Realistic horsepower for the street

[Nantucket427]

Is just about right for our cars to drive on the street, much more and you will be sh...ing yourself evertime you WOT. Traction is the problem and knowing how to use it. I recommend a High Performance driving school for everyone.

I don't like seeing a wrecked one.

Hill Street Blues quote; "People be carefull out there."

[D-CEL]

"You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough."

William Blake

So first i need to find the "too much"

[392cobra]

Too Much Ain't Enough

J F Bucy

[tcrist]

250HP is to much if you do not know how to handle it. Build what is correct for the seat of your pants. It depends on your own "pucker factor". Ride around with your Cobra friends that have different HP and see what feels good to you.

Have fun, Terry

[fkemmerer]

Just some thoughts on how much HP for the street is enough. I think the real question is how "streetable" is the power? I've think its possible to have an engine that produces 400 HP via high RPM torque that is not very much fun to drive anywhere other than a rece track. Its also possible to build a big engine or use a supercharger) to achieve a very flat torque curve that comes in at reasonable RPM (say 2,500 - 3,000) that makes 600HP or more and it will be a great street machine. Its true that it can be difficult to get a light car like a cobra to really hook up with a combination like this but with the right choice in tires and the selection of a gear ratio on the taller side, these combination can work quite well.

I am currently running a 482 ci stoked side oiler in my cobra and I find this combination to be very streetable. The engine was dyno'ed at 650 hp and 625 ft-lbs of torque. I am also running a blown and injected SBC in my vette. It made about 625 HP and 600 ft-lbs on the dyno. Both of these cars make their torque down low and have fairly flat torque curves. Both cars have rear end ratios on the taller side (the Vette has 3.31 gears, the cobra has 3.54 gears).

I will say that both of these cars need an extra measure of respect to be driven safely on the street but neither was overly difficult to master.

- Fred