how much power is too much power?

[hansj3]

I know it varies, but how much is too much?
my friend has a Hyundai Tiburon that he just has the need to modify. the community says to start with intake, headers, and exhaust and he's following that but he also seems to have grandiose thoughts of rebuilding the engine for a boatload of boost.
My thought is to shoot for an attainable power level, and enjoy what you have done instead of shooting for the moon. My thought is cars that are too light with too much power are not as much fun as a moderately modded car. Its going to be a daily driver.
(I've asked why and he just seems to have to do it)
The car is kinda like a civic, how much power is too much in one of those? And why

 

[surfstar]

I learned that 99% of driving doesn't require WOT.

It also wastes $, time, fuel, etc.

I've evolved to where my cars are appliances and try to maximize their economy. Driving isn't "fun", as the places I drive to get to, are where I have fun (beach, mountains, etc). The cheaper my vehicles are to operate, the more $ I save and can travel to where I want to go.

Oh, wait, you want a [censored]-can addled youth answer: The louder the faster!!!
VTEK YO!


Seriously, that cash he's using to 'mod' an older car - should be put into a Roth IRA and invest for his future. Or you can spend hundreds on I/H/E and gain 10hp

 

[d00df00d]

"Too much" means you can't use it all, and/or the car breaks too much, and/or it needs too much time/effort/money to keep running.

For a street car, that's an awfully low bar -- lower than I think 90% of people realize.

For the track, yes, numbers rule. On the street, the whole point of speed is fun, and high horsepower leaves you with a catch-22: either the car doesn't have the grip or the handling to use it, in which case it's pointless; or, it DOES have those things, and it's utterly boring at normal speeds.

I have no problem with horsepower, but I hate the horsepower race. I think it's legitimately ruining cars.

 

[BobsArmory]

I prefer to buy a stock, unmodified car that has the performance level that you want to begin with. Modded cars take a huge hit in resale value and reliability.

 

[fdcg27]

+1
You can rarely use all of the power that even a moderately strong street car has.
Yeah, you can find the space to really open her up now and then, but mostly not.
A driver might get more enjoyment out of better tires and some suspension work, although this doesn't seem as popular as the search for power.

 

[hansj3]

There is a proper turbo kit with a thicker head gasket. At least he is going for a well designed setup. Realistically I told him to shoot for 50-60 HP all said and done. A 190-200 HP tiburon have been known to be entertaining

 

[Lapham3]

We've come a long ways with our tech and get get good HP and reliability and mileage doesn't really have to suffer much now. Heck, we've got 300hp AWD SUV stuff with 6 speed autos that give 30 MPG on the Interstate.

 

[DBMaster]

Intake and exhaust modifications don't help much, unless the increased noise makes you THINK the car is more powerful. To use the "increased" airflow coming in and the increased exhaust flow your engine would also need to increase its flow of gases. So, without cam, valve timing, and fuel injection modifications there's not going to be much benefit.

I am not saying you get nothing. You just don't get much more than placebo effect.

 

[BubbaFL]

Hyundai??

This is like the guys who spend $$$ making riding lawnmowers go fast.

Best advice in this thread is to stuff that money in an IRA and leave it alone for 20 or 30 years.

If he insists on having fun now, tell him to lose the ricemobile and buy a C4 Corvette.

 

[SilverC6]

560 tractable, reliable horsepower is exhilarating.

I would recommend that amount assuming the remainder of the vehicle is balanced to use that power.

Balance is the key.

The little rotary engine in my son's Mazda RX8 doesn't make a lot of power.

However, mounted in Mazda's incredibly pointable and capable chassis, the little car is a blast to drive quickly, especially from 6000 rpm to its 9000 rpm redline.

 

[Trav]

Its all relative, small car doesn't need a lot of HP to be really quick, the heavier the car the more is needed to provide the same performance.
A GSXR 1300 engine in a smart car is more than a little entertaining.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Power to weight ratio of less than 5 lbs/HP

 

[sciphi]

Which engine is in it?

If his Tib has the 2.7 V6, slap a blower on it along with an exhaust and call it done. That's a solid 40-50 hp bump which has had the kinks worked out of it. Plus folks are likely getting out of the scene, so he can pick one up for cheap if he's lucky.

Based on the replies, I'm betting it's the 2.0 I4. That engine will withstand silly amounts of boost left fairly stock. But running/supporting a turbo large enough to make any decent HP on that engine (138 hp in stock form, IIRC) will leave it a bit of a dog around town and off the line. A smaller snail that spools faster would be better for a daily driver, but for the cost he could likely sell the I4 Tib and just get a V6. Maybe even a supercharged V6 that somebody else has grown tired of...

But if he must, he must. I went through that phase myself, and can sympathize. I hope he at least gets some useful tools and knowledge that he can apply out of the experience.

 

[punisher]

I have driven vehicles ranging from 90HP to 735HP(gross) on the street. Nothing tuboed or blown, all NA, no traction control.

With a 3000lb car, RWD, 450HP is the sweet spot. If the chassis is built right, 500HP is doable/streetable. After that (the 600HP+ range) you better be careful as things get away from a driver really really quickly......in a bad way. You get to the point where you fry the tires almost at will if the engine is in its torque range. Coming out of corners, or driving on slightly wet pavement (especially with a locking diff) is something that can once again, go bad really really quickly.

FWD is a bit more forgiving from a safety standpoint. On a FWD street vehicle you will be going through so many powertrain parts the cost will keep performance in check as the HP creeps up.

 

[Nick1994]

My car has 100hp, plenty for me.

 

[T-Bone]

This reminds me of a great statement by Mark Donohue:

"If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower."

 

[02SE]

Originally Posted By: Trav
Its all relative, small car doesn't need a lot of HP to be really quick, the heavier the car the more is needed to provide the same performance.
A GSXR 1300 engine in a smart car is more than a little entertaining.



It's a lot more entertaining when the engine is making far more power than stock, and is still in the Motorcycle.

 

[JHZR2]

There's a few things...

Good gearing. This is why some folks dont like driving MTs in traffic. The right gearing in first and second especially (as well as OD) makes a big difference in driving experience.

Good low end torque. Relates to the gearing one a bit, as they together make the package that lets you dreep from a stop in second in traffic or accelerate like mad when desired.

Power/mass ratio. Of course too low can still feel good depending upon certain driving dynamics, and too high is not useable.

Id say that my 135i (300hp/300 lb-ft at idle) is a bit too much. Going WOT, Im in an illegal zone way too fast.

A car that does 0-60 in around 7-8 seconds is about right, IMO. The engine responds under stress but doesnt have excess power, so it works to get to an illegal speed, but still has enough overhead.

I always laugh when people NEED V-6 engines because they cant merge safely. Its just not sensible. Tractor trailers are far slower than cars and seem to do it...

 

[gathermewool]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2

Id say that my 135i (300hp/300 lb-ft at idle) is a bit too much.



Holy moly, 300HP/TQ AT IDLE!? How in the heck do you put that thing in gear!?

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: hansj3
how much is too much?

If some is good, more is better, and too much is just enough.