We need a CARegory tag

It's still a little embarrassing that an American muscle car couldn't hit the HP mark on a dyno. That thing should have had 600HP to compensate damn it.

Not embarrassing for Ford. Rather for Top Gear. They're comparing BHP to WHP.

Eg: my car's engine is rated 295 (B)HP. Minus utilities & transmission, what comes down to the wheels is 267 WHP.

I like Top Gear but sometimes, they are just wankers.

In the US, CHP is used, while the UK uses BHP. It is like saying "They claimed six units, but we found it was actually less than two" while not mentioning they were talking about feet and meters.

Dyno numbers will vary greatly from dyno to dyno as well.

For example, a Dynojet brand dyno will show higher numbers than a Mustang brand dyno. This doesn't mean one is better or more accurate than the other, it is just variances in the equipment and methods used.

Dynos are a tuning tool, not the end all-be-all measure of power. 447 at the wheel for a car rated at 500 at the crank actually is higher than I would have expected. Usually 15% is the (very general) rule of thumb for driveline losses.

It's a measure of engine power that's independant from car's installed utilities, transmission options etc.

IMHO, they should publish both numbers: that of the engine and resulting power at the wheels for a given car setup.

So I was measuring my dick wrong the whole time.

FUCK!

Snakes can't drive. Enjoy your bus ride.

Big advantage. As the car pushes forward, all it's weight is shifted on the back wheel, hence added traction.

This is the reason why FWD can't measure up to RWD cars. They can have the power. Just not the traction on launch.

However FWD can take a curve. RWD suck for that.

"However FWD can take a curve. RWD suck for that."

Tell that to every single serious sportscar ever made. FWD cars are actually much harder to drive fast around corners.

FWD only exists to increase passenger cabin space and to dumb down the handling for lots of safe and boring understeer (to keep grandma from doing a 360 in the rain).

Trying to make a FWD car into anything other than a fun commuter is an exercise in futility. They will always be spanked by any RWD car of equal power in any competition.

I drive an '05 Civic Si by the way.

Unless you live in a place where it rains ice and snows seasonally, then your RWD car can suck it.

I agree RWD is a neccessity in any sports car. I chose a low-weight, low-HP one, as the cops don't ticket taking right hand turns at 40 mph, whereas my previous car (RED!) was by comparison a ticket magnet. My car is RWD with fully independent rear suspension, so the tires maintain contact irrespective of lateral-G or whatever is happenning at the other wheel.

I reiterate: what the hell is the purpose of a live rear axle in a supposedly modern sports car? Independent suspension at all four corners has been a norm in even sedans since the 80s.