Guest Nic-Rebel450CA Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 I have been giving some thought to my intended Z conversion. Right now I have a carbed L28 and a 5 speed and 3.94 gears, I believe. Soon I will be checking to see what kind of power I am putting down, but I cant imagine that it would be more than 200HP at the crank. Right now (especially after cleaning everything up and reinstalling it) the car feels very nice. I can drop it down a gear and pull away from almost anything running side by side with me. I dont do any racing (might get into autocross and an occaisional run at the drags) and I drive this car on the street a lot! What I have been wondering, is if I am really going to notice any difference between droping in a 400HP engine, or a 250-280HP engine. For someone that isnt racing, am I really ever going to notice the difference? It seems like after a certain point that the HP would just be rather excessive and virtually (if not completely) unused on the street. Just trying to decide if I should build up a 350, or just have about 280HP in a 302 (with maybe a supercharger on tap for the drags ) (BTW, I am almost certain I will be sticking with a V8 cuz nothing sounds better to me, but I figure I might as well go towards a bit of fuel efficiency if I dont need or cant use the HP) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zfan Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 Injected Ford 302 with a vortech or pro charger. That would be nice, heck maybe stroke it to a 331! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nic-Rebel450CA Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 Injected Ford 302 with a vortech or pro charger. That would be nice' date=' heck maybe stroke it to a 331! Mike[/quote'] If I wanted to stroke it I would just get a larger displacement engine. Keep in mind here that I am not trying to make a smaller engine make tons of power. I am actually taking a more conservative approach. I figure why increase costs for power that I may not need. Also not really looking for engine suggestions unless someone can suggest a better small displacement V8 as a candidate for decent power and efficiency. (I lean more toward Chevy, however). I am just looking for opinions and input on if I am really going to be able to make any use of 350-400HP in a street driven veh vs. 275-300HP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonzer12 Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 I am having the same dilema, I have never driven a high powered car on the street and am not sure if spending the money on a high power motor is worth it. Autocross doesn't exist in my neck of the woods and drag racing is not big here either. My hybrid is going to be a 100% street machine. That being said I can't imagine the need for anything over about 300hp in a 2500 pound car. Pump gas and highway cruising are big goals for me. I am interested in some educated opinions too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Island Son Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 Nic, I'm leaning the same way myself, i don't think the BIG gun's are really needed for what i would like, 4.3L V6 slightly tweaked would do the trick, just not sure what tweaks will be needed, still reading on it.... Sonny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 If you run OEM sized tires (or close to it), then gobs of torque is like driving in the rain with slicks, it can get tiresome after a while. Putting myself in your shoes, I'd have to look at a number of factors, and weigh the importance of each. A 250 hp V8 is going to be more streetable than a 250 hp L6 (NA of course), so how important is driveability (and I include in this question engine noise because in general, the more hp / L you have, the louder the noise level)?. Do you like challenges and tinkering with things? This was the biggest reason why I put the SBF in my Z. Few had documented any work here, and I enjoyed the challenge of engineering and fabricating the parts. How much emphasis do you put on owning a "unique" vehicle? Yes, the V8 Z-cars are more common than ever before, but they are still unique. I tried a more rounded approach to my motor. I changed my SBF's torque characteristics by moving the curve upward. I still have enough torque on the bottom end to move the car quickly without boiling the tires off (315/35 tires), and now still have plenty of torque on the top end for fun. I chose to balance traction with engine torque for as much of the RPM range as was practical for WOT driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeinCA Posted September 15, 2003 Share Posted September 15, 2003 well. I have a pretty pumped little motor in my Z.. It is all sorta old tech, but it is putting down some power. With the Automatic, wheel spin is very predictable, and very controllable. Though i prefer a manual... I have 2 to 1 exaust, and it is pretty quiet. Just be careful with the power, you can attain much higher speeds than you intend to, and then stopping can be a problem. Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nic-Rebel450CA Posted September 15, 2003 Share Posted September 15, 2003 ....so how important is driveability (and I include in this question engine noise because in general, the more hp / L you have, the louder the noise level)?. Do you like challenges and tinkering with things?... Driveability as far as mileage is a big thing that I want to consider (strangely enough mileage is more a consideration as a bragging right than for $$ consideration). That's kinda what got me on this idea, as well as saving $$ on the engine build up. I figure a lower CI engine should be easier to get the mileage, and still make plenty of power without being more than I can use. Noise level isnt really an issue because, as it sits, I plan to possibly go with side pipes. I think the combo of a high reving V8 with side pipes would just be awesome. I am used to high noise engines (just take a listen to my truck ). Right now I am just thinking of going with a built 283, then, if I want some more punch I can build a bigger engine while driving the 283 and getting used to it. 300 HP out of a 283 wouldnt be very hard at all with a good flowing intake, good heads, and a good exhaust. And I figure 300 HP should sit me back in my seat plenty without getting away too easily. I also think that anything more than 300 HP in a car this light that is for street use only may just end up being more of a bragging right or a pecker pump. Edit: I was just playing with a 1/4 mi ET calculator and found that the difference between 300 HP and 400 HP is about 1 second (assuming that you can get traction). For someone that races that is a big difference, but that seems to confirm that on the streets (where I wont be trying to get nearly to 100MPH+) it should be barely noticeable, right? I mean, that would be less than 1 second difference in a 0-80 time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted September 15, 2003 Share Posted September 15, 2003 I think this is more an emotional decision then a rational one. As you've said, you prefer the sound of a V8 over the L6. Do you prefer the sound of a high revving V8? If so, go with the 302 and build it so you can easily turn 7,000! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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