How much of the GT/DH power is actually usable by the everyday driver?

[LionK]

I think it's the perfect amount of speed for what its worth. More than enough for most people but it also depends what your purpose for the car is. I think the suspension and chassis tuning has made it really hard to become the crowdkiller it used to be and has made it really easy to control the power. Its been a great daily driver so far

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[Karguy]

I would say around 500 hp is what a front engine rwd car can put safely to the ground…Exception was the C6Z06 that tried to swap ends… A rear engine 911 can probably take another 100 hp…A good example is a Challenger WB with 485 hp that can put its power down with 305 tires safely…A Hellcat with a good 200 hp is not faster up to 80 mph but way harder to drive in a straight line and in turns for sure…500 hp is fine but it still can bite you if you dont hone your skills…

 

[young at heart]

I guess I might be missing the point of this. The throttle on any car is like a rheostat, ie, it’s infinitely variable. If the car frightens you just press down more lightly. It’s not gonna suffer demonic possession like an ‘85 Audi and take off on it‘s own.

Somehow asking “how much HP is too much” just doesn’t exactly ring true. Sure, the GT trims and upward are fast and powerful cars. Used improperly by foolish people they can hurt you. But the factory isn’t gonna put something out that will do so when used properly as intended.

 

[Stonehauler]

I guess I might be missing the point of this. The throttle on any car is like a rheostat, ie, it’s infinitely variable. If the car frightens you just press down more lightly. It’s not gonna suffer demonic possession like an ‘85 Audi and take off on it‘s own.

Somehow asking “how much HP is too much” just doesn’t exactly ring true. Sure, the GT trims and upward are fast and powerful cars. Used improperly by foolish people they can hurt you. But the factory isn’t gonna put something out that will do so when used properly as intended.

In the Toyota Cressida I drove (85), even the mild amount of HP that vehicle had was too much. In any amount of precipitation, that car with good new tires on it could break loose if goosed a bit too much.

Even a Chevy Celebrity (wagon) from the Mid 80s to 1990 had a habit of breaking loose on the back end, and that was a FWD vehicle.

Contrary, my 400 hp/450 ft-lb BMW 550 very rarely breaks loose. It CAN, but it has good nannies in it, and it is also extremely well balanced. Even with the nannies off, it still holds itself very well. This is probably do to very good engineering of the vehicle suspension and chassis

Yet, we seem to see Mustang after Mustang (and Camaro, and Corvette) break loose and go spinning out of control in good weather into a tree, telephone pole, crowd, or just into the ditch on video after video, while we don't seem to see the same with some over vehicles.

That was my question. Some here have answered it. The chassis has improved and 500 hp isn't too much to be my main car (I say DD, but I rarely drive more than a few times a week)

 

[Zcarmenb28]

I’ve owned a 2018 GT Premium with PP1, A10, and MagneRide. It had nearly full bolt on, so near 500 crank hp and some weight reduction. I also have a 675 hp (crank) ‘21 Camaro ZL1, and a ‘22 Supra 3.0 with about 415 crank hp (they typically dyno 370-380+ rwhp), but only weighs 3,300 lbs. The GT and Supra have about the same power to weight ratio and both have really usable power compared to the ZL1. Neither felt slow around town, and the GT with the bolt ons felt a little quicker than the Supra at highway speeds.

The GT and now the Supra I can regularly go wide open throttle for several seconds without really risking jail time in 2nd/3rd and mid-range rpms in 4th gear. The ZL1 I cant really floor in the City—almost never. Don’t get me wrong, I love the hell out of the ZL1, but rapid acceleration typically looks like rolling into 2nd gear from a slower speed to about 2/3 throttle and maybe 4.5k rpm before paddle shifting to 3rd and going to 3/4 throttle, all that occurring in probably 3 seconds. I also feel like it attracts a lot of attention because the stock exhaust is loud as hell for an OEM system in track mode.

The Supra has a gearing advantage over the ZL1 in the lower gears and slightly better front/rear weight distribution (~50/50), so it feels decently quick below 65 mph. I wouldn't mind another 50-60 hp in the Supra, but it's definitely in the sweet spot for around town, sub-65 mph driving.

I'm talking about the Supra because it is almost exactly as quick as an A10 GT. Not trying to talk about something completely irrelevant...

 

[Stonehauler]

I’ve owned a 2018 GT Premium with PP1, A10, and MagneRide. It had nearly full bolt on, so near 500 crank hp and some weight reduction. I also have a 675 hp (crank) ‘21 Camaro ZL1, and a ‘22 Supra 3.0 with about 415 crank hp (they typically dyno 370-380+ rwhp), but only weighs 3,300 lbs. The GT and Supra have about the same power to weight ratio and both have really usable power compared to the ZL1. Neither felt slow around town, and the GT with the bolt ons felt a little quicker than the Supra at highway speeds.

The GT and now the Supra I can regularly go wide open throttle for several seconds without really risking jail time in 2nd/3rd and mid-range rpms in 4th gear. The ZL1 I cant really floor in the City—almost never. Don’t get me wrong, I love the hell out of the ZL1, but rapid acceleration typically looks like rolling into 2nd gear from a slower speed to about 2/3 throttle and maybe 4.5k rpm before paddle shifting to 3rd and going to 3/4 throttle, all that occurring in probably 3 seconds. I also feel like it attracts a lot of attention because the stock exhaust is loud as hell for an OEM system in track mode.

The Supra has a gearing advantage over the ZL1 in the lower gears and slightly better front/rear weight distribution (~50/50), so it feels decently quick below 65 mph. I wouldn't mind another 50-60 hp in the Supra, but it's definitely in the sweet spot for around town, sub-65 mph driving.

I'm talking about the Supra because it is almost exactly as quick as an A10 GT. Not trying to talk about something completely irrelevant...

The Supra looks to be a great car for a lot of people....but I don't fit in it (too tall). I tried at the Milwaukee Auto Show, which was better than most that I have been too recently, and I could not find a position where my head was not cocked at 30-40 degrees or my knees were not in my chest.

 

[cosmo73]

The simple answer is twofold:
1. Driver skill
2. Tires

 

[Karguy]

Stonehauler…I would not worry about the 500 or more so 430 rwhp the Mustang makes because of the relatively low torque numbers , tall gearing and weight it feels pretty tame ! 500 hp in a Z06 was too much because the car had torque and no traction and was no fun because of imminent snap oversteer as also the engine was a ticking time bomb and could drop a valve at any time but that is another story…

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