How much is enough?

[MrCellotape]

As the saying goes.... Horse power sells cars, torque wins races.

I see one or two discussions on the site where people are mapping/wish the manufacturers to add more power to the vehicles.

So for road use, given the available limits of traction, congestion, road traffic laws..... How much is enough?

My two pence is that anything exceeding 240bhp/300lb/ft is crazy as you'll hit 70mph way to quickly and be way above that by the time you reach the first corner.

[BossFox]

Anything over 400bhp/tonne is a bit mad.

That's enough to scare you a bit.

You don't have to use all of it all the time.

[Stu08]

If you have a well mapped car (with linear throttle mapping); it's up to the driver how far they push the go pedal. You can have 700 BHP and 1000 LB-FT of torque without being crazy on public roads.

[Richf]

You can never have enough , if you get a car that can hit 60 in 5 seconds , most people will want it to do 4.9 and so on , humans are very good as easily becoming accustomed to speed and power, thats how drag racers cope.

 

Of course it is becoming harder and harder to exploit a powerful car on UK roads, modern cars are so very capable

[Ootohere]

Horses for courses really in the UK is it not,

Driver & Passenger or more passengers and luggage.

Seasons & Location Location Location & maybe keeping your licence.  

Being able to stay safely in your own lane or side of the road is a good idea, and keep traction for go & also to slow.

 

Edited 29 March, 2015 by goneoffSKi

[Chris GB]

Enough power is when you can spin the wheels up in top, in the dry. On a more serious note though, 200bhp per ton is the entry point for entertainment, IMO, but no matter how much you have, you just get used to it. The more power you add, the more tempting it is to add wider wheels and rubber, bigger brakes, forcing unsprung mass up. So the car gets heavier and less agile. Key is to resist the temptation to do this and keep the traction limit within reach. Acceleration is so much more entertaining when you face the prospect of it snapping sideways at speed.

[Aspman]

I've never driven or ridden anything and thought "this has too much power".

 

It's only as fast as your right foot/wrist, as as said you get used to whatever you have.

 

A few months with the VRS and 200hp felt adequate but 300 would have been better.

[Updown789]

Even a 60hp ibiza can have its moments of fun, light, small tyres, no electronic aids. Driving a slow car on the limit could be just as entertaining as a faster car IMHO

[lol-lol]

Too much for this guy.........

 

Ring, yesterday,  sad end.

 

https://youtu.be/GXHUxCmdkYY

[Laurie61]

I would put the figure quite low, maybe 150-160 bhp/ton with a similar Torque/ton. This is still enough to make progress on UK roads and there is some sport in being able to make the most of what you have. I would want 6 well chosen gears and 4x4 to go with it. :sun:   

[lol-lol]

On motorcycles we now have more than 1hp per kilogram (just vehicle).

[Bcc212]

I'd say 300+ is enough to get you into too much trouble with speeding fines and ditches.

[MrCellotape]

Some interesting comments and funny to see the magic number has changed from 100bhp per tonne.

[mccarf]

Even a 60hp ibiza can have its moments of fun, light, small tyres, no electronic aids. Driving a slow car on the limit could be just as entertaining as a faster car IMHO

This^. Personally I think my octavia is a little boring on the road (never tracked it) because it builds up speed to easily. In my old 1.3 fiesta, overtaking anyone on a country road for example was fun and a little challenging at times! I found my old 1.6 focus the best comprimise between power/fun.

[BossFox]

Some interesting comments and funny to see the magic number has changed from 100bhp per tonne.

 

My Yeti came stock with more than 100bhp/tonne...  and that class of car is hardly a performance vehicle.

[Chris GB]

100bhp per ton is OK if you have very limited grip and braking, but as car capability has grown, so does the need for more power to approach the higher limits.

The way I see it is that as a driver, when pushing on, I would expect to come close to the limits of braking and cornering adhesion, so why not have enough power available that it takes serious thought and planning to use it?