"How much power is enough"...take #2

[BADSN8K]

So what I see here is dudes in Cobras driving around looking for super bikes... Dudes with more money than common sense... dudes with a pecker syndrome....

I once met a guy who had a cigarette boat... it was in the shop every other month.. I was back at the shop to buy some oil... I asked the mechanic, why is that boat back? his response was because there is a boat out there in the area that is running 132mph....

500 600 or 700hp you cannot lay into the throttle and run the gears with your foot down... this is unusable power!!

but if floats your boat...... no pun intended

[Buzz]

There's as many answers to this question as there are people on this site. What's not enough for Peter may be way too much for Paul. With no standard thresholds of skill, bravery, ability, reflexes, stupidity, testosterone or taste, it's sheer madness to expect a correct answer or any sort of consensus. Imposing your standard or threshold on someone else and expecting them to accept it is even crazier. At best, we can share our own individual takes on the issue and enjoy hearing the varying perspectives of others.

Me personally, I've owned and driven a few abnormally powerful cars - way more than is required for even spirited driving on the street, and I have never ever felt like saying "this is enough". I hear people saying that they don't like 400 - 500+ HP cars because they feel they can rarely or never experience the full potential in daily driving. If I believed that I need to be able to floor a car in every gear for me to enjoy driving it on the street, then I'd find my thrill in any number of conveyances of basic transportation.

I love being able to tap into awesome, tire shredding power once in a brief while, and feeling the JATO rush in otherwise routine acceleration and passing manoeuvres without necessarily breaking into triple digit speeds. I also love having the power to shoot up into those triple digits quickly and back to normal again when it's safe to do so without excessive risk to (my and others') life, limb and property.

At the same time I fully understand some peoples' love for stirring the gears and running up the revs while flogging the hell out of lower powered, sporting little cars (MG's, Sprites, etc) that barely manage in all their revving and and fury to get out of their own way. I appreciate the automotive enthusiasm, but it's just not my cup of tea, that's all.

[itstock]

Originally Posted by BADSN8K

So what I see here is dudes in Cobras driving around looking for super bikes... Dudes with more money than common sense... dudes with a pecker syndrome....

I once met a guy who had a cigarette boat... it was in the shop every other month.. I was back at the shop to buy some oil... I asked the mechanic, why is that boat back? his response was because there is a boat out there in the area that is running 132mph....

500 600 or 700hp you cannot lay into the throttle and run the gears with your foot down... this is unusable power!!

but if floats your boat...... no pun intended

Pot meet kettle?

Your comments are laughable considering the car you chose.

[BADSN8K]

No pot no Kettle....

I could have added the Super Charger and been at 700+ hp

I CHOSE not to....

As a result I have a Measly 425HP at the real wheels....

and the reality is.... I still cannot Lay into the throttle in all gears..... so my point for 500 600 and 700 is well stated...

perhaps you have a leak in your trunk flowing into your cockpit....

[twin turbo]

Originally Posted by BADSN8K

As a result I have a Measly 425HP at the real wheels....

and the reality is.... I still cannot Lay into the throttle in all gears..... so my point for 500 600 and 700 is well stated...

I don't mean to criticize, but just because you can't use 425 rwhp, doesn't make it true for others, it's all in the set up.

[Dominik]

390hp in a 428 is enough, especially cruising in the mountains where Lynn lives.
I had 680hp in a 2.000lbs Cobra. My next one will have 400hp in a 390 FE. Yes, I am getting old...

[xb-60]

Originally Posted by Dominik

390hp in a 428 is enough, especially cruising in the mountains where Lynn lives.
I had 680hp in a 2.000lbs Cobra. My next one will have 400hp in a 390 FE. Yes, I am getting old...

No I don't think like that....it's maturity. Bragging rights are just that, no more. 400hp...and a mountain of torque, just like the original 427 and 428 Cobras. Hard to beat those original big blocks (unless it's a revvy small block!)

Cheers,
Glen

[Buzz]

I would shy away from branding someone else as immature or given to "bragging" just because their interpretation of the ultimate expression of this hobby differs from yours or mine.
Some folks think the quintessential tribute to the Cobra is replicating a leaf-sprung 289 works racer to exacting detail because after all - that's the car "that won it all" back in the day.
Others believe in building the lightest, fastest, most overpowered big block car - because hey - that's what the 427 Cobra represented and that's what inspired the Cobra mystique and the whole replica industry.
Some are into straight line drags and others like to carve tight corners in an autocross. Different approaches and set ups for each as well as everything in between. No right or wrong, just different tastes and choices. Personally, I enjoy seeing and hearing about all of them.

[Snake2998]

My first motor was a nearly standard 350 Chevy with self ported original fitment small valve heads and mild street cam giving maybe 250 Hp at the wheels with a 3.08 open diff that ran 13.5 quarters. It was sufficient power for 20 years.

The new motor is a 383 with lots in it and will most probably have 50% more at the wheels - hopefully it will be sufficient power for another 20 years (by then I will be 85 years old) and I guess in 20 years time I will be looking for a BB with another 50% at the wheels.

I guess what I am saying is any power you are happy with is sufficient until you get used to it - then you will want more. Also that the time it takes to want more depends on the individual and their wallet.

[BADSN8K]

Originally Posted by twin turbo

I don't mean to criticize, but just because you can't use 425 rwhp, doesn't make it true for others, it's all in the set up.

Here are your own words!!!! from your video!!!!! BTW nice run tho!

"Tried out some new 2.73 rearend gears on a slippery track at the Medford cruise-in. I had to throttle in and out of it several times each pass but had a lot of fun"


YOU ARE ON A DRAG STRIP and you you have to throttle in and out.... either your reaction time is SO BAD or your wheels broke...... and with gearing that NO ONE is running in these cars.....

SO I still stand by my statement....... thus why these cars are one of the MOST DANGEROUS cars in the world!

[twin turbo]

Originally Posted by BADSN8K

Here are your own words!!!! from your video!!!!! BTW nice run tho!

"Tried out some new 2.73 rearend gears on a slippery track at the Medford cruise-in. I had to throttle in and out of it several times each pass but had a lot of fun"


YOU ARE ON A DRAG STRIP and you you have to throttle in and out.... either your reaction time is SO BAD or your wheels broke...... and with gearing that NO ONE is running in these cars.....

SO I still stand by my statement....... thus why these cars are one of the MOST DANGEROUS cars in the world!

Just to clarify, that was a non-prepped track worse than most streets I drive on (I'm not joking), and close to 200 more rwhp than what you are running. Other Cobras that were there had trouble hooking 300 rwhp because the conditions were so poor.

I have found 550-600 rwhp to be the sweet spot for street driving and traction in my car depending upon road conditions and air temp. Fortunately, I can just turn a dial to adjust my power accordingly. Cheers.

[itstock]

Originally Posted by twin turbo

Just to clarify, that was a non-prepped track worse than most streets I drive on (I'm not joking), and close to 200 more rwhp than what you are running. Other Cobras that were there had trouble hooking 300 rwhp because the conditions were so poor.

I have found 550-600 rwhp to be the sweet spot for street driving and traction in my car depending upon road conditions and air temp. Fortunately, I can just turn a dial to adjust my power accordingly. Cheers.

You can pedal it, let off early, have fun, and still run a couple seconds quicker than the guy who thinks you have too much power. His loss.

[xb-60]

Originally Posted by Dominik

.....Yes, I am getting old...

Originally Posted by xb-60

No I don't think like that....it's maturity....

Originally Posted by Buzz

I would shy away from branding someone else as immature .......

Buzz, I prefer to refer to myself as "mature", rather than "getting old"

Not sure where "immature" came into it

Cheers!
Glen

[jhv48]

Back to the original subject.

My first Cobra had a nice warmed over 302 putting out about 375 hp. I could mash the throttle anytime and get immediate traction with nothing scary happening.

But it wasn't enough! Upgraded to 438 cubes putting out about 550 horsepower and now I have to limit my enthusiasm because if I go too far with the go pedal, all kinds of scary things can happen. Definitely taught me to drive by feel rather than just floor it and go.

[RET_COP]

Flooring it and go with nothing scary happening !?
Isn't that like having traction control in a vette

[FritoBandito]

There is an aesthetic to horsepower completely independent of the work it can perform. A large displacement engine with a big cam throbs and barks moving a ton of air. The vibration resonates through you and everything around you. You can feel the potential of a barely tethered beast and that in itself is a hoot.

Going stupid fast is fun too.

Mario

[joyridin']

When I can downshift at 60mph, hit the gas, and the car goes sideways, that is my idea of having enough power.

Everybody's thought process is different. Whether anybody can use it or not is a totally different issue.

[itstock]

Originally Posted by joyridin'

When I can downshift at 60mph, hit the gas, and the car goes sideways, that is my idea of having enough power.

Everybody's thought process is different. Whether anybody can use it or not is a totally different issue.

That just means you need better tires.

[joyridin']

Originally Posted by itstock

That just means you need better tires.

I would be happy to bolt my tires on your car and you can try to impress me with this feat.

[itstock]

I'm in, and it won't even be much of a challenge without even knowing what tires you have.