Is 400 hp too much for a dd?

[jakelandry]

Hey everyone, as the title states ive come across a car thats fully built and makes about 400 hp on one tune which will be the one i run. The car actually went 11.3@128 on an e85 tune but the guy said the transmission gave out at that level and he made a 93 tune that puts down around 400 hp. Here is just the motor work..

ENGINE (top to bottom)
7 bolt head with 6 bolt bottom end, the block is drilled out for the 7 bolt front case and oil pump, so it still uses the crank angle sensor
rebuilt head
new valves, manley valve springs and titanuim retainers
revised lifters
webcam 272 camshafts (good for higher rpm) w/ AEM cam gears
ARP 10mm allen style head bolts
accel plug wires
cometic head gasket
block bored over .020
manley pistons 8.5:1 compression
eagle rods and arp bolts
all new bearings and seals
fidanza aluminum flywheel
Thermal R&D 3" turbo back exhaust straight all the way out the back with only a couple small bends
the launch control is setup with anti-lag and it sounds evil when hitting the 2 step
the exhaust has a quiet muffler on it that sounds amazing

TURBO
FP HTA GT3582R turbo with 3" v-band outlet
autometer 30psi boost gauge
DNP turbo manifold
Tial wastegate
stainless oil lines
STM 4" intake kit
hallman pro boost controller
greddy bov
big front mount, still has bumper reinforcement in place

My question is would it be a bad idea to drive the car 70-100 miles a day? I know most of those parts are not commonly found on dd's but the 93 tune is only running 20 psi. Before everyone goes on here and thinks im some punk kid who doesnt have any need to go out and buy an 11 second car, your right i dont NEED it. But im not some punk kid thats going to rag the car out, change the oil @ 5000, ignore maintenence, never wash the car, not research every single part on the car, or treat the car in any bad manner. I treat my cars right and i take care of them. The reason i want such a fast dd is because my parents will only let me have one car at a time. So until i get out of college in 3-4 years this will be my dd provided that you guys dont think im a moron for blowing every dollar ive saved for 2 years on a car thats not good to drive that far daily.

 

[92AWDHX40]

Not to me i know people who have more than that who drive daily thats one of my goals.

 

[LiquidX]

It all depends, if you want to be streetable and want to boost when ever without lag then the turbo is much larger than needed. Is it FWD or AWD?

Mine is a DD and before a piston went out for an unknown reason I was right around 500.

That number was based soely on the ECMLink HP estimate, not an exact number due to variables but I was consistent within a certain range based on the supplied settings and road conditions being tested on.

 

[jakelandry]

It all depends, if you want to be streetable and want to boost when ever without lag then the turbo is much larger than needed. Is it FWD or AWD?

Mine is a DD and before a piston went out for an unknown reason I was right around 500.

Im sorry that last part was somewhat confusing.. It is AWD, and i do know the turbo is a bit excessive for street applications, but im fine with that. I also know is anything goes wrong with this car its going to be expensive to replace, and i will probably downgrade for reliability purposes, i just hope nothing goes wrong before i gain the ability to tune.

 

[92AWDHX40]

Well go for it if it breaks it breaks downgrade maybe the turbo.

 

[jakelandry]

Well go for it if it breaks it breaks downgrade maybe the turbo.

Yea thats what i was implying, i cant exactly afford to replact a hta gt35r. See the reason i came here to ask you guys is cause all i ever hear is negative when people start building over 400 hp. Im really going out on a limb here when buying this car because i need something that will last me and if it doesnt, there is no market here for dsm's whatsoever. So once its bought and im broke im screwed .

 

[DSMTyson]

What kind of experience do you have with fast cars, or would this be your first?

Chances are, it will break. This may not be the best option for you. How much does the guy want for it? if you dont mind me asking.

 

[92AWDHX40]

If your unsure if you can afford it dont chance it things break, simple youll have to decide.

 

[jakelandry]

What kind of experience do you have with fast cars, or would this be your first?

This will be my first owned but not my first to be around. However it will also be my first turbo car and awd car. I know it may sound ignorant to jump straight into buying a fast, awd, turbo car when youve never even had one of them, but i take care of my cars, i do my research, and i have all of you.

 

[VETTE_50_TH]

I was right around 500.

Never been to a track, never dynoed, and you were right around 500....

####in wiseman benchracing

 

[DSMTyson]

This will be my first owned but not my first to be around. However it will also be my first turbo car and awd car. I know it may sound ignorant to jump straight into buying a fast, awd, turbo car when youve never even had one of them, but i take care of my cars, i do my research, and i have all of you.

As long as you aren't beating on the car most of the time, things wont break very often. And if they do, it just means they were on their way out anyways. But, dont be surprised if you start to get consumed with buying parts. Sometimes, thats what happens when you buy a racecar.

 

[jakelandry]

As long as you aren't beating on the car most of the time, things wont break very often. And if they do, it just means they were on their way out anyways. But, dont be surprised if you start to get consumed with buying parts. Sometimes, thats what happens when you buy a racecar.

I know, however im buying a dd . Im fairly sure i will be content with 400 hp however, the "racing" scene here consist of mid 12 second ls1's and they think they are God, so i wont NEED to upgrade.

 

[DSMTyson]

I know, however im buying a dd . Im fairly sure i will be content with 400 hp however, the "racing" scene here consist of mid 12 second ls1's and they think they are God, so i wont NEED to upgrade.

Haha wow, mid 12 LS1s. It takes almost nothing to run 12's in those cars, and they think their shit is special? wow.

I hope you show them what an actual fast car can do and make them run home with their tails between their legs.

 

[RT-AWD]

the guy who tunes my car DDs a 600whp 240sx.

 

[gringo72884]

400hp+ is fine for a dd as long as you are consistent with maintaincing the car. That means oil changes regularly, checking your all your fluids, replacing the timing belt/water pump, etc. if necessry. My stock bottom end 7 bolt is making 414whp and i drive it daily with no issues what so ever. With a good tune and proper maintaince I am positive you will be fine. Goodluck

 

[Tyeler18]

Haha wow, mid 12 LS1s. It takes almost nothing to run 12's in those cars, and they think their shit is special? wow.

I hope you show them what an actual fast car can do and make them run home with their tails between their legs.

On the track of course.

400 won't be that bad. Just keep your foot out of the gas until you get used to the car. Going from a 120hp 420a to a 400awhp 4g is going to be quite the step up. That thing will feel like the faster car in the world when you first get in it.

Just check everything over and make sure it all checks out, reliability comes down to quality parts and a quality install. Just because it's a dsm doesn't mean it can't be reliable.

And those 12 second LS1's well......

 

[91stocker]

Haha wow, mid 12 LS1s. It takes almost nothing to run 12's in those cars, and they think their shit is special? wow.

I hope you show them what an actual fast car can do and make them run home with their tails between their legs.

yea like slicks and a gear haha

I will never understand why you guys dd these cars or drive them in the winter at all. All that time and money to just have it wear out and be raped by salt. "Sports" cars arent meant to be dd's. Im sure you can but why? Are you really that insecure that you need to be seen in something flashy everywhere you go?

Id like to keep mine around for awhile, no matter how well you take care of it, miles will beat the hell out of it, mechanically and visually. nothing erks me more then seeing a sports car being driven in the winter, for the love of god buy a dd

 

[BigBeans]

If you don't beat on it, you'll be ok.

I'm a FIRM believer in reliable DD and a heavily modded car/bike on the side. I won't ever build a DD with more than bolt ons and a tune, unless i have a beater to fall back on.

Speaking of LS1s and high powered DDs, theres a local guy with a Procharged stock displacement LS1 making 740RWHP through a stock muffler. It's his DD, he's put like 50K miles on it in the past 3 years and never had a single breakdown/serious issue. Combine decent economy with a broad power curve, solid reliability of the engine and drivetrain (not on a 10-bolt), etc and you can understand why this is my first and last high powered 4 cyl.

 

[jakelandry]

Awesome, good to hear some positive replies. The way i look at it is ive wanted an awd since i was 15. Ive saved every dollar ive made for 2 years, not going out with my friends or anything. Im planning on spending a lot of money on this car and i know i will be satisfied even if the thing breaks down the day after simply because i achieved my goal of obtaining one. But i want to try and make it last due to the fact that my father tells me im a dumbass for buying a car i want instead of buying a car in better shape. He claims that cars are tools not toys, so i really just dont want my father to look down on me if the car blows up, which is my reasoning for this post. For a little more confidence in the reliability.

 

[Tyeler18]

yea like slicks and a gear haha

I will never understand why you guys dd these cars or drive them in the winter at all. All that time and money to just have it wear out and be raped by salt. "Sports" cars arent meant to be dd's. Im sure you can but why? Are you really that insecure that you need to be seen in something flashy everywhere you go?

Id like to keep mine around for awhile, no matter how well you take care of it, miles will beat the hell out of it, mechanically and visually. nothing erks me more then seeing a sports car being driven in the winter, for the love of god buy a dd

I bought my 90 as a DD. I want AWD for winter, not something to be seen in. Plus we don't have salt.

 

[BigBeans]

He claims that cars are tools not toys

Cars are tools to exercise my adrenal glands from time to time.

I've had that conversation with the parents a few times ( I'm 22, so the parents haven't figured out that this isn't a "phase" quite yet).

When i'm 40 and still doing the same shit maybe they'll get it.

 

[jakelandry]

yea like slicks and a gear haha

I will never understand why you guys dd these cars or drive them in the winter at all. All that time and money to just have it wear out and be raped by salt. "Sports" cars arent meant to be dd's. Im sure you can but why? Are you really that insecure that you need to be seen in something flashy everywhere you go?

Id like to keep mine around for awhile, no matter how well you take care of it, miles will beat the hell out of it, mechanically and visually. nothing erks me more then seeing a sports car being driven in the winter, for the love of god buy a dd

You make a good point. I do live in the south however so rust and snow and whatnot are not issues. And honestly i hate knowing im going to put high milage on a car that is no longer made and are hard to come across, but the desire to have one outweighs that hatred. I would love to have my awd as my weekend playtoy but as stated before my parents will not let me have more than one car. My 420a is going into storage because we dont have enough parking .

 

[91stocker]

I bought my 90 as a DD. I want AWD for winter, not something to be seen in. Plus we don't have salt.

Yea i can see if you bought it for a winter dd, with no intentions on seriously modding it or care what it looks like. Mileage, just driving a car all the time beats the hell out of it.

There are soo many people around here that dd camaro's,stangs,etc. They look nice from a distance but up close you see all the surface rust coming up and know its just trashed underneath.

Maybe its just me but i like to hold on to my rides. Id rather do major repairs then throw it away and get another one. I like to know what i have and what to expect with it.

 

[Tyeler18]

Yea i can see if you bought it for a winter dd, with no intentions on seriously modding it or care what it looks like. Mileage, just driving a car all the time beats the hell out of it.

There are soo many people around here that dd camaro's,stangs,etc. They look nice from a distance but up close you see all the surface rust coming up and know its just trashed underneath.

Maybe its just me but i like to hold on to my rides. Id rather do major repairs then throw it away and get another one. I like to know what i have and what to expect with it.

My 90 is one of the first AWD talons ever made in really good condition. I just make sure to take care of it and wash it.

 

[DSMnOOb00]

im not some punk kid thats going to rag the car out, change the oil @ 5000, ignore maintenence, never wash the car, .

Well as long as you wash your car, you should be fine...

things WILL break, things always break.. I say "Cross that bridge when you get to it" and enjoy the ride!