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Originally Posted by dknv
I know Sam & his dad, they are family friends from my Carson City days. I would not call them an idiot.
I was thinking it was good that at least Sam did not try to 'prove' his claim -- which may have it's own set of negative consequences including breaking the law, breaking the car, etc.
Most of us don't understand the reasoning behind giving a teenager a 300hp car, or 'worse', you all have seen the stories where a 16 y/o gets a Ferrari or a Lamborghini - I guess it's that particular family's value system and financial ability. I thought the STi was going to be a car that Sam and his dad would share and do things with like autocrossing or taking it to tracks (and bond as dad & son); and least the STi is also a decent car in the winter, has great safety ratings. So maybe there are other reasons we don't see.
As far as a claim of 485 hp to the wheels - did your Nova friend ask to see the dyno chart, instead of challenging him to a duel? I mean, you can be mature about it and chalk it up to a teenager's 'talking crap', or you can try to 'put him in his place'.
The only thing in my mind that gives young racers a bad name, are those who illegally street race, and end up hurting someone.
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I do recall Sam coming to some of our meets in the STi, *before* he even had his license. He may be a good driver, and he may have some karting experience... but he certainly shouldn't have been driving around alone on his learner's permit, especially in an STi. I've also heard rumors about him street racing others in said STi.
Regarding the horsepower claim... 485 awhp a rediculous claim to make w/o any sort of support. Hell, the "World's Fastest New Age WRX" that Easystreet made doesn't even claim to have that much power. If it's true, then Sam's dad is loony to let *anyone* drive a car like that on the street, since an STi w/ that much power would be nearly un-streetable due to the noise and idling quality alone. If it's not true, then Sam is contributing to "giving young racers a bad name" by being one of those kids that talks a lot of made up shit that instigates issues (for example getting himself challenged by another kid in a Nova).
IMO, I think the "family value system" exhibited by Sam and his father lie closer to the "idiot" side of things than the "intelligent" side of things. If Sam's father wants a bonding experience racing an STi together, and if they have the money to do it, they should build the STi to be a track car, and race it together at Stead, or at full on race tracks. It shouldn't be driven around on the street, especially not by someone that's demonstrated he's interested in impressing his friends w/ the car and its mods. I know if I had a kid that was friends w/ Sam, I certainly wouldn't want him/her out riding around in a "485 awhp" car driven by a 16 yr. old... regardless of that 16 yr. old's driving experience. It's excessive and unecessary for *anyone* to have a car that fast on the street regularly. Hell, I've got a 198 awhp car that I think is excessive for being daily driven, which is why I've now got a 134 awhp car to drive on the street.
This is of course my own opinion based on what I've seen and heard myself. I'm sure you know them better than I do, but from what I've seen, Sam's not much different from every other 16 yr. old w/ a car that's too fast, and I'd be worried about him crashing it while showing off his "mad skillz".