How much power does a car need to FEEL fast?

How much power does a car need to FEEL fast?

Spent quite a bit of passenger time recently in a modern car with 350bhp which weighs 3300lbs. I've never driven anything with more than 210bhp. While it (the 350bhp car) was fast, as in, the speedo climbed way faster than I was used to, it didn't really feel much faster. It was surprising to me as a passenger as usually being in the passenger seat makes a car feel faster than it is. I was expecting it to be 'oh shit' fast and feel like I needed to go out and buy a car with that much power, but you kind of just got used to it after like 10 minutes or less.

Kind of puts a dampener on all the cars I've been lusting after recently.

>inb4 20 people post saying they have Challenger Hellcats and I should kill myself for expecting 350bhp to be quick

hellcat is way slower than camaro lol

depends OP.. power to weight ratio and such ...

cucks will fall for anything

i should sell a car with 10,000 bhp at 6500 rpm but make sure it only has one gear which hits the rev limit at 55 mph

You should learn how to shitpost properly first

Less sound insulation and typically lighter the faster it feels. Some cars now are creating artificial engine sounds through the speakers to make them exciting.

>Some cars now are creating artificial engine sounds through the speakers to make them exciting.
Disgusting

Depends on the car. 350hp can feel very quick, or it can feel boring. Depends on the car. But a hellcat always feels quick. Like it wants to murder your entire family for the insurance money.

lol wut

>How much power does a car need to FEEL fast?
Probably about 65hp for anything in the 1-1 1/2 ton range. Shitty suspension and uncomfortable seats help.

Tell us, what car was it? That may have more to do with it

>I've never driven anything with more than 210bhp
I've driven pic related which has 210bhp. And it's fast. It's not always just about power

Even 150 hp could do the job well if you have low gear ratios.

Was hoping it was a race car bed, but your car looks fun, I guess.

BMW M240i.

Maybe it's too well insulated from the outside world to feel fast, I dunno.

Lol it does look a bit like one from the thumbnail

You've got it. Engine isn't loud, there isn't much road noise, and the car feels too planted.

I upgraded from a 115 hp Civic to a 306 hp IS350 last year. While I have become somewhat accustom to the power increase, that's not to say that I don't still grin like a dope when I floor it :-)

So nice no longer having to rev to fucking 4k just to keep up with traffic...

The power number isn't relevant to whether it feels fast. The important metric is power to weight. That's literally the only metric that matters.

>being this dumb
So if I sit in a .5 lb cardboard box and scoot around on the floor, it'll be like driving a 3000hp drag car, right?

Totally dude, take that 3000hp and try to rip the drag strip in an industrial dump truck, you'll kill the game homie
>people this dumb post on Veeky Forums

Looks like I'll have to buy a GT86 then.

power to weight, closeness to the ground, loudness, gearing, and road feel all play into the sensation of speed.

No, its not. Only corvette beat it.

You forgot to take into account your 500lb ass

you need torque and traction to feel fast. get a little 2900 pound car with a good small block v8 and 4.11 gears; it will pin you to the seat

Which cars fit those criteria

Depends on the gearing really. But I would say 500whp FEELS FAST when doing highway pulls. For track fast, anything light and grippy with 200 whp will feel fast.

My car is 640 to the wheels, and it feels slow now. I've ridden in some 1k+ whp 911's and shit, they feel very fast. But I've also been in 600hp vettes that still feel fast.

ride a sportbike, any car over 4 seconds 0-60 will feel slow

Two morons arguing extremes.

Most people will never notice the difference between 2900 lbs and 3300 lbs on a street car. Weight is a factor a LITTLE BIT. But a modern GTR with 1500 whp feels fast whether it's stripped down or has full interior. Fast is fast. And it's diminishing returns.

I have owned various liter bikes and 600cc bikes. But cars are so easy to make power with now, that bikes aren't even a threat. TX2k two weekends ago, no one was worried about bikes. That being said, nothing FEELS like a bike. But after a GT-R blew me the fuck out on my 1000rr like I was in a geo metro, I just never felt the bike was fast enough anymore.

And a 1000hp civic will probably crush it because it weighs half as much.

>TX2k
literally who gives a shit

a 1000hp civic would probably go airborne

Calm down bus rider.

transmission has alot to do with it. japanese sedans for example feel like they're around 200hp.

a good example is the 2000 Mitsubishi galant
>japanese avance version
140hp. feels super fast. would have thought it's at least 200
>american v6 galant. same car differend version
200 hp. slowest and worst car i've driven

>one of the biggest race weekends in the world
>cars literally from all over the world
>wwahhhhhhhh I can't afford to go!!!!!!
>I don't even want to see world record breaking cars
>I don't want to look at literally miles of some of the nicest tuner cars around
>I don't even like cars
Stay mad famalam.

The kind of people who argue about high horsepower cars, IE: this thread

lol no. Sorry. Doesn't work like that. Lrn to physics.

fastest civic in the world
>8 second 1/4 mile


Fastest GTR
>6 second 1/4 mile

>we should keep arguing about civic and miatas because some of us are poor!

This. All other answers are just benchracing posts from busriders. Not exactly as simple as it's been stated, but being lighter gets you more bang for your buck when applying THE POWER.

Obviously other shit comes into play like torque, drivetrain, and so on. The civic v. GTR comparison above is idiotic because all other things being equal, AWD systems tend to accelerate better from a dead stop than FWD and are especially better around corners. The kicker is that FWD platforms are lighter, so you're not starting with a level playing field to begin with. With sufficient POWER, the lighter FWD might feel faster. At least until you have to turn.

I would argue that 200hp in a Twingo would FEEL about as fast as a hurrdurrcan, if it doesn't rattle the fuck apart. Meanwhile the same 200hp in a GT86 is shitpost bait and slower than a minivan.

Horrendous build quality can also help cars to "feel" fast. My DD is a chebby shitbox from a decade ago and 60mph in it feels faster than the same speed in my project car. Suggestion: buy a shitbox that feels like it's going to fall apart at highway speeds if you want to feel fast.

>I don't even want to see world record breaking cars
>I don't want to look at literally miles of some of the nicest tuner cars around
>I don't even like cars

I literally don't. Who gives a fuck about a bunch of overboosted show cars doing HIGHWAY PULLS BRAH!

Cars are fucking boring anyway

Peak power means nothing without considering the gear ratios, number of gears, final drive ratio, power across the powerband, vehicle weight, etc.

BMW does a good job on softening cars you don't really get the sensation of speed because how well controlled and stable the car is that's why if you go 100mph it will feel like you're doing 60mph

None

My dad's 02 mustang GT felt fast as fuck when I drove it to prom 3 years ago. 260hp and 300lb/ft torque. I'd say that's plenty to have a good time.

Anything with a sub 7 sec 0-60 time feels fast to me

You are so cool man! How can I be like you? I want to NGAF about everything! I hate cool stuff that I can't do too! Want to start a club? You can be the leader. Because you are the coolest!

It really depends on the way the power is delivered.

n/a with big torque down low will throw you into the back of your seat hard and instantly but won't hold you there

A turbo car that builds power throughout the rev range will gradually pin you into your seat harder as revs and power build

Both can feel fast and some might find one more fun but that's just personal preference

>Horrendous build quality can also help cars to "feel" fast.

Adding to this user, most modern cars are well insulated with good suspension and thus even 100+kph feels like city driving. Not to mention the heavy german highway bombers which feel like lofting on a cloud in 7th/8th gear at 200+

Dude you just fell for the shittiest bait I have ever seen. Have some goddamned self-respect.