About all this power... (2014, motorcycle, Audi, engine)
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Need power for passing on a two lane highway. More power is safer. Less power is more dangerous. My Mitsubishi Lancer at around 145 hp worked ok with manual transmission, I go to third gear and hit the redline. Now that I purchased a Jeep Renegade at 160 hp, it too works well with a manual transmission. I certainly don't want less hp.
I have to travel a two lane state highway every day to work. Often I have to pass slow moving trucks. When it comes to safely passing, you can never have too much power.
Need power for passing on a two lane highway. More power is safer. Less power is more dangerous. My Mitsubishi Lancer at around 145 hp worked ok with manual transmission, I go to third gear and hit the redline. Now that I purchased a Jeep Renegade at 160 hp, it too works well with a manual transmission. I certainly don't want less hp.
I have to travel a two lane state highway every day to work. Often I have to pass slow moving trucks. When it comes to safely passing, you can never have too much power.
Not true. If you cant handle the power it can put you in a bind really quick.
OK, I have restrained from responding so far but . . .
WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?
If you prefer Mega-MPGs vs Performance . . . GO FOR IT.
On the flip side, if you prefer the Roar, Performance, Safety and Luxury of a Big V8 and MPGs are insignificant . . . SO BE IT.
I live "in town" and prefer Walking and/or Bicycling over driving frequent short trips primarily for health reasons. MPGs are relatively unimportant as my annual mileage runs in the 3k to 4k mile range. Therefore, I proudly own a vehicle with a BIG 400 HP V8 and it is no one else's business unless they contribute to the expenses.
OK, I have restrained from responding so far but . . .
WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?
If you prefer Mega-MPGs vs Performance . . . GO FOR IT.
On the flip side, if you prefer the Roar, Performance, Safety and Luxury of a Big V8 and MPGs are insignificant . . . SO BE IT.
I live "in town" and prefer Walking and/or Bicycling over driving frequent short trips primarily for health reasons. MPGs are relatively unimportant as my annual mileage runs in the 3k to 4k mile range. Therefore, I proudly own a vehicle with a BIG 400 HP V8 and it is no one else's business unless they contribute to the expenses.
Sorry for the rant but . . . GIMME A BREAK.
You obviously didn't read the OP's opening line.
NOTE: People are allowed to drive any car they want. I know this already.
OP, reason is strictly sexual. The rest is basic coverup. No one simply had enough gut to say this.
Thank you for your honesty.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Retriever
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.
Please explain it to me. From how I see it, it's YOU that's creating a potentially dangerous situation. If you are entering a highway (into the right lane) that has a speed limit of 55 mph, if you enter too fast (75 mph), you will be driving right up to the bumper of the car in front of you. Then you will either have to slow down or make a haphazardly quick lane change into the middle/left lane to avoid the car in front of you and create a safe driving distance.
Me, on the other hand, will enter at the proper speed (55 mph) and just naturally blend in with the traffic flow. For what it's worth, my car can up to speeds greater than 55 mph on the average on ramp. I just don't need to do that.
Most econobox drivers (MOST) have never driven a true high horsepower engine married to superior suspension and handling.
So you don't know the difference.
Now, even after finding out the difference, you might not care and still don't see the point. That is reasonable. But that really hasn't been my experience when I have let people drive my cars. The look on their face is usually sheer excitement. Or terror a couple times, too.
I don't need a $3000 camera bc my phone does me fine. Some people sleep on the floor and like it fine while others like pillowtop mattresses. Some people insist on a gas range whereas others can cook fine on an electric. Your TV show or your movie isn't any better just because you watch it on a home theater instead of my 65 inch flat screen. But I get that you like that. That is FUN for you.
It's about what you find to be enjoyable and important to you to have fun with your life for the tools you need to do the things you like to do.
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.
good point there. yes there does need to be a balance. increase the power, you do need to improve the braking and handling. tires also need improvement as well. but lets go further than that shall we? the suspension and brakes might handle the extra power, but can the chassis? time to stiffen that up as well. of course if you stiffen up the chassis first, you might not need to upgrade the suspension, since the stiffer chassis improves suspension effectiveness.
and how about the cooling system? in the end when you build a car, or even just add power, you have to take a systems approach to building that car.
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? ...
“Balance” is ineffable and subjective. Arguably, a heavy and softly-sprung car is “unbalanced” regardless of the amount of power, because no amount of power can compensate for the detriments of the chassis. Inversely, a light and stiff car can be predictable and well-mannered even if grossly overpowered.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Douglas Dakota
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.
This reminds me of the ubiquitously flaring debates about pickup trucks. Who needs a large truck, goes the accusation, when there’s nothing to haul? Is it all about reserve-capacity, for that one or two times annually, when there’s a trip to Home Depot, or a need to pull stumps? The retort is that trucks are fun, trucks are commodious and poised, trucks are just an expression of individualism. Well, one could argue that the reserve-capacity of a truck is always present… the large size, poor gas mileage and so forth – whether or not one is doing any hauling. But a proper sports-car, “proper” of course being in the eye of the beholder, can actually be compact and economical. Its athletic manners are there on-demand, but don’t detract from daily utility. So while both the sports-car and the truck are luxurious indulgences, there’s more to commend the sports car. And yet, trucks (in America) are vastly more common.
BTW, 300 nominal HP need to be commensurate with "grossly overpowered". Recently I had a rental base-model Ford Mustang, with something like 300 HP. In entirely normal driving, observing the speed-limit, it felt ponderous and unresponsive. Maybe I'm an inept fool and unable to properly drive; I make no claims. But by my reckoning, that 300 HP felt less than the merely ~100 HP that I had in an early 1980s Toyota Celica. Cars have gotten more powerful indeed, but they've also gotten vastly heavier, and the high HP numbers are possible by moving the peak-torque to higher rpm, which can actually diminish throttle response and produce a sensation of LESS available power in street conditions. This is why numerical horsepower ratings must always be taken with skepticism, and nothing can compensate for a proper test drive in evaluating real-world usable power.
Please explain it to me. From how I see it, it's YOU that's creating a potentially dangerous situation. If you are entering a highway (into the right lane) that has a speed limit of 55 mph, if you enter too fast (75 mph), you will be driving right up to the bumper of the car in front of you. Then you will either have to slow down or make a haphazardly quick lane change into the middle/left lane to avoid the car in front of you and create a safe driving distance.
The interstate highways in your neck of the woods have a 55 mph speed limit?
Really?
In the area where I live, the speed limit on the interstates is 65 mph, and the prevailing speed on those highways (whether one likes it or not) is 70-75 mph--hence the need to accelerate to 70-75 mph by the end of the entrance ramp.
On a highway with prevailing speeds of 70-75 mph, those who can't/won't get their vehicle up to at least 70 mph by the end of the entrance ramp are a hazard to both themselves and everyone else on the road, simply because one of the most basic rules of defensive driving is to match the prevailing speed of the traffic on a road when you are merging into that traffic.
I'm really sorry that you can't seem to comprehend this concept.
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