Street Car! - How much HP is enough?

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#42
If you have enough power to blow your tires off through 3rd that's enough.....:nice:
Now on topic, This can only be answered by the driver, I want more than what I have, but my Father think's it's too much. :shrug: I'm 32 years old and my dad is 65, and the car's from his era had really high hp Tq number's, but they put it to the ground much differently than todays cars (but you already know this).:hail2:
See now here's the thing, if it's not enough for him when he get's it built, there is always a way to get "MORE". :SNSign:

P.S. my mastery of emoticons is rapidly catching up to Grady's...:rlaugh: :jaw:
 
#44
WHITE94COBRA said:
If you have enough power to blow your tires off through 3rd that's enough.....:nice:
Now on topic, This can only be answered by the driver, I want more than what I have, but my Father think's it's too much. :shrug: I'm 32 years old and my dad is 65, and the car's from his era had really high hp Tq number's, but they put it to the ground much differently than todays cars (but you already know this).:hail2:
See now here's the thing, if it's not enough for him when he get's it built, there is always a way to get "MORE". :SNSign:

P.S. my mastery of emoticons is rapidly catching up to Grady's...:rlaugh: :jaw:
Click to expand...

You bring up something here that I relate to very much :D

You talk about the older cars

They did not have tires with compounds as soft
or
Widths as wide as we do these days :nono:

I'm trying to say ... nobody could get any traction on the street back
then ... so ... I can relate to that.

Heck ... The Stangs of these days get grip much better than back then.
yet
I see so much written about not being able to hook up :shrug:

I really could care less if I can hook up in first gear.
If I could ...........
I'd have to believe I'm not making enough torque to spin em over

My little 95 ... as it sits now ... If I go to the floor slowly in 2nd at
2K it will break em loose very shortly after that.

Of course ... If on concrete or a fairly new asphalt surface .......
it might and it might not :shrug:

None of that bothers me ... and ... Its just my opinion ... I know
but
I did not build my car to spin the tires ... yet ... as the power grows

That kind of thing is just gonna happen

I don't know :shrug:

I see it as if the tires break loose from time to time :)
Its just a sign that you are makin some power ;)

Besides ... Its stress reliever for weak T-5's and 28 spline axles :rlaugh:

Grady
 
#46
there is never going to be an exact answer since everybodys driving abilities and skills are different.

The younger crowd me myself including wants alot of power to go fast,
while the older crowd want enough power to be comfortable going down the road it may be fast or slow.
 
#47
im 22 and im content with 215 hp lol it can still bust the tires loose so im not complaining haha i think with me on my limited budget for now being laid off a nitrous kit will make me happy but once im back to work i will have a high hp stang :D not that i need that much but it wont be a daily driven car anymore either
 
#48
trav_19 said:
im 22 and im content with 215 hp lol it can still bust the tires loose so im not complaining haha i think with me on my limited budget for now being laid off a nitrous kit will make me happy but once im back to work i will have a high hp stang :D not that i need that much but it wont be a daily driven car anymore either
Click to expand...

Nothing at all wrong with that man. Come to think of it.. the car drove well and nice and sounded awesome ..stock - just like you say. :nice:
 
#49
Its a tough question that there is really no answer to.
For me I started out with a stock car. I figured if I could get 350 rwhp out of it I would be happy. Well I went great guns on it, and ended up at about 450. It was great at first, but after a while I got used to it, and needed/wanted more. Then I did a little more, and am at a little over 500 rwhp. Once again, it was, and still is, great, but now that I have had it for a while, I need/want more again.
I guess I have not found the magic number yet. :shrug:
 
#50
Wi Stang said:
Its a tough question that there is really no answer to.
For me I started out with a stock car. I figured if I could get 350 rwhp out of it I would be happy. Well I went great guns on it, and ended up at about 450. It was great at first, but after a while I got used to it, and needed/wanted more. Then I did a little more, and am at a little over 500 rwhp. Once again, it was, and still is, great, but now that I have had it for a while, I need/want more again.
I guess I have not found the magic number yet. :shrug:
Click to expand...

Perfect example Wi Stang. When you experience it for a time, even 500+ doesn't seem that great.

I really think at this point it would take at least 600 rwhp to impress me. Idk....:shrug:
 
#52
It really all comes down to the tune and maintence... I mean my car is basically stock, would I like more, definitley.... Can't afford to do it right co i really can't afford to play at this point in time... My buddy has a H/C/I blown 302 and it flies, but he has horrid drivability.... My car is more fun since I drive it daily.

So I would say in a lightwight fox, 300-330 rwhp, H/C/I OR blower, with a good tune and rip it up reliably.
 
#53
My car has 400 HP on tap and I drive it daily. It drive nice and smooth and is tuned right! Yes, there were headaches at first like PCV system not functioning properly etc.. but now it's awsome! I haven't gotten used to it yet, everytime I get into some boost it feels nice!
 
#54
Thanks Everybody For All The Great Input Here :nice:

Now ... Since I myself have never put a Fox or SN Stang on the
street with power at these levels ... I have no way to relate.

I've thought about it ... and ... The best I can envision a combo
with that kind of power might be like my 95 on a very old asphalt
road that has become kinda slick ... if you all understand what
I'm trying to say. I have thought those conditions would be the
normal everyday kind of thing for a combo with that kind of power.

anyway .............

I would like to hear from those who have had combos go from say
around low 300's to like 400 or so rwhp.

I use these values simply cause I think that is where we are gonna be.

It goes without saying ... Your not gonna get much traction in the
lower gears as the power grows.

Your thoughts on that please :D
and
Have you found a point in that range where things drastically change :shrug:

NA Strokers or Forced ... I welcome all input :)

Grady
 
#56
It's too bad so many people on here have this horrible vision of high hp cars driving awful. I have heard of many 7-800 hp cars that drive like stock til you mat it. So many people dont get a good tune and give high powered cars a bad name. A blown h/c/i 302 should be able to be totally streetable. If it wasn't possible to not have high powered car run well I would hate them as well, but it's just not the case, they can run just as well as mild combos.

All said and done Grady I think your friend would be happy with around 425 rwhp if he wants to be totally safe with breakage, etc. and still wants to be pretty quick.:nice:
 
#57
Right on Stampede! I can watch the boost gauge and it's totaly tied to the throttle, a little more equals more boost, a little less kills the boost! It's a wonderful thing, especially for a street car!
 
#58
Black Stampede said:
It's too bad so many people on here have this horrible vision of high hp cars driving awful. I have heard of many 7-800 hp cars that drive like stock til you mat it. So many people dont get a good tune and give high powered cars a bad name. A blown h/c/i 302 should be able to be totally streetable. If it wasn't possible to not have high powered car run well I would hate them as well, but it's just not the case, they can run just as well as mild combos.

All said and done Grady I think your friend would be happy with around 425 rwhp if he wants to be totally safe with breakage, etc. and still wants to be pretty quick.:nice:
Click to expand...

I have no concerns about drivability :)

I'm just trying to relate about the issue of not being able to use but
about 50% throttle in the lower gears :shrug:

Grady
 
#60
Pokageek said:
True but they are not 400rwhp though. And we are talking rwhp.
Click to expand...

Take an SRT-8 Charger, stock with 420hp. Throw $1k into it with a 150 shot and you have 570hp car. Take the 20% rule and you have 450ish rwhp, and that's saying the 150 shot is fhp and not rwhp.

Another example is c6 z06 Corvette. I've seen them take 200 shot and that puts them into the 700s.

New Shelby 500s and 03/04 Cobras put down 500rwhp like it's nothing, with the potential of the Shelby going way past 500rwhp, into 600rwhp.

All these cars I used as an example is 90% as streetable as they were stock.
 
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