Compression Ratio

I don't have a car at the moment. I'm just doing my homework sorta speak. Can decent performance be gotten from a engine with a 8.0:1 - 8.25:1 compression ratio and the rpm's staying under 5,500? I'm wanting to get a plan / idea of just exactly what I'm wanting to do with the car once I get it so I'm not bouncing all over the place. I've bought notebooks to write things down so I won't be re asking the same questions over and over. I'm wanting to take a totally different approach this new year. But the car will still be for cruising, but hopefully with a little extra zip.