Cobra power, how much is enough?

[tirod]

Balance in the way I meant it isn't about weight distribution, it's about relative grip of the front and rear tires under power.

Since the rear tires also have to deal with torque, the point of the 427's poor handling was that those cars - on those tires in those days - would break loose the rear.

You all know the traction circle diagrams for road racing - a tire only has so much frictional capability, and if it's already on the edge of adhesion, suddenly adding another 200-300 foot pounds of torque means the rear loses grip and slides out.

It's not necessarily caused by jumping on the throttle - but poor linkage design that tips them open in a geometric increase can create it. Nobody talks about how to finesse the linkage to work the power output in a way that creates a linear response.

The 427's had a well deserved reputation on the track of suddenly letting go of the rear end - were all those drivers throttle dumping boobs incapable of controlling it? No. It just took a lot more driver skill than the average Joe buying into the ride.

Raise the hp levels, add some more grip, finesse the throttle and suspension for 40 years, things are going to improve, but the basic problem is still there, just at a much higher point - it's more power than the average Joe is used to.

As specifically said by many, they started out with a "small" hp motor and grew up with it, learning the car, and then moving up if and when they felt more comfortable in their ability. Maybe they didn't say it that way, but that's what is happening.

I wouldn't recommend a 550 hp car to any new driver, or one who's been in cookie cutter commuters most of their life. It's a big step up, and all too many will make a mistake that will crunch the car.

It's moving from a snail like 10 - 12 pounds per hp to 6.5 as it is, jumping into the sub 5:1 ratio is another significant step up. It's simply not allowed in most racing leagues to drop a driver into that kind of transition without a lot more under their belt, and shouldn't be recommended for a street car used on public roads.

Drive closer to the edge, it's a sharper break point.