why is it that so many people want to raise the horsepower on their trucks?how fast do they need to go?i have never had problem getting where i need to go with 160 hp 400ftlb torqu wether empthy or loaded up to18500lbs i do just fine.and i get decent milage. and my drve tires have a long life plus i am running realy strong at 250000 miles.so explane to me why more power?


1991 aftercooled ctd straight piped afe aif filter stock horse power 4x4 nv4500

 

ps what about stopping once you get going?

 

I think the reason can be summed up with one word,,,THRIILL!!! WoooHoooooo!

 

Well, a preson either has hot-rodding in their blood, or they don't. It's one of those things where, if you have to ask 'why' in the first place, nobody will ever be able to explain it to your satisfaction

BTW, welcome to DTR MWLU711 and 1stgenatheart! Glad to have you along!

greg

 

That, and in this day and age, with every other vehicle having the power to get out into traffic or whatnot with whatever load they might have, it is nice to be able to keep up, or at least not hold anyone up too much.

 

just remember your bigger than most of them and i have no problem battling it out with downtown traffic.

 

Dont worry...your feeling about performance will quickly change around here.

 

i doudt it ive heard it for years and never felt the need

 

Sounds like you've already formed your own opinion and it works for you. But, explain it to you and convince you, well thats another story.

Its the same expression as Harley riders have to their Harleys, "If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand."

Like wrestling with a pig in mud, after a while you begin to see you are never gonna win and the pig is actually enjoying it.

And as the song goes, "I aint never had too much fun!!"

 

Exactly, there always will be a few folks that fuss at someone for "wasting" money and fuel to make a work truck go fast- something it was never intended to do. But I myself (and a majority of the people on this board) love it. There are also some that will try to convince a stocker that they are "wasting" their truck's potential.

It's the same disagreement that goes on between ricers & muscle cars or low riders & off roaders.
After years of trying to "understand" low riders and ricers I've decided it's impossible.

My theory is, you bought your truck enjoy it how you want, I bought mine I'll do with it what I like. I won't knock your decision, so long as you don't knock mine. And if there ever is a disagreement, I've got plenty of chain, we can see which is better j/k.

But nobody will ever explain the phenomenon to your satisfaction.

 

I had to swear off hot street cars, bikes, even the dirt kind because my life expectancy had nearly expired (many times). However I can't leave a machine in a "less than optimal" state. For me it would be like buying a big, strong draft horse, but barely feeding it enough to survive and get the job done.
My truck has scarry power, and 340K miles on the clock to boot, so for me it's a "have your cake and eat it too" setup. My terminal velocity is limited by physics, but the acceleration keeps the beast "inside" manageble (for the most part).

 

Because they can.

 

[QUOTE=mwlu711;1641470]why is it that so many people want to raise the horsepower on their trucks?how fast do they need to go?i have never had problem getting where i need to go with 160 hp 400ftlb torqu wether empthy or loaded up to18500lbs i do just fine.and i get decent milage. and my drve tires have a long life plus i am running realy strong at 250000 miles.so explane to me why more power?


Maybe it would help to tell us why 160 HP is not already too much. Years ago that would have been an outrageous hotrod. Why do you need so much power? When the Model A Ford came out with a V8 in (I think) 1932 it would actually spin the tires! Wow. Old timers were saying it had "too much power". At the time I think they had about 60 HP . A vehicle with the power of 60 horses! Outrageous! My father tells a story of being a little kid and riding in the back seat of one while my grandfather was learning to drive in San Francisco. They started rolling backwards on a hill and my granddad had the throttle to the floor, panicked, with the clutch in. My grandma was yelling "let the clutch out Harry! Let the clutch out Harry!" So finally he did and laid an excellent patch. Later my Dad went over to take a look at it on his bicycle. A look at what big time real power can do.

I got along with my 1st gen just fine with it's 160 HP. Didn't worry about having more. Then I got the '04 with nearly twice the power. That was amazing and did everything well. Then while towing I was wondering just what the CTD might be able to do and still be reliable. Now I'm running a Smarty and I love the power. I don't "need" it but the truck drives way better with it. I'm not saying I drive it wide open all the time or go way faster either, but it has a feeling of being more snappy and eager. It passes better, it tows better, etc. The reliability is the same and the mileage is the same or better. And keep in mind that I am not interested in sled pulling or drag racing. Don't want to break it. But I like the way it runs and I like the power when I ask for it. It's fun to tune these things up a bit and enjoy the result, it is so much easier than on a gasser and the mileage does no suffer. The next time your right foot gets to the floor remember, right then you are asking for more than it has. You are wanting more. Nothing wrong with that.

Enjoy your truck in any state of tune you like, they are all great. And remember that just because it's stock doesn't mean it won't be able to hurt itself. My 1st gen was perfectly capable of burning up its tranny with stock power.


John

 

same reason people buy 100 million dollar homes but only need a house trailer to survive. same reason people get 25.00 dollar an hour jobs but only need 10 dollar an hour jobs to survive. same reason new diesels make 350+ horsepower and 650+ ftlbs of torque. same reason we have 6 lane highways and fast food restaurants, cause america wants to get where they are going faster and flashier......period.

 

pfft 100Mill... the most expensive residential esate on the market right now is 135 mill, followed by one @ 125 mill and most MOST are below 10Mill...
Anyway
To answer the original question, I think that people on here like modifying to suit needs and preferences whatever that may be. Me personally I want to increase efficiency and drivability, not as the cost of durability and reliability!! And there is a lot of room for improvement in that arena. BHAF 4" exaust, pump mods will make your truck a new beast with not necessarily more raw power but more drivability and usable power all while maintaining or increasing fuel milage/efficiency without taxing drivetrain components!