Driving Impressions: Part Deaux - Lateral-g Forums

Y-TRY · #1 04-25-2005, 12:13 AM

This should give the rest of you turbo guys a thrill.....

If you don't know already, and to set the scene: I have a '68 Camaro, 6" rod, solid roller, AFR-headed twin-turbo, MoTown block 406 backed by a Tremec TKO. So far I've seen 720rwhp and 614pwtq at a measely 6psi, pump gas. I used to have 3.89's and now have 3.25's, and have tuned it to 9.7psi, still pump gas (no telling/proof what the power is now, but guessing in the 800rwhp zone)......

So I go out to stretch the car out on a country road out here... A few minutes into my drive I find myself behind an old pick-up going 60 in a 70mph zone. This just won't fly with me so I decide to pass. Boy do I love this gearing!! In 4th gear, I lean on the throttle some and decide to pass him. As I pass and get back into my lane, I slowly lean on the throttle more and more, reeling in the open stretch of road ahead of me. The truck is a distant memory in my rearview mirror by now. I continue to evenly lower the pedal. At just above 3/4 throttle I realize that the car is going sideways. Not sideways like you'd be used to at a redlight, like the rear is trying to pass the front. But rather, it starts to pivot on an axis that seems to be right in the middle of the car. It's nothing like I've felt before.

Immediately, I let off the throttle. I'm now lurching side-to-side trying to regain control. My life, and this entire build-up, flashes before my eyes as I'm sure the car is about to roll. I glance down to the speedo as I feel grip again...

...125...120...115...

I just blew the tires from about 70mph to about 130mph on the highway, with 3.25 gears!!! It was probably one of the scariest car-moments of my life. I could almost see my car shaking it's finger as if to say "tisk-tisk".

I think we're really tapping into some major power, that comes-on in a different way that even the baddest of us are not used to. I now have much more respect for the car, and the power curve of a twin-turbo'd small block.

This is an absoltue true story, and I have the soiled boxers to prove it.

**jonny51** · #2 04-25-2005, 02:17 AM

Damn, I could see where that would scare the crap out of you.

Rick Dorion · #3 04-25-2005, 07:22 AM

Nice description. I was there with you. I'm now totally dissatisfied with my new heads

**XcYZ** · #4 04-25-2005, 08:02 AM

Sounds bad ass.

Can't wait to drive mine.

TwinSting · #5 04-25-2005, 10:51 AM

What a great description of a great story. I was seeing it as if I was there.

Now I just can't wait to get mine out on the road so I can feel that for myself!

Blown353 · #6 04-25-2005, 02:27 PM

Sounds fun. And scary. Breaking traction at high speed is very unnerving but entertaining at the same time, and that's what you have to watch for, the fun can turn dangerous quick! Seems like everytime I take my car out I find myself purposely spinning the tires from 60-80 just because it's so much fun; I don't even bother with spinning them from a standing start or anything slower than 50 or so because it's boring.

Since I finally got my injectors swapped, I can wind the thing out now-- I had something very similar to your incident happen yesterday afternoon, the car got loose at about 100 in 3rd gear. I put my foot in it, it hooked for a moment then it did little side squirm, so I countersteered and kept my foot in it because it felt like it hooked back up. Just when I thought everything was OK it squirmed again, then it went into side to side wag just as you experienced. I gathered it up, slowed down, and then I started thinking about what could have happened and that's when my hands started shaking a bit. Moral of the story: don't think. Had something happened though it would have just been between me and the walnut orchard, which would NOT have been pretty. Trees don't move much.

I had another high speed incident last year with my first hydroboost experience-- I twitched on the brake pedal slowing down from the top of 4th gear and locked up all four tires and pitched the car sideways... at just over 150 mph. By the time I gathered it back up the speedo was reading 110. I had to pull over, get out of the car and take a breather after that one. You should never, EVER be looking at a concrete K-rail at 150 straight out of the front windshield.

Remember, keep the shiny side up!

On a more technical note, have you ever tossed a TC into your manifold? I'm very interested what your discharge air temps are like at 10psi without an interooler.

Troy