Power to Weight Ratio (traction or lack of)

[Tommy]

Every car has a weakest link in the drivetrain. It might be the engine, transmission, driveshaft, u-joint, differential, tires or driver. On most family sedans on dry roads, the weakest link is the engine. They can't produce enough power to cause loss of traction. If you have a car with big power and great traction, you'll likely be replacing and upgrading things like u-joints, transmission and diff. So, unless you like fixing things, its not a bad idea for the weakest link in your car to be the tires (traction). Of course that means you have to either be a prudent driver who controls the throttle to prevent loss of traction, or a skilled driver who can handle a car that is on the verge of going out of control. I strongly suggest you be a prudent driver on public roads and take your car to the track to learn to be a skilled driver who can handle all that extra power you now have available.

My car has a 410 ci small block producing about 400 lb-ft of torque through most of the power curve. I'm running a Richmond 5-speed and 315-35/17 tires on the back. On most roads the tires will break loose at any speed in 1st, 2nd or 3rd gear just by pushing the throttle to the floor. Full throttle in 4th gear means I'm immediately above all the local speed limits, so I seldom see full throttle unless I'm at the track. You may want to do the same thing.