Just-Emre

"Normal" 4.2's were 310 hp.

UrS4boy

is the rate of doing "Work" and "Work" is moving/pushing/pulling a force a distance, e.g. Work is lb-ft, like torque, (the ability to do "Work"). Moving 550 lbs one ft is 550 lb-ft. Doing this in one second is one horsepower, 550 lb-ft/sec. This is like moving 550 lbs at a velocity of 1 ft/sec, i.e. horsepower is force times velocity.

So if aerodynamic force varies with the square of the velocity (check the NASA website below) and power is force times velocity, power varies with the CUBE of velocity. That is why it takes more and more time to increase the cars speed as you drive faster and faster. The force is going up at v^3 and horsepower is increasing much slower. At some point, there is an equilibrium and the car will just not go any faster, even if it is below the redline. That speed is the "drag limited" speed reported in some car magazines.

Dave F<ul><li><a href="http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/vel.html">http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/vel.html</a</li></ul>

cpayne

And the "Hemi" gets between 12-16 MPG...whoohoo