Let's Talk About Power And Quickness

My current car was stock at 350hp and 350 torque. I have souped it up to about 380hp and the current torque is unknown; the curb weight is 3210. I have always felt that when people talk about power what they really mean is torque. For example, in the past two years I have hit 140mph only once. There are not many who drive around at top-hand all the time and I am one of them. What I really enjoy is quickness. So, now I am buying a car with 320hp and 273 pounds of torque with a curb weight of 3395. It is hard to argue with these numbers. Am I getting old or is the quality and elegance of the Porsche the differnce?

Porsche's are built for the track. Try a few DE's and you'll find out how great the car is : ). Not meant for drags but ain't no slouch either. Regards. Mike

This is nothing new. Throughout its history (with the exception of the turbo....), the 911 usually had less hp than its direct competitors. But the nimbleness, great brakes, great engineering and road-holding more than made up for it. As mentioned, this is not a car for American Grafitti straight out acceleration stand-offs. This is a car for winding roads or the track (not the Indy series oval...). HP figures is an obsession we all have, just like 0-60 times. Both are unreliable (HP measurements are unreliable, the 0-60 times depend on how brutal the test drive is in dropping the clutch...). Take your car out in a real life situation, test it and get the impression. This is what counts.

[quote]Originally posted by ohsixx: <strong>I have always felt that when people talk about power what they really mean is torque. </strong><hr></blockquote>Agreed. A common misconception.

I completely agree. For me, outright speed is not the attraction of owing a 911 - it can easily be found elsewhere - & its just a position on a speedo anyway. The gift is the combination of every day useage, the engineering, the noise and the feel of driving it thats awarding. The ability to thrill you on the track and drive home in comfort all in the same car that is unique. These factors persuaded me to stick with my current 993 as opposed to "faster" cars. I have a friend who's got an M5 - he is often critical of my car because on paper, his is damned near as "fast" yet has got bags of comfort & room etc. Its that feeling that you don't know where to start explaining the feeling bit of the P car. Horses for courses i guess. Ajit.

Yes, lower torque and more weight than your Z06 equates to slower acceleration for the Carrera. However, the Carrera puts its power down very efficiently, especially in corners i.e. sweeping entry/exit ramps. Don't know about the getting older thing, but for me driving smoothly as fast I can safely drive in the usual 3/10 to 5/10 range that we operate in on public roads is satisfying. I usually let the ricers and Vettes pass me on the highway. (BTW, I really like the tricked out Japanese cars and mean no disrespect when I use the term "ricers." In fact, if my wife wouldn't go balistic, I would probably have one built and paint it a really bright color.) After all, what's the point of a dangerous, maybe deadly, challenge on public roads? Am I supposed to prove that my car will top out at a higher speed and ultimately win a long straight race? <img src="graemlins/burnout.gif" border="0" alt="[burnout]" />

ohsixx, There is a great article regarding 911 in this months addition of automobile magazine. There is a part that speaks about weight balance of the 911 and how it helps in acceleration and breaking. I am no tech guy but the jest of the article speaks about how 911 has 65% of the weight in the back of the car. This helps the car to get a much better grip when accelerating and helps in breaking since less weight in the front of the car. Go and read it. Pretty enlightening about 911

Speaking of that article in Automobile Magazine, does anyone besides me feel that because of the exclusive competition (o/t the AMG Benz), the Magazine should have used a GT2 rather than just a 996 Turbo! Then they would have "won" every event. As it was they stood quite well against real low production exotics. I just feel that the GT2 would have been a better selection for comparison. Then Porsche would have won every test, and yet the cost of the car would still have been less than the exotics. Also it appears that the Magazine included the Benz AMG for PC reasons rather than anything else. <img src="graemlins/soapbox.gif" border="0" alt="[soapbox]" />

Don, Forget the GT2. How about sending in a 6speeed but I have to agree why not the GT2. Who is the smart guy at the Porsche public relations department.

Sometimes its about if the can get the cars and now what cars they have..