Just wondered what the general ambition is with people and their 7's. Is power the be all and end all of car ownership or are you happy with 25bhp?

Who's Les?

I have an R1 wioth 150 BHP and it isn't enough. I reckon about 50% more acceleration would do, until I get used to it then I'll want more.

I think 200hp in 560kg should be a reasonable starting point, beyond that its probably a combination of making the power more useable (better traction) and losing weight from the car, more than increasing the power.

I think its enough when you down 2 thick black stripes of rubber when you boot it in the first couple of gears

I used to think power was the holy grail, more cubes more horses yehaaaa ... but not any more.

I raced a landrover, starting at 3.5 @150bhp and finishing 4.6 @ 300bhp and having continually broken diffs, half shafts gearboxes etc I,ve now binned all that and now want as light as possible with good power. That will be a BEC then !

Weights the enemy, cubes are not always he answer......

as I'm at teh lower end of the scale, then more power is oon the cards but would stop at 150-200 mark (that would be about 3x what I have now).

my mate has a caterham and I've talked about putting bigger engine, throttle bodies and his response is not worth the hassle but concentrate on handling and tracking - he's just forked out on some super sticky yokos.

There is no replacement for displacement.

Old school me. but I must admit I am aiming for 250 bhp just because I want to.

regards

Agriv8

it all depends on the ability of the car to use the power, and a seven is not the best at that.

I have been in 240hp sevens that would spin the wheels up in the dry in 4th gear when going to overtake, but I have also been to le mans in the ultima demo car with 720hp, and it can put it down surprisingly well!!!

the 600+ hp spaceframed mini that's been grassing this year pushed the limits too far, think MikeR will second how out of control that seemed to be every time it was tickled!!!

[Edited on 2/10/06 by NS Dev]

I race against westfields with nearly 300 BHP and they are a noticably faster than me up the hill with my 180 BHP.

I can only say a well sorted seven seems to be well capable of handling that sort of power (300 bhp) but not all drivers are.....

Cheers

Mark

I think it dpends upon what you're used to. I have a fairly quick mini, and needed a <5sec 7 to make it worth the effort. However, it's beginning to feel ok in a straight line again. You can't have that inital, "oh my christ this is fast" feeling forever unfortunatley.

I'm aiming for 300bhp and 750kg which I reckon should be a hoot without being too daft.

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Originally posted by NS Dev
the 600+ hp spaceframed mini that's been grassing this year pushed the limits too far, think MikeR will second how out of control that seemed to be every time it was tickled!!!

[Edited on 2/10/06 by NS Dev]

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Theres no use in having the power if you cant use it all or put it down on the road....

I have loads of fun with roughly 100BHP in a 600kg car - I've still managed to squeak my tyres changing from 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear on a dry road!

David

I'm happy with a slightly modified crossflow - 110bhp ish - scares the crap out of me sometimes!

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Who's Les?

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went to le mans in the ultima demo car with 720hp, and it can put it down surprisingly well!!!

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Nice talking about power and stuff, but I only see Horses around here.

I have 163nm of torque from 2900rpm flat to 7800rpm, at the wheels, so almost all of that is usable in every way you can take off or get out of a corner.

I makes 121hp at the wheels in fourth when doing 198km an hour, and that scares the carp out of mee occasionaly.

very happy with a very wide engine.

I think it's not the peak power that counts but it's when the torque, to push you in the seat, comes in that counts

grtz Thomas

i looked pure at fuel consumption to!

also i wanted revs sow a Fireblade was in my eyes alredy to big.

Then i could buy cheap a good lump.

sow i brought a VFR 800 Injection Lump..

110BHP still BEC (light) and still fast...
and doesn't drink fuel..

Just like i needed...

Tks

p.s. alsi i guess that to fast 2 to much horses isn't what a 23old boy should do..

i still remember the 2nd sprint wich left me shaking until i saw beeer...

Any more than 240bhp in a seven is a waste, TRUST ME I can run upto 320bhp at the wheels but it cant be driven, it will light the tyres up at 90mph, Im running a 6 stage boost controler which is fantastic as you set the boost in each gear, after a lot of playing with the settings you can drive as hard as you likebut withoutdont bother.

I'm guessing my car weighs about 725kgs, with 155bhp/200ftlb, but car will soon weigh about 35kg more, but will have a far better f/drive ratio, LSD and twin turbos. Hoping for around 280 - 300bhp and 350ft lb.

Means I can stick it in fifth and leave it there

ATB

Simon