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To some extent power is fun. Nobody really needs 300+ HP vehicles but still people enjoy them. Unless hauling Heavy or racing, powerful vehicles are just unnecessary luxury items. And I belong to those who love driving overpowered vehicles.
I understand the desire for more power, but what about balance? Should a car have more power than the tires, suspension, and brakes can handle? With most of today's monsters, if it weren't for all the electronic nannies there would be many people killing themselves or others trying to handle all that power. If you can afford to buy those monster cars then you should also take a professional driving course to learn how to handle and respect the machine. A car shouldn't have more power than the brakes, tires, and suspension can handle.
Cars are either a big part of your life or they are simply transportation. My ex GF once said to me "Honey ! How many cars do you need !" I said, " I don't need any of them, but I want as many as I can get !"
I understand the desire for more power, but what about balance? Should a car have more power than the tires, suspension, and brakes can handle? With most of today's monsters, if it weren't for all the electronic nannies there would be many people killing themselves or others trying to handle all that power. If you can afford to buy those monster cars then you should also take a professional driving course to learn how to handle and respect the machine. A car shouldn't have more power than the brakes, tires, and suspension can handle.
I would simply go and take a advanced driving school course to know exactly how yo handle a high performance car. If I had a driving school I would go to the manufacturers and say look I'll offer a course to anyone who buys a new x model go fast. Just offer it to customers. Market it as a sales tool.
Most people are not good enough to handle the 450-700 hp monsters that are sold today. Most think they are much better drivers than they really are. I guess that's why people here just drag race. Driving in a straight line fast. So easy a caveman can do it. If I bought a fast car I would go to a course just to be a much better driver.
I would simply go and take a advanced driving school course to know exactly how yo handle a high performance car. If I had a driving school I would go to the manufacturers and say look I'll offer a course to anyone who buys a new x model go fast. Just offer it to customers. Market it as a sales tool.
Most people are not good enough to handle the 450-700 hp monsters that are sold today. Most think they are much better drivers than they really are. I guess that's why people here just drag race. Driving in a straight line fast. So easy a caveman can do it. If I bought a fast car I would go to a course just to be a much better driver.
I've been driving higher than average HP cars since I was 16.
There is a learning curve, but experience is everything.
I like them bc I really love driving, and part of the fun is the feeling that the car is responding to my demands as fast as I can think of what I want to do.
It's like having a sharp knife.
There's just no better feeling when it's effortless and you feel like you're totally in sync.
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.
I currently drive a 4cyl sedan that puts out 206hp and 182ft lbs tq. I have never once had a problem merging or accelerating in emergency situations.
Extreme high HP vehicles are a want. Not a need. Most of those vehicles are being driven by drivers who cant even handle the power. I've seen 4cyl honda's take these cars off of the line because the driver didn't know how to launch it and and instead smoke the tires.
To each their own. Some people prefer raw untamable HP. I personally prefer a car that offers precision handling along with accommodating hp.
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?
A car--like yours--can indeed "enter" the highway. However, there is a vast difference between one like mine--that can easily get up to 75 mph by the end of the interstate's entrance ramp--and yours--that would struggle to accelerate to 55 mph by the end of that same entrance ramp. If you don't understand how/why this can be an important safety factor, then I won't bother trying to explain it to you.
And, as to "passing", I will give you an example from just yesterday. The roads in my neck of the woods consist of mostly just two lanes, with either no shoulder or a very narrow shoulder. The hay trucks were out yesterday, delivering loads to various cattle farms, and these trucks tend to drive at ~20 mph--on roads where the speed limits are 45 or 50 mph.
When my opportunity to pass finally arose, just goosing the gas pedal a bit allowed me to blast past a hay truck very rapidly, and then return safely to my lane. By contrast, the car in back of me--a Hyundai Accent--tried to pass, but was unable to do so without coming face-to-face with oncoming traffic. As a result, he--and everyone behind him--had to toodle along in back of that hay truck for God-only-knows how many miles before the hay truck finally turned onto a farm road.
Normally, I drive in a very conservative manner--as verified by the fact that I have not been involved in a traffic accident since 1970. However, when circumstances require a sudden great burst of power, it is very nice to know that it is available to me.
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