How much is too much HP

[wyattroa]

Just wondering what everyones thoughts are on a street car that will maybe see the 1/4 once a year and 2 auto x events, maybe. Right now I am trying to decide how much power I will want in my 66 chevelle. It will have a 6.0 LS engine in it. What are your thoughts. I always know more is better..lol...My problem is I see all these cars coming from he factory now with 5-700 and think thats just what I need. Even though I know it won't hook up.

Robert

[Rmt]

No, it will never have enough power until I can spin the wheels at the end of the straightaway in high gear. Too much power is never enough.
Mark Donohue

[dontlifttoshift]

600 is the new 400.

The reality is that 500 horsepower is enough to get you into felony level speeding with the quickness. It's not hard to make that number in 2018 so strive for that and spend the rest of the money elsewhere.

[ilikeike]

I'm 500 at the wheel now, I want 6 next time I mess with the engine, but 700 would probably appease me a little longer and get me to the Hawaiian shirt Sunday brunch in style though.

Yeah, 701 thats my too much number for the grocery getter today.

[Vegas69]

The problem I see is when we chase 50 hp for BIG BUCKS. It just doesn't make that big a difference unless you are looking for every last drop of performance in a race setting. I went from 597 to 666 in my car for about 15k HA. It was an aluminum block and much more reliable, but I think you need 100+ to make it worth any real money spent.

For me, I couldn't use that kind of power on the street effectively anyway. I had to go on the track to really ring it out.

[Matt@BOS]

If you have a 6.0 LS, I think 425ish rwhp will be a happy medium. If you start going radical with a cam, and making significantly more power, I think you're going to sacrifice so much torque through the low end and into the mid range that its going to feel slower than a more mild engine.

I also agree with Todd that once you start getting around 650-700 plus, especially in a big cube engine, there simply isn't enough space to really open it up on public roads. I drove my Camaro like a granny around town.

[Flash68]

Yep, 500-600. Which isn't hard at all to get from a 6.0 LS.

[out2kayak]

Isn't this like asking how much money or how much beauty in a wife is too much?

Something to think about is, with the advent of computer controlled engines, throttle by wire, etc. it would be easy to dial back on the output of the engine until desired.

That said, (as the old adage goes) speed costs - how fast do you want to go (or do you want to spend)?

:G-Dub:

:cheers:

[WSSix]

400-450rwhp and a broad torque curve in a car the weight of a Chevelle will be plenty of power to enjoy. That's well within the reach of a 6.0 LS. The key will be to build a broad power band so that the car is enjoyable to drive in all the various conditions it will see as a street car.

I've built a number of different cars with different engine configurations. The most fun was from the engines making low 400s at the wheels with broad power bands. The two cars that made over 500 rwhp were too much. Basically, the fun was over before you knew it had begun.

For the record, my TA makes 400ish rwhp and tq through a T56 and 3.90 gears. With good tires, though not 200 tread wear, I can still shred the tires from a 35mph roll. That's plenty of power for me.

[JKnight]

I’ve been thinking if I built an LS for my car I’d aim for as much torque as possible via cubic inches. I know my car will be a street car primarily so the joy of 3k-5.5k rpm pulls is where I’m focused. HP will be what it will be.

[Che70velle]

Interesting topic. When I built my Chevelle, I initially put together a 500hp 6 liter, that I was sure would supply all the power I ever wanted in the car. I was sure I’d never want, or need more. Lol...
The car gets drove very little, but when it does it’s a pretty day. I live in an area that is very rural, in the north Ga. mountains. Lots of twisties, and hills, combined with straightaways that go forever. It’s a cool place. Best part is there’s little population around here. Don’t see much traffic, if you pick the right time, and the right road. It’s easy to stretch your legs around here, if you know what I mean.
I get bored easily when I’m not waist deep in a project, so I set out to build another engine last year. I planned it out, budgeted it all, and went to work. It’s a pretty max effort deal that made 616 two weeks ago at Vengeance. I’m dealing with wideband issues, and my ECM is back at Mast right now. When I get the wideband working right, I think I’ll pick up another 25ish.
The engine is a 434”, and I went with a big camshaft (solid roller), but not too big for a 434”. Cubic inches absorb camshaft well, so it’s actually very driveable.
What’s too much power? I don’t know the answer. I plan to pull it back apart in a couple years, change pistons, throw an efficient blower up on it, and shoot for 1000.

[Peter McMahon]

I know my truck doesn’t need anymore power until I can get more traction.

[BigBronco]

Too much? I would say in the realm around 1400 rwhp. At that point, it is a true pissing match.

Everything else in the garage, I want to keep in that 1000 rwhp to 1200 rwhp realm.

[LateralJeaz]

What setting we talking about? Potential double duty car? All I can say is its a tragic day when a fully ported polished pulley'd down zr1 blower on your average run of the mill built ls motor isn't enough power to even hardly get noticed in a bigger city at night😫. Admittedly auto cross/road race type stuff is a vastly different story concerning poWer necessities. But if you're that person that also happens to enjoy occasional late night trips to the streets of Mexico, 1000whp just feels like the standard. Not that I condone that in any way. Race at the track, eat your peas, all that kids...

[Zspoiler]

It depend on just how much you can handle .versus reliability.My 300 HP 350 in my 1981 El Camino SS is my daily driver .Of which I can drive in most any weather.Then I have my "toy" .My 1979 Z-28 RS Camaro. It has a 500 HP plus supercharged small block Chevy.Of which is gas and traction related.by just adjusting the boost level.

[RT_66_Pro_Touring]

What setting we talking about? Potential double duty car? All I can say is its a tragic day when a fully ported polished pulley'd down zr1 blower on your average run of the mill built ls motor isn't enough power to even hardly get noticed in a bigger city at night😫. Admittedly auto cross/road race type stuff is a vastly different story concerning poWer necessities.

That's the real question: what's the purpose of the car?

I've questioned this same issue myself, so here's a more specific question:

3,200 lb car
~45% rear bias
4-link or torque arm set-up for street/autocross/HPDE (in that order of priority)
TrueTrac diff (maybe a locker)
Manual transmission
Street tires in the 200 - 340 TW range

How much power can you really get to the ground without having to constantly feather it?

Where I've landed is 450 - 500 RWTQ, 500 - 550 RWHP aiming for the higher end on torque and lower end on HP so you don't kill the low RPM power. My thought is to do this with a short/medium runner intake, properly sized intake/exhaust ports and picking the cam accordingly.

Interested in feedback.

[wyattroa]

That's the real question: what's the purpose of the car?

I've questioned this same issue myself, so here's a more specific question:

3,200 lb car
~45% rear bias
4-link or torque arm set-up for street/autocross/HPDE (in that order of priority)
TrueTrac diff (maybe a locker)
Manual transmission
Street tires in the 200 - 340 TW range

How much power can you really get to the ground without having to constantly feather it?

Where I've landed is 450 - 500 RWTQ, 500 - 550 RWHP aiming for the higher end on torque and lower end on HP so you don't kill the low RPM power. My thought is to do this with a short/medium runner intake, properly sized intake/exhaust ports and picking the cam accordingly.

Interested in feedback.

This was my thought too. I know I won't be racing on the streets or at the drag strip for that matter. I also know traction will be the limiting factor for me. I just see all these stock cars coming from the factory now with 5-700hp and think thats what I need.

My 66 chevelle will not be daily driven, but it will see its fair share of the road and I plan on driving it a good amount. This car will not be sitting in the garage to keep pristine.

Right now my thoughts are to go with an LQ4 or LQ9, install a BTR stage 3 cam, and some LS3 heads. I will have a t56 for a trans and 3.89 rear gears. Maybe further down the road when I get that itch for more power I can throw a supercharger on it.