Thanks for the advice. My vision for my next 16vt is to overbuild the engine to be capable of 400whp with a proper tune and then just dial it down and run 300-320whp. I just want to have a great build as a wonderful project that I can be proud of that makes all sorts of fun noises and gets me on the highway at dumb speeds.
Plus, nothing really compares to the speeds and accelerations that most modern motorcycles are capable of. I think daily driving something that goes 0-120 in 7ish seconds really put cars into their own perspective. Now I just want a nice daily driver with accessible power that allows me to effortlessly overtake people and can even more effortlessly break every speed limit in the country. You know, reasonable goals.
The bike comparison is a good sobering one. I started serious work with cars after about 17-18 years with good high quality Husqvarnas and KTM moto-cross bikes.....and that was long ago.
But even then and especially in years past I point out to the mooks wanting to build crazy projects the performance and the reliablity of simple bad ass street bikes and kinda suggest that building a car with similar performance and reliability takes a very coordinated package and a big wallet.....and leaving out any one area--like gear set or final drive or brakes is gonna sink the whole experience....and its not that we don't know how to build them, its the accurate and consistent tune as John Mc points out....
As I see it the biggest problem is that far far too many fixate on MOTOR and big numbers but I gently suggest we don't drive motors around, we drive cars...whole cars...
Again following the bike metaphor, everything about a given bike is right there in front of you...and there's no mistaking the intended use: a road burner doesn't look like a KDX enduro bike and that doesn't look like a Super Motard and that is different than a cross-bike and then there's POS things which are just expensive fashion statements which are conspicuous consumption objects and are Hardly Ableson to do anything at all...
But a car is just a car and if you're brainless and don't care about ruining ride AND handling and "slam it' well we can see that but there's not a lot of seeing the important stuff.....
So pretty gee-gaws and shiney trinkets become important----miles of schedule 80 weld els and massive T bolts good for 70+PSI for a motor making 17psi..
That all may be why I like the way well done coordinated gravel rally cars go and work. The PULL, they do good Zero to whatever you dare QUICKLY, they are quick on any surface---sh*t works on them....I joke "the only thing changed is the final drive to protect the innocent" (and I guess some like carpets, I guess...go figure)
275-280 Haitch Peas and 350 ft/lbs backed by a good gearset and around a 4.3 axle flat shocks most people (which it shouldn't......that's what many ol 'Merikun cars did 40-45 years ago only we have one more gear and 1000 lbs less weight...)(and better steering and can do much much better suspension)
