suspension/chassis work as well...

I just want 400 HP to the ground and still be able to drive my car on a 5 - 7 hour trip to visit my family :D
 
Too much is never enough, i think a turbo setup is the way to get good street maners. Keep it in vacuum and its like a NA motor. Just look up Larry Larson... thats all you need to know about fast street cars
 
Will you feel foolish with a 1000hp engine under your hood when a 400 hp car in the next lane wins the race time and again because you can not make your ride hook up?


If I have a 1000 pony motor and dont have the equipment or driving skill to hook it up then I shouldnt have it.

plus...1000 is strictly a track car unless its a Veyron.

...and to me foolish is being beaten by a dude whos wife has him so demoralized that he now drives a minivan
 
Too much is never enough, i think a turbo setup is the way to get good street maners. Keep it in vacuum and its like a NA motor. Just look up Larry Larson... thats all you need to know about fast street cars

Thank you. I will look up Larry Larson.
I haven't seen many turbo Mustangs personally. Those that I have seen have lots of power, but don't cope well with the challenge of putting it to the ground in a 1/4 mile.
 
Go on You Tube and search for Nelson Racing Engines and check out the twin turbo RX-7 they built. It makes over 1000hp and drives like an every day car. Horsepower is like money, too much is just right.
 
If I have a 1000 pony motor and dont have the equipment or driving skill to hook it up then I shouldnt have it.

plus...1000 is strictly a track car unless its a Veyron.

Many people have the money to have that kind of motor built for them, but lack the driving skills.

As of the choice of 1000 hp street cars, there are many options besides Veyron. Have you heard of these people: Underground Racing - Twin Turbo Lamborghini Gallardo Performance or Heffner Performance or 9ff | EN | Home ?
They all build cars which are driven on the street.
 
Yes there are alot of 1000 hp cars. I used the Veyron as an example because its a well known 1000 horse factory car. Alot of builders put out modded 1000 horse "street" cars.

I guess then Im not sure what you meant below if there are alot of 1000 horse cars driven on the street.

Will you feel foolish with a 1000hp engine under your hood when a 400 hp car in the next lane wins the race time and again because you can not make your ride hook up?
 
Go on You Tube and search for Nelson Racing Engines and check out the twin turbo RX-7 they built. It makes over 1000hp and drives like an every day car. Horsepower is like money, too much is just right.

I like what nelson does, but all his videos are the same, build a 1500 hp motor, talk about how sweet it idles, take it on the street and spin the tires till 3rd gear... its like there all a carbon copy. There are never any results, no 1/4 mile times with any of his builds. The only car ive seen him take to the track is the F-bomb, and they had problems with the fuel system, so it didnt run anywhere near what a 1500 hp car should have.

If i had a unlimited budget id be calling proline racing engines, not as flashy and have real world racing results to back up the numbers
 
Yes there are alot of 1000 hp cars. I used the Veyron as an example because its a well known 1000 horse factory car. Alot of builders put out modded 1000 horse "street" cars.

I guess then Im not sure what you meant below if there are alot of 1000 horse cars driven on the street.

Let me explain. The cars like Veyron or super expensive builds like TT Lambos and 9FF Porsches are mostly 4WDs with sophisticated auto transmissions, which makes them much easier to race.
On the other hand several Mustang guys I know locally have plans to build turbo engines for their GT500 or new '11 5.0s to achieve 800-1000 hp. I have no doubt that these engines can be made to idle well and they probably would act fairly well in traffic. On the other hand, I'm not sure that they will have sufficient traction on the tracks with no VHT coating. If they throw all that power to the rear wheels. Cars which have their suspensions set for street use may end up sitting in clouds of smoke without moving much. That is when excessive power may become counterproductive.
This is just my theory and I'm looking for someone with practical experience to either support or upset it.
 
I like what nelson does, but all his videos are the same, build a 1500 hp motor, talk about how sweet it idles, take it on the street and spin the tires till 3rd gear... its like there all a carbon copy. There are never any results, no 1/4 mile times with any of his builds. The only car ive seen him take to the track is the F-bomb, and they had problems with the fuel system, so it didnt run anywhere near what a 1500 hp car should have.

If i had a unlimited budget id be calling proline racing engines, not as flashy and have real world racing results to back up the numbers


True, i REALLY wanna see that RX7 at the track since he says it's an 8 second car. Of course in the end, everyone's version of "streetable" is different from the next guy's. Many would say my car isn't very streetable but i think it's pretty tame.
 
Let me put it in a different way. If you had the budget to build ANY engine for your car to be regularly driven in the street, including in bad weather, what would you shoot for: 500hp, 700hp, 900hp or 1100hp? That is based on the assumption that you want to sometimes race it and show good consistent results on the track and not just brag about your dyno numbers.
 
Let me put it in a different way. If you had the budget to build any engine for your car to be regularly driven in the street, including in bad weather, what would you shoot for: 500hp, 700hp, 900hp or 1100hp? That is based on the assumption that you want to sometimes race it and show good consistent results on the track and not just brag about your dyno numbers.


In that case it depends on if this is my ONLY car or not. If it's my daily driver, then i would shoot for as much power as i can get while staying reliable, which depends on a lot of things. If it's just my toy, then as much power as humanly possible. Give me 10,000hp and i'd be looking to add nitrous :rlaugh:


Na, realistically...i just want it to have enough power to scare the crap out of me every time i drive it. I don't ever want to be bored with my car and become numb to its performance. I don't know how much power that is...500hp, 1000hp...i'll let you know when i get there.