I was talking to a friend (an import guy), and he refuses to believe that a turbo or supercharger will help your top speed. BUT, if any of you guys remember the DeLorean (1981-1983 Beautiful cars! Crap for speed though), near the end of its production "Legend" turbos were put on a few of the cars which sent the top top speed hurtling from a lackluster 130 mph to an astonishing 160 mph.

So, I may soon be buying a 1991 Camaro RS (V8) and want to attempt to get the top speed past 150 mph. I know that I must bypass the speed limiter to get anywhere, but what else will help me along?

A good chip? Air filters? Exhaust? Possibly a new thermostat? I don't want to start on a turbo yet (not enough $$$). What will help me hit that 151 mph mark?

Start as simple as possible. And after awhile I'll dive in.

[This message has been edited by mostafa3k (edited January 02, 2001).]

 

To get the l03 (tbi) motor past 150 you will almost definitely need a blower. the horsepower required to attain a certain speed increases exponentionally. Say (for example) it takes 150hp to go 130. It will take way more than 300 to go 260mph.

If you do all the basic mods (spacer, headers, catback, cat, cam, etc. you should see 130-135. Top speed also depends on what gear is in the car and what trans.



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87 IROC-Z, 5.7, auto, 3.27, leather, !cat, Holley fpr, K&N'S, SLP 1-3/4" Jet-Hot coated headers, SLP .218/.224 .495/.502 cam, Comp 1.5 roller tip rockers, $uperPITAram, Edelbrock lower intake, Holley 52mm tb, Dynomax\Flowmaster catback. Coming Soon(?)- Fasttrack/Accell DFI

1989 Pontiac 20th Anniversary Turbo Trans Am - 161,000 miles, !cat, 9" K&N

 

power will increase your top speed, it doesn't matter where it comes from(turbo, supercharger, bigger engine, etc). Some other things that will help is lowering the car as much as possible, removing anything not needed(reduce vehicle weight).

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82 camaro--original steering wheel, brake/gas pedals, seats--everything else modified
82camaro

 

Along with lots of power,aerodynamics play a major part at determining top speed.Lowering the vehicle,flushing wheels inside the wells,smoothing out the underbody(such as a belly pan or tunnels and diffusers)and even flushed headlight covers on the camaros help a lot at high top speeds. The less drag,the less force pushing against your car to slow you down.Start with making more power,then go to making your car more aerodynamic to squeeze out those few extra mph's at the higher speeds.

[This message has been edited by RSpeed (edited January 02, 2001).]

 

I wouldnt worry about the weight, weight plays an almost inconsequential role in terms of top speed, its more a function of aerodynamics and horsepower

that said, an rs shouldnt have a problem hitting 150 with some basic mods to the L03 shortblock,
cam, heads, intake... that oughta do it, wouldnt hurt to get some light covers, lower the car some, and pump up the tires to their max inflation pressure

but i personally find too many young people new to the hotrodding are obsessed with top speed, its not very safe, and there are not many places or times you can do it at. Acceleration is where the fun is, you feel that every time you pull from a stop which means you can test your cars potential just about anywhere

btw, airfilters, exhaust, thermostat.. etc those arent going to do much at all in the grand scheme of things, if you want to go real fast or real quick you have to start talking about heads and cam... the rest, intake, exhaust, etc is just a given neccesity on any performance car

[This message has been edited by Pablo (edited January 02, 2001).]

 

And Stay the Hell away from me On Your test Runs




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60 Ranchero - Project ( Money Hole )
85 Sport Coupe LG4 - Daily Driver

Livin' the Stereotype

 

One of the best ways to decrease drag is to remove the side rearview mirrors. I'd also make sure your suspension is bulletproof if you're gonna go 150 on a regular basis.

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89 Iroc-Z LB9 305 TPI auto 2.73 posi:
3" Dynomax "cat" back,K&N filters, TB bypass, 3" pipe in place of cat, cleaned and flow-matched injectors, 180' thermo, mild ignition mods, synthetic oil, kicker sound system, soon to attempt engine swap...

 

The first thing to look at is do you have enough gear to get you to 150? Gears play a very important role in speed. 5.13 gears are going to require alot of rpm or very a very tall overdrive in the trans. 2.73's however are capable of high speeds without having to turn 10,000 rpm. After you calculate if your gears are enough look at hosepower. You are going to need alot to get to the 150 mark. Think about it this way, you are pushing a brick through oatmeal, now you want to push the brick faster. You are going to need to increase the availible power exponetialy to overcome the drag. This brings us back to the beginning, at your chosen top speed (150, 160, etc.) you need to be at the mid to upper end of your powerband in high gear.

Also you need to remember you won't get to 150 in 4 seconds or in 1 mile you need to give yourself alot of room to get up to speed and to slow down after. Is your suspension set up for 3 digit speeds? handeling gets funny after 100.

My former daily driver:
2000 Kenworth W900L
600 signature series cummins
600Hp 2050 Ft-Lbs torque Inline 6 cyl
18 speed trans 3.55 rear end gears
295/75/22.5 tires
126 Mph @ 2100 rpm 34 psi boost
Weight means nothing, This was at 80,000 lbs
Takes 7 miles to get up to speed and using the engine brakes and axle brakes takes over 1 mile to stop safely (I never said I didn't get stupid on occasion)

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'87 RS 402 Big Block
'92 S-10 Blazer 4X4
'77 3/4T Chevy 4X4 P/U with 500 Cadillac

[This message has been edited by 87RS402 (edited January 02, 2001).]

 

thanks for that example 87RS402,

I was bracing myself for all sorts of people going to tell me how weight means all this hogwash for top speed


a little extra weight might actually be beneficial for a top speed car, itll help keep you on the ground longer thats for sure with no real penalty to what speed you hit (just takes longer to get there)

 

There's a story in the November issue of CHP that details everything done to an 89 Camaro that goes 185 with "only" 345HP. Here's the quick list:
- 345HP ZZ3 engine
- lowered car 1.5"
- lowered front spoiler closer to ground
- removed side mirrors
- pushed wheels and tires out to even with wheelwells
- lots of chassis stiffening (including rollcage) until the car was square to 1/32 of an inch
- lengthed and repositioned trailing arms (to keep rear axle perpendicular to chassis)
- 6-cylinder steering box (easier to control car at high speed)
- springs: 950lb up front, 275lb in rear
- shocks: custom valved Bilstien (front), Edelbrock IAS (rear)
- tires: Michelin MXX3 255/40ZR17, 315/35ZR17 on A.R. 17x9.5 and 17x11 wheels
- headlight covers, ductwork under rear, GTA spoiler, and tons of other "little things"

All this, on a car that weighs in at 3450lbs. The weight is s'posed to help keep all 4 tires planted. Lowered weight would have a negative effect on the handling/control at such high speeds.

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1988 Camaro - Daily Driver
1980 Z28 - Under Restification

 

the transmission type will also play a role in the end. i know personally a man near me that until he wrecked it drove an LO3 88 firebird with just the vss disabled around 140. my car only registers 120 as im sure a lot of others do and with my current engine,rear combo i can spin the needle till it clicks. im not swearing to it because i dont know for sure(yet) but ive got to be around 160-165. my car would only run probably 150 until my auto tranny took over and shut me down. i bought the gm full throttle kick down valving for it and now it just runs till i let off the gas.
also, the biggest bang for the buck top end helper i bought was my coil. the extra juice in the upper rpm range is very noticeable(you can actually feel the difference)

jptaylor---www.geocities.com/jptaylor2/FIREBIRD.html


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1989 formula
jasper 350 (punched to 397ci)
trick flow twisted wedge heads(2.02 intake and 1.72 exhaust)
1.6:1 roller rockers
jacobs omni magnum ignition
isky cam
flowtech jethot coated headers
mufflex 4" mandrel stainless exhaust
no cat
holley 670
open element
custom fixed headlights
97 formula interior
macewen white faced gauges
3.42 posi rear end
baer racing 4 piston calipers front and rear
underdrive pullies
hard wired cooling fans www.geocities.com/jptaylor2/FIREBIRD.html

IN EVERY RACE THERE IS A WINNER AND A VICTIM, YOU LOOK LIKE A VICTIM!!!

[This message has been edited by jptaylor2 (edited January 03, 2001).]

 

This is why our insurance is so high on F-bodies, people doing/wanting to do stupid things like this.

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91 Formula
305 TPI 5speed
1LE/G92/WS6
Custom cold air intake w/K&N, SLP airfoil, ported & polished plenum, TB coolant bypass,Crane AFPR (47psi),94 octane,Crane Extruded Alum. 1.6 full roller rockers, Timing set from 4*BTDC to 10*BTDC,MSD coil,MSD6AL, Holley 9mm Annihilator Laser shot 50 wires, Ac Delco cap,rotor and plugs, Bosch O2sensor, SLP 1 5/8 headers,SLP catback,3:73s,JET 195* fan switch, Macewen white face gauges, Autometer gauges, Zoom hi-performance clutch.
Street legal with stock throttle body, runners,intake manifold,cam, and heads. Coming next..9# Procharger!

 

And the insurance companies check this board every morning. "See what those bastards want to do ??? Tomorrow we'll increase their rates 50%!". Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight! lol

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92 Z28 L98 350
---------------
Ported stock heads, XR270HR-10 cam, TES headers, Crane AFPR, Flowmaster catback, MSD ignition components.
Best ET 13.5@105 mph
"Take that auto, drop it in first, hold the brakes, stomp the gas and grin from ear to ear! :-)
Click here to see my car at Truspeed.org

Check out TruSpeed at http://www.truspeed.org
Check out the Bin Archive at http://www.truspeed.org/bins.html

 

Mostafa, a lot has been said here on how to get your car above that 150 mark... But not much has been said on getting your car back down to the 0MPH mark. It's really important that you have enough braking power to slow that bad boy of yours down.

Brake fade will become extremely evident when you try stopping a 3500 lb car from 3 digit speeds. Make sure you plan on spending some money on a monster set of disks, and more importantly, make sure your lines, hoses, etc. are up to snuff.

With that, along with a good, solid suspension, you should have no problem stopping to tell all your friends about what you just did. Good luck, and don't worry about them insurance companies... They're gonna get us anyway. - John '89 L98

 

Funny Blade. Hmm..I admire your intelligence.

I normally wouldn't bother with such a topic..but a friend of mine was killed testing the top speed of his car a week before graduation back in highschool. So let's look at some things here before we move on.

1. L03 does not come with Z rated tires (which you would need for 150mph+)
2. Hit a bump in the road, you're dead
3. Hit a deer, you're dead
4. Get caught by the police, they will impound your car. Not to mention you may lose your license depending on state law.

5. These are not brand new cars we're talking about here. Any number of things can go wrong at high speeds that would prove fatal to the driver or some innocent person on the street

6 What on earth is the point of going your top speed? I want to know? If anyone can tell me I'd be interested.

Insurance companies know there are kids out there that try things like "testing their top speed" (Which I think is what our friend here is trying to do..) or similar things. And since most drivers do not have access to dried out lakes to do this on...guess where they test it? Yep. They do it on the street.

Furthermore, the insurance companies know there is a greater chance that more teenage drivers will get injured or killed in high performance cars then they will in economical or sedan type vehicles. How do they know this? A good question..my guess is by statistics.

Save your wild driving for the track, and if you want top speed... buy a land cruiser.

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91 Formula
305 TPI 5speed
1LE/G92/WS6
Custom cold air intake w/K&N, SLP airfoil, ported & polished plenum, TB coolant bypass,Crane AFPR (47psi),94 octane,Crane Extruded Alum. 1.6 full roller rockers, Timing set from 4*BTDC to 10*BTDC,MSD coil,MSD6AL, Holley 9mm Annihilator Laser shot 50 wires, Ac Delco cap,rotor and plugs, Bosch O2sensor, SLP 1 5/8 headers,SLP catback,3:73s,JET 195* fan switch, Macewen white face gauges, Autometer gauges, Zoom hi-performance clutch.
Street legal with stock throttle body, runners,intake manifold,cam, and heads. Coming next..9# Procharger!

[This message has been edited by theformula (edited January 03, 2001).]

[This message has been edited by theformula (edited January 03, 2001).]

 

I agree. And by the way that import guy is an idiot (shocker).

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89 Iroc-Z LB9 305 TPI auto 2.73 posi:
3" Dynomax "cat" back,K&N filters, TB bypass, 3" pipe in place of cat, cleaned and flow-matched injectors, 180' thermo, mild ignition mods, synthetic oil, kicker sound system, soon to attempt engine swap...

 

John'89L98, of course I know that the brakes and suspension need to be redone, that we be a given and done before i even start, and you've brought up one of my points for this thread.

Everyone complaining about my goal here, please stop. Why would I want to get up to 150 mph? Same reason someone buys a porsche over a vette.

What your can do handle as a top speed reflects what it can handle at lower speeds and how well it goes about doing that. That's my main point to increasing top speed. Don't give me your "That's stupid, what an idiot" bull****, or "You're putting people in danger" garbage. That sounds really hippocritical, for a bunch of people who at one point or another had full on drag races in public streets. I'd have to be a real dumbass to actually take on 150 mph on city roads or a highway.

There's always the track for top speeds, and I-5 of course .

Thank you too all the people who took this thread seriously, rather than raise their ethical and moral issues of top speed. Because we all know they would never drag on the street (sarcasm.... major sarcasm).

 

looks like the fun has left this thread and it's turning into a bit of a flame war. if any of you want to continue this subject or ask another question related to it start a new thread and play nice.

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ICON Motorsports
1st & 3rd