When I talk with the people who claim that they have 800hp I just play dumb and see how much BS I can get them to spew out. It really makes me laugh when I let them babble on for 10 mins about everything they have done to the car and what it can do and then I ask them a simple specific technical question that ANYONE who had actually done the work would know and watch them squirm to come up with a response.

i.e.- Local guy with GTO- claims to have 800hp, pulled the motor and bored it out to a 364 (which is odd since it is the stock motor for his year??) and put 20k into the motor alone, including a roots blower, but won't say which kind of open the hood. Asked him how fast is it? He replies he runs 9's at the track. Asked him "It hooks up good at the track?" (Car is on 20's and lowered) Replies with a puzzled look on his face and says "Yeah, no trouble at all." My final question was 60 ft time? "My what?" At that point I just said "Nice car" and walked away wondering how many people will sit there and take in all his BS. If I had a Goat with 20k in the motor when someone approached me asking about the car the first thing I would do is ask if they wanted to see it. -He BTW refused to open the hood- first sign of anyone trying to hide something IMO.

 

Ive told people i make over 600 rwhp and they think im full of ****..Ive had ppl respond as if 600 rwhp was the most insane thing they have ever seen...thats why i prefer to hang out with non car savvy people, so I always feel like a badass 100% of the time

 

yes agree

 

I think most people have no concept of what 600hp is.

 

I think that must be the root of all the ambivalence. They can tell I think it's something to be proud of but they're not sure why. Sometimes to compound my frustration, they'll bring up "my brothers, best friends cousin has a chevelle that has headers and a cam and sounds mean!"

Assuming that's the ONLY mods the guy has, headers and a cam on a old school SBC or BBC means it probably gets 7 mpg on average, no A/C, won't idle in gear(automatic) has an eye watering exhaust scent and may run 13's.

These cars of ours with 600+ REAR wheel HP usually still get well up into the 20's MPG, HAS A/C, completely civil in Houston's Summer bumper to bumper traffic, a stero you can hear while driving and pass emissions.

 

Thanks man! All is going pretty good lately. I'll be doing some rear suspension work over the next month or two and also some weight reduction in hopes that will help me get my number. A few more tenths and I will finally be in the 9's, still on the 6-speed!

 

I think it's two fold. Your typical driver won't grasp the concept of 600 HP to the ground, then your gearhead person could very easily look at it and say "Is that all?" due to the prominent amount of MUCH higher RWHP street cars running around anymore with the mod motors, LSx stuff, ect. For those in the know, you'll be able to tell because they'll perk up at the though of a turbocharged LTx with 600 because that's a feat in it's own self.

 

True.....
When I was in Houston, I was kicking everyones *** on freeway sprints but I never came across heavy hitters like LMR cars or Tiagos brute either.
It's amazing that a daily driver can be so civil yet have over 1,000 hp under the hood. Quite a testiment to the ingenuity of the car enthusiast crowd

 

honestly, 600 doesnt really impress me TOO much anymore. Is it a lot? Yes. Congrats to those doing it with LTx's as well. It does amaze me though that you can take a JY 4.8 or 5.3 and crank 600 at the wheels all day long on 250-350 dollar motors

 

I'm not sure what a JY is but if you're talking about imports, hell yeah. It just blows my mind that a Dodge Neon Turbo or a Suby or the big Turbo trucks can add relatively (compared to my car) parts and have a giant killer.

To be sure, getting what you've got to the ground on the street becomes then next hurdle. My setup seems to do that well. I've had other turbo cars owners brag about how everytime they step on the gas, their cars tires just go up in smoke. I silently grin...

 

All the power in the world doesn't mean squat unless you can utilize it. Amen to that. Ask Call911.....his Z28 hooks ungodly on the street.....it's amazing.

Though admittedly, it's kind of fun to look at when the TCS in my Vette kicks on at 120 in fourth.

 

DSM's take to mods well too... same with the cobalts. my old SS/SC layed the smack down on lots of other cars... it shocked alot of people...

 

JY = junkyard.

Theres people on tech using a bone stock 4.8 (stock heads, stock cam, stock oil pump) making 550 with 15psi or so. Throw in a z06 cam, that throws them to 600ish in a heart beat. It just amazes me. I think a lot of it is that you can't get those numbers with a stock LT1, and its hard to do still with a built LT1.

Either way, your car is definately a beast in its own. I should say, it still impresses me, but maybe the stock motors pushing the big numbers impress me more?

 

Thanks

JY = JunkYard, eh? Lol.. Learn something new everyday.

Yeah, the LSx crowds heads are just sick the way they can flow. I'd have to spend cubic dollars to get my heads ported to flow 330 and then they'd probably be awful for a daily driver. Right now, I seem to have the compromise I can live with. I can drive it near and far on 93 octane, no water or meth injection needed, I have A/C, it idles like a stocker, gets 20's on MPG on the freeway and is stealthy as can be for cops and imports.

 

ALL that matters is that you enjoy it