How much is too-much?

[lloyd3]

Got several rides in my brother's Shelby GT-500 over the weekend on a short visit to New Hampshire. It's a circa 2014 car with a stick (6-speed) and factory rated at 662 brake horsepower.  I was mentally prepared for serious acceleration, but really had no concept of what 650+ horses really means on the street.  Even with new "performance" tires and lots of technology employed to make it "more controllable" (traction control, rev-limiters, boost control, etc.) it still was arguably uncontrollable in full-acceleration mode. You simply can't stomp on the pedal and stay in control of this car, even on dry pavement, in 4th gear, and at 75 miles-per-hour. Maybe a heavier platform (heavier than a Mustang!) would help this, but I'm not entirely sure how.  I've had 400+ horses under my foot before many times (maybe even 450?), but I've never felt so completely out of control on a hard launch before, nothing like this.  I assume that the 707-horse Wildcat R/T Challenger has similar problems. Not hard for me to figure out how so-many get squashed by their "new" owners. My brother and I have been horsepower-junkies since we were kids in the 70s. The fact that we're both still here is some testament to our presumptive skill-sets (judgment, luck...both?) with musclecars and has to mean something. But not, it seems, with this car.  So....how much is too-much? Five hundred horses?

[DAY CLONA]

There's never enough Horsepower, just a lack of performance drivers to go along with it

[myk]

It's up to the driver.   The 225 gross horsepower in my Mustang is too much for me.  The 300 horsepower in my Trans Am could kill me.  Even if I had the money I would never buy into a car that had more than 400 horsepower, like your brother's Shelby or a Hellcat; I don't have the skills or the balls to handle it.  The problem is that most drivers fancy themselves as much better drivers than they truly are.  A wise man once said, every good man has to know his limitations.  I know what mine are...

[1974dodgecharger]

all points taken and what Myk saids....in the end of the day, 'you don't have to use all that HP If you don't want too' When I had my 871 blower running 10lbs of boost and it lived for 1800 miles (200 miles with 3lbs of boost) I used it all of it full acceleration when I could, but I knew my tires were spinning like crazy because well they were bald.  I got used it it and knew my limiations of a driver such as would I ever peg it in first gear from a stop light, NO I wouldnt because it was be pretty violent on the street doing that with no traction control would I do it at the track sure I would.  That was my limitation starting 1st gear.....I did it a couple times and well it was uncontrollable and you pucker up.

So end of the day when its ever too much, NEVER!!!!!   

[crj1968]

It's up to the driver.   The 225 gross horsepower in my Mustang is too much for me.  The 300 horsepower in my Trans Am could kill me.  Even if I had the money I would never buy into a car that had more than 400 horsepower, like your brother's Shelby or a Hellcat; I don't have the skills or the balls to handle it.  The problem is that most drivers fancy themselves as much better drivers than they truly are.  A wise man once said, every good man has to know his limitations.  I know what mine are...

Agree- I know my limitations, and I've been in a high speed roll-over in a 340 Demon (not driving) and wiped out on my 600 Katana back int he day going 100+. So there's a healthy fear factor in me now. I still ride a motorcycle and drive (semi-fast) cars. I just don't get stupid about it.

As to the OP's point. I drove over to a friends house in my Charger one day and there was a guy there with a Nickey Camaro. Roll cage, 750 HP, all modded out to take to some road rallye thing. We got to talking and he took me for a ride in it.

It was like nothing I had experienced before...the power and the wheel-spin and the guy somehow keeping it on the road while I held on for dear life. Literally expecting to be upside-down in a corn field at any second.

However, thankfully, he was really a damn good driver. I know now I would never get in a car like that with some show off who doesn't know what he's doing.

Is there such thing as too much horsepower? it's an individual thing...some (few) people can handle it.  Check out the Kawasaki HR2 for some serious power to weight action.   

[ws23rt]

I suppose that "too much" is when one gives up or loses control.

In the world of drag racing (for example) too much can be a problem like anywhere else. It can break things.

I bought a Z1 900 motorcycle new in 73 and recall thinking at the time--about those that might get in trouble with this much power. --(This was only 82HP).

A friend bought one not long after I got mine and came to me disappointed about the power I had raved about.  He said it seemed ordinary.  I asked him -what is the Highest RPM you have met.  He said 4-5K.  I said you need to feel 10K RPM.
A few days later he came back to me and said (something like) his bike scared him.  He sold it soon after that.

My point here is that "too much" is the extra that we seldom (if ever) use.  Having the extra is a part of a car/whatever that goes along with style and color.---It's the whole deal.

I have a Hellcat Challenger and have felt (so far) only 585hp of what it can make.  (That was at about 160mph and pulling). I like knowing more is left.
One will never see or feel these high hp numbers without pushing against a resistance such as air at speed or high traction tires.
BTW mine makes 45HP at 80mph.

I personally don't see the point of full throttle at low speeds in my car when all it will do is smoke the tires and or toss me into a ditch.-(And that is at much less than 707HP)

[Mike DC]

   
BTW - 662 horses in a Mustang body should be a better power-to-weight ratio than any of the Hellcats.

[ws23rt]

 
BTW - 662 horses in a Mustang body should be a better power-to-weight ratio than any of the Hellcats.

 More is better but I bought the Dodge body style not a ratio.

If one or a few hundred HP were added to these cars it would just be more extra to not be felt in the real world.

[Mike DC]

  
It's not the Hellcats' horsepower that needs work.  


Guess which one is heavier:

[myk]

My ex wife....

[crj1968]

My ex wife....

Lol....nice

[myk]

My ex wife....

Lol....nice

I asked God for a fire breathing elephant in a Daytona but I got her instead.  Go figure...

[crj1968]

 

Fire breathing elephant....  next time don't use slang when asking.