What is the commonly accepted 1/4 mile benchmark for a car to be considered "fast." NA guys might say 13's, power adder guys might say 11's. Post your thoughts?

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355 c.i.
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GM posi 3.42 rear
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13.9@102

 

its all relative.. are you benchmarking a daily driver 305 or a top fueler? there are 'accepted' times that are quick for different motors.. there really is no answer to your question

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83 Z28--not a pretty site, sold thank goodness

74 Z28-- 383/400, green on black. pretty clean. FOR SALE!!!

"I wish I was a messenger and all the news was good..I wish I was the full moon shining off a Camaro's hood"

 

A 16-sec 1/4 mile car will be "fast" in stoplight wars.

Too subjective, probably non-tech.

 

well mines a high 15 car and the only time i think it is fast is when i come off the start...lol

but im hopeing to drop in a 355 that will put me into the 13's



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84TA T-tops L-69 305HO TH-700R4 stock 190hp and 240 ft-lbs.
new best E.T. (dont laugh) 15.986 @84.93mph
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Its not only relative, its also subjective. But, I would think there is some parameters we can use to help pin it down.

I posted a similar question on the racing board a while back. I even qualified it to only current production vehicles. I could not really get folks to agree that a M5 or ford Lightning truck should be about the slowest production vehicle now days and still be considered fast. I have a lexus GS400 as my daily driver and I don't consider it fast. Only as

in my opinion.

An extension of that same thought would be that if a modified car can't out run a current production vehicle (especially a truck), I don't think that qualifies as fast.


[This message has been edited by jcb999 (edited September 19, 2001).]

 

Amongst my buddies, a car capable of 150 mph is fast. If it can do the 1/4 mile in the 12s, it is considered quick.

If it can go 175 mph or do the 1/4 in 11s, then it is awesome.

 

C'mon man!! The damn LS1 cars run 12s off the showfloor!! That is asking a lot out of most cars.

Maybe not ALL production vehicles........ lol.

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1987 GTA L98 MD8
355, TFS Heads, LT4 Hot Cam
My GTA

The Minnesota F-body Club

 

There are many ways to look at this. The way I see it is that currently fast "off the showroom" cars are running low 13's. Really fast cars like the Viper etc are running low 12's high 11's.

Now, you can run low 13's with a thirdgen and impress nearly everyone on the boards, however, when it comes to the street I rekon you're going to have to be running mid to low 12's to be fast.

Now before everyone starts flaming me let us all remember how easy it is for these new LS1 cars to get into the mid to low 12's. It isn't that hard. Plus there is also a heap of other modded cars out these like the turbod Supras, 300ZX.

Just my 2 cents worth.

 

I can do a needle-width under 160, but it takes a couple miles to get there. Stopping a 4,500 pound sled at that speed is a much different story. To me, that's fast, but again it's relative. 45MPH in a seven foot wide alley is definitely fast. It's all relative. 1,300kts in an F-15D is fast (relatively) but probably doesn't seem like it at 40,000 feet.

Then again, I remember this girl from my home town....

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Later,
Vader
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Justice and Freedom will Prevail

 

Ok, I'm getting sucked into this non-tech post, too, but if you want some sort of established standard of what "fast" is, here's how you might determine it (year-to-year). In order to simplfy things, I'll stick to current production cars:

1)Determine the median purchase price for (new) cars this year. Call this number 'p'
2)Determine the median 1/4 mi. time for (new) cars this year. (As far as I'm concerned, top speeds are irrelevant, since it is hardly feasible or safe to attain a car's top speed). Let's call this 'q'.
3)Divide #1 by #2 (p/q). This represents the cost per speed coefficient for a given year (we'll call it 'k').
4)Use the following formula to determine what 'fast' is for a given year.
F= k* (q)/(median annual income per capita)

Another way to determine if a car is fast but not overpriced is to create an equation inversely relating 1/4mi time and cost. This is my next project. I'll get back to you.


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91RS convertible 355 TBI 65# inj. custom compcam grind .480/.480, Edelbrock TBI manifold, open element, hedman hedders, Y-pipe, cheap cherry bomb muffler, Hypertech cop car thermomaster, Accel coil, wires. 2.02/1.6 cast iron heads. Engine specially made by Pflugerville machine shop. Forged bottom end, balanced. Coming soon: Vacuum controlled FPR, better exhaust, Torque converter, DIY PROM, bigger TB.

 

Ok.. too much math for you! No more math for you! Now get outta my kitchen... and no soup for you either!

Lol..

I consider something fast, is when I can actually feel the G's when the car launches. Of course, I don't feel any of that with my L03.

My dad used to have a car, and old boat more like it, that was very fast. He would tape a $20 bill on the dash, and if the passenger can reach the $20 bill in such a distance, than it was his. Now thats what I consider fast.

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Third Gen Project
1989 305 tbi Camaro RS Red/Red
Ram Air II Hood
Centerline Champ 500 Rims
Edelbrock Open Element
MacEwen White Faced Guages

 

I agree with sonar, I consider a car fast when it throws you back. A really fast car is when it feels like the whole car is moving out from underneath you. My uncle has an old 70's nova SS 383 stroker, with all the goodies. I consider that fast, when you ride it feels like your seat is gonna unbolt and the car is gonna run away and leave you sitting in the road. By the way, I like the ram air hood on the 89 RS.

 

your average stock LS1 does not run 12s. They are consistently about .3 to .4 seconds faster than stock LT1 fbodies, no more.

Many people (especially the owners) of these cars seem to think they are gods own race car.

Its pretty funny when they only put about 3 cars on the lexus from 40 to 110.


[This message has been edited by jcb999 (edited September 20, 2001).]

 

OK for a daily driver I think low 12s is fast.
But for just a street car (weekend/street/strip/whatever) 10s are fast, but even that doesnt guarantee a win against some cars on spray.

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91 B4C 305 TPI - SOON TO BE 383
TREMEC 5-SP, STOCK 1-BOLT REAREAND w/342 GEARS, K&N, AIRFOIL
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14.1@ 98MPH
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OTHER RIDE
67 CAMARO - STREET CAR, BIG BLOCK, PUMP GAS
350TH w/ATI 10", 12-BOLT w/373 GEARS
10.47@129 1.55 60FT. ON MOTOR - ET-STREETs w/MUFFLERS

 

The new f-bodies fun a 13.3 1/4 mile. If you can beat a new Trans Am then you are fast enough for the street. At least in Ohio where there are just a bunch of slow imports on the streets. Oh yeah, a truck can be just as fast as any car. Just ask John Lingenfelter in his truck (7.499@179.06). A truck can be, not only fast, but useful the next time you have to move a load of junk.

 

I know I would have a hard time telling fellow draggers that I run 16's. Thats just me.

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Ron Strayhorne
91 350 V8 T.A./ MSD ignition box & wires;Flowmaster cat-back exhaust;K&N filter;Crane perf. coil; semi-polished engine;Random Technology cat sitting in the garage til I can afford the other one;Pro-built stage 3 tranny in the mail...cant wait!!!

Best 1/4 mile time: 13.8@ Speedworld Motorplex (used to be called Phoenix Raceway Park). I was so excited I forgot the mph.

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