[WARPed]

What is the definition of a street car? This is such a broad term that has many different meanings to so many people. Maybe we can all give our version of a street car and come up with some sort of "levels" to help define what kind of street car each of us want.

As an example I would catalog my street car as an all out drag car by many with lights,tag & exhaust system. So if we had say five levels then I would think to me by the to be established definition makes it a level five street car with a spool, reduced weight/interior, manual steering and brakes, etc. By contrast a level one would be say nothing over stock other than just headers, intake and even a small cam at best.. So how about it? maybe we can formulate a system to help sort out what YOUR street car is to you.

[72LuxuryLeMansLa.]

I drive my car every day just about. I have been averaging 15,000 miles a year since I bought it in November 2009. That is a street car or daily driver. If it only comes out to play once a week for a short cruise I would call it a trophy car or something to that effect. If you race it regularly in addition to a cruise here and there it is a street/strip car. If it makes major power as in above 500hp and races and cruises, then I would call it a strip/street car.

Karl

[Nicks67GTO]

To me there are several categories and a giant grey area in between them.

-Daily driver: Driveable to almost anyone, working factory options, tame

-Weekend warrior: Some pretty serious power on tap, maybe a little bit tough to handle for a person not used to an old hotrod, working accessories and a radio

-Street driving racecar: Cage, lots of HP on tap, rough idle, tough to handle or drive, gutted interior, race seats, no radio or accessories etc

-WTF??!!: Larry Larson's 67' Chevy II, Jeff Lutz 57' Chevy etc

[The Champ]

I like Nick's definitions.

Just because a car is "street legal" doesn't really make it a "street" car.

[camerjeff]

I also Like Nicks Definitions,

Just to add my opinion, I believe a "Street Car" has to be able to not overheat in stop and go traffic on a 90 degree day, run on Pump Gas, be able to drive at least 250 miles without a fill up, be able to cruise at highway speed for hours with out issues. And just a personel bias of mine is that it has to be able to carry a spare tire that actually fits the car, but run flat tires could make my last point obsolete.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by camerjeff

...be able to drive at least 250 miles without a fill up...

My daily driver does not meet your definition of a street car....

(lol)

K

[Hammertime Mike]

Nick's categories fit and are simple.

[Zimtok]

I would agree with Nick about the "GIANT GREY AREA IN BETWEEN"....

I'm not sure that "Drivable to almost anyone" should be a criteria...
There seems to be a lot of people out there that can barely drive a "Honda" or such. There are factory built cars that a lot of people should not get behind the wheel of.

My manual shift, manual steering, and manual brakes would eliminate a lot of people driving my car.

I might get 250 miles with my 25 gal tank on the highway with my overdrive transmission, but around town driving it daily I would not.


I think that the "classes" of street car should be something like:

Stock.
Modified slightly.
Modified heavily.
Barely street legal.

Any car can be driven daily, whether we do or not is just a choice.
Still a lot of GREY AREA no mater how you label it....



.

[72LuxuryLeMansLa.]

Originally Posted by Nicks67GTO

To me there are several categories and a giant grey area in between them.

-Daily driver: Driveable to almost anyone, working factory options, tame

-Weekend warrior: Some pretty serious power on tap, maybe a little bit tough to handle for a person not used to an old hotrod, working accessories and a radio

-Street driving racecar: Cage, lots of HP on tap, rough idle, tough to handle or drive, gutted interior, race seats, no radio or accessories etc

-WTF??!!: Larry Larson's 67' Chevy II, Jeff Lutz 57' Chevy etc

I can go with these except for the "Daily Driver". To me the definition is in the name. If you do not drive it every day or whenever you do drive; it isn't a daily driver. At that point it should be called a Weekend car or something.

Karl

[David Jones]

One that the "authorities" will put a tag on.

[HWYSTR455]

Originally Posted by David Jones

One that the "authorities" will put a tag on.

That would be close to my definition, one that can be titled, tagged, insured, and pass a state safety inspection. As for levels, can understand that, just like the difference from a Prius to a Ferrari. Since there are many categories in between, it makes sense to just state something along with the term street car, like 'pro-street' or whatever. There's too many terms that mean different things in different parts of the country, not sure it can be a 'grading' that would be understood by all.

Then you have all the off-road crew too, like boggers, crawlers, climbers, etc. Just too many to have a generic scale.

.

[hurryinhoosier62]

X 2, David.

[i82much]

Hmm. I have a 65 GTO, 505 IA2, mildly ported e-heads, torker II w/spacer, 850 holley, 242/248 solid roller with Isky EZ Roll's, doug's 1 7/8 through 3" head pipes down to 2" inch tail pipe, M20 with 3.55 gears in a Strange S60.

Stock body and interior, holley black electric pump, aluminum radiator and aftermarket electric fan. No choke. Cold blooded but seems like I can take it anywhere if I am willing to pay for the gas. I sure think of it as a "street car" because it's not getting a cage/roll bar and I sure as heck wouldn't have an M20 if I was going to put slicks on it.

I'd put it in the "weekend warrior" class only that kind of implies racing.

[zeebo]

Originally Posted by The Champ

I like Nick's definitions.

Just because a car is "street legal" doesn't really make it a "street" car.

x2. a vehicle that is used for the street must be able to start good in cold weather, run on pump gas, be able to drive 70mph on the freeway without turning 4000 rpm, not get pulled over every 8 minutes for loud exhaust, slicks, etc, not overheat in traffic. it has to do everything my winter car does---if it has driveablilty issues, etc, or you have to carry a floor jack and a toolbox where ever you go, its not a street car to me.

[i82much]

Originally Posted by zeebo

x2. a vehicle that is used for the street must be able to start good in cold weather, run on pump gas, be able to drive 70mph on the freeway without turning 4000 rpm, not get pulled over every 8 minutes for loud exhaust, slicks, etc, not overheat in traffic. it has to do everything my winter car does---if it has driveablilty issues, etc, or you have to carry a floor jack and a toolbox where ever you go, its not a street car to me.

Shoot, I carried a floor jack, toolbox, and a few spare parts with me every day for five years!

The winter thing is the hardest one for me to pull off. It would be really great to have a car I can drive year round without warming it up for 10 minutes before I can go anywhere.

[Region Warrior]

Drive any where any time/gas up any where any time.

[HWYSTR455]

Originally Posted by i82much

Shoot, I carried a floor jack, toolbox, and a few spare parts with me every day for five years!

The winter thing is the hardest one for me to pull off. It would be really great to have a car I can drive year round without warming it up for 10 minutes before I can go anywhere.

Eh, I wait until the gauge hits the first line, prob like 100 degrees, usually takes about 3 mins. Then I just don't hammer it until it's full temp.

My issue is snow, they don't make DOT approved sticky snow tires!

.

[BruceWilkie]

Originally Posted by camerjeff

I also Like Nicks Definitions,

Just to add my opinion, I believe a "Street Car" has to be able to not overheat in stop and go traffic on a 90 degree day, run on Pump Gas, be able to drive at least 250 miles without a fill up, be able to cruise at highway speed for hours with out issues. And just a personel bias of mine is that it has to be able to carry a spare tire that actually fits the car, but run flat tires could make my last point obsolete.

You may want to rethink that!

Debs car(69 bird convertible) can probably squeak 250 miles on a fill up but highway trips usually around 200 miles we look for gas... Pretty tame 406 with highway gears but stock tank that only holds about 16 gallons can limit things if your road trip is through the mountains or your trying to beat a storm coming from behind. Her car seldom gets less than 16mpg on the highway(has done as well as 22mpg a few times, but you cant bet or plan that you will always exceed 20mpg... plan based on your lower number avg and leave reserve from that if your smart) but at 16 mpg 250 miles on a 16 gallon tank leaves little reserve. (250 miles at 16mpg = 15.625 gallons)

My old 66 averaged 8-10 mpg... squeaked 14 out of it twice... not bad for 439" and 4.10 gear and a convertor that flashed 5200 when the pedal hit the floor yet did just fine at light load(actually better than10" 3200 stall it replaced)... car ran 11.7's-11.8 114 and driven near and far. Track was over 40 miles one way... raced often and never trailered except home once when my starter fried on a sunday evening when I was called to the lanes(and I missed last round )... Car was driven to car cruises over 100 miles away... never any chore to drive or maintain...

My current build(90 Firebird) I'm going turbo(s)... 406 ci(Pontiac)... at most a 3.55 gear... Goal...sub nines at Norwalk... and it will be driven from here in TN... I dont intend to use a spool... likely a Dana60 or Ford 9" with a locker will get the job done... For a trip that far, I might use highway type tires vs "DOT" stickies and drag a small trailer with me... So basically Im building a "Drag Week" type car that will be very much street/highway capable and give up little in the comfort and convenience category. The cage will be the main inconvenience. The stock back seat is an inconvenience in this car and not likely to be one in its place when I'm done.
FWIW I've ridden in a few back-halfed cars with 4 link and/or ladder bar that rode very smooth/comfy and still hooked hard under power and cornered well... dont assume you have to give up a smooth ride and decent handling to do well at the track! I might just upgrade to improved pieces and stay with "stock" suspension though.

BTW imo if E85 is readily available most places you normally drive, then I dont consider it race gas... I'm going EFI and will have a "tune" for either e85 or pump premium. Hopefully I can set it up with the fuel sensing capability newer cars have and just have the one "tune".

Personally I think its running a spool that takes a car from being a street car and makes it a bit too unsafe for street use...(emergency avoidance manuevers on possibly poor traction surface as often found on public roads can be real handful with a spool) Otherwise if you can drive it within the range you intend to go it can be a street car...

[zeebo]

gas mileage isnt a real sticking point to me, with a modified car for the street, since i dont even drive my nice stock rides in the winter. the car just has to be user friendly when i go to leave work and not have the battery dead, or be adjusting the valves every fill up--things like that..i have to be able to get in it, hit the gas, start it and go down the road..no surprises..driveablility is one thing that im very fussy about...and when its correct, makes driving a modified car all that much sweeter.

[Tom Vaught]

Originally Posted by BruceWilkie

You may want to rethink that!

My current build(90 Firebird) I'm going turbo(s)... 406 ci(Pontiac)... at most a 3.55 gear... Goal...sub nines at Norwalk... and it will be driven from here in TN... I dont intend to use a spool... likely a Dana60 or Ford 9" with a locker will get the job done... For a trip that far, I might use highway type tires vs "DOT" stickies and drag a small trailer with me... So basically Im building a "Drag Week" type car that will be very much street/highway capable and give up little in the comfort and convenience category. The cage will be the main inconvenience. The stock back seat is an inconvenience in this car and not likely to be one in its place when I'm done.
FWIW I've ridden in a few back-halfed cars with 4 link and/or ladder bar that rode very smooth/comfy and still hooked hard under power and cornered well... dont assume you have to give up a smooth ride and decent handling to do well at the track! I might just upgrade to improved pieces and stay with "stock" suspension though.


Personally I think its running a spool that takes a car from being a street car and makes it a bit too unsafe for street use...(emergency avoidance manuevers on possibly poor traction surface as often found on public roads can be real handful with a spool) Otherwise if you can drive it within the range you intend to go it can be a street car...

Drove a "Mule" Mustang with a 4.6L 4 valve engine and a Vortech Supercharger for about 4 years. The engine would idle, the engine would get decent gas mileage, the engine/supercharger was NOT LOUD. (prototype testing for the Vortech "Quiet Gear" helical gear transmission Supercharger).

That being said, it had a Ford Locker, the body had the reinforcement structure (aftermarket) built into the chassis, the car has better tires/wheels/brakes. All Mustangs came with "hydro-boost" technology brakes.

Deal was a LOT of people could not handle the car properly once the HP level was over 600 hp. That being said, Shelbys can be had with 1000 hp engines and driven on the street as street cars.

So my point is: it is a combination of the vehicle and the driver. It is a combination of acceptable gas mileage. It is a combination of safe acceleration and braking.

Shelby Cobras were "street cars" too but few people could actually drive them near their limit...... Bill Cosby being one of the people who couldn't.

So I like Nick's categories too.

Tom Vaught

ps John Meany (BIG STUFF3) drives a 1000 rear wheel horsepower twin turbo Corvette on the street often.