What is too much power for a daily driver?

[Jumpem]

Generally people don't drive the speed limit. I remember a university around here took 3 cars and drove the speed limit on the turnpike for 75 miles side by side during rush hour. It basically destroyed traffic patterns that day. Cops don't even enforce the regular speed limits during rush hour on major Highways.

I do. I grew tired of watching for cops. It's much more relaxing to just set the cruise control at the speed limit (+/- 1mph).

 

[Naeeldar]

I do. I grew tired of watching for cops. It's much more relaxing to just set the cruise control at the speed limit (+/- 1mph).

Which is why I said generally. And gave the example of the test the university did here on the turnpike.

 

[Jumpem]

Which is why I said generally. And gave the example of the test the university did here on the turnpike.

People did hate me in northern Virginia and D.C. when I drove the 55mph limit on the highways. They would all drive twenty to thirty over.

 

[tracerbullet]

When I installed the Cobb AP tune on my 135i I did briefly feel that the extra HP/TQ was crossing the line for too much for a daily driver.

N54 or N55? I have the later ('11). It's down to $800 now and it's hard to resist. Not because the car's too slow right now, but because it's hard to resist screwing with stuff. If you went back in time to when you bought the Cobb, would you do it again?

 

[Naeeldar]

People did hate me in northern Virginia and D.C. when I drove the 55mph limit on the highways. They would all drive twenty to thirty over.

I grew up driving rush hour turnpike to high school. So I would never do it but if your in the middle.or right lane, i sure as hell don't see any problem with it.

 

[sgrinavi]

N54 or N55? I have the later ('11). It's down to $800 now and it's hard to resist. Not because the car's too slow right now, but because it's hard to resist screwing with stuff. If you went back in time to when you bought the Cobb, would you do it again?

I have the Cobb on my '10 (n54) - I take the tune out when I take it to the dealer for the "free" maintenance - first thing I do when I get home is put that sucker back in. Difference is very noticeable.

I would do it again in a heartbeat

 

[jlee]

Have fun in the rain :awe:

Rain? Move. :awe:

 

[tracerbullet]

I would do it again in a heartbeat

:hmm: Dangit it'd be cheaper if you'd said not worth it. Cool, thanks.

 

[exdeath]

8000 hp

Just throwing an arbitrary number out there.

 

[Zenmervolt]

it is against the law to exceed the speed limit when passing anyway.

That varies from state to state. In WA, for example, it is absolutely legal to exceed the limit when passing, provided that it's on a two-lane road.

RCW 46.61.425:

a person following a vehicle driving at less than the legal maximum speed and desiring to pass such vehicle may exceed the speed limit, subject to the provisions of RCW 46.61.120 on highways having only one lane of traffic in each direction, at only such a speed and for only such a distance as is necessary to complete the pass with a reasonable margin of safety.

RCW 46.61.120 just says that you can't pull out to pass if doing so would impede oncoming traffic.

ZV

 

[Mutilator]

N54 or N55? I have the later ('11). It's down to $800 now and it's hard to resist. Not because the car's too slow right now, but because it's hard to resist screwing with stuff. If you went back in time to when you bought the Cobb, would you do it again?

N54. I paid full retail for mine direct from Cobb plus overnight shipping as soon as they released it lol. Definitely worth it and I would do it again in a heartbeat - there is nothing you can that is more noticeable than a tune on these engines. It'll put a huge grin on your face as soon as you install it. I've had it on the car for probably 50-55K miles now too. It's just the way they should have come from the factory instead of being detuned so much.

Oh and to answer the second half of the ops question "How do people with faster cars resist the urge to go to town??" - Superhuman amounts of self control.

 

[Jumpem]

That varies from state to state. In WA, for example, it is absolutely legal to exceed the limit when passing, provided that it's on a two-lane road.

RCW 46.61.425:

RCW 46.61.120 just says that you can't pull out to pass if doing so would impede oncoming traffic.

ZV

Interesting. In NY, you get a speeding ticket.

 

[Doppel]

That varies from state to state. In WA, for example, it is absolutely legal to exceed the limit when passing, provided that it's on a two-lane road.

Does that say how much by? In reality virtually everybody speeds and especially so when passing. If somebody is going at 60 in a 65 it's really just unsafe not to go at least 75 to get past them reasonably fast anyway.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Does that say how much by?

It's in the quote.

...at only such a speed and for only such a distance as is necessary to complete the pass with a reasonable margin of safety.

ZV

 

[phucheneh]

Never heard of that stuff here. Every time I speed up to get away from someone who's weaving around like a shit-hammered moron, I can hear the ensuing conversion with the police.

'Why so fast, sir?'

'Uh, that guy I passed was drunk and weaving between lanes. I wanted to put distance between him and myself so as to lesson his chances of killing me. Shouldn't you be pulling him over...?'

'...step out of the vehicle, sir.'

'God dammit.'

 

[FearoftheNight]

You guys are making me drool. Did you guys pay sticker for the BMW? I just dropped by a dealership! I think my gti s interior is nicer. did you guys pay like 50k??

 

[tracerbullet]

35.7k for 1yr old / 5000 mi - pretty loaded, M sport package, heated seats, Nav, HK stereo, and more. Previous owner also did some "BMW Performance" stuff - short shifter, spoiler, exhaust and so on as well. Also it was a 5-speed and they are frustratingly rare, seems like so many out there were lease returns w/ automatics. It was a good combo, a good price, from a guy I trusted, and I really really really wanted one so I went for it. Probably could have done better but I don't think I got screwed.

And yeah the interior is no big deal. It's really tight and quiet and that, and functional, but it's not special in the appearance department. Totally agreed there. OMG the sport package seats though... and just drive one and you'll get the real reason for having one. I finally figured out they have their reputation as a driver's car for a reason.

 

[Zivic]

my "daily" makes 530+...

it is kind of like too much money, no such thing

 

[TridenT]

Depends on how much the car weighs, but a 200HP GTI is just the right amount of power for that car.

High performance cars such as M3's and M5's etc are more status symbols than anything. Hell, even the majority of Corvettes (the iconic American sports car) are sold with automatics.

At the end of the day, who wants to take a $100,000 M5 to the track. I doubt many would want to risk that and 99% of owners don't.

Speed limits here are 60 MPH, so that gives me 3.5 seconds to enjoy it on the on-ramp to work everyday or look like a douche guning it stop light to stop light not even getting out of second gear. One ticket over 85 and it's a reckless driving ticket for 25 over the limit. And let me tell you, even at a 100 mph, a German sedan feels like it's doing 45 solid and stable, and it doesn't take much at all to get there.

To me, if you are a true driving enthusiast, you buy something like a Lotus Exige purely for the track, or a poor mans track car such as a Mazda MX-5. The amount of money you will spend for these sports cars is just not worth it and will get old in around 6 months give or take.

Most of this.

Honestly, you don't feel the speed as much in more luxurious modern cars. I was doing 110 when I felt like I was doing maybe 50 on the freeway. I nearly got axed by a cop (I was approaching from behind in a 50 zone) because I didn't realize I was going THAT fast. It didn't feel like it at all and it's very easy to creep up to or just floor it to (You floor it in an old civic and people know it. You floor it in a luxury mobile and no one flinches.)

It depends on what you mean by 'too much'. You can easily have a 500whp or more for a daily driver. I don't think most people need even 100hp though. Whatever a Prius has these days is plenty for >99% of the population.

 

[phucheneh]

my "daily" makes 530+...

it is kind of like too much money, no such thing

If it's a short-wheelbase RWD car...good luck with that.

It is kind of like money, though; people like to flaunt it on the internet, even when it's being completely wasted.

 

[jlee]

If it's a short-wheelbase RWD car...good luck with that.

It is kind of like money, though; people like to flaunt it on the internet, even when it's being completely wasted.

With freeway onramps, power is never wasted.

 

[phucheneh]

If you spin in fourth it is. :ninja:

 

[jlee]

If you spin in fourth it is. :ninja:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=34820085&postcount=14

:awe:

I've driven exdeath's car...it hooks up, and not in fourth (with much more than 500whp).

 

[phucheneh]

...drag radials, by chance?

'cause that's cheating. ;P

 

[jlee]

...drag radials, by chance?

'cause that's cheating. ;P

lies, there's no such thing as cheating. :whiste: