How the game has changed...

[spyder1337]

Does anyone remember when 500hp was considered fast? If you had around that you knew if you ran into just about anything on the street you'd have them covered. I've always been close to the game but just a few steps back in all of my cars from the "fast guys" and since selling my last cobra that made 800 or so a little over a year and a half ago it's like every thread is filled with 1000 hp cars. I mean it's great, stock cars trap more than cars I dropped 20k into trying to make fast years ago but jesus how it's exponentially just shot up to where being competitive in the fast car circles you need to trap 170's and make 1500hp or your ass isn't able to see tail lights.

Currently rocking a F150 ecoboost that's tuned and bolt ons, which has been one of the funnest vehicles i've owned for the casual encounter on the street but it's still wild to think that if you want to be in the fast car game you need to be 1500 plus or you're B league.

 

[oldmodman]

Sure do.

Back in the late 1970s I had both a turbocharged Kawasaki Z-1 and a huge Ford LTDII station wagon. The wagon had a built 400m with Cleveland 4v heads and custom Venoilia piston, plus a two plate nitrous system. It put out 641hp at the wheels.
The Kawasaki put out 337hp at the wheel and ran 5.57 @118 in the 1/8th and 9.57 @ 158 in the 1/4
They were both considered in the upper 1% of fast locally. Made me lots of cash on Saturday nights until I got too known.

Today I am not really impressed with anything under 1000hp for a car and 550 for a turbo bike (Hayabusa, etc)

 

[blinelaxd27]

is this on the street or at the track?

im not sure how many 1500hp cars are running around a regular town or cars that trap 170....

if you have a 700hp street car you are gonna be in good shape

 

[Oxford]

is this on the street or at the track?

im not sure how many 1500hp cars are running around a regular town or cars that trap 170....

if you have a 700hp street car you are gonna be in good shape

Exactly. But still I do remember when 300 wasnt slouching either. Really the culprit is technology. it becoming so advanced the manufacturers are able to get such great numbers out of their products while still abiding my emissions. Its just par for the course as far as I see it.

I do wonder sometimes though truly how many people dont know how to drive and it makes me weary

 

[Riptide]

What good is a 1500hp car on the street? It's not like you can get traction especially if it's an impromptu match from a light.

 

[mnewxcv]

Exactly. But still I do remember when 300 wasnt slouching either. Really the culprit is technology. it becoming so advanced the manufacturers are able to get such great numbers out of their products while still abiding my emissions. Its just par for the course as far as I see it.

I do wonder sometimes though truly how many people dont know how to drive and it makes me weary

right? early 90s, the best of the best stock mustang put out a WHOPPING 235 ponies. throw some bolt ons, get it up to 300, and it was a fast car for the street. Not #1, but fast. This is when a ford escort had like 90 HP. Then the sn95 is out with the lt1 camaros, things get a little different, and different again with the ls1 and mod motors. Ok, 300hp stock to stay in the game.

give it a few more years and theres john coletti making 390hp the new standard. Chevy tucks its tail and goes away, GTO ends its life at 400hp. A year later, gt500 comes out with 500hp. Christ! Chevy decides they want a piece of the pie again, 2012 brings the zl1 with 580hp. Not so fast.... 2013 shelby gt500: 662hp. Challenger Hellcat anticipating similar numbers.....

These are all stock numbers. Then take the fast that modding these new cars will make even more power. So you have to do even more to the terminator, a 10 year old platform (at least). While I wouldn't say every other thread is about a 1000hp build, I think 550-600rwhp is a low end goal now. Which is remarkable considering its age and where it started. There is always going to be someone to 1-up you, you just need to find the sweet spot that makes you happy. As for me, I hope theres still a terminator that isn't beat to hell by the time I can afford one. Not because I want 390hp, but modding it yourself is part of the fun! Be happy with what you got, or make it better.

 

[Never_Enough]

I remember way back in the day when 13s was fast.

 

[03cobra#694]

right? early 90s, the best of the best stock mustang put out a WHOPPING 235 ponies. throw some bolt ons, get it up to 300, and it was a fast car for the street. Not #1, but fast. This is when a ford escort had like 90 HP. Then the sn95 is out with the lt1 camaros, things get a little different, and different again with the ls1 and mod motors. Ok, 300hp stock to stay in the game.

give it a few more years and theres john coletti making 390hp the new standard. Chevy tucks its tail and goes away, GTO ends its life at 400hp. A year later, gt500 comes out with 500hp. Christ! Chevy decides they want a piece of the pie again, 2012 brings the zl1 with 580hp. Not so fast.... 2013 shelby gt500: 662hp. Challenger Hellcat anticipating similar numbers.....

These are all stock numbers. Then take the fast that modding these new cars will make even more power. So you have to do even more to the terminator, a 10 year old platform (at least). While I wouldn't say every other thread is about a 1000hp build, I think 550-600rwhp is a low end goal now. Which is remarkable considering its age and where it started. There is always going to be someone to 1-up you, you just need to find the sweet spot that makes you happy. As for me, I hope theres still a terminator that isn't beat to hell by the time I can afford one. Not because I want 390hp, but modding it yourself is part of the fun! Be happy with what you got, or make it better.

Yep, with out sounding like a Cobro, the 03-04's started some shit.

 

[spitin venom]

In stock form cars have become faster as time goes on but a 500 HP car is still very fast in the real world. I think that us being members of forums like this gives us a false belief that there are herds of 1000 hp cars cruising around everywhere owning the streets. The simple fact is that it is not true. I live in the Los Angeles area and I rarely see anything that will compete with my GT500. I am not suggesting my Shelby is the fastest car on the road because it is not even close but on these forums it is probably in the bottom percentage as far as speed/horsepower goes.

 

[97desertCobra]

In stock form cars have become faster as time goes on but a 500 HP car is still very fast in the real world. I think that us being members of forums like this gives us a false belief that there are herds of 1000 hp cars cruising around everywhere owning the streets. The simple fact is that it is not true. I live in the Los Angeles area and I rarely see anything that will compete with my GT500. I am not suggesting my Shelby is the fastest car on the road because it is not even close but on these forums it is probably in the bottom percentage as far as speed/horsepower goes.

This.

I read these threads with epic builds yielding huge amounts of power all the time, but out on the street those cars are very rare. It's not every day you run into an 03-04 Cobra with a Whipple but on the forums they are a dime a dozen. Same goes for the imports, how many 600+whp EVO's do we hear and read about on the Internet? How many have you actually run into on the street making more than 350whp?

 

[01GTB]

I remember way back in the day when 13s was fast.

I beat a lot of shit with a 13-second car back in the late 80s

What I can't get over is how fast the hp numbers go up and how fast the 1/4 times drop. Back in the old days the magazines might take a year to drop a second off a project car. It felt like the average person could keep up with it. You could run across almost any Fox body on the street and know you could take it. Now a new car comes out, someone has dropped 3 seconds of the 1/4 times in a matter of a couple months, and someone is running low 8's within a year. If you are the type of person who likes to be king shit and ahead of the curve, you better have the car the day it comes out, parts going on it later that day, and at the strip by the end of the week. Then you can sell it six months later and say, "been there, done that."

 

[Riptide]

If you are the type of person who likes to be king shit and ahead of the curve, you better have the car the day it comes out, parts going on it later that day, and at the strip by the end of the week. Then you can sell it six months later and say, "been there, done that."

 

[JpL4K3]

My question is how much longer can the car manufacturers continue to raise the bar on massive amounts of horsepower out of a stock vehicle?

 

[Riptide]

As long as they want. But when a car gets to be a tire roasting machine on the street even with drag tires coming stock to help. People will be wondering what the point is.

 

[5.0GT]

My question is how much longer can the car manufacturers continue to raise the bar on massive amounts of horsepower out of a stock vehicle?

I think not far from now cars will be significantly lighter. Ford already dropped few hundreds of the F-150. BMW is working on making mass production cars in carbon fiber. Plus, the hybrid engines are making lots and lots of torque instantly that you actually have to modulate that delivery and like all technologies they will be really cheap and you will see them on a lot of cars. Then we'll have some hover-mobiles

 

[mkb116]

Yeah, as far as horsepower, it seems like we are near the end of the line... How much more powerful are they really gonna make factory cars. I doubt they'll make cars that need drag radials (your know what I mean). We may dip into the 700's but I think that will be it. They are going to focus more on revolutionizing cars. Aren't we due for flying cars soon? We are getting closer and closer to alternate energy sources as well. How long before the government says no more gas cars?

In my humble opinion, I think something big is going to change in the next 10-15 years.

 

[Oiljunkie]

Its almost starting to be like the Sport bike war of the 90's when the busa came out and everyone sort of realized their battle amongst honda, kawi, and zukies was insane and they called a truce.

There was a great show i watched on the evolution of the super bikes(busa, ninja, and CBR) and how then manufactures finally ended their battle.

 

[Mr. Mach-ete]

Around here 500hp to the tire is a stout number. Most cars with more than that are trailer queens, they never see the streets. There is a C5 Z06 running around with 900hp, I've seen him once, a year ago, kinda like spotting a bigfoot.

 

[Booky]

Powerful but efficient Superchargers/turbochargers, along with lighter components and all wheel drive with superior traction/stability control, are soon going to be requirements for a modern muscle car.

 

[hockeylover86]

Yep, with out sounding like a Cobro, the 03-04's started some shit.

'98 F-cars (under)-rated at 305hp (330?), with Ford sitting at 230hp for 10 years helped push the bar up.

Technology and testing has allowed mfg's to make big HP reliably today...