HP Comfort levels

stevbd

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I use my car on the street year round and on road courses during track days. In that context if I can't put down all the power in anything but a straight line at around 40 mph or so, that feels out of balance to me. For sure it feels stupid fun, and I respect the craziness of it, but day in day out it feels like too much. By that measure my oem stock 2011 GT with its 412 bhp felt like way too much power for the chassis. I've since done suspension, brakes, and tires, without touching the engine, and now to me it feels about right in terms of balance.

"It's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow." I like how you don't see that old saying much on a Mustang forum!
 

ghunt81

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I've never driven anything with more power than what my car has had at any level of modifications, even stock...so I'm pretty happy with whatever I'm making at this point in time. It's still fun to drive around town and scoots if you really step on it. I have to drive 2+ hours to the nearest drag strip so I can't really even race it.
 

Racer47

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"It's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow."

It's the most fun to drive a fast car, fast.

I used to race SCCA GT-1 and IMSA GTO. At the time the motors were roughly 650 hp (flywheel), 5 speed dog ring trans, 12" wide wheel. Those cars were fun and fast and it took balls to drive them at the limit. Current GT-1, Tran-Am cars use Nascar engines at about 850 hp. Thats real racing.

My current street / track car is not far from that same 650 fwhp and I keep bumping it up. Of course, not one part of the suspension or brakes is stock anymore.

So whats comfortable, imho, depends on your experience and competence. I think there are way too many over powered cars in the hands of crappy drivers. But I'm not the hp police.

This is what real road race cars look like. Playing with production street cars is not even close to something like this.
https://www.racingjunk.com/GT/18308...=gt1&quickSearch=1&np_offset=9&from=search#22
 

Racer47

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They run the drivers side exhaust over to the pass side to reduce driver heat. Then the pass side has the extra loop to make the lengths the same. Then they merge into one outlet to reduce noise levels and still make max power.

If you can, go see a Trans-Am race. You'll be surprised by how fast they are.

Turn up the volume
850 hp, 8500 rpm, 200+mph, 6 speed sequential
Watch how smooth he feeds in the throttle (you can see the linkage right in the center of the screen). Watch the quick throttle blips for downshifts. Smooth on the wheel, smooth on the brakes, this is a real lesson in driving a high hp car.
 
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Norm Peterson

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Watch how smooth he feeds in the throttle (you can see the linkage right in the center of the screen). Watch the quick throttle blips for downshifts. Smooth on the wheel, smooth on the brakes, this is a real lesson in driving a high hp car.
IOW, racing a really big-HP car in the dry might have more in common with driving a lightly modified daily-driven Mustang in the wet than driving that same daily in the dry.


Norm
 

Racer47

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2+g's, killer brakes, 850 hp and 2600 lbs is not at all like driving a street car. You have no idea what that level of force on your body feels like while racing in a car. Maybe on a roller coaster. But sure, driving smoothly is important to run at the limit of traction.
 

Norm Peterson

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But sure, driving smoothly is important to run at the limit of traction.
That is exactly what I was getting at. It's the easiest - perhaps the only - comparison that most of us can make (including me). Although making even that comparison is with the understanding that many or possibly most HPDE'ers avoid driving HPDE sessions in the rain.


Norm
 

Juice

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Avoid driving in the rain? Not a chance. Drive every possible minute on track. I almost like the rain. lol
 

Norm Peterson

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Just have to be observant and a bit more careful about those around you. This Corvette guy had been a little twitchy a number of times earlier in the session.



Norm
 
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stkjock

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what was the worse mistake?
 

JJ427R

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If you can, go see a Trans-Am race. You'll be surprised by how fast they are.
I agree Trans Am series is one of my favorite to watch. Glad they are back at BIR this year (if series resumes by then). If possible I'm going to the race this year. One of my instructors from BIR runs in the Trans Am series, one of the biggest things they emphasize in driving on track is being smooth. I like to think I've learned quite a lot with the ride a long's with those guys.

Avoid driving in the rain? Not a chance. Drive every possible minute on track. I almost like the rain. lol
I don't like the wet as much but I don't avoid it. I go out wet or dry as well. I'm not wasting any track time.
 

Juice

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You do enough track days, something will happen.
I have spun, blew a wheel bearing, blown engine, cought fire. Not bad considering the cars I have seen get wadded up.
 

tjm73

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It's at the back where SBC has always had them?
 

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