Too much power ???????

Author
Discussion

ojoman

61 posts

100 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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xRIEx said:
Wife/girlfriend, family and friends, if your personality on here is anything to go by.
laugh


Poopipe

619 posts

143 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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jamieduff1981 said:
Poopipe said:
It's only in stop start traffic where I've found having something quick (Ie capable of sub 5 second 0-60) to be a real issue, cars like that tend to have a bit of a hair trigger so you're either crawling along at idle or doing 30mph because you breathed on the throttle. I find it can be a bit stressful as you have to leave bigger gaps and watch extra carefully for surprise stop from the car in front.
Out of interest, what sort of cars are you talking about here? None of the quickish cars I've driven have done this.
I should qualify that this is 10mph, stop every 15seconds type town traffic rather than mooching through town at 25mph and stopping for junctions every so often.


The worst was an impreza with 320bhp and the short ratio box. My megane (300ish) is a bit of a chore too.

Its simply that having a significant amount of low down torque combined with a slightly aggressive clutch,stupid throttle mapping(Renault, I'm looking at you) and/or very short gearing means you tend to take off more urgently than the cars in front.

I'm not saying it's an instant launch into the back of the car in front as soon as you have 300horsepower to play with but if I'm in my 50hp corsa it's much easier to crawl through town traffic because everything happens much more gently.


blade7

11,311 posts

215 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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I had an X Pack Escort RS2000 and a 3dr Sierra RS Cosworth at the same time, the Escort had half the power of the Sierra but was more fun to drive most of the time. Wish I still had them.

heebeegeetee

28,598 posts

247 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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R8VXF said:
t doesn't happen wink xx

What on the road these days can realistically keep up with me?
Blimey, given the traffic these days pretty much everything, I'd have thought.

Imo on clear roads it's pretty much down to the driver once you're over 200 brake. It's all down to the levels of risk that a driver is prepared to take, or knowledge of the road etc.

Personally I wouldn't bother spending much money to get much more than 300 bhp in a road car 'cos there isn't a fat lot you can do with it. "Annihilating the opposition", whatever that means, has little interest. (Once you're over 12 years old, I imagine smile )

V8RX7

26,766 posts

262 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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blade7 said:
I had an X Pack Escort RS2000 and a 3dr Sierra RS Cosworth at the same time, the Escort had half the power of the Sierra but was more fun to drive most of the time. Wish I still had them.
Add to the fact that the "supercar beater" sierra only had circa 200bhp at the time...

The current situation is ridiculous - more grip and more power combined with lower limits that are more rigorously enforced with harsher penalties.

banghead

When I were a lad...

hairyben

8,516 posts

182 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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I'd like to see some of you talking about the joy/challenge of managing an underpowered car being given a laden 1.7 combovan with about 40hp for it's 1.7 tons, a long ratio gearbox completely ill suited and finished off with michelin ditchfinder energy's as what I drove for several years for the wretched electric board.

Following a tractor at 20 or so for miles along twisting A roads because the thing was so pathetically/dangerously slow to accelerate that overtaking was out of the question... Roads I knew weren't so bad if you knew there was an opportunity coming up, you'd have to drop back to give space to accelerate and execute the whole manuveur with precision timing, to be in exactly the right place at the right time as the road straightened briefly- probably not unlike close racing in a way but just soul crushingly pathetic.

trust me you will never want to drive anything underpowered again. Even now I'm so emotionally scarred by it I went silly and my current van is a vito 120 (200bhp V6 merc)

WinstonWolf

72,857 posts

238 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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swerni said:
WinstonWolf said:
swerni said:
R8VXF said:
Rawwr said:
Seriously?
Yes. What is going to leave me?
Me wink
Me on my bicycle if it's in traffic...
With your knees ?
I'd be airborne most of the time so they don't matter...

Baryonyx

17,990 posts

158 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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jayemm89 said:
I guess there's two questions here - does a car have too much power to be safely drivable... or is it just too fast for our draconian speed limits?

There are a few cars which are the former, but loads which are the latter. Bear in mind my 1.4 diesel peugeot 207 van can attain licence losing speeds... eventually.

The problem I have where I live is there are twisting country roads, and idiots doing 40 on them. When the roads are clear, a car could have any power and I'll have fun. Case in point I recently drove a 981 Boxster. Hardly overflowing with torque or power, but sounded great and I didn't care as it was great fun. However, minute you have to pass a plodding pensioner then suddenly having 500 lb-ft of torque becomes quite useful!
If you can't pass a pensioner with ease in a Boxster (even the oldest, slowest of Boxsters) the issue is with your technique and not the car. They're more than quick enough unless you're chasing a superbike.

There is definitely a sweet spot for power in cars and bikes. I tend to find bikes better for being able to stretch their legs, better for overtaking and having fun. My Triumph Daytona has 130bhp, so it's about 70bhp shy of the current iterations of the litre bikes it was sold against back in the mid 90's. It still usually feels, and objectively is, stupidly fast. As far as bikes go, it's probably just about right for me. You can clog it through a few gears and produce some wild numbers if you wish.

blade7

11,311 posts

215 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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V8RX7 said:
blade7 said:
I had an X Pack Escort RS2000 and a 3dr Sierra RS Cosworth at the same time, the Escort had half the power of the Sierra but was more fun to drive most of the time. Wish I still had them.
Add to the fact that the "supercar beater" sierra only had circa 200bhp at the time...
Not many "only had circa 200bhp"... and that Escort may not have had 110 bhp.

GetCarter

29,358 posts

278 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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Depends where you drive smile

anonymous-user

53 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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normalbloke said:
You can never have too much power, you can always choose not to use it.
Having more power just means people run out of talent sooner.

rsrob1

41 posts

119 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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Must say that spending most of my time driving an L200 pick up in which over takes are a scary prospect I am all for plenty of power! My current car is a 400 plus bhp Noble and I can't say I have ever felt I would like a bit less power its just superb fun.

R8VXF

6,788 posts

114 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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swerni said:
R8VXF said:
HustleRussell said:
I'm not sure it's a phase.

We've even got a couple of blowhards arguing over who could 'lose' who.
Chill out. Me and swerni are just having a bit of banter wink
A keyboard warrior with no sense of humour.
What every forum needs wink
Someone's got to do it!

e21Mark

16,205 posts

172 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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My E30 M3 only has 200'ish BHP, a shorter diff and a chunk of lightness added. It's a blast to drive and certainly doesn't need more power, although I wouldn't say no to another 40 or 50 brake. Either way, it's an absolute hoot to drive and certainly no less fun for it's lowly power output. Big power doesn't automatically equate to a fun drive.

HustleRussell

24,602 posts

159 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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Gear ratios do indeed have a lot to do with it. Most modern cars are geared for fuel economy these days which makes them feel a bit lethargic.

Huff

3,141 posts

190 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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Wilingness to find/hold lower gears long enough is the corollary. I do wonder about the number of posters who claim they 'need' big power simply because they haven't discovered/dont like actually exercising/ what a gearbox offers in conjunction with the full rev range.

Fun comes from making the most of what you have in the moment, not what you-talk-about-owning-for-the-benefit-of-others. 39bhp in a Mini is still a hoot - and an education.

Edited by Huff on Saturday 6th February 22:29

wormus

14,509 posts

202 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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R8VXF said:
Anyone in life who is not me is opposition.

On my drive I have a 1.2 petrol, a 2.0 diesel and a 6.2 s/c petrol. The most fun is had in the biggest engine, as I can have the same amount of fun as the less powerful alternatives and push it even further.
R8VXF said:
t doesn't happen wink xx

What on the road these days can realistically keep up with me?

R8VXF

6,788 posts

114 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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wormus said:
Can't be bothered to find the grumpy old git meme for you wink

wormus

14,509 posts

202 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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R8VXF said:
Can't be bothered to find the grumpy old git meme for you wink
How dare you, I'm not old and neither is my car. We are mature, smooth and cheaper to insure wink

macky17

2,210 posts

188 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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rsrob1 said:
Must say that spending most of my time driving an L200 pick up in which over takes are a scary prospect I am all for plenty of power! My current car is a 400 plus bhp Noble and I can't say I have ever felt I would like a bit less power its just superb fun.
Yep, 400+ bhp noble here too (both output and per tonne) and never feels over powered. The more control and precision you have, the easier it is to use. Once drove a mates old 250bhp fwd escort RS - now that was overpowered! Seemed to actively sniff out trees and lampposts.