Srt 8 Jeep Off Topic 0-60 In 5 Sec!!!

[jmarenas]

HEY, just saw a test mule JEEP SRT 8 since I live near the DCX HDQTRS and is one of my customers, WAY COOL Vehicle,

425 HP 0-60 in 5.0 Seconds in a JEEP!!! Arched fenders, lowered, 4 wheel drive, dual pipes out back large next to each other centered, talk about a fun vehicle!!! Not too often I see a mule that will be very cool in production this one is worth watching for!! They say faster than the 300 C SRT -8 Version!, which is out in the summer. Also on the deck is a 4 wheel drive NEON 300 HP for 20,000k!!!!! I know an off topic, just glad to see we are in the second cycle for large HP wars as gas goes UP!! Ya know what is going to happen, HP will go bye bye in favor of higher MPH, could be the last round of FUN cars from OE's in USA for a while, what a cycle........... remember Hemi's, thunderbolts, and LS1's?

[NOH20]

Been in one John. Not for a ride but I sat it one this week. They actually pulled 0- 60 in 4.89 seconds. I have driven the SRT-8 300C - it's a riot. My Magnum has the 350HP hemi, it's a hoot to drive as well. Porsche in my eyes is still missing this. They will continue to market their cars by adding 20 more HP a year to the Carrera. Bottom line, a Jeep is almost as fast 0-60 of a $80,000 Carrera. When will Porsche start putting the HP in their cars that justifies the price tag?

[dd74]

Originally posted by NOH20
When will Porsche start putting the HP in their cars that justifies the price tag?

I guess when Porsche gets tired of out-cornering these horsepower hogs.

[john70t]

No question: 4-wheel drive will get the car off the line faster with 300+ hp. After that..

[kmhemi]

High Hp is alot of fun. I am still keeping my old 426 Hemi...the car don't stop and it don't handle but it's still fun.

[cegerer]

One day, in the near future, we're all going to look back at the early-2000's as the supercar era. What is available right now (and in the coming year) in dealer showrooms blows away cars from the original musclecar era. I wonder how long it will last?

[911boost]

Not long at $3-$4 per gallon.

[NOH20]

Originally posted by dd74
I guess when Porsche gets tired of out-cornering these horsepower hogs.

OK OK I see your point. But, it wouldn't kill Porsche to up the HP in their cars. Remember in the '80's when the 930 was untouchable? What did the 930 have for HP, 285 from what I remember. At that time the Corvette and other "muscle" cars couldn't touch it. Now, Porsche lags behind in HP. Let's face it we all want more power, don't we??

[cegerer]

The latest AutoWeek lists a good example of what's becoming available:

2006 Shelby Mustang - 450HP

2006 Cadillac XLR-V - 440HP

2006 Range Rover - 400HP

2006 Chevy SS Trailblazer - 391HP (hopefully they'll do something with the pathetic handling/brakes!)

2006 Dodge Charger SRT-8 - 425HP

2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 - 415HP

2007 Ford SVT Sport Trac - 390HP

2006 Mercedes AMG R-Class (wagon) - 500HP

It's a good time to be a car enthusiast.

[Moses]

I love my Grand Cherokee, but I can't imagine it with 400+ HP. The thing corners like crap. Unless they rework the suspension this might be a pretty dangerous vehicle.

[cegerer]

Agreed on that. Not just with the Jeep, but things like the Chevy Tailer Blazer, the Ford Sport Trac (that's their 4-door mini truck), etc. It's one thing to stuff 400HP into a vehicle, but a whole other ballgame to build a vehicle around the powerplant that can handle and brake properly. That's the genius of the Cayenne and BMW X5 that few people understand.

Personally, I don't care for the styling of the new Grand Cherokee. It's not ugly, it's just blah. I think Chrysler missed the boat on this one, which is unusual for them. This is the SRT8 version:



The new Commander is even worse! Looks like an ill-proportioned redo of the original Cherokee????

[turbo6bar]

Originally posted by NOH20
OK OK I see your point. But, it wouldn't kill Porsche to up the HP in their cars. Remember in the '80's when the 930 was untouchable? What did the 930 have for HP, 285 from what I remember. At that time the Corvette and other "muscle" cars couldn't touch it. Now, Porsche lags behind in HP. Let's face it we all want more power, don't we??

Add lightness. Other manufacturers have big displacement V8s that make easy HP. Porsche can go the other direction. Sub 2500 lb base model 911. We've all heard how 3.6s wake up SCs and early 911s. Why mess up a good recipe?

[5axis]

Some years ago(wow it's been years?) there was a Porsche factory designer active here on Pelican. I recall he went by the handle 911 racer? K9 handler knows him. Anyway he made the point that manufactures are faced with some pretty difficult obstacles with regards to mandated safety requirements. Would a 1980's SC or Long Hood with a 3.6 and no airbag, ABS, crumple zone BS pass current requirements? We can mod the heck out of the car to make it into something we really like. I don't think a manufacturer has that option given the legal and regulatory constraints they face. And for a high line manufacturer like Porsche how many of their NEW CAR customers go gaga over a nice POR 15 interior finish Vs. all leather, all power, gizmotron options.

Now it sure would be nice if the current turbos were as dominant as in the 930 heyday. It's going to be hard to beat the new vette and I don't see it happening for anywhere near only six figures

[Tim Polzin]

Originally posted by cegerer
The latest AutoWeek lists a good example of what's becoming available:

2006 Shelby Mustang - 450HP

2006 Cadillac XLR-V - 440HP

2006 Range Rover - 400HP

2006 Chevy SS Trailblazer - 391HP (hopefully they'll do something with the pathetic handling/brakes!)

2006 Dodge Charger SRT-8 - 425HP

2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 - 415HP

2007 Ford SVT Sport Trac - 390HP

2006 Mercedes AMG R-Class (wagon) - 500HP

It's a good time to be a car enthusiast.

How long is it going to take till the insurance companies start nailing these cars and not just the drivers?

Tim

[ubiquity0]

500hp SUVs?
Does this mean 'Dead Man's Corner' is coming back to every town in America?

[YTNUKLR]

Just watch, every mommy with a cell phone will have 500 hp by next year.

[skipdup]

... as dominant as in the 930 heyday.

It sounds as if you think the heyday is over???

-Skip

[cegerer]

"500hp SUVs?
Does this mean 'Dead Man's Corner' is coming back to every town in America?"

Maybe. I hate to keep harping on the Chevy TrailBlazer/Envoy but it's one of the few conventional SUV's I've driven. I considered it downright dangerous. I was driving it in the mountains in Colorado so that had something to do with it, but I can't imagine one of those with 350+ horsepower. And Nader thought the Corvair was dangerous ......

[DannoXYZ]

"But, it wouldn't kill Porsche to up the HP in their cars. Remember in the '80's when the 930 was untouchable? What did the 930 have for HP, 285 from what I remember. At that time the Corvette and other "muscle" cars couldn't touch it. Now, Porsche lags behind in HP. Let's face it we all want more power, don't we??"

Well, the early '78-79 930s with 4-speed tranny came with 260bhp and could do 0-60 in 4.9s due to the traction with the engine in the rear. American hot-rods weighed close to a thousand pounds more and had very rear traction. The last 930 came in '89 and had 285bhp and a 5-speed, but it wasn't much faster than the original due to having gained a couple hundred pounds.

That's the thing that's really hurting Porsche's performance nowadays. They've grown portly over the years with more electric doo-dads and gimmicks. A current 996TT weighs about 1000lbs more than a 930 and don't perform that much better, except for top-speed. Porsche really needs to take a GT2 and strip it even more and get it into the 2500lb range... Now THAT would be fun...

[kaisen]

I love the horsepower wars!

HANDLING, HOWEVER, IS RELATIVE:

It is now down to 'objective' feel of how cars handle, not the numbers they turn. That's where a 911 shines.

It used to be that driving at 8/10th's meant pulling 0.65g's on the street and accelerating to 60 in 6 seconds. Modern tire technology, rigid body structures, computer designed suspensions, and higher horsepower enable even pedestrian 2005 vehicles to perform well beyond your comfort zone.

E