High horsepower (let's say 700+) guys; do you ever regret it?

Kiohtee

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And I'm not really asking from a financial standpoint, although I can certainly see how that could factor in (especially depending on the platform). But for me, I regret it from the point of view that I can no longer actually drive my car on public roads without situations getting real, quick. Of course if I drive it like a normal human and at stock levels all is fine, but...

A three or four second romp from 60MPH is now automatic jail time, suspension of license, etc. Plus the fact that if I'm not on a drag radial, anything more than half throttle and I'm performing 100MPH rolling burnouts.

Anyone else? Now excuse me while I collect my purse to go to work.
 

IronSnake

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Any fast car I've ever owned, I've found it to be a fun spur of the moment thing. But to daily it would be a one way ticket to the pokey. It's how I acquired a reckless ticket that I managed to squeeze out of.
 

Booky

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No regets.

I run 305 drag radials full time and it made such a huge impact on the way the car reacts at WOT.
I no longer worry about the car getting sideways from a roll.
I can still spin them at a lower speed, but they hook quickly and send you on your way.

Why have 600-700+ hp/tq if your going to run narrow street tires that can only handle half that? A good option for those who want to keep street tires, purchase a second set of wider rear wheels and wrap them in drag radials. Then you could swap out the rear set in 10-15 minutes for those dry warm weekends. :D

As for the speeding tickets, a lead foot is a lead foot.
 
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Chancey

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My last before the Shelby was a radically modded 2017 mustang GT that I had until the end of last year. Full build, supercharged, the works. I never regret adding power, always wanting more. But all of my rides are daily drivers for me. I spend a small fortune on fuel alone (but always have). It was a blast but violent and loud, which was fun but drew unwanted attention so I do know what you mean. I am going to go all out on my GT500 eventually too. I havent had a car that isnt pretty darn quick and gets more than 10 miles to the gallon in over 20 years...So yeah its not practical and easy to keep a license, but bring on the everloving horsepower!
 

raustin0017

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My GT500 puts down little over 700 to the rear. Drove Her three times this week to work. Purchased it to drive it. You can get a speeding ticket in a Prius.

Only one regret...wish we had no-kidding 'rules-of-the-road' drivers follow, like in Germany. In two years in Germany never, not once, did I see a tractor-trailer (18-wheeler) in the left lane. People pass and get back in the right lane. Even if your running over 100 mph...when you pass you get back over because someone else is coming up doing 150.

People in the US drive like idiots.
 

blownstang4.6

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Im with you. At a certain point the car just becomes too much for the street unless you're just cruising it and never getting in the throttle, which is boring in my opinion. My Mach is 508rwhp through an auto on the stock motor and it is just right for the street. I like to nail it a couple times every time I take the car out. The drag radials hold it well. After this hp level, yes it does get expensive because the motor needs to be built. When I build the motor I'm going to bump the compression a little, keep it on 12psi like it is now, and give it 6-7 degrees more timing on E85 as I'm only running 13 degrees right now due to the stock motor holding me back. It'll make mid 600's through the auto and be enough for high 9's in the 1/4. I think that's perfect power for an actual street car.
 

CV355

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They say it's more fun to wring out a slower car fast than a faster car slow. I agree with that statement.

As long as you maintain "street manners," the power is manageable. I've driven extremely unwieldy vehicles that had ~300hp, and extremely friendly vehicles that had 600+. Good tires helps too, something that 13/14 GT500s didn't get from the factory.
 

Sirhc7897

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With my current hellcat....no issue whatsoever. Car is stock and very easily manageable.

With my GT500 before that....sort of.

At a little over 600 to the wheels I loved it. When I went north of 700 to the wheels it was too much (in that car) for a daily.


Sent from my iPhone using svtperformance.com
 

ATX5.0

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Man I wouldn’t know, only around 420-440 wheel hp. I do run 15” 555R nittos and it hooks from 2nd gear and up. I can’t imagine driving an 600hp plus car on the streets. I’d be asking for trouble real quick.
 

CobraKid04

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It depends what the car is intended for.

I regret going with a 150 shot on my FBO cam ls3 C6.

Made 680rwtq on the hit. I needed a big mushy drag radial to put that down. The handling of the car was mediocre at best. Fun in a straight line though.

I missed carving corners and overall confidence in the handling.

This year I ordered a set of 4 Toyo r888r and putting the nitrous to 100. Should put me around 580-600tq. Now I have fantastic handling and still fast in a straight line.

It's a Vette though. That's what's it's intended for. If I had a mustang I'd run bigger power on a drag radial because that's what the car does best.
 

BigPoppa

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You can get tickets driving a 100hp car.

It just depends on whether or not you make poor choices.

I don't daily the hp monster. It's for the Friday cruise to work or the Saturday car show and the track. If I romp on it, I literally find a place that is secluded and open. When I say secluded, I mean in the middle of nowhere. Even then, I'm not trying to hit 200mph as when I do usually romp on it, I'm probably getting tuning data. Most of the time when I drive it, I simply cruise at the speed limit. When you know you have the baddest thing in the area, you don't feel the need to prove it.
 

RedVenom48

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You can get tickets driving a 100hp car.

It just depends on whether or not you make poor choices.

I don't daily the hp monster. It's for the Friday cruise to work or the Saturday car show and the track. If I romp on it, I literally find a place that is secluded and open. When I say secluded, I mean in the middle of nowhere. Even then, I'm not trying to hit 200mph as when I do usually romp on it, I'm probably getting tuning data. Most of the time when I drive it, I simply cruise at the speed limit. When you know you have the baddest thing in the area, you don't feel the need to prove it.
Not to mention the undercover cops in seized performance cars are gunning for the people with built cars that cant control themselves.

I might be in the minority here, but if Im in Mexico I would only make pulls against people I knew. I could give a **** if someone in a fast car is bent on trying to race me.

I was leaving Race Legal in San Diego a few years ago. Some idiot in a black Terminator with a Whipple and E85 was leaving too. Drove on the shoulder cutting in and out of traffic to catch up to me. Windows down, revved the piss out of his engine, anything to get me to race him. Naw... gave him the "**** outta here" look and wave. Left super pissed hahaha. Good, hope he got a nail in his drag radial.

Im all for hooning and making pulls. But I dont know you for shit and if youre willing to take your built car with race tires on the shoulder and haul ass in n out of traffic, Im not running you. I dont trust your ass to do so.
 

Voltwings

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They say it's more fun to wring out a slower car fast than a faster car slow. I agree with that statement.

As long as you maintain "street manners," the power is manageable. I've driven extremely unwieldy vehicles that had ~300hp, and extremely friendly vehicles that had 600+. Good tires helps too, something that 13/14 GT500s didn't get from the factory.

This, I had a build that got away from me and every time I changed turbos or fuel type and the car got faster, I found myself consistently driving it slower just because I had to.

With a ~350 whp car you can floor it on a fairly regular basis and the risk of something going wrong is pretty low (obviously there is always a risk). But once you start getting 500, 600, 700, all of the sudden I needed tons of flat, straight, open road with no one in the lanes on either side of me, and It just became so much more of an event to actually get to rag on the car. I think my preferred power level is something around 300-400 because it's just easier to enjoy on a more regular basis.
 

Coiled03

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I've never had a car at that power level, and the older I get, the less I desire it.

Yeah, it's all about making good decisions. But with 700+ horsepower, the consequences of each decision are magnified, meaning you have less wiggle room. I'd rather have marginally less HP, and more room for error, especially on the street where you need it.

It's like the difference between riding a 600cc sport bike vs. riding a liter bike.
 

Mpoitrast87

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Yes. No doubt doing highway pulls in a 700hp car is fun but i prefer stop light to stop light acceleration and powersliding around corners. A car with 700hp is hard to slide around like that. Most fun cars ive driven are 300hp foxbodies.
 

850SNCobra

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While I haven't had a car w/that much power, I'll say this:
The 305Hp from my stock 96' Cobra was really fun at first. Being my last stang was a 95 GT with a Auto trans.
That fun quickly turned to frowns when Chevy Impala's(V8 models) and a Toyota Tundra are keeping up with me from red lights lmao.

In all seriousness, I think the 08' GT500 I just got will be a bit more fun but like others stated, I won't be able to romp on the gas pedal like I had been doing with the old Cobra or else it will cost me major. I got my first ever speeding ticket in the 96 cobra too, could've been avoided had I looked further up the road and saw the LEO.
 

RedVenom48

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While I haven't had a car w/that much power, I'll say this:
The 305Hp from my stock 96' Cobra was really fun at first. Being my last stang was a 95 GT with a Auto trans.
That fun quickly turned to frowns when Chevy Impala's(V8 models) and a Toyota Tundra are keeping up with me from red lights lmao.

In all seriousness, I think the 08' GT500 I just got will be a bit more fun but like others stated, I won't be able to romp on the gas pedal like I had been doing with the old Cobra or else it will cost me major. I got my first ever speeding ticket in the 96 cobra too, could've been avoided had I looked further up the road and saw the LEO.
Relo brackets, rear control arms and Nitto NT05Rs or Mickey ET Street S/S' and youll be solid if you leave the engine and pullies alone.
 

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