In the UK how much BHP/Torque/Performance is enough?

[QD MBE]

As above.

I am getting hacked off with the UK road surface conditions, the concentration of cars, and the inevitable procession that any journey becomes.   

Question - in the UK how much BHP/Torque/Performance is enough ? 

I did 240 miles today, and it took 7 3/4 hours.  Most of it sat either in a queue or at 55-60 mph in a procession with a White Van inches off my bumper, IMO there is simply far too many cars on the road.  Saw some choice driving too!

[Greeners]

Stock GTI...... 197bhp would suit most road conditions in this country.

[sub39h]

i would like to direct you towards Jeremy Clarkson's view in Top Gear magazine a few months ago that faster cars are safer. to paraphrase:

faster cars have bigger brakes, and seeings as all the cars in your trip were travelling at the same speed, chances are the fastest car you saw (if it wasn't your own) is likely to have had the shortest braking distance. similarly, faster cars have better suspension. this means they have higher limits than slower cars, and that means you have to be an utter tool to crash them.

based on this, the more horsepower the better, and there is no limit on this  

tbh the reasons you've highlighted are the reasons why i've chosen to upgrade other elements of my car rather than getting it remapped. you can't utilise the performance, so what's the point? in any event 0 - 62.5mph in 6.9 seconds (the time quoted for my A3 2.0T DSG) is plenty. yes, the chassis may be able to handle more, but the simple fact is that straight line performance wasn't it's weak spot. things like body roll and braking were. so to me these are what i'd like to improve, not the power.  

[RedRobin]

I am getting hacked off with the UK road surface conditions, the concentration of cars, and the inevitable procession that any journey becomes.   

Question - in the UK how much BHP/Torque/Performance is enough ? 

I did 240 miles today, and it took 7 3/4 hours.  Most of it sat either in a queue or at 55-60 mph in a procession with a White Van inches off my bumper, IMO there is simply far too many cars on the road.  Saw some choice driving too!

....My answer to your question is sufficient bhp/torque/performance suitable for the car rather than for the road. It's a matter of having a well balanced car with driveability. This results, if the car is fast enough, in being able to more efficiently manage heavier traffic when you encounter it. It's a generalisation of course. You're going to see examples of bad driving regardless of road conditions. But I'm probably translating your post too literally and you are thinking/suggesting on the basis of recent experiences that a fast performance car (such as yours for example) is wasted.

240 miles in nearly 8 hours is crazy. I don't live too far away from you and I recently drove 470 miles in 8 hours (Nottingham and back) on all sorts of roads. There are other factors such as time of day and exactly which route - People travelling to and from work being the worst times.

I feel sure that in spite of some journey frustrations, you would feel far more stressed on that 240 miler if driving something with very little bhp/torque/performance. The thing is that when you do get the breaks, a fast performance car is much more enjoyable and safer, even if your journey time isn't that much shorter. I'm sure you already know that 

Being on two wheels would have cut through the traffic? Do you still have a bike, Dave?

[QD MBE]

Stock GTI...... 197bhp would suit most road conditions in this country.

Not a bad call.

tbh the reasons you've highlighted are the reasons why i've chosen to upgrade other elements of my car rather than getting it remapped. you can't utilise the performance, so what's the point? in any event 0 - 62.5mph in 6.9 seconds (the time quoted for my A3 2.0T DSG) is plenty. yes, the chassis may be able to handle more, but the simple fact is that straight line performance wasn't it's weak spot. things like body roll and braking were. so to me these are what i'd like to improve, not the power. 

Starting to come to the same conclusion.  Standard power, with decent brakes and handling.

....My answer to your question is sufficient bhp/torque/performance suitable for the car rather than for the road. It's a matter of having a well balanced car with driveability. This results, if the car is fast enough, in being able to more efficiently manage heavier traffic when you encounter it. It's a generalisation of course. You're going to see examples of bad driving regardless of road conditions. But I'm probably translating your post too literally and you are thinking/suggesting on the basis of recent experiences that a fast performance car (such as yours for example) is wasted.

240 miles in nearly 8 hours is crazy. I don't live too far away from you and I recently drove 470 miles in 8 hours (Nottingham and back) on all sorts of roads. There are other factors such as time of day and exactly which route - People travelling to and from work being the worst times.

I feel sure that in spite of some journey frustrations, you would feel far more stressed on that 240 miler if driving something with very little bhp/torque/performance. The thing is that when you do get the breaks, a fast performance car is much more enjoyable and safer, even if your journey time isn't that much shorter. I'm sure you already know that 

Being on two wheels would have cut through the traffic? Do you still have a bike, Dave?

^^^^

Nail head etc. 

The Traffic today was a nightmare.  Simply a procession.  Too many cars.

No bike any more, too many drivers who don't see you until last minute.  You get a sixth sense that the driver hasn't seen you, got the alarm bells too often.

[tony_danza]

It really isn't a lot. So long as you have sufficient power to go with the flow of the traffic, then you have enough power. Let's face it, most of the time you do finally get out of traffic - you're sailing close to the wind in terms of traffic law. You can't win, which is why I do trackdays.

There's a lot to be said for having 2 cars, one for miserable commuting majoring in comfort and economy and one for stupidity with a load of power and handling like a housefly. Too many people try and buy one thing to do all.... it doesn't work IMO.

My current cars:

135i for hooning - had to have 4 seats, just in case the baby needs to go in it, otherwise I'd have bought the Cayman S.
A6 TDI avant for luxury - I even got the cheaper but equally specced SE for super comfiness, rather than a Sport/S-Line - how old am I!!!  

[Gene Hunt]

My standard ED 30 is perfect for all my driving needs.

[RedRobin]

My standard ED 30 is perfect for all my driving needs.

....As is my modified Mk5 GTI 5-door. That's the beauty of the Golf - It really is a great all-rounder.