Do we really need 400 WHP FD3S on street ?
 

on my FD3S I have mild street port motor and HKS T04R turbo kit, tune by XS in SCA. the car had 400WHP. this is equal to 480 HP at flywheel. almost double the HP of stock. Every once of while(depend on road condion, and tire temp) when I gun it. the car will turn complete Side way at 2-3 gear and hit the REV limeter too. Since I drove A lot on Race track. so I know how to counter it back and still going...


But even I can do that. I dont think I can get it every time knock on wood .

Think about this. most of Factory car had 400+ hp. they either super wide or carry a super super wide tires or have those fancy safety control system. I have 255 P ZERO on my FD

So my point is How much HP you guys think is un driveable on street. Meaning when you using street tires and still try to do WOT run on street.

Thats where tire and suspension work comes in to make more fun :)...Just think I drove with that power on 225/50/16's on stock suspension for a summer in my FC, the cars rear end would start to glide out when passing cars on the highway, yeah its handful, but still fun..
I went with 275's in the rear, that helped ALOT, I could actually go WOT, for a bit in lower gears, although it still breaks them loose at higher boost levels, then I tossed the factory suspension, I have Tein coilovers with adjustable dampening, which really helped settle the rear end down, I softened the fronts for a little more weight transfer,balanced the car out under power....
Big power is a waste really though if you can't hook it up, and its frustrating sometimes, especailly when some tart in a awd minivan can leave you standing at a light while you perform the smoke show from hell....You have to build the rest of the car around it, as long as you do it all , the sky is the limit IMHO, and thats why people buy hiperformacne cars right off the show room floor, spending as much as they do, they are looking for a whole package that works together..
I am in the process of bolting my T51 in, and I think I will have more than 400 rwhp this time again :), Things I am shopping for are a new rear diff, a hks 6 speed transmission, a big brake kit, more chassis bracing, and a roll cage...I want a fast car, and safe handling one to..max

It's not how much HP is streetable. It's the driver uner the conditions. By no means should a newbie be rolling around the streets in a 400rwhp car. An experienced person yes because they can more than likely handle it and possibly more. It's also dependant on the car. I believe since the fd has a wider stance and better suspension setup it can handle higher HP. Versus an FC.

-Destin

Without reading the first reply, I agree with what your saying as I'm in the same boat only with a 91 turbo at around the 475-500 mark. I fit 275's on mine. I know with the M2 trailing arms you can fit 285's at least on an FD. However Wyum has 315's with tweak'd trailing arms.. :) you should see that car!

So, ya how much good is 500hp if you can't hook up? I hook up pretty good so I can't complain, but with any more hp its questionable. I actually turned boost down to help traction cuz with FC's I'm limited on tire width

Brad

I'm shooting for around 450rwhp at 15psi on my FD on the street. I am also building the car for time attack/circuit track racing, and the grip will be as ample as the power.
Mike

I didnt have any problems with 400+rwhp daily driven on the street. You just need to run drag radials all the time. They should last about 10K miles if you dont do many burnouts on them. Even when they did spin up in 1's the car always stayed straight (they will spin if you dont do a burn out to heat them).

Throttle Discipline 101 fo you. 400hp is very much fun indeed!

Ive driven mine just fine. I put down over 400 at the wheels. I guess I drive it with respect. I know when and where to use the power. Its not like a honda civic you drive around with your foot to the floor. Just because there is room under the gas pedal doesnt mean you always stab it too the floor.
Ive been driving Modified cars with Big HP for about 15 years. You dont drive all cars the same. Once you have respect for the power you will be fine and know when and where to use it.

ive 475hp at the wheels and it is fun as hell. it is something that you must respect and have the responsibilty for. one shouldn't just jump on the gas as soon as you have it. its just like a motorcycle.....be very cautious and scared until you think you can handle.......then wait another month cause you still cant. :D

having that much power is definitely something you have to learn when and where to use it.

i was wondering wat kinda rims you have on, wat size?

I think around 350whp is ok for street driving anything more needs the extra grip??

Yep. That's what I do. In an even lighter first gen.
I also set the profec b to have the turbo come on a little softer, rather than all at once.

i have 439rwhp and traction is very slim in first, not too bad in 2nd, and just fine in 3rd. that's with 285's in the back. hell, my g/f drives it just fine and she normally drives a honda prelude

always better to have to much than to LITTLE..

You can always back off the throttle..

Agreed.

Also, 90% of the issue with power is how to apply the power to the street.

At some point you wonder though, 800 hp I know isn't street legal... in any shape way or form, but I always think to myself how long can that last ? When I hear the pissing matches between supra and RX-7 guys...

Well my supra makes 1200 hp with bolt ons :bsmeter: and then some disillusioned rotor head pipes in with a 3 Rotor, or talks about his "Buddy's" FC/FD with 850 hp.... Controll is one thing, but with our cars, you have to stand on the throttle untill it spools up, then hold on, cause it gets crazy from there, learning where to ease up and what not can be an expensive lesson.

I just wonder who has regretted making their car too unpredictable to drive... I know the twins can be quite a handfull during transition, I can only immagine a T78...

I personally have regretted making my car into too much of a racecar. It drives very harsh, and corners fantastically, but in L.A. With poorly maintained roads, and oil on the surface that gets washed away every 10 Months.... it's not what I call a "Fun" Experience when I try to punch it from a standstill in an intersection to make it through traffic... more than one, I was pointing somewhere where I definitely didn't want to be... and recovered...

-DC

You don't need your cock either.....You could always adopt. I for one, am keeping mine. WHY? Because much like your ? or 400 WHP, it's my god given right as an american male. If you can't handle your johnson then go get a vagina.

Ditch the P Zero's they suck! I have 465rwhp with 255 SO3's and I can hook up in second and 3rd. Even first if its hot enough outside.

DCrosby,

I have 850 hp, and drive my car on the street. In fact, I have put 2k miles on it in public highways. I believe my car rides nice, when I like it to. I don't have to stand on the gas either to get the torque and horsepower of flirting around town. And the reliability aspect of the car is the same as any other 3rd gen or rotary guy. They all have the same inherent faults, mine just has more displacement. And when you have no traction, things are less likely to break (unless involved in a crash), for there is no load.

I am happy to know I have the power if needed, and the foot control to handle the car.

the 78 isn't that bad. people talk way too badly of it and have never experienced it. i drive my car all the time. i just installed my motor about 18 months ago and already have 25k miles on it. about 8k of those have been with the t78 on it.

I've noticed first thing a lot of people want is horse power on this forum. Majority of people judge how good the car is by looking at HP #'s. I've only saw a few thread discuss the importance of properly tuned and car set up to accommodate these high ouput HP cars. Until you have properly tune and get good suspension and brake system, what good does 400+ WHP will do for you??

In my opinion, unless you track your car, 300-350RWHP is already overkill on street driving for avg driver, How fast can you really go within city limit and local highways? Majority of our driving time are spend within 35-75 mph range, I think anything exceed 350 WHP is too high for this light car. To me, a "fine tuned" and "proper setup" car is more important then how much horse you got under the hood.

Do we even *need* RX-7s? No. We bought the car because we like excess.

You really don't NEED it, as mentioned above. But it's entirely up to you how you like driving your car.

For the record though, I will have to agree that we have awfully shitty roads here in SoCal. Potholes galore, and not very many new, smooth roads. Also, anytime you get on a freeway from Mon-Sat at 8am- 6pm, you will hit traffic.

nice quote...,. :D

Too much power? you've got control over your right foot don't you.

I say figure out how fast you can afford to go, ride in cars within your budget, duplicate the setup you like (and add another 50hp or so), then use right foot and brain for traction control. Let's get real. If you have over 300 hp you can break traction, does that mean you cannot drive the car as it hopelessly spins in first and second? No way, folks with 470+ can drive em on the street, gotta use your right foot.

Ask yourself, if you can't break em loose in third will you want more power?

give me 1200 to the tires and I'll eventually want more.....

no point here

Too much is never enough.

There is always the boost controller you can dial back. REmember that we have adjustable HP with the turbo.

I tend to only turn the knob one way thoough.....up........ :bigthumb:

HP GAME, that is what every one want at first.... Because we houman will got used to that Speed(for straight line) very fast. about Two week you will need more.... and drive in straight line is one of easy thing you can do when you own a FAST CAR....

My point is for best balance set up on RX7. you wont need more than 400 WHP. any thing behind that is kind da useless. Since I drove alot on Road Course. Bside the power, you also need to slow down fast enought to turn( stock brake and PAD wont slow you down that much...), and got the suspension to hold that power.
Rotary will never have enoght like piston engine.. But we got very very good chassic to drive fast, and wonderful RE!!!!

That's what I'm saying. Why have the HP there and no use it? Kind of like those homos who say they've got 4,000 hp but "detune" it for street use . lol

That is the best reply to this thread as of yet. I fully agree with this.

But RedRx-7 made a good point as well. I have seen his old dyno sheet when he had 630rwhp. Even then it was a street driven car. If you use your brain and don't just floor the throttle every time you get the chance then I don't see a problem with more than 400rwhp. Maybe that's just me though.

Zach

Well, I run 10psi for a few reasons. The way my car sits now it doesn't like/need the power it makes at 15psi. I'd have to think running at 10psi will make the engine last longer than at 15. For me to make 400rwhp I'd probably have to run 18-20psi, that I don't want to do on pump 92.

DCrosby, I was really surprised at how much more linear the T04S is than the twins, such that I feel more control over my ~400 rwhp at 15lbs on the T04S than the 330 rwhp at 15 lbs on the twins. That transition can really snap the rear out in unpredictable ways. Also, with the advancements in single turbo technology, aftermarket ecus with timing changes, MUCH better tire technology than 10 years ago with better variety of wheel fitments, 400 rwhp is much easier to drive now than it was 10 years ago.

Adding the diff brace and other suspension tricks to eliminate wheel hop also makes the tiger a bit easier to control on low speed accelleration as well.

I do believe there is a finite limit to the amount of street bhp you want (no more than is controllable), but that limit goes up with time because of technology advancements.

I believe it was dan gurney(sp?) that said it best..."until the car has enough HP to spin its tires from one corner to the next...it needs more power" He was talking about the 1200 hp can-am cars....I believe...that he didn't think they had quite enough power yet.

john

Hey for an FD what would be the most efficient suspension upgrades? Since we have the most effective ways to gain HP or Gain reliability. I.E in what order would you do them?

I'd say somewhere from 550-600rwhp before it becomes too powerfull for the street. Hwy rolls are another thing though.

BTW, why are you guys having so much traction problems? 1badd7 has around 470rwhp and his shit strait hooks up in any gear except 1st. I keep on thinking what these people are talking about when they say they have 400rwhp and are spinning in 3rd. How the hell is that possible? Is that really the case for you 400rwhp guys? Or are you spinning from 1st through 3rd and then telling people you're having traction problems?

I have to admit, driving a 470rwhp FD was kinda scary at first. Then after a while, you wonder if it lost any power cause it just doesn't feel the same. I'm sure all of you know exactly what I'm talking about

.

I know Exactly what you're talking about and am dreadding the day that I put in my GT35/40 and the following week / month that it will take me to feel like I need more...

That is not what I'm really talking about though, there seems to be a limit as to how much HP you can put to the ground with a certain weight to hold the tires down (Gross Vehicle Wight)... and I'm personally more interested in Auto-X or Road Course Racing, where you want to get on the gas out of a turn to catch up to that "_____" car and pass him... I can only immagine making an error in judgement on that can be just as harsh a lesson as braking too late and running off course....

And I do understand the more = better, but I also think that you can overdo things, as I've learned the hard way with suspension braces and all the other "Performance" junk on my car, it's a track car with a license plate.... and drives like one.... yet I drive it to work everyday....

How much on the street? I believe its a personal taste thing. If you are like me and assume you need at least 650hp to buck wind. Then you will probably have the reasoning to believe that'd be streetable also. btw.. 650hp is a safety thing. I can minimize the time in the passing lane thereby increasing the safety of my passenger.

You have reached the limits of sane RWHP when you have to exchange rubber tires for metal earthmover tread because any skin you try simply evaporates upon acceleration.

I'll use that as a gauge :rlaugh:

I have to agree with you guys, I have had 404 rwhp for about 3 months and already dropped it off for more, you become so use to it , it makes me want more, and thats scary

yea

does anyone know what is too much to be street legal??

sorry bout this but i need 5 post counts so..

1

last one guys, so sorry.

that thread is 4 years old.....

Why do people keep takin shots at the t78?is it that bad?I just had one fitted but i'll have it back this week and can start driving it.Can't wait for it.