can somebody tell me why my 1988 irock 350 auto mostly stock rated at 230 horse can and does **** all over these new cars that have horse power ratings the same or higher my freinds toyota 4 runner is suposedly 265 horse it cant come close to keeping up with me.i was just out for a ride when some guy in a hyndia sonata wanted to race so we started from a dead stop and i put it to the floor and by the time i was at 60 he was so far behind me i had to hit the brakes to let him catch up.his car was a v6 rated at 235 horsepower and he was all over the gas.every time i go for a ride some little rice burner wants to race and every time they are not even close to keeping up to me so if these cars are really at the power ratings that the manafacturers are saying why cant they even keep up to me are they playing games with the horepower ratings to sell the cars or what i now my 8 should be beating these 4s or 6s but why are they rating them more horse then they did years ago are they really faster then cars were 10 years ago or are these ratings BULL SHT...........

 

hp ratings come from a peak. The shape of your power curve is far more important rather than the absolute highest peak of it. Maybe these build up to the peak slowly and drop off, where as your car is a much flatter curve, where the majority of it is close to the peak.

Weight also matters, as does the trans and such. SUV's have high hp and such ratings, but their drivetrain puts that power in different places from where a sports car would.

 

interesting,i new i had to be missing something.i get it with the suv and the trucks but i dont get the hyndia sonata v6 5 speed with 235 horse should be light weight, i am sure it is not geared for the low end but i would think it would be a closer race.but i see what your saying it will hit its peak then fall on its face.so you really cant say that higher horse power will win the race. so these imports that say 300 horse may still be slower in the end then a smoother curve with less horspower ???

 

Umm a hyundai sonata is probably faster than a majority of out cars in top speed!

http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car...onata_car_news

I remember seeing this story a long time ago and you guys bringing it up reminded me of a 140+mph stock sonata getting clocked by cameras. But I was watching top gear on a special on mercedes and bmw wagons hitting 170+mph and getting close to our beloved corvette speeds.

 

they may be faster then the 305 auto,but stock they cant touch my 5.7 off the line or on the highway my car pulls very hard at high speeds as well,from what a have read top speed for the 5.7 is 140+ with out the down hill.i dout i will ever find out the top speed of my car unless i decide to rob a bank.lol,but i have had it well over 100 and barely touching the gas.maybe my car has some work done to it that i dont know about.this is what i mean thar is no reason one should think a stock hyndia should beat a small block chevy 350.i believe they are playing games to get the horsepower ratings higher to get people to buy them thinking they are faster then they are.just like the guy who raced me i am sure he didnt think that i would make him look like he was standing still but thats reality.not inflated ratings.

 

You also have to keep in mind the TPI is a torque monster. Great for a hard launch and take off/acceleration. Our cars are reasonably light and aerodynamic. The Hp and TQ curves are also probably a bit better. Also newer mom and pop cars are designed to be more "refined". Things like shift points and gear ratios will be a bit tamer. Even throttle responce in newer cars seems very sluggish. As far as top speed the camaros and firebirds arnt too bad. I read an road and track test back a while that tested the 350 irocs to just over 150 and the 305s of a few years earlier to just shy 140.

 

this is why i think that this horsepower ratings for todays cars are deciving 230 horse power in todays standerd is nothing yet the older mustang 5.0s are 230 and the camaro 5.7 are the same but you dont see many newer cars that can win a race against either of them yet they have higher horsepower ratings.

 

Low speed acceleration is usually won by the car with the better torque/weight ratio. At higher speeds(above 80), it becomes a HP/Aerodynamics ratio. Our cars are not high HP, but they're pretty good aerodynamicly, excellent torque-wise, and are very light compared with most v8 cars or even modern V6 sedans, even the imports. Another thing mentioned here is gearing: The 700R4 Auto has a very steep first gear, and gets the car moving NOW. By the time you buddy in the Hy-n-dry gets his revved into the powerband, you're long gone. Which leads us to the one inescapable factor: Driver skill/aggressiveness. If your friend doesn't know how to shift and use the tach, you will destroy him even if he's driving a Viper.

TA

 

good point, i just think its funny when i guy in a nissan frontier with 265 horse thinks he can win in a race against me because i only have 230 horse.but its fun to play with them.