Confession, of sorts

All my vehicles have been 2.0L I4's w/5spd.

55hp in teh geo (getting 42mpg on a regular basis) 110hp in 4wd camry.

billy3esq wrote: With the exception of a brief fling with an E36 M3, my wife's Mazda 6 wagon is the fastest (in a straight line) and most powerful car I've ever owned. I honestly believe that anything much over 200hp in a street car is a waste. All 3 of my current vehicles ('96 Miata, Focus SVT, and 3 litre Ranger) are sub-200hp.

I'll go a step further... I think for about 98% of the vehicles out there, anything more than 150 hp is probably a waste.

My Alfa was 130hp stock. I'd like to think it has 160 horses now. But probably closer to 150.

My Fiat has a factory quoted output of just 23hp. Can anyone go lower than 23?

Lowest HP, 72 Fiat 850 Spyder Highest HP, 90 Eagle Talon TSi AWD (not stock, 420 horse on pump gas sick ass daily driver)

My Mustang (1992) had about 240 HP when I was done with making it breathe better. It was fast enough to keep me happy and in all the years I owned it, and I never got a ticket.

Oddly enough, with each car I buy, I drop HP like it's a bad habit. 240 in the Mustang to 170 in the Z3 to 130 or whatever the Miata has.

I rode in a 650 HP 300ZX yesterday that was just nuts. The driver rolled into the throttle in second gear and the tires just burst into smoke. I want one.

Tim Baxter wrote:

billy3esq wrote: With the exception of a brief fling with an E36 M3, my wife's Mazda 6 wagon is the fastest (in a straight line) and most powerful car I've ever owned. I honestly believe that anything much over 200hp in a street car is a waste. All 3 of my current vehicles ('96 Miata, Focus SVT, and 3 litre Ranger) are sub-200hp.

I'll go a step further... I think for about 98% of the vehicles out there, anything more than 150 hp is probably a waste.

I disagree. I'd put that number at about half, not 98%. I've owned a street car with a mere 28 hp, and I've owned a few over 500 hp. My current daily has almost 300 hp, and anything less would feel way too weak (BMW 740iL). I lived with my 330 RWHP RX7 on the street for a number of years, and it always felt about perfect in it's 2700 lbs.

Lowest hp: My old Geo Metro at around 55hp.

Highest hp: My current daily driver SRT4 with at least 350-375whp. I haven't had it on a dyno since the slew of upgrades I have put on it recently, but that's a solid estimate.

Highest hp I've ever driven: Benz SL55 AMG

My next car must have at least 300 hp or or a power to weight ratio of at least 10 pounds per HP (10:1).

I'm tired of always going slow.

Click and Clack once suggested a 6% hp/weight ratio for street cars. Although they are hardly spirited drivers, I think that actually makes decent sense for a street car.

I believe the 3rd gen MR2 and the Mini Cooper S both come right in at the 6% mark.

For a 3500lbs car (I figure that's average for a sedan now), 6% would be 210hp.

Now that I'm not using the M for track duty, I kinda feel like 240hp is overkill, since I pretty much never tap it.

Salanis wrote: Click and Clack once suggested a 6% hp/weight ratio for street cars. Although they are hardly spirited drivers, I think that actually makes decent sense for a street car. ... Now that I'm not using the M for track duty, I kinda feel like 240hp is overkill, since I pretty much never tap it.

Seems pretty reasonable. My Miata comes in just under 6%, while the SVT Focus and my wife's 6 are just over.

Interestingly, my E36 M3 (i.e., my 1998 model M3) is what convinced me of my rough 200hp rule.

Hmm. my V8 RX7 was 12%, and my 740iL is about 7 percent. But it could stand to have an other hundred hp and be fun and still be a good daily driver, so...

billy3esq wrote: Interestingly, my E36 M3 is what convinced me of my rough 200hp rule.

took me a couple of reads to figure out how your poop convinced you of your 200hp rule

The most powerful vehicle I've ever owned is the AE92, which would have put out 95hp on a good day when it was brand new.

Strizzo wrote:

billy3esq wrote: Interestingly, my E36 M3 is what convinced me of my rough 200hp rule.

took me a couple of reads to figure out how your poop convinced you of your 200hp rule

I edited it to make it clear that I was talking about a BMW and not a BM.

Strizzo wrote:

billy3esq wrote: Interestingly, my E36 M3 is what convinced me of my rough 200hp rule.

took me a couple of reads to figure out how your poop convinced you of your 200hp rule

that would all depend on what he ate the day before, non?

I've never owned a v8 or an engine over 150 horse.

ignorant wrote: I've never owned a v8 or an engine over 150 horse.

Which makes me take your-"we need to consume less" comments in other threads more seriously. No sarcasm intended-I respect the fact that you aren't an obvious hypocrite.

That said-man you are missing some fun cars!

Wait-youre a diesel guy right? Your 150hp could mean 400ft/lbs of torque. So maybe you arent missing out as much as I thought!

My wife's Focus wagon 140 I think? My beetle (1970) maybe 70ish there are still a couple of bolt-on I would like to thoe. BTW the beetle is still alot more fun to drive than the Focus..