Justin100

When I read an article by jeremy clarkson from top gear he said this.

"Any car with more than 700 horsepower is daft. You don't ever need or want more than 500. And, truth be told, most of the time, 250 is plenty. Which brings me neatly to the door of the new, MkVII Volkswagen Golf GTI."

even when i saw chris harris drive around the la ferrari he said their is no public street where you will ever get to test all 800 hp of this car.

from my personal perspective after looking through ideas to do engine swaps and putting it turbo kits....the stock 350z de engine makes 230 whp on the dyno?

I mean i hardly if ever use all the stock hp on the street because the speed limit is 45.......highway is 65-70.......

Would you guys agree that turbo kits should only be installed if it was purposeful like going to the track where their is no speed limit? Some people who put up to 400 on their cars it just doesn't make sense to me because they will never really use it on the street.

Emski

This is going to be very subjective. Personally, 300whp is the sweet spot to me for the street. On the track, your talent and skills are the limit.

turboed350z

First of all i hate top gear, so i think jeremy is an idiot.

Secondly tq and hp are corrallated, and tq is fun as hell.

My street z is sitting at 400 and EVERY time i take it out, i use all 375tq it has and it STILL leaves me wanting more.

You dont NEED a high speed to enjoy said power. 75mph freeway is more than enough to get you to use 500tq on the street. You cant have tq without hp.

travlee

iTrader: (8)

my car has 505 flywheel hp, and i will spin all the way through third and chirp in 4th.... do we ever need that much hp, no not at all...... but we want

nizmo_0385

iTrader: (5)

I am in agreement with op and the torque statement my hr is good on hp to but i want to haz more tq

blue06z

iTrader: (13)

I don't remember whose signature it is but enough is a naughty word. You should never use it around here.

Frank_White

Heresy!

Frank_White

the speed limit is 45...but half the fun is getting to that limit as fast as possible

mr. sparco

iTrader: (13)

You don't need 500 but a car with 500 will be more fun at partial throttle and lower rpm vs a car that you need to wring out with less power. At least it was for me from owning multiple "fun" cars at the same time over the years: I had an ap1 s2000, turbo Civic Si and 350z, then switched it up more recently to an Evo X, Miata, and 350z. I love rotating through cars during the week.

FOOKhonda

iTrader: (1)

amen brotha!!!!
Although please note : spinning your tires through an intersection from a stop, even in the middle of the night is still illegal, and is the same as street racing and you can even be arrested..

Ask me how I know..


And how dare you talk bad about Jeremy like that! That is pure rubbish....
He makes comical statements that are actually true in most cases, and is very serious when needed to be... I bet he'd fit in well here....

FOOKhonda

iTrader: (1)

Wow, like you some honda don't ya?....

I still love your evo though..

Resmarted

iTrader: (2)

I digress. I love taking slow cars and wringing them for all their worth.

I think for a true daily street car, balance is needed for it to be fun.

In the case of a lot of fwd light cars, bolt ons or maybe a supercharger or something like that (simple) is all you need to really push the limits of the chassis. Like the ford fiesta st and focus st. Pretty fun *** cars, with bolt ons you really don't need more power.

But when you get into the sports car realm, the chassis is far more capable. To me a car that has a good handful more power than the chassis can handle is a ton of fun (if you know how to set it up so it won't automatically kill you).

The s2000 I think could use more power everywhere, but it's so light you can get away with bolt ons and really enjoy the car.

The 350z however is pretty heavy, and has a fairly wide/long wheel base. The steering rack I really like, and its set up for high speed driving really well. Not so much close tight windy roads, but still its a great chassis. 300hp is just not enough for the chassis. I think 400hp is a great number for the car in the real world (keep stock block, keep build simple and reliable, easy to fix, save tons of money). 500hp to me is that magic number that the car can just be a squirly little Sloot that's more than a handful in all the right places.

If you're like me, and you want the car to do a specific thing, you go for more. But its no longer a car that is street friendly, and that is part of the appeal. A car that will really scare you and blow your mind every time you drive it. I wanted a real visceral experience, and I wanted to own that experience.

That's not the sane, wise, nor easy thing to do. Looking back I totally bit off more than I could chew, but it has taught me a lot. I've met tons of people that are really cool. And this experience of truely BUILDING a car, is something I'll cherish for the rest of my life. Will I want to go through it again? Maybe, but not for a long while.

Heel Til I Die

iTrader: (2)

Didn't Clarkson own a Ford GT which makes somewhere around 550hp?

rcdash

iTrader: (18)

It is better if you stay away from FI. That perception that you've got that 230 whp is enough will save you a lot of money!!

Once you've been in a FI car, you will understand how the sensation of strong acceleration through the high gears is phenomenal. That is what the high torque buys you. There is a big jump from 230 whp to 400 whp and another big jump to 600+ whp. If the car is set up right there should be very little wheel spinning. High hp does not / should not mean the car is out of control.

StuLax18

iTrader: (4)

You need as much HP as possible so you can flex your e-peen!

monztr

Unless you plan to participate in some sort of motorsport any power beyond stock is useless. Most of the mods people do to their cars would place them in classes in most motorsports where they would be wildly outclassed by purpose built to the letter of the rule cars.

Also you might as well drive a camry it'll get you to work just as quickly (assuming you abide by all traffic laws) and as comfortable on the street and get better fuel economy than the Z. Therefore there is never any reason to own any sports car. Now How many sports cars does clarkson own?

turboed350z

Hmmm, last time i tried to pass a car in the freeway in a prius took me 5 min 45 seconds.

Do we need power? No. But we dont need a car either. So in life, this is just a bunch of wants. Not needs.

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

I love outrunning turbo'd cars on the racetrack.

Zmandriving

THIS!

Z33Garage

iTrader: (3)

Personally knowing when "enough is enough" and when the line into " I just want more for the hell of it" is crossed will help most people not just with cars but with all aspects of life. There is a mentality that everything must be pushed to the absolute end of the line in order for it to be worth it.

This is why currently my Z is lightly modded and I am gathering funds for a basic vortech install and support mods. It will get me above the 320hp range and not make my Z go boom without heavy engine rebuilding.

"Just because we can, doesn't mean we should"