as a follow-on on for Ross thread.... Interested in knowing how much HP do you consider sufficient to enjoy a modern sports car of moderate weight. We all know that weight, and other suspension characteristics will critically impact on the answer, so for simplification try to just guesstimate an "average" in your mind then dial up or down HP. Pick a car, like a Ferrari F430 for instance....is 300 HP too little, and 800 would be unnecessary?
I think most cars that I would want to drive hard would be smaller than hypercars, and we all know hypercars have more than enough power... But let's say you get a subaru BRZ and tune/swap it- I think 400HP is enough I would love to put the twin-charged volvo engine in a late model volvo C30
I voted 400, but recently had a 707hp Charger Hellcat for a year. I may not have needed all 707, but it sure was fun trying to get all that power to the ground. And what a sound !
I understand that...which is why I specifically stated that "we all know....." But just getting a broad idea to follow up on Ross' thread...just a number..medium size modern car...we all talk about HP numbers on a daily basis, we talk about power:weight ratios much less frequently and thus a little more abstract for most of us.
It seems that most cars today are around 300 HP. I voted 400 on the premise that a little more would be nice without eating up the wallet.
My best answer: as much HP as you can handle with absolutely no nanny aids like traction control. Matt
Very small sample size...too bad most on FChat don't frequent this subforum...but ~50% seem to think 400-500 HP is "adequate" so far.
"Necessary for fun" and "enough" are two different questions for me - for the first, my answer could be a pretty low number, while for the second, it will be far more. I can have fun in a light car with less than 150 hp, but for instance I do not think the 458 has enough hp (that's why I prefer the 488). Even the 488 does not have enough to some extent, otherwise I would not switch to the F8.
The electrics have/will have torque and horsepower stated at over 1500 so I think the poll numbers are way too low. For ICE engine maybe at least 1000 is OK depending on price especially hypercar. Really depends on tires and control system at that level. For just having fun with an exotic at the street the car should be able to let loose with use of the right foot at any speed and require talent to control just like with a motorcycle. In the end, it should have enough power to scare you and not be bored with.
It really depends but I say 500 .. I have several cars with about that much power and they are fun.. of course my 4 door sedan is 600 hp and that is lots of fund also
My daily driver (S63) came with stock 603HP. Upgraded ECU from Renntech to roughly 700 and I was still not satisfied with mid range acceleration (it's a very heavy car after all). Recently did the Renntech turbo upgrade, replaced fuel pumps and lines, downpipes, exhaust, blow off valve and ended up with 770HP at the wheels, roughly 850HP crank. I think I'm good for now, rarely able to floor it, breaks all 4 wheels traction in 1st and 2nd gear, stupid and pointless in a daily driver, I know, immense fun and satisfaction to drive that comfy animal on a daily basis nevertheless.
Big HP is needed in an otherwise boring car. If it is light, nimble, handles and brakes well I am very happy with 300-400 or so. My Lightning needs a lot of power because it does nothing else well. I have driven a lot of very powerful and very fast cars, most of the fastest Ferraris ever made etc. and I find them boring. They were built and really only can be appreciated in driving situations we simply dont have. Going really fast so easily just isnt fun to me. Might as well be driving a video game. Of the cars we have at home our 328 is the least powerful but the most fun by far.
400bhp on my TR felt better and more fun than 650 in my FF. It’s about the weight, the height of the car, the sound, the torque...400bhp is plenty specially in twisties and for older cars. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
wow .. Is it a coupe ... I have a E63S sedan with the same engine I suspect .. thing is pretty fast as is ..... ..is the driveability fine .. never thought I needed more power in that but .. nice
Luxo barge, big sedan. Driveability is actually improved, non existent lag, runs smoother and torque delivery is more uniform and consistent, driving in regular traffic is actually easier and even more relaxing, feels like you have unlimited power at your disposal all the time, at any speed.
I really haven’t driven that many high HP cars, but I remember the first time I dropped the hammer in my 2001 Viper ( 450 HP ), I pretty much thought that was the ultimate. This was in 2005 or 2006 ? MDS
Well, my current main car is a stock McLaren 12C, and that's 616 hp. It's a little too quick for the tightly regulated public roads of Singapore. Even ordinary overtakes can push me briefly into licence-loss territory, so I drive it like an old lady in church in police hot zones. My other is a BMW M140i, stock 340 hp but chipped to close to 400hp. I think it hits the sweet spot, very good usable torque but not quite enough power to land me in court if I'm being the least bit cautious. So I'd probably pick 400hp as being ideal for a street car, but I've owned sedans with over 600 hp (like a lightly modded M5) and they're much easier to keep within legal limits because they're not as aggressively set-up (throttle and gearing) and they also weigh more. So it sort of depends on the type of car too. For a sports coupe, 400 to 500hp is perfect. For a heavy sedan, 600+ hp is perfect.
400 for retro tech cars without any aids available 500 for newer tech cars like the 430 600 for latest tech cars with all the nanny aids. after that, i dont think you can put down the power. when i was a kid, my dad got me an enormous slot car set, i think it was by carrera. and he had chosen to get me the le mans track. i built that track in the basement, which was my exclusive lair, and it took up almost the entire area of the biggest room - mulsanne straight and all. anyway, the set had a transformer with a dial on it that allowed you to turn up the power. if you were a beginner, you started out on 1 and you got the feel for the course. once you were an expert like me you could dial it up to about 3 and still make it around the corners, but have the satisfaction of pushing the button to the max down the mulsanne without crashing. and then, every so often, i wanted to see how fast i could go down the mulsanne and dialed it to 5, and boy did it fly ! but then you literally flew off the track at the end of the straight. long story to make the analogy that todays hypercars are like that - you have 5 on the dial all the time, and the only thing keeping you on the road is the nannies, and if you didnt have them, they would literally be undriveable by 95% of the owners. so there is power to weight, and then there are nanny aids - both have an impact on how much power is enough.
Theres also Tq and where that Tq is, I would say in a 3000lbs car 400 hp sounds enough. Burt then I have a 2400lbs car with 400hp and I think 5000 would work better. So many variables.
It's all about usable power. Torque is what makes a car fun to drive. A good ol Chevy small block with a 4 speed attached is crazy fun in an old wet noodle chassis. You really feel like your moving, but wont go to jail while doing it. I have a 65 mustang gt350 reproduction at the shop right now with a warmed over 289 with side outlet exhaust, and a 5 speed gearbox installed. What a fun car. Sideways at the push of the gas, rattles clangs feels like its gonna fall apart but never does. Beat it and it comes back looking for more..holly 600 cfm double pumper with vacuum secondaries..(tool man grunt insert here).
400 IMO is more than enough, plenty quick and powerful but actually usable without having to be going at insane speeds- One of the points that make me feel my Gated Modena is more fun and engaging than my 458