What's happened to your horse power and torque over time?
- Thread starter B21
- Start date
Scottish Borders
slow to start (140bhp, 160bhp, 140bhp) (peugeot, peugeot, mazda)
then shot up to 270bhp, then 330bhp (nissan 300ZX, then with a remap)
then a drop to 160bhp (honda civic)
then another big hike to 270bhp, then 300bhp, then 360bhp (Nissan 350z, BMW 335i, remapped 335i)
now i've settled down to ~300bhp, from two remapped 330ds.
i think about 300bhp is the sweet spot for a road car - chances to fully exploit my remapped 335i were very fleeting, that thing was fast.
then shot up to 270bhp, then 330bhp (nissan 300ZX, then with a remap)
then a drop to 160bhp (honda civic)
then another big hike to 270bhp, then 300bhp, then 360bhp (Nissan 350z, BMW 335i, remapped 335i)
now i've settled down to ~300bhp, from two remapped 330ds.
i think about 300bhp is the sweet spot for a road car - chances to fully exploit my remapped 335i were very fleeting, that thing was fast.
brillomaster said:
Until this year never had a car that would do 300bhp..they've range from 26 BHP in a Fiat 126 to 220 BHP in Rover 220 Turbo Coupe..only with the pesky turbos in E89s did it all go wrong.
I agree that 300 BHP, well delivered is all you need on UK roads..driving the 20i at 300bhp and the 35is at 400bhp to and from the garage just now didn't feel any more useful with that extra 100 bhp..
Actually it’s the torque / BHP combo that makes the difference ..250bhp with 400nm of torque in the middle is better than 300bhp with 300nm of torque at the top..IMHO
axelleveau
Member
Taking a quick break from work so had Excel already fired up... I am surprisingly linear but cannot imagine where I'll end up by retirement 
:roll:
:roll:
Well my first car was 65 BHP, 1974 MG Midget RWA and weighed about 740 kg, so I'm now at over five times the power and twice the weight 
[ref]brillomaster[/ref], I tend to agree with 300 bhp being enough for UK roads, I was thinking just that the other day as I overtook a van and HGV, going from a 30 mph to national limit, I was probably exceeding the national speed limit by the time I was along side the lorry and still in comfort mode too. The gearing in the M40i is just about perfect for overtaking.
[ref]brillomaster[/ref], I tend to agree with 300 bhp being enough for UK roads, I was thinking just that the other day as I overtook a van and HGV, going from a 30 mph to national limit, I was probably exceeding the national speed limit by the time I was along side the lorry and still in comfort mode too. The gearing in the M40i is just about perfect for overtaking.
Nissan Cherry 1.3LX 60bhp
Mk1 Nissan Primerra 2.0LX 126bhp, cracking drivers car, for it's day.
Ford Mondeo 24v SI. 167 bhp. Good family car, but couldn't hold a candle to the Primera as a drivers car.
Fiat Coupe 20VT 220bhp, Pretty sure it grew a few whilst I owned it. Never measured it though.
///MR 343bhp. From the day I drove it home I have never though I need more. 
After the Mondeo I had several daily sheds along side the Coupe and the MR. None worth a mention wrt bhp.
Mk1 Nissan Primerra 2.0LX 126bhp, cracking drivers car, for it's day.
Ford Mondeo 24v SI. 167 bhp. Good family car, but couldn't hold a candle to the Primera as a drivers car.
Fiat Coupe 20VT 220bhp, Pretty sure it grew a few whilst I owned it. Never measured it though.
///MR 343bhp. From the day I drove it home I have never though I need more.
After the Mondeo I had several daily sheds along side the Coupe and the MR. None worth a mention wrt bhp.
In 1976 my first car was a 1500cc MK 2 Cortina in 1976 with a claimed 60 bhp, but it was on its' 2nd time around the clock so some had escaped!
Then in 1977 a Fiat 125 with 90bhp.
1979 a Rover P6B 3500S with 143bhp.
Numbers went up and down for years until I cracked 200bhp with a BMW 123d in 2008 with 201!
Upwards again in 2014 as my first Z4 had 265bhp.
Then in 2019 I got past 300 with my MC and 343bhp.
And to be honest it has more than can be used too often on typical UK roads. But on the few occasions I get to use them all it's so worth it.
I've never really tracked torque.
Then in 1977 a Fiat 125 with 90bhp.
1979 a Rover P6B 3500S with 143bhp.
Numbers went up and down for years until I cracked 200bhp with a BMW 123d in 2008 with 201!
Upwards again in 2014 as my first Z4 had 265bhp.
Then in 2019 I got past 300 with my MC and 343bhp.
And to be honest it has more than can be used too often on typical UK roads. But on the few occasions I get to use them all it's so worth it.
I've never really tracked torque.
Most of the cars below were probably producing far less than the bhp listed, having been bought at the end of their lives... I think I scrapped nearly half of them, and a few of the others didn't last for long after my ownership - I'm basically a hospice for cars :?
200-300bhp is all you need for the road, depending on the car IMO - it's always nice to have more though isn't it?! The Z4 30i was unnecessarily powerful at 258, but that was partially because the suspension and tyres couldn't cope with it. The MR2s were underpowered, but even 200 would have been more than enough. The focus is a good example of the "right" amount of power for the size/weight of the car and the chassis/tyres, sometimes it's more fun to drive than the Z4.
200-300bhp is all you need for the road, depending on the car IMO - it's always nice to have more though isn't it?! The Z4 30i was unnecessarily powerful at 258, but that was partially because the suspension and tyres couldn't cope with it. The MR2s were underpowered, but even 200 would have been more than enough. The focus is a good example of the "right" amount of power for the size/weight of the car and the chassis/tyres, sometimes it's more fun to drive than the Z4.
