[Rayman]

Just wondering... Automobile ads constantly boast of the HP of a car right in the face of increasing traffic missery all over the country. Face it, most cars spend their lives sitting in traffic or jumping from stop light to stop light. Who needs anything more than a couple hundred HP and a top speed of 80 MPH. Our toys aside, it's absolutely ridiculous to push this fantasy that your going to actually use this power in every day driving. It feels like it's all going to collapse some day soon as reality sinks in, especially with Hybrids comming on strong.

What's everybody's opinion?

 

[sk90077]

I agree 100%!

We should have electric cars and we need to drive a lot less.

Exotics excluded because they are for leisure not so much for transportation

 

[murclovr]

To sit in traffic in a Giant SUV with one dumb soccer mom driving, meanwhile under the hood a 7 liter V8 is drinking gasoline while not even moving is insanity.

 

[78miighia]

I wouldn't mind driving a 912 around as a daily, they have around 94hp or something and at least then you're cruising around in a tiny classic that gets mileage... well.. if the engine is okay... but yeah I see your point, it seems rather pointless to advertise big horsepower in places where traffic is so heavy, it's rather rediculous.

 

[sk90077]

Thats why I wanted a Smart Car. Very small and it gets 60mpg. makes sense!

 

[bk_jalpa]

Try living in the middle of "no where". Minimum of 8 miles to the closest store. No real traffic problems except the occasional farm tractor or even the neighbors cow that got out of the pasture.

Now the HP actually gets used and enjoyed :whip:

 

[ColaGuy]

I think this one is a little ironic.

A bunch of guys with 200+ mph cars complaining about a soccer mom in an SUV. Why do our daily cars need a top speed of only 80mph, when our fun cars can have a top speed of over 200 mph. Why can’t our daily cars be fun, including more hp? Not everyone can afford a g-car, but a lot of folks sure like to drive a sporty car. I think a little more hp in a daily driver is great, helps merge onto fast moving busy (not grid locked) freeways, pass on a single lane road. Also I think generally speaking a vehicle with more hp can perform daily duty task with less effort than a lesser powered car, prolonging the life of the vehicle because it is not always giving 100%.

Mostly though, I guess I believe that if my wife (soccer mom) want to dive a giant gas guzzling SUV…because she feels safer in it, thinks she has a more commanding view of her surroundings in it, can haul our kids in it, our friends kids in it, our dog it , and groceries in it all at the same time. Well, I would say it’s her god given right to, in this fine free county (USA) I love. And frankly I wouldn’t have it any other way.

And by the way, when some liberal starts whining why we need/want/have exotics and g-cars and such, I’ll give them a similar answer.

My .02
Joel :wave:

PS: Long time lurker (from the beginning), I’ll now crawl back into my hole and watch from afar. This one just had my saying ‘oh please’.

 

[Rayman]

I'm always taken back by the "SUV is safer in a collision" statement. It sure isn't safer for the guy you hit in a small car. They never bring that up, and that's why we have so many make no sense SUV's on the road. Frankly I get tired of trying to see around them, seeing their massive grill in my rear window, and just trying to keep away from them. No offense to anybody but I hate the Damn things! Big pickups too.

 

[ColaGuy]

Yeah, I hear what you are saying, and certainly don’t disagree with it. As a driver of a smaller car, they can be hard to see around. But I think generally speaking, when people speak of SUV’s or any other larger vehicle for that matter being safer, they are speaking about for the occupants of the large vehicle. I drive a smaller car, I like the nimble zippy feel. My wife drive the big SUV, she likes to feel safe. Different stokes. Also my argument isn’t to have SUV’s because they are safe, we have SUV’s for the same reason we have Lambo’s…because we can! Live free and all that.
Joel

 

[sk90077]

I cant stand Mini Vans! Can we all agree on that??

 

[78miighia]

Mini vans remind me of space shuttles... the windows are huge.

 

[moss]

My lightning and viper are my daily drivers and they are an absolute blast, both in the 500 hp range.

Hey Raymond, How does the Larini sound?

 

[Rayman]

Billy, just got it finished, Unreal. Sounds like a real raging bull now!

I'll be at track day on the 30th, hope you will too.