How much power do you really need?

[bluestreak56]

Not looking to start any feud's or controversies but..

Following several threads about M vs 3.0 and 2.0 vs others in the zed, I wonder what you all think ..

How much power do you really need?

I realise everyone has different requirements from their cars and some people have Jeremy Clarkson syndrome but how much power do you really need?

Taking into consideration that 95% of us use are cars for UK legal road use where max speeds at 70mph

My personal opinion has always been that 100bhp/ton is more than enough for city / A roads / motorways .. what do you all think?

 

[mr wilks]

Not looking to start any feud's or controversies but..

Following several threads about M vs 3.0 and 2.0 vs others in the zed, I wonder what you all think ..

How much power do you really need?

I realise everyone has different requirements from their cars and some people have Jeremy Clarkson syndrome but how much power do you really need?

Taking into consideration that 95% of us use are cars for UK legal road use where max speeds at 70mph

My personal opinion has always been that 100bhp/ton is more than enough for city / A roads / motorways .. what do you all think?

300bhp /160mph capabilty/0-60 5/6seconds are the thereabouts for me . Obviously there is give & take on the figures . The whole comfort/driver satisfaction comes above raw power for me .
I want to be able to nip in town for some pastries then thunder down autoroutes worrying ferral renault drivers all in the same day 8)

 

[imp75]

I went for 150 bhp per tonne as a compromise between running costs and acceleration. Would mean something like 225 bhp for ave small saloon i.e. 330 kinda performance. Any more than that is probably hard to use regularly imo.

 

[edzed]

Personally I reckon 100bhp/ton is enough for an open roadster, but 250bhp/ton is nice in a tin top.

 

[RubyBlueZ4MC]

Its not always about how much you need but how much you know you have :wink:

 

[StevenH72]

Need is a strong word really. But I went for 200/ ton.

The 3.0 coupe has 260ish over 1300kg(ish). I think (from a few test drives and listening to others opinions) for a sports coupe the 3.0 has the perfect mix between having fun and using as a daily driver.

I still want the ///M though :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

How heavy is the e89? My 20i is sufficient for me, so whatever that works out as!

 

[LeeZ4MR]

I have always been a little power hungry, 356 Bhp/ton in the Cerbera but only a scant 266 Bhp/ton in the M3 but you don't always need alot of power but its nice to know its there if you need it

A caterham R500 would do me nicely decent power & very little weight happy days

Trouble is nowadays with heavy traffic roads & speed cameras everywhere there isn't really that much point having too much power as it just gets frustrating, that's when a track day makes alot of sense.

 

[Quadracer]

I will be remapping mine in March and have a target of 400hp.

 

[bcworkz]

Thanks to a past thread about horsepower trend of previously owned vehicles, I know my daily drivers have all been around 100hp/ton. They are all far from sporty though. For that, I'd say one needs at least 150hp/ton minimum, though 200 would be much more satisfying. 250 is getting into stupid fast range, it would be good fun to have a go with that, but not sure I'd want to own it.

 

[IK.]

For me, the perfect blend of power and usability was in the 3.0si Coupe. Even now, years on...

 

[lux]

The thread says how much power do you 'NEED'.......no-one surely 'needs' 250bhp +/ton.
Yes it's nice to have that if you want to, but to 'need' it is rubbish!
I buy a car that is right overall for me - costs, looks, equipment, power, ride. I'd rather have a lesser power car that has everything I want than something that goes like greased weasel piss and looks like a bag of shite!

 

[lux]

......having said that I wouldn't want something that couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding!

 

[rhodesey35iM]

The 35i has got 200bhp p/t and when you floor it it feels plenty. 0-60 in under 5 secs feels almost like bike acce;eration.

 

[Wondermike]

Probably 150 is fine but voted 200. 35i would do me fine

 

[LeeZ4MR]

The Z4m is around 230 ish Bhp/ton so that feels about right to me but as others have said you don't need that much power although having experienced my 520d when you haven't got enough power thats quite painful aswell, it needs to be a happy medium.

 

[Quadracer]

I need to eat, I need to breath, I need sleep, I need to go fast, I need to .....

I don't need to play golf

Everybody has different needs

 

[GreyZed]

I will be remapping mine in March and have a target of 400hp.

You not a Z4 owner then?

 

[Quadracer]

I will be remapping mine in March and have a target of 400hp.

You not a Z4 owner then?

Just got a 35is and running it in. At about 1500 miles will be putting it on the rolling road at PDT in Sunderland. Plans for a few other mods for stage 2 to hit the 400hp. That's total not per tonne.

 

[Zed Five]

The 35i has got 200bhp p/t and when you floor it it feels plenty. 0-60 in under 5 secs feels almost like bike acce;eration.

Err, that'd be 'slow bike'. Halve the time for a good sports bike. Its really a different game.