Anyone going over 200 mph???

[dqhemi]

I used to run in the Unlimited Division of Open Road Races like the Silver State Classic and Pony Express in a 97 Mustang Cobra that would run 205 MPH. We campaigned the car for a number of years and doing 200 MPH is no small task, increasing the top speeds incrementally. Races were 90 to 120 miles in length on closed sections of public highways.

If you're seriously considering this and plan on being around to talk about it, you need to do it in steps. Driving my car at 150 vs 185 vs 200 were all very different. Better learn some about aerodynamics, safety equipment, tires, suspension, driveline and more. We would basically rebuild the car eveery year almsot completely to make it faster the following. Every race you learn something and there are very few who can tell you what does and doesn't work.

Biggest risk is tires going this fast. Almost every bad accident at those speeds has been tire related and since the explorer debacle, none of the tire companies will give out info anymore.

Biggest issue doing this type of stuff is most people under-estimate what it really takes, what's required to do it (reasonably) safely and many get themselves in way over their heads without realizing it.

There used to be quite alot of press on what I was doing, there's still a couple things floating around the internet:

http://www.mustang50magazine.com/fea...ehicles/18758/

http://www.vortechsuperchargers.com/...ory/cobra.html

Magazines would never cover any of the aero information. We'd get our hands on some aero data and model components based on it including calculating air foil downforce at target speed vs. lift and develop components fromt that.

I have in car video and drive by video at over 200 MPH in my Cobra if someone can host it.

Very likely we'll build another car for this kind of fun. I'd want to do it in a platform that's never gone that fast as that's half the fun! Project may start in a wind tunnel this time and I already know tires will be the biggest challenge.

John Buscema
XV Motorsports
www.xvmotorsports.com

[Steve Chryssos]

Originally Posted by MarkM66

Hell, if you want to try it, try it. I'd like to hear the results.

Be aware of your Critical Driveshaft Speed before you put an overdrive in that thing.

Probably why most high speed cars use 1:1 with high ratio rear end gears instead of 4:11's with a .50 overdrive.

That's the most intelligent post in this thread. Overdrive is not really intended for top speed use.

So--just brainstorming here--you would make the following changes:
-Higher rate springs.
-Reduced ride height.
-Different tires (unless you have YR-minimum rated tires already)
-Different wheels (the downward forces applied to your wheel's hubs at that speed are extreme. You want something that is strong and has minimal runout)
-Aero aids designed to direct air up and over the car and add downforce--which must be overcome by more power.
-An approved roll cage (which will enhance stability as well as add safety) -Approved seat and safety gear.
-Increased caster.
-Serious brakes with cooling ducts.
-Higher final drive ratio (lower numerical).
-A roll of 200mph tape (Otherwise your windshield trim will fly off and your underhood area will build excessive pressure).
-A smooth, straight, long, unpopulated stretch of road.
-Someone who is crazy or dumb enough to ride shotgun. (not really necessary, but hey we're just bench racing here, right? Why waste the opportunity to share the moment with someone you love.)
-A tail wind
-A get out of jail free card
-A videographer or two (we wanna see)
-And a horse shoe up your ass (for good luck)

[Steve Chryssos]

Originally Posted by camcojb

....My advice is to get ahold of the guys who run Bonneville, and talk to the guys running 200 mph in stock bodied cars. Find out what mods they needed to keep the car planted....
Jody

Bonneville is a good start, but the conditions are entirely different. Salt and asphalt are light years apart in terms of traction. The open road race sanctioning bodies would prove to be a better source. The SCTA can really only help in terms of structural/safety issues.

[mazspeed]

Originally Posted by nitrorocket

And quit talking like I am wreckless. I want to hear from one person on this board who has not gone through the gears down an on ramp or on a nice freeway clearing at least once, either for fun, showing off, or tuning! Heck, people are talking about going 180 on a bike on the street!
I hit 150 mph and slow back down to 65 by the time I am done with the on ramp. The ramp I use is a little over half mile long, nothing to hit, nobody there that can get hurt. That sure is hell is safer then most crap I see on the internet going 150 mph through traffic and it takes them about a mile to do that, That is dangerous!
------------------------------------

This has to be the dumbest post I have seen on these boards. Going though the gears on a freeway off ramp is not like going 200mph on the public streets. Are your brains made of soy sauce? The idiots on the bikes that do this are not much smarter then you have demonstrated to us on this insane thread. Your stupidity is a danger to yourself and others. I refuse to help anyone who thinks this is a good idea.
It's crap like this that give people with muscle cars a bad name.

[dqhemi]

One more thought, no way no how would I be going in that speed range without a full cage, a REAL racing seat mounted to the cage, full safety equipment, window nets or arm restraints, fire system, REAL race quality wheels,full safety gear and a car that was sorted out for those speeds.

John Buscema
XV Motorsports
www.xvmotorsports.com

[camcojb]

Originally Posted by streetfytr68

Bonneville is a good start, but the conditions are entirely different. Salt and asphalt are light years apart in terms of traction. The open road race sanctioning bodies would prove to be a better source. The SCTA can really only help in terms of structural/safety issues.

True, I was thinking in terms of air management.

Jody

[dqhemi]

.....Some note on how we did this....
-Higher rate springs. ...Need more than that. We had shocks valved for the application.
-Reduced ride height. ...Lower reduces frontal area and reducing drag is the most important thing to do....
-Different tires (unless you have YR-minimum rated tires already) ....Very few tires will last for any kind of distance at those speeds. In some cases, certain sizes of specific tire models are built differently for OE applications. Tires we ran on were confirmed to be good for over 200. We only ran nitrogen in the tires. You need real race quality wheels. You must run metal valve stem - not rubber - or forces may cause a failure of the stem....
-Different wheels (the downward forces applied to your wheel's hubs at that speed are extreme. You want something that is strong and has minimal runout). ----To go really fast you don't want to create downforce, just eliminate lift, which will reduce drag....
-Aero aids designed to direct air up and over the car and add downforce--which must be overcome by more power. ---- Aero at those speeds is not just over the car, you need to look at internal aero as well as what goes on under the car. ------
-An approved roll cage (which will enhance stability as well as add safety) -Approved seat and safety gear. ---This needs to be doen correctly, attaching the seat to the cage is critical and must be done right as well. Swing out door bars and the like are asking for trouble----
-Increased caster.
-Serious brakes with cooling ducts. ---You don't use your brakes at those speeds, or rather it's just one stop at the end. Saying another way, the aero forces are huge, when you lift the car slows dramatically just from the drag. So only place you use the brakes is when you come to a full stop, ducts aren't necessary and can also create more drag.....
-Higher final drive ratio (lower numerical). ---With overdrive, and yes you need to calculate driveshaft RPM. We only used carbon fiber shafts for real high speeds and they are part fo the safety equipment if you know what happens to them in a crash-----
-A roll of 200mph tape (Otherwise your windshield trim will fly off and your underhood area will build excessive pressure). ---Yes and no. You want to tape all the seems to smooth all the surfaces. We removed any trim that might induce drag. Get rid of side mirrors too. Not too hard to calculate frontal area, estimate drag and see how much HP it takes to run the mirrors at 200 MPH....
-A smooth, straight, long, unpopulated stretch of road. ---Not for me on that way too dangerous. Open road races you can go as fast as you want with safety crews, run on a public hoghway, have the local police cheering you on and people around you can learn from, if you know who to listen to.....
-Someone who is crazy or dumb enough to ride shotgun. (not really necessary, but hey we're just bench racing here, right? Why waste the opportunity to share the moment with someone you love.) ---I always ran with a navigator. They let you know what's coming up (most of the time)----
-A tail wind
-A get out of jail free card
-A videographer or two (we wanna see)
-And a horse shoe up your ass (for good luck)

John Buscema
XV Motorsports
www.xvmotorsorts.com

[Damn True]

You claim to routinely accelerate to 150mph on a freeway on-ramp and yet you claim that your aren't wreckless?

a) Quit doing that stuff on public roads. This hobby does not need our own version of the Malibu Enzo wreck http://www.wreckedexotics.com/special/enzo/

b) Please confine these sort of efforts to closed competition venues. This will at least ensure you are using the minimum safety equipment and properly rated tires.

c) Build up your efforts in small bites. You want to find out how the car behaves at 160 BEFORE you are going 170. Because if you break through some kind of wierd behavior, you still have to go back throught that speed range again. This is why SCTA and the open road organizations make their participants start in the lower speed ranges before they allow them to enter unlimited classes.

d) When asking people for advice regarding something like this it is in poor form to give them lip when they voice concern for your safety and those around you.

[dqhemi]

Originally Posted by MarkM66

Hell, if you want to try it, try it. I'd like to hear the results.

Be aware of your Critical Driveshaft Speed before you put an overdrive in that thing.

Probably why most high speed cars use 1:1 with high ratio rear end gears instead of 4:11's with a .50 overdrive.

Actually, virtually all the guys I knew going really fast ran overdrive, including myself. I ended up running a close ratio T-56 6-speed w/ 3.08's in the rear and never had a problem. Clutches are a bit of a challenge.

Driveshaft RPM definitely is important. I always ran a safety loop (which rules didn't require) and ended up running a carbon fiber shaft which is much safer in a crash as they simply disintgrate.

John Buscema
XV Motorsports
www.xvmotorsports.com

[nitrorocket]

I contacted Dennys on my driveshaft, they say it is good to go, especially after shortened for the overdrive. I run a 3.42 gear now and will probably just try that.

I run BFG Comp TA/ZR Tires right now so they are safe.

I will start looking into making some type of a front air dam setup that is possibly removable so I can take it off when not racing, otherwise it would get ripped off every time I go through a drivethrough.

Do the high speed guys use quick ratio steering boxes? I would think this would be bad at high speeds.

Thanks for some of the last few posts, very informative!



And for those of you who think I am a moron, Shut up! How many bikes run roll cages??? You are not dangerous if you don't have a cage and go 150 mph, would it be safer in case of an incident... Yes, of course! I am not any more dangerous going 150 mph in my car then every bike in the world, I would say I am safer in my car as it sits then on a bike. So if every bike rider crazy for going 150 mph with no cage?? All they have is a helmet, jacket, and boots!

Point is My car is very safe for what I have been doing, I dont have a roll cage, but everything else is up to standards, good tires, brakes, sfi approved parts, etc.

AND...Mazspeed...Who said I would be going 200 mph on public streets?? I said I want to start doing some type of road racing! Did you mis understand me?? So far I have not done anything that anyone on this board has not doen on the street, I go through the gears on an on ramp..Is that a big deal?? Have you not?? I drive slower than most people on a regular basis and have a clean record. I am not a wreckless driver by any means, I am putting nobody in danger. Is this understandable??