I just remembered: they had to tape up the 1/4 windows to keep them from blowing out.
Philster, I realize the final drive thing, that’s definately not what I was asking or wondering. I was asking about the bodies’ capabilities, that’s why i asked what the top speed of a car shaped like a formala was. But, it’s doesn’t matter anyways. I doubt anyone could tell me anything I don’t know about the science of top speeds of cars except for people who have actually taken the stock Formula to top speed. If they could share their experiences, that’s all I am hoping for. Which brings me to flying monk’s post…
That is crazy. Was that body stock? I noticed you mentioned something about 400 lbs. bolted to the bumper? Could you explain that a little further?
From your OP, fuel: "Second Question: Anyways, he is gonna buy a kit for $3,500 to supercharge this beast. The car ran a 13.8 with us as amatuer drivers. So, we figure it’s best speed is 13.5 which would be about 320 HP, correct? So, what would be his HP and top speed after the charge???
You are very concerned with top speed, and you ask about front end lift, which is very relevant, and then wonder about a $3500 improvement via a supercharger, and I pop in to remind you about gearing and you try to blow me off?
Do me a favor, have your brother drop 3500 bucks on some supercharger he bought from a magazine - the same way he bought his little chip, cold air intake and cute li’l catbacks - and report back on the top speed issue.
You asked a serious question, it’ s been adressed seriously, and you seem to get rude.
I’m not bringing up anything not relevant to questions you have asked.
Philster, for some odd reason i thought you were answering my first question. I won’t bore you by explaining it, but i’ll just say it was a misunderstanding. Sorry about that. I do understand now why you were telling that, because i didn’t mention the final drive… i figured that there was an assumption that the engine was to be at peak HP when maxing out. It was my fault. i all but forgot about the second question, since it was kind of an incomplete, stupid question anyways (not enough info/specs).
How long is a piece of string? There are a zillion different blowers on the market and 100 zillion ways to set them up. How much boost? Underdrive or overdrive? What size are the pulleys? Are you just going to throw the blower on the stock motor?
Best bang for your buck IMO would be Nitrous Oxide. Stock motor should handle 100hp shot. Rebuild your motor with stronger internals and the sky’s the limit.
http://www.kb-silvolite.com/page14.htm
http://www.holley.com/HiOctn/ProdLine/NOS2.html
Car probably has 3.42’s in the rear and about 26" tall tires.
A modded engine typically will rev higher but big v-8’s don’t need to rev to make power - so for all out top speed we are back to gears.
500 HP in that car would put it in the high 10 second 1/4 mile range with traction, certainly very low 11’s.
Are you sure that car went to 5,7xx rpms in 5th gear!?!?!?
Before buying the blower, have him think about how much power he wants to make, then start buying parts and have lots of fun!
Fuel, C&D explained it like this: imagine an arrow travelling backwards, on wheels. The arrow “wants” to flip around & travel the other way, but the tires keep it from doing so. The car is like that arrow - the center of pressure is at the front of the car, while the center of gravity is behind it - and it wants to flip around, but the tires are keeping the car pointed straight. At some point, however, the air travelling over the car produces enough lift to reduce the traction of the tires, and the car is airborne.
Their mechanic had bolted lead weights to the front bumper to try & compensate for the lift, i.e. to keep the tires on the ground. Personally, I never would have “driven through” something like that on someone’s say-so, but then I wouldn’t be in that car in the first place…I grew out of the really-fast-car thing a long time ago, when I started getting into design, and realized what complete pieces of crap all of the cars I’d previously admired were.
(Such as the '94 Firebird)
Of course, it goes without saying that your friend is driving on a closed track & not on public roads, right?
because no one reads links:
300mph firebird
“The key to keeping the car on the ground at those kind of speeds is its weight,” explains Jeff Kugel. “Downforce works up until a certain speed, but then the car starts going so fast through the air that the aerodynamics have it almost flying. What keeps it on the ground is its weight. You’re okay until about 280 or 290 mph, but when you hit 300 mph the wind tunnel tests on this car say it should be airborne. But the car is heavy enough that it stays glued to the surface. Even at 307 mph, the Firebird was showing absolutely no signs of getting light on the front. We also run the stock rear spoiler from a 1990 Pontiac Firebird on our 1992 car because we feel that is the best spoiler that Pontiac has. It’s not an aftermarket spoiler, it’s an actual stock rear spoiler and it’s the one that starts on the glass itself and goes all the way around the decklid.”
Philster, i’m gonna need some explanation after being told that a stock-body Firebird reached 300+!!! I’ll assume the body was modified and weight added up the ass, correct?? And how much HP is needed to accomplish this feat?
Flying Monk, i’m with you on the low quality of the Formula. But, to break necks around bumpy city turns and keep up with NEW base corvettes through 3rd gear for $4,300, i’ll take that any day! I guess it’s only a matter of time before something breaks though. Car already having overheating problems. We got the radiator flushed and it’s still teetering on overheating. The thermo is in a tough place so we haven’t checked that yet. 
Also, what I was really wondering was what you meant by “driving through” the weight added?
B&I, my bro would not lie to me about redlining in 5th. And he would definately not mistake it either. My guess is the dude who had it before us changed the gears up front. 1st goes to 46 mph, 2nd to 69, 3rd to 89, 4th to 118, 5th 189.75 (car is at 33mph in 5th @ 1k RPM’s, so 33*5.75=189.75 gears are linear and speedo is not usually wrong from 30-70, correct?). Is this a stock set-up?
Falchoon, the car is already rigged for Nos, but we haven’t had the balls to try any yet. It’s an old engine with 115k miles on it. Maybe we should.
read the specs at this link. http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/motor_sports/2000/1/pontiac_bonneville_salt_flats/index.phtml
Speedos are way wrong as the car goes faster. It’s progressively worse the faster you go. Most are tuned to read high.
Chances are the car WILL redline in 4th, but not fifth. It is common for top speed not to be redline in top gear. Hence, the redline debate and the top speed debate.
He is talking about a manual trans right?
You can’t just do some math and guess the top speed by assuming redline in fifth can be hit. That top speed is very suspect.
Fuel: You’re driving along at 170 or so, and the front end starts feeling “weird”, i.e. the car is giving you strange feedback. By continuing to accelerate, you’re “driving through” this…and IMHO being very dumb.
Philster is right, it’s just a matter of how much weight you add…and while this will affect acceleration, it doesn’t have too much of an effect on top speed itself.
BTW, that 300mph car didn’t exactly have a “stock” body, though I’m sure it was close enough to meet the qualifications. Also, car speedometers are inaccurate, at any speed. Also, at very high speeds, tires “grow” because of the centrifugal force on the rubber, and that adds to the error.
IMHO, the Vette is a POS as well, and overpriced to boot. GM makes money, not cars.
Ooh, Flyuing_Monk…such a shot at the Vette? Don’t want to debate, but consider the company the Vette keeps in terms of supercars, consider price and then consider reliability and the Vette makes the others look like junk in the end…or VERY VERY expensive to keep tuned versus the Vette. You can refute and make a point if you want,and I will read it, but I won’t get into a hot debate.
You really can use the Vette for everyday driving and not go broke on upkeep. It runs with cars that costs 2-3 times as much and require 2-3 times the maintenance. BMWs, Porsche, Ferrari, Lambos are all VERY expensive and require more care than a billionaire’s widow.
Why is the vette a POS? Can you give us an example of a good car?
Philster, any idea how much weight they had to add to the car in that link?
To explain my position would involve a great deal of discussion, as it delves (among other things) into the effects of capitalism on car design, and I imagine would spark quite a bit of political talk & controversy. I’ll concede that the Vette is more practical as an everyday car, and is cheaper than Lambos & Ferraris. However, I’ve driven them & worked on them, and IMHO they’re hardly on the same level as “supercars”.
A good car? The Volkswagen Beetle. Waaay ahead of its time, and indeed still ahead of our time in some ways. (Synergetic body design, engine reliability still hasn’t been surpassed) Of course, the Beetle was totally utilitarian, and you can’t compare a car like that with a sports car. The Porsche 914 was great as far as bang-for-the-buck is concerned, especially when you swap the aircooled 4 for a Buick 3.8 V6…watch those Vettes disappear as you go around the turns. Many great sports cars are available as kits, such as the Cimbria SS & Sebring 5000. I’m fond of the GT40 myself.
It’s not really about how much power you have, or how fast you can go…it’s about how fun the car is to drive. I’ve driven Vettes, Porsches, various muscle cars & hopped-up street racers, and by far the most fun car I’ve ever driven was a VW Jetta GLX, with the VR6 engine…I think it was a '97. I was amazed, the sound of the engine was music, the handling was fantastic for a FWD, the seats were great, the shifter phenomenal. If they made a RWD, I’d go buy one right now…but I haven’t seen many cars made nowadays I like much, and I’m pretty disillusioned by them in general.
I drive a '91 VW Passat wagon right now. I only bought it because it was cheap & I needed a car, but I love the way it handles & the brakes are better than any american car I’ve ever driven. I don’t particularly like VW - it’s not the same company it was when Heinz Nordhoff was running it - but I’ve had a lot of cars, and the top three were all VW’s. ('74 Super Beetle, '74 Beetle, and this one)
If I had my druthers, I’d have a '72 Super Beetle, and I’d keep it forever.
The Vette is one of the best cars any amount of money can buy!
An LT-1 Firebird is a fine ride too!
Fuel, I certainly did not mean to imply you were lied to. Perhaps, maybe just getting your leg pulled in fun a bit???.
After a bit of looking - just a bit, it looks like that car may have a 6 speed. If it is a 6 speed with 3.42’s (stock rear gears - I know you said that stock gears may have been changed) the 5th gear may be 1.09:1. With a 26" tall tire at 5750 rpm’s, mph = about 130. The car will probably gain another 25 mph (maybe more) in overdrive.
Do not be afraid of the bottle (N2O). If the engine is in a good state of tune - every thing working especially the fuel delivery system - that engine (even with high miles) will easily take a 175 HP spray.
For some real fun, if you are crazy enough, top out 5th, pull 6th, for some more speed, then hit the button. That might get you close to 189 - I pray you have good rubber!