The "Golden" Power/Weight Ratio

kb58 said:

These threads are fun but kinda pointless for reaching any sort of conclusion, like defining the "perfect" woman based upon only one quality.

Thank you, Kurt. More, more, MORE is a legit focus for some types of motorsports such as drag racing and top speed competitions, but it's kind of like watching a top fuel drag event. Once to experience the ground shaking magnificence of it, and a second time to show my son. But that's it. I have as much interest in how much HP most cars make as I do in knowing Sandy Colfax's ERA in 1958.

Fine, I'll add the following "data point":

Midlana, with me in it, is about 1800 lbs. Power is 300-530 whp depending upon boost, fuel, and dyno type. I used to buy into the "it's never enough" saying, mostly because I (and I suspect a lot of other people) have never actually experienced driving "enough." Well, I'm pretty much there, and at least for me. It's like having a "pet" tiger* where you're never really sure of the relationship. Midlana is easy in the straights, but cornering is interesting because it has so much grip, and can always go faster anytime, anywhere you want. So you end up cornering so fast that "if" something happens, it's going to go off. With a lower power car, the margins are wider and there's more time to deal with stuff. But like I said, that's just me, and since I find myself in the "high risk" virus group, maybe it's partly or entirely age related.

*Check out the series "King Tiger" on Netflix for the oddest, strangest bunch of people you can imagine.

Europa TCST should be around 7.5 with me in it...I am expecting a little "fun" !

In reply to TurboFource :

I am expecting "Colin" to come in around the 7 mark.  Optimistically around six, if I can get the car down to 2200lb and the engine up to 400.  This should be sufficient for driving at 40mph in a field 

Thread is interesting because it is so old that I drove an all wheel drive five cylinder car, the first time around.  It made a lot less power, but it also weighed about 1000lb less.

I kind of like the "horsepower/ton" metric, if only because the numbers are bigger.  Like the 620R, a Lotus Seven-alike that makes 620hp per ton.  The amusing part is that the car itself weighs a little over a half ton.

I think the regular old golden ratio should work just fine -- 1.618 pounds/horsepower :)

In reply to codrus (Forum Supporter) :

this is an instance of Imperial measure being superior to metric

nderwater said:

It's a factor of power-to-weight, but I mentally class street cars in terms of 0-60 times:

7.x seconds = fun
6.x seconds = quick
5.x seconds = fast
4.x seconds = damn fast
sub-4 seconds = supercar

I don't find cars that are slower than 8 sec. to 60 to be particularly entertaining to drive until I try to see how fhard I can pitch them into corners.

If there was ever a single number that came the closest to ranking *daily driver* enjoyment, nderwater got it right: it would be 0-60 times. Granted, there are outliers, like trucks, which do not handle enjoyably, but for the majority of what can be done on the street, the right window of quickness nails it. HOWEVER, any car that gets to 60 significantly before the end of second gear becomes demotivating to me. A lot of my driving is on 55 mph roads here and I HATE getting off the gas before the end of my gear (I daily an automatic) 

I would modify the chart as such:

7.x seconds = fun/sufficient
6.x seconds = quick
5.x seconds = fast (pretty much right)
4.x seconds = maybe too fast
sub-4 seconds = boring because I cannot very long stay in the state of "accelerating"

On the track..? I have no idea. Done it twice with a 5.x and loved it

The Free Europa is so light that its weight:power ratio changes from 6.5 lbs/hp to 7.2 when I get in it. (Assuming Toyota's claimed "268 hp" from a stock 2GR-FE V6).

7.2 lbs/hp proved fast enough to run a 12 second flat quarter mile at the Challenge. Boy it sure felt fast. 

P3PPY said:

If there was ever a single number that came the closest to ranking *daily driver* enjoyment, nderwater got it right: it would be 0-60 times. 

Thanks -- ten years later and I think that list still holds pretty true, with the weird performance envelope of EVs being outliers.