Westy, optimum power output ?

[Kingster]

Guess I'm still a nunney in the wet I was same on the bike

I was a bit of a wet weather wuss on a bike until my first wet track day at cadwell. I learned lap by lap how to trust the tyres and ended up having the best fun ever out on track.

I gave up bikes reluctantly but now love driving the Westy and look forward to my first Westy track day in the wet!

[Thrustyjust]

I found the 180 bhp in my Zetec car was not enough and now youre telling me my S2000 car will be too much on the road 

[B.RAD]

Not saying anything about anyone personally, just my view on my experience with the same car with those three power outputs. It depends what you do with it and how you drive I suppose, and also where the power comes in - my 221bhp starts at 7000rpm and holds all the way to 8300rpm - if I get to 7000rpm on the road, no matter which gear I'm in, I'm speeding. Whereas with my crossflow, I can go to full chat quite happily, be below the legal limit and be having a wonderful drive - but that's just my opinion of course.

On track I'd happily take more power!

[Yanto]

Point of order, you can't use all the power and all the revs beyond the likes of 180bhp unless you speed. Mine is 221bhp and while I love bumbling along at below 3000 rpm, enjoying the induction sound and farts from the exhaust, when I use the loud pedal even in fractional amounts, the closing speeds become dangerous. Mine is unusual as it'll do 50mph in first and over 90 in third. If you do use all the revs, and therefore all the power, it's for the briefest of moments up to 70mph. Unless you've got a v8 where your power peaks at 5000rpm of course.

But thanks for the driving lesson though.

 

Aw, I was jesting .  As for me giving driving lessons, yeah right.

[B.RAD]

Bad day - got a bit carried away - sorry!

[XTR2Turbo]

these threads often end up with people agreeing to disagree.

 

I think that is the beauty with Westfields, there is a car there to suit everyone from a classic 100bhp tuned crossflow to a 400 hp turbo / supercharged monster.

 

I think it is also worth remembering that more power does not always equate to more fun.  Sweet handling, feedback and working a car have their appeal too.

 

However most people coming to these cars probably want acceleration as well as handling.  And acceleration in the A / B road sweet spot for overtaking from 40 to 70 mph not a meaningless 0-60.

 

If you look at the upgrades that people make to their cars having lived with them for a while and the compromise that we make in comfort and useability for performance and handling and compare to other readily available affordable performance cars on the road as benchmark, the 'sweet' spot for a car on the road and also track use does IMHO seem to be around the 180 - 210bhp mark. 

[Kingster]

Don't forget weight.

Next bag of popcorn opened

[Cleggy the Spyder Man]

Let's talk about driver weight / will definitely need more popcorn for that one

[Andrew]

It would appear my car with its 170bhp is under the optimum required.   It's immense fun though, trying to keep up with the optimums and well over optimums on track!  

170bhp has propelled my Pinto powered car to 120mph at Snetterton and Rockingham, and I think the most I've seen was 125mph at Cottesmore.  

[Jontysafe]

[Onliest Smeg David]

I'm with the 170-200 bhp as optimum for track use and road use.

Keeping up / going past supposedly far faster, higher powered cars on track is very rewarding. Having the fastest car on track and being fastest has no reward imo.

Competition is a different ball game though!

[Rory's Dad]

My C20XE has 185bhp and 168 ftlbs of torque. More than enough for me as when I accelerate hard I need to think more and more about having enough tarmac to slow down again!

[TAFKARM]

You need more power, and better brakes!

[Cleggy the Spyder Man]

It would appear my car with its 170bhp is under the optimum required.   It's immense fun though, trying to keep up with the optimums and well over optimums on track!

170bhp has propelled my Pinto powered car to 120mph at Snetterton and Rockingham, and I think the most I've seen was 125mph at Cottesmore.

 

be damned if I have ever been able to keep up with you - when I did try once I ended up on full opposite lock over the rough part of the track at Blyton - you remember ?

[Andrew]

be damned if I have ever been able to keep up with you - when I did try once I ended up on full opposite lock over the rough part of the track at Blyton - you remember ?

 

..do I remember..