Is 300 Bhp Enough For Uk Roads?

[Bristle Hound]

Posed this question before in 8V A3/S3 section
http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/is-300bhp-enough-for-uk-roads.233745/

So I thought I'd see what everyone's thoughts were in here on the subject

Bearing in mind that most of the Uk roads are congested, badly maintained and Policed 'enthusiastically' (by Police vehicles, mobile speed camera's, fixed speed camera's, static ANPR, CCTV etc etc)

Is 300bhp enough for the Uk roads?

IMO I say it is. Why the need for anymore, other than pub bragging rights

Thoughts?

 

[Fctaff]

No, you need more to silence those smug M3 owners.

 

[chucky1]

Bristle our roads aren't any different. Our police are no less enthusiastic. It isn't necessary. But damn, it feels good. You can't take it with you.

 

[ub7rm]

Not necessary at all. Depends on the size / weight of the car but I'd say 150 bhp (golf etc) is perfectly adequate and 200ish bhp is probably the 'optimum' balance between usability and economy etc. Anything else is just nice to have. But very nice to have it is too.

 

[skiptowncat]

MOAR POWAHHHH!!!!

 

[xpoweruk]

Necessary ? No
A hoot to have ? Definitely

 

[chucky1]

Seems to be a trend here Bristle.

 

[s3_trev]

Speed limits are one thing but its how quick you can get to that limit that makes it interesting

Also, more power = more safety when overtaking a slow moving vehicle

 

[razza1]

I'd say yes, having close to that in my old car saw most things off tbh, and still fun round corners etc, however having owned something faster before left me wanting more again.
You can't beat the feeling of flooring it when an **** comes up behind you and you leave him for dust
So if it's the fastest car you've driven then you'll love it, if you've had faster you'll want more...
For the twisties it's all about the acceleration out of the bends where power on tap is awesome

 

[TahirS]

You could argue having a regular train service is enough and cars unnecessary but let's face it- men specifically need a way to get a high and cocaine prices going up, fuel prices going down mean we welcome more horses.
(Ps I in now way endorse feeding horses cocaine, or people that look like horses cocaine)

 

[Chop.]

More the better for me, loads of reasons, to know you've got the fastest car in the car park, bragging rights in the pub, being out on the road and just having and using that power

but mostly if your really into your cars like me then it's in your blood your never finished working on your car, you want to change every little thing to exactly how you want it to look feel and sound and it's the same with BHP You get 300 you want 400, you get 400 you want 500

650 is a nice figure I'd like to have that much one day

 

[opelfruit]

Is this a trick question?

 

[Scott.T]

I've been driving a 335bhp 'X' plate subaru for 12 years and it has run 218bhp standard then 280bhp from year 2 through to 335bhp in year 6. So in the last 6 years I have been content.
There are occasions when I think I could do with more (i have a bigger turbo sat in the garage which will take it to 380+) but there are a lot more occasions when I get the 'that's quite quick enough knee tremble after a spirited twisty session'.
It's only 1200kg so a touch more power to weight than the S4

 

[Bristle Hound]

Is this a trick question?

Yup. Always trying to catch you out @opelfruit lol

 

[Tfsi gone]

Depends who's driving, the car, the conditions etc..
I think personally around 200bhp is plenty. Back in the 90's all the hot hatches were struggling to hit that apart from Sierra Cosworths and they could make you have a little shart when driving...

 

[Tolak]

The delivery of the power is so important.
I looked at the Polo G40 when it came out early '90s, and decided it would be boring since the power was there, everywhere, so you didn't need to drive it well.
Got a Clio Williams after that; stats showed only 10% more torque and power than the Clio 16V, but good power low-down, increasing to a good dose of red mist when required, made it a completely different car to drive.
So as long as the car doesn't require fussing over to drive normally, but pays rewards when the heavy right boot comes out to play, that's good enough.
And I can barely remember a day when I've managed more than a couple of miles "at good speed" before I get stuck behind a slower car and lose the smile.

 

[Locoblade]

Although I love the S4 as an all round performance road car and giving it a boot is addictive, I'm coming round to James Hunt's philosophy of low power and low grip as being the best way get the most fun on the road, at least on the relatively busy roads we have in most of the UK.

Big power is fun in bursts but I had way more sustained enjoyment driving my old 309 SRi (basically a stretched 1.6 205GTi) than I've ever had with a succession of much faster cars including the S4, 130i BMW, a Celica GT4, a Leon Cupra and even my old bike engine'd kit car that would get to 100mph in under 10 seconds.

The Pug handled (as opposed to gripped) sublimely with amazing feedback due to no power steering etc, and was under 1000kgs dripping wet which helped a lot. The kit car had that all that and more though yet couldn't be driven in a way that was exciting in as many circumstances because it was so damn quick. The 309 only had 115bhp so you could drive it hard on the straights without having to back off all too soon because you were doing silly speeds, and it had much skinnier tyres meaning you could have fun on the limit at lower speeds and so could knit drives of several miles together all near maximum pace without getting near to 3 figures. Modern performance cars grip so well that you're risking your license or an accident consistently cornering near the limit because your speed is so high relative to other traffic, and anything more than a short straight you have to temper acceleration before you get to the next set of corners to keep reasonably legal/safe, so never really get into a rhythm.

 

[Av4nt]

nope. Moar Power.

 

[Fctaff]

Let's be honest most of the fun had is off the lights or on a dual, I would think most here are too old and wise to play on surface streets. More is better in both these situations.

 

[Tolak]

Bring back remoulds!
I did look at a Quattro "Ur-Quattro" to have as a fun car, deliberately to run on remoulds, so you had to drive well and hard to enjoy it. But at that time, I was hating turbo lag, and the example I drove had massive lag, which I felt was a big fault about to happen.
Probably worth twice as much now!

 

[Tolak]

Country roads are wonderful.
Old A-roads, bypassed by the motorways, have enclaves where the road is the star.
Trouble is, the local council seem to get a subsidy to make all main roads into 50's.
So the old A4 in Wiltshire is a lovely open road, wide enough for four lanes, no bad sight lines, and a 50mph limit.

Townies (esp from the Smoke) have to find their fun in other ways...

 

[Chop.]

Although I love the S4 as an all round performance road car and giving it a boot is addictive, I'm coming round to James Hunt's philosophy of low power and low grip as being the best way get the most fun on the road, at least on the relatively busy roads we have in most of the UK.

Big power is fun in bursts but I had way more sustained enjoyment driving my old 309 SRi (basically a stretched 1.6 205GTi) than I've ever had with a succession of much faster cars including the S4, 130i BMW, a Celica GT4, a Leon Cupra and even my old bike engine'd kit car that would get to 100mph in under 10 seconds.

The Pug handled (as opposed to gripped) sublimely with amazing feedback due to no power steering etc, and was under 1000kgs dripping wet which helped a lot. The kit car had that all that and more though yet couldn't be driven in a way that was exciting in as many circumstances because it was so damn quick. The 309 only had 115bhp so you could drive it hard on the straights without having to back off all too soon because you were doing silly speeds, and it had much skinnier tyres meaning you could have fun on the limit at lower speeds and so could knit drives of several miles together all near maximum pace without getting near to 3 figures. Modern performance cars grip so well that you're risking your license or an accident consistently cornering near the limit because your speed is so high relative to other traffic, and anything more than a short straight you have to temper acceleration before you get to the next set of corners to keep reasonably legal/safe, so never really get into a rhythm.

Spot on that

 

[TahirS]

Sad to admit @Locoblade but I really miss the mk2 golf and ek civic vti for fun but not really any serious speed

 

[Reload]

Try the Toyota GT86 (or Subaru BRZ). Front engine, RWD,1250kg. An absolute blast to drive, puts a smile on your face when cornering at 30mph. It really proves that 200bhp is enough, but then again it could benefit from a bit more

 

[Fctaff]

I will take boring sure footed Quattro any day. It's all fun and games until it snaps lose, my 993 bit me a few times.

 

[jdp1962]

Although I love the S4 as an all round performance road car and giving it a boot is addictive, I'm coming round to James Hunt's philosophy of low power and low grip as being the best way get the most fun on the road, at least on the relatively busy roads we have in most of the UK.

Thirty five years on, I still have very fond memories of a journey I used to do at regular intervals when I was a student. If anyone knows the A696/A68 combo between Durham and Edinburgh, I routinely covered 125 miles at an average of 50mph in a 1967 Vauxhall Viva with 48bhp and 155x12 tyres. I'd be grinning from ear to ear the whole way, using a bootful of nothing very much and some opposite lock to drift it through the hairpins round Carter Bar. If I tried to have that much fun today in the S4, I suspect I wouldn't. On the other hand, overtaking on the (very) brief straights would be a blast.

 

[wolfie138]

i think there should be additional driving tests to take once you get over a certain amount of horsepower. lots of people simply don't know how to behave/handle it.

 

[Hear-Vier]

300bhp is too much for everyday driving on UK roads but echoing most of the above it sure is nice to have it for the occasional burst of power up a steep hill, overtake or sprint away from the lights. Those moments bring a bit of enjoyment to what is otherwise an increasingly mundane experience what with average speed cameras etc..

Overall journey times are usually roughly the same as something with 100bhp due to sheer volume of traffic.

Further to @s3_trev's point about safety, as these cars have much better braking systems and sports differentials etc they are safer too when just trundling along in queues of lesser cars.

@jdp1962 - I've taken mine along the A68/Carter Bar road recently and it was fun, blasting past other cars on the roller-coaster section and effortlessly going through the hairpins on the pass. No drifting through the corners though, didn't dare switch the ESC off!

 

[jdp1962]

@jdp1962 - I've taken mine along the A68/Carter Bar road recently and it was fun, blasting past other cars on the roller-coaster section and effortlessly going through the hairpins on the pass. No drifting through the corners though, didn't dare switch the ESC off!

That's good to know. I'm in Northumberland next week, and may yet get to revisit. Won't be able to play too hard, with the missus and the dog for company.

It really is one our most glorious roads though. One of the things I like the most is the sight lines across the open countryside that allows you to see the road's clear and overtake even on the twisty sections.

 

[Bristle Hound]

If anyone knows the A696/A68 combo between Durham and Edinburgh,

Used to ride that a lot when I rode moto sickles. Fab road!

 

[jdp1962]

Used to ride that a lot when I rode moto sickles. Fab road!

If I'd known that, I'd have tried harder to run you down.

 

[opelfruit]

i think there should be additional driving tests to take once you get over a certain amount of horsepower. lots of people simply don't know how to behave/handle it.

Press the accelerater all the way down until your goals are achieved, return accelerater to previous position or adjust accordingly once done. Simples.

:-D

 

[Bristle Hound]

If I'd known that, I'd have tried harder to run you down.

You wouldn't have been able to catch me, not even in your S4

BTW this was my last bike -

 

[jdp1962]

You wouldn't have been able to catch me, not even in your S4

BTW this was my last bike -

Pah! No match for me and my Viva!

 

[Dippy]

Peak power figures. So misleading

 

[Lannerz27]

You wouldn't have been able to catch me, not even in your S4

BTW this was my last bike -

Nice bike my old bike is this bad boy don't need 300bhp plus

 

[bobby singh]

Torque is alot more fun than peak hp figures

 

[Lannerz27]

Agreed

 

[Chop.]

Torque is alot more fun than peak hp figures

i do agree but i find when anyone takes an interest in my motor they always want to know BHP , start rattling out torque figures and people are clueless, torque talk is deff just for the serious folk but most people get bhp

 

[skiptowncat]

One is useless without the other