I agree on the comment about BMW. Their cars tend to perform better than cars with higher rated figures.

It's all marketing....

 

I don't wanna find out that my 298hp 05' coupe is only making like 280, but wouldn't be surprised, i guess it all depends on how much these rating attribute to drivetrain loss.

 

BMW (I hate to say this) traditionally has lower HP & TQ numbers than the competition, but the performance produced is on par if not BETTER than cars with higher numbers.

Remember that HP is only part of the story. The curb weight and gearing are very important. Porsche 911s have curb weights in the 3025 - 3100 range, and BMW goes to great lengths to keep the weight of the M3 as low as possible. Also, the rear axle ratio of the M3 is quite low, something like 3.70. Not good for gas mileage, but super for performance.

 

I agree - but when I wrote what I wrote I was thinking of the 05 G and the 06 330. Their weights are within a couple of pizzas of each other, yet performance is very close.

The bottom line I was attempting to reach was -

If today you tell me (as the mfr) that my car makes 300HP or 250RWHP, and then tomorrow you tell me that you revised how you measured your HP and now my car makes 280HP and 230RWHP, BUT the performance remains unchanged, then I don't care.

It's just a reference point for advertising. Performance numbers are the ones that count. If you find a car that suits you - you like the styling, the interior is top-notch, it's a good value, it can safely handle any modifications you want to make, and it turns the performance numbers you're looking for out of the box, does it really make a difference what the mfr says the HP/TQ numbers are?

To date there are very few mfrs that have hit the mark when advertising their numbers anyway (look at first and second year Gs with the 260/260 rating). We, as enthusiasts, base our appreciation (or lack of appreciation) on how the car performs in the everyday, not on a HP/TQ rating or what's in a magazine.

At least I do. I take every reference I read (except a dyno slip - and even then some are suspect) with a grain of salt. They could tell me my G made 30 RWHP. As long as the performance didn't change, I could care less. Hopefully the mileage would increase though. LOL.

 

Well to answer the question in the thread topic : Will Nissan/Infiniti adopt the new SAE horsepower standards? YES, the 2006 QX56 is rated 315hp per new SAE standard ( see my other post : Nissan and new hp standard )

 

Interesting. I would be interested in seeing the official press release on that.

I hope this means that every model across the board will see the SAE certification. To my knowledge, the company hasn't released 2006 engine specs for any model.

 

see for yourself www.infinitinews.com

 

Is that based on the new SAE standard.....in the link that you provided above, it has the notation on the 315 hp as being....."* All horsepower ratings are per SAE J1349 JUN1995" ......which sounds like the old 1995 standard and not the latest. Or am I interpreting this wrong?

 

Hmm i didnt see the date, but isnt the J1349 the new standard? I was going by the 2006 figure....

 

I'm not sure what the 2006 Standards SAE code is.

I do know that the QX had 315 hp in 2005 because I was looking at buying a Titan and was wondering what Infiniti did to achieve the 315 hp in the QX while the Titam only achieved 300 hp.

 

If you look on the SAE website, the new standard IS j1349...but i dont know what infinti is doing with that june 1995 date.

 

HP sells cars and power under the curve wins races. I'd much rather be driving a 3,400lb 280hp/270tq car than a 3,400lb 330hp/220tq car. Why? Because the 280hp car would probably be faster from 0-120mph because it has a fatter powerband with more average power.

I wouldn't worry too much about these power ratings. Like Geewillikers said, that performance won't change. The new standard levels the playing field and gives more accurate numbers (ie more like what BMW has been using for years).

I think the 05 5AT coupe/sedan 280hp/270tq rating is pretty accurate according to the dynos. The 03/04 5AT/6MT sedans with 260hp/260tq were actually underrated by about 10-15hp according to the dynos. I could see 05 6MTs getting rated down though. It seems the average power for a stock 05 6MT is around 240-245whp. That only equates to about 280-288hp assuming a 15% loss to the drivetrain.

 

That is because German horses are stonger than Japanese horses...

BTW, The M3 is not that light. It's a pig compared to the previous generations.