So really, tell me what it's like to drive a 500+ rwhp car
 

Hopefully this will get good responses here...couldn't decide which section it should go.....


Anyways, I've had couple of 400+ rwhp cars but I've never driven something with more than 450. I'd eventually like to go FI (current car 05 C6) and shoot for something 500-550rwhp but I also don't want to loop it the first time I jump on it.

So what's it like? Is it something that is just waiting to spin up and send you sideways into the next curb/ditch? Is it about the same from the get go and just an exponential increase in acceleration? I've ridden sportbikes for years so the acceleration factor isn't new to me (although it is still fascinating).

I'll put it this way... my 650rwhp Z gives me a constant smile and terror every time I smash the gas pedal. With that said, I've had some close calls going side ways but learned over time. As long as you respect the car, you won't have any issues. I can keep up or beat most sport bikes ;)

My new engine through ECS will make enough for me to run 1000rwhp all day... that will be a whole different level of going straight... :)

At 557 NA rwhp mine gets a little sideways through the gears. Had to use all 4 lanes on a Mexican highway before. I like it though. Son says it revs like his dirt bike.

my 06 A6 was at 540 rwhp and here in CO with TC on it just chirped tires slightly changing gears. From a stop 0 wheelspin unless I 2 footed it. I never really turned tc off completely but I never went sideways or anything either. It just pulled like a mofo from about 2500 rpm's to redline. One of my biggest regrets was selling that car.

It is the most fun you can have with you're clothes on.......... :woohoo:

Garry

I've got 610rw and 575 rwtq on a mustang dyno and from what I hear they rate low. Its an animal and the most exhilarating rush of speed I have felt in a car. I should be picking it up this week after my heads are addressed along with a new cam and clutch. I can't wait to see the new numbers. :D

Almost 600 rwhp with a magna- charger C6 Z51 that I just bought and she puts a smile on my face everytime I drive her, don't ask about the gas mileage:crazy2::crazy2::crazy2::crazy2:: crazy2:

I used to have a boosted C5 with almost 800 rwhp and I enjoyed unleashing the beast and did a legal 190 in the Texas Mile. Like having sex:D

Had a n/a 565 rwhp. It's loads of fun, but respect the power. If you're greedy with it, not only will stuff break, but it's easy to find your way into a ditch or guardrail.

If you're used to 400-450 bhp, you'll be fine. No worries.

I agree.....

I had the privilege of driving two of my friends ZR1's.....really fun and somewhat scary..:lol:

At 670rwhp I respect it but also enjoy it! I like knowing that I can beat must cars and still have a street mannered car

Go fast, stop for gas......Go fast, stop for gas....:D

What motor you running?

At what hp/tq does it outpower the abillity of a sticky street/track tire to hook (not drag radials)?

Everything depends on the road, temps and your tires. I've had my car hook all the way to the top end of 2nd with just myself which is unusual for my car and at the same time I've had it spin in 4th with someone else riding with me going around 100mph. Stock runflats are pretty bad at gripping but it's better than breaking parts. I just only hit WOT when I'm rolling and never keep on the gas while spinning after I just shifted. That's where people usually lose control.

I usually keep it in TCS off so I can't get too out of line but it wont kill the power at random times.

Also 450 crank hp is nowhere near 500whp. It's about a 130hp difference. Depending on where your power comes on means a lot on the street or strip.

^ I'm thinking that is not correct . . . . . . :confused2:

Yeah I screwed up the numbers on that one lol. I converted the 450 to whp (about 390) and the 500whp to crank hp (580). About a 130hp difference normally which is still a considerable amount. Now 550whp is closer to 200hp difference.

Main thing is these cars can get out of hand very quickly. More so than a lot of other cars I've driven. An additional 100hp just makes that happen a lot faster if you're not careful.

541rwhp with an LS2 and A6. Mine will get sideways if you hammer it from a stop or at the 1-2 if your foot is in it and that's with TC on. Nail it in third and you are instantly in the go to jail zone as far as speed. The wider rubber helps stabilise it. With the stock width I was still spinning in third at 82mph (closed course).

605 RWHP here, respect the car and it'll be fine. Horrible drivers put stock cars in ditches daily...know when to lift and correct and you'll be fine. I took a precision driving course a few years ago for work and they had a skid car they could force cars into a skid/spin, it was amazing to me how many people did not know how to counter steer and correct. When it was my turn to go and after the instructor had initiated the spin, he said "I think you have done this before" yeah, maybe just a few times. ;) I've been driving sideways on dirt roads since I got my 50cc four-wheeler when I was 5. :)

H/c/i? Specs?

726whp, a whole lotta fun! I did my set-ups in stages so that I got used to power as the numbers increased. Respect the power and pick and choose your battles, and the places you choose to let her loose.

828 RWHP here. Respect the power, perfect your driving skills and be safe.

The feel of the car will depend on what you choose to add power with, Heads/Cam or Forced Induction. Then with FI it will depend on what type you choose.

My Car pretty much runs just like it did stock, then you hit 4K rpms and the power just keeps building and building to redline. The power comes on so linear and fast you have to keep a close eye on your tach because there is no "feel" when to shift like stock NA car. Tires will burn off in 3rd gear at 60 mph which is fun, but can get a little hairy. Speed builds extremely fast, which is why if you are not paying attention things can go bad very quickly.

LS2 stock internals, heads, cam. Ported stock intake and TB. LG Pro long tube headers. Vortech V2 Si kit from A&A. A6 is stock, diff is stock. Tuned by Mike Norris and shift points tuned via HP Tuners. Dynos at 541rwhp @ 494 ft lbs torque. Boost set to max of 7PSI.

Car is optioned with 3LT, NAV, Z51.

Anything else?

:flag:

It's about half as fun as driving a 1000 hp car. :D

:lol:

:iagree: :rofl: :iagree: :rofl: :iagree: :rofl:

Not sure what rwhp a stock ZR1 has, but it's not uncontrollable.

ZR1 obviously has a little different setup and bigger stickier tires, but it's pretty easy to point and shoot. Just don't nail the throttle at high RPM midway through a corner. . .

The power is instantaneous in the Z and should be similar in most supercharged setups. Not sure about all aftermarket setups but turbo lag can catch you off guard if you're not used to it.

:thumbs:

I wouldn't mash on the throttle in the middle of a turn. I'd roll onto it.

But in a straight line.....miles of smiles!! :thumbs:

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/o...pse444b694.jpg

It's fun as long as you have tires to go along with it.

Spinning your tires isn't fun....going fast is.

I've got 550rwhp and anymore than this and I would absolutely need to run drag radials full time, which I wouldn't find fun. I run a 345 Khumo XS right now and can hit it pretty hard in 2nd gear.

On a mostly street driven car I think I'd actually have more fun in the 500rwhp range and have less anxiety about overpowering the tires under 50mph.

Thanks for the thoughts folks!

Seems like the most prudent thing to do is to start buying stock in tire rubber!

Unfortunately I sold that car. Kinda regret it. Started as an n/a LS1 Z28 with all the goodies. Couldn't break the higher 450+ rwhp numbers without a stroke and bore so went for a full ZL427 ground up build.

:iagree: And don't forget...could have frequent tire changes also so invest well....:woohoo:

My kid had a 650 hp Evo. I have a ACR. Both have the same hp I had more tq. Which one do you want to go around corners with? Brake with?.
Has better suspension exc....
You need to look at it as a complete system or the most overworked parts WILL fail.....
Take a stock Vette to a road race track with just a bis ass engine and bad things will happen.
My 2 cents
Robin
:cheers:

Truth. What's funny about this entire thread is nobody is talking torque, just HP. Torque is what gives you neck snapping acceleration from a standing start, not HP. HP is what gets you to high top speeds. You can build a motor with one and not so much of the other if you're not careful. HP, torque, gearing, tires, etc, etc, etc. are all important if you want a balanced performance car.

My Vette doesn't have 500 RWHP, but the wife's Shelby GT500 SVT does, and it has over 500 lb-ft of torque. Like the ZR1 it's instant since it's supercharged. Both cars are way fun, just in very different ways.

You make a great point, but the natural assumption would be that TQ should be within a 3% margin, +/-, depending on build of course.

A 3% margin?

How many builds do you actually see that happen? MAYBE with a good roots blower build, but that's about it.

I'm right at 5%, 604 RWHP/573 TQ, ECS supercharger, cam/headers on my LS2. Makes right at 500 lbs of tq at 3500 rpms....that's enough to get me rollin'.

3% or less between peak HP and torque is not typical. 7-10% is probably a bit more typical.

Let me refine my earlier remark; I talk to so many car owners who drive their car almost exclusively on the street and want more HP. They never talk about torque. Building a motor for high HP can change the torque curve so that torque comes on at a higher RPM and moves peak HP to a higher RPM. For a street car that's not what you want. Unless you race and run at high RPMs, you want to concentrate on optimizing the torque curve since that's what's really used more on a street vehicle than peak HP that comes at high RPM.

Why the switch from fi to h/c? Like the feel of n/a power better?