About all this power... (vehicle, 2015, coupe, lane)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
NOTE: People are allowed to drive any car they want. I know this already.
With that said, I wanted to talk about cars and power. I drive small cars. I like them and they are inexpensive. By most accounts, some would call them "underpowered."
Now, when people here on CD speak about wanting a lot of power in their cars, they always list the same two reasons why. So they can enter the highway and so they can pass other cars on the highway.
Are people just exaggerating or do they not know that allegedly "underpowered" cars can do both of those things? After all, just take a look at...reality. There are all types of cars driving on the highway. They must have been able to enter and I have personal experience of being able to pass other vehicles on the highway in my "underpowered" car. Just this morning, I passed multiple trucks of all sizes (yes, 18 wheelers).
Are people just having a hard time admitting that they want all this "power" just so they can do enter/pass three seconds faster than the next guy? Or that having all this "power" is nothing more than a testosterone trip?
Of course, I'm excluding cases where people have to haul heavy objects or trailers. I'm talking about average folks whose average day includes dropping off little Jane/Johnny at school, commuting to work, and then picking up some Boston Market for dinner on the way home. You know, regular people.
If we had to explain why a lot of HP is great, you wouldn't understand anyway. It has nothing to do with merging in traffic, it is that rush you get as the car pushes you back in the seat.
Either you love that feeling, or you don't. Some of us can't get enough of it. To some, a car is simply a point a to point b vehicle. To others, like me, the fun is in the driving. Kinda like this:
Are people just having a hard time admitting that they want all this "power" just so they can do enter/pass three seconds faster than the next guy? Or that having all this "power" is nothing more than a testosterone trip?
Many women love them too.
They're not lesbians, either!!
I've been a fan of compact class cars. My current car is a 2015 Hyundai Elantra with 145 hp. It has plenty enough acceleration for my needs. My second car was a 1984 Buick Skyhawk two door coupe with 2.0L OHV and 80 something HP and 4 speed manual. It too had plenty enough acceleration for my needs. To me, it's more than the amount of horsepower. It's the vehicle weight, amount of horsepower, amount of torque, and amount of gears. Back in the mid70s to mid80s there were seriously slow underpowered cars that took around 20 to 30 seconds to get to 60 mph and forget about passing a vehicle going highway speeds. Even today's slowest micro car is faster and safer than those slowpokes from back then. Yes, they take more than 10 seconds to get to 60 from a dead stop and yes they do take longer to accelerate to pass a vehicle at highway speeds but they can do it. The compact and subcompact class of today are far more functional in performance on the road than ever before. But the micro class cars should not be used for long interstate road trips. They should remain around town and small trips on the interstate.
Depends on your terrain too. Driving out here over mountain passes is much more enjoyable in at least a turbo 4 or a v6. I would say passing some slow moving traffic in the small steep grade uphill passing zones would not be doable in an underpowered car.
A < 3,000lb hatchback with 200hp is about the sweet spot for me. So hot/warm hatch territory. Currently in the turbo Forte5 that cost me $17,900. Checks that box with lots of nice standard features.
More power just gives you more options. Such as getting ahead of a semi in a merge lane rather than having to fall behind. More options = more safety.
If we had to explain why a lot of HP is great, you wouldn't understand anyway. It has nothing to do with merging in traffic, it is that rush you get as the car pushes you back in the seat.
Either you love that feeling, or you don't. Some of us can't get enough of it. To some, a car is simply a point a to point b vehicle. To others, like me, the fun is in the driving. Kinda like this:
well said don. OP some of us have the idea that if some is good and more is better, then too much is still not enough. perhaps we are a little crazy, but that is the reality. some people cant afford to have a street car and a race car, so they try to build, or buy, both in one car.
some love the feel of getting pushed back in their seat, some love the feel of competition, some love both, like me.
Or that having all this "power" is nothing more than a testosterone trip?
In a nutshell, yes.
As a middle-aged man, I definitely feel the urge for a powerful car - ideally a light, RWD car with a big engine. Like other enthusiasts in this thread, I enjoy drag racing - but also other types of spirited driving. You're absolutely right, in that mere quotidian considerations of safety and traffic-flow don't require much more than the most wheezing, underpowered vehicle available on the American market; and I'm sure that numerous Indian or Chinese compacts will do adequately well; maybe even a 1960s Moskvitch. The objective isn't safety, convenience or peace of mind. It's a combination of personal pleasure and bragging-rights.
OP, reason is strictly sexual. The rest is basic coverup. No one simply had enough gut to say this.
only to those with minds in the gutter.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
To some, a car is simply a point a to point b vehicle. To others, like me, the fun is in the driving. Kinda like this:
