Here is something I just can't figure out...I have an '81 with all of its 190hp. For some reason it just doesn't feel like it(it feels like more). After driving many cars of today with 200,300hp they don't feel as close to as powerful as the vette's measly 190.

 

Kind of like if you drive a 1911 car at 20 mph, it feels like you are doing 100.

 

I am not saying I feel like I am going faster...It just feels like it has more power..or todays cars are just over rated on their HP. I've had cars with 500+hp and they didn't feel 2 1/2 time more powerful.

 

There are factors other than horsepower that effect speed. Things such as weight, rear end ratio, traction. Part of it could be the sound of the exhaust giving off the illusion of speed. Opening up a 250 hp Honda isn't nearly as dramatic as going full throttle on a Chevy 350.

 

That 190 HP v8 still has about 300 lbs of torque. If you could bolt it to the tranny out of the 250HP Honda, you would probably twist the CV joints and rip the tranny to pieces. My brother had a 91 Dodge duelly pickup with 140HP. He could roast those back tires when the truck was empty.

 

low rpm torque is the answer, Because it is what you are feeling as pickup at low speeds

 

As a bumper sticker I saw says "My truck's lug nuts make more torque than your engine."

 

I want that sticker...

 

Also as the driver, the feel is very different as compared to being the passenger. I've always felt the car seems/feels faster when I'm in the passenger seat. Go figure.
Glenn

 

My 81 is a great car, but it's an absolute dog off the line. It has a strong power band between 35 and 65 MPH but can't get out of it's way before or beyond that. I knew that's what I was getting when I bought it, if I ever want more HP I'll need to look at a different model, money buys HP.

 

The newer cars have higher HP but IMHO they are designed to take away the "feel" of the power.

My DD a few years ago was a 2001 Mitsu Spyder GT - V6 rated at 200 HP/205 TQ (now my daughter's DD). My '82 is also rated at 200 HP but 285 TQ...big difference in how the power is felt - the Spyder feels quick - zippy - but is not fast at all. The '82 feels fast and is a great 0 - 60 ~ 80 mph car but falls off rather quickly after that.

Now with my Z06 (405 HP/400 TQ) - you can feel the power she's putting on the ground no matter the gear/speed I'm traveling. In fact, with C6 owners (non-Z06), the biggest complaint is in not feeling the power. Great car but GM has refined the ride too much.

 

A guy I work with rode to lunch with me yesterday in the '74. He kept commenting on how much pick-up the car seemed to have (tired old L48). Later he opined that we should slow down in case any cops were around, and I had to inform him we were only doing 40.

So yeah, I guess they feel faster than they are.

 

As an owner of a 68 427/390, 80 L-82, and 81 I'm inclined to agree with you about the power. On the 68 I wouldn't change a thing ... it has the power where it counts, and up until the Z06 came out it could still hang with any new C4 or C5.

Then you go from that to the 80 or 81, and both of them feel like they have a ton of power that's just "trapped" in a crappy configuration. You can feel it when you step on the gas, that the engine is working, and you feel like you SHOULD be moving faster, but you aren't. And when you start looking into it, you realize that it's totally true ... the first thing that has to go is the exhaust. Even if you leave the manifold alone just cut the pipes out and go to true dual exhaust with no catalytic converter (or a high-flow if you have emissions checks) and you'll start to unlock some of those hidden horses. Get rid of the crappy 2.8X or 3.08 gear ratio and go to a 3.55 or 3.70 and you'll unlock even more. Adjust the transmission so it doesn't shift out of first so early, or put in a shift kit and you'll find even more ... do all of this and it will take off tires squealing, feel like a different car, and you still haven't even touched the motor yet.

The power is there, it's just hiding behind the exhaust, gears, transmission, carburetor, and intake.