To nitpick a nitpick: weight does slow you down indirectly. Given the same tires, rolling resistance is roughly proportional to weight.
+1
spot on
yours sincerely
PLAN/33000 or 2Pi.NT/550 (uses rpm)etc.
ZWEDE–
Thanks for finally clearing this up, sorry it took so long. Things just werent adding up in the noggin. Now when I go to buy a new car I have one more bargaining point to use.
Dealer - “This nice car here has 117 horsepowers and will blast you from 0 - 50 in a zippy 14 seconds.”
Me - “Yeah, but that is SAE Net horsepower and the actual useable wheel horsepower is probably less than 100, no thanks.”
I`ll keep driving the Javelin which can do the quarter in 14 seconds.
ZWEDE –
What exactly is your 1971 automobile?
Corvette Coupe with a 454. Factory 4-speed and AC. I’ve played around with it some and it is now fuel injected, 17" rims, etc. Have some info here: http://www.corvetteforum.net/c3/zwede
/Markus
you want torque (optimal timing) at high RPM’s to take advantage of gearing.
a hummer has lots of torque but at low RPM so it’s ability to do work quickly (such as use that torque to cover a lot of ground at say 100mph) is hampered.
hitting the gas at peak torque will give you the biggest force in your back. hitting the gas at peak HP will cover the most ground given a certain amount of time and gear, but will NOT give you as much of a force in your back.
you want to pull hard for a long time, not just pull hard.
S’OK, I’m used to getting nit-picked around here…
However, if you’re using extra weight to get your chassis closer to the ground to reduce drag, I’d think that the amount of weight you’d have to add would reduce your performance too much. I’m no racer, but there’s better ways to reduce drag and rolling resistance.
Sweet car. Nothing like a ratty big block. I have to settle for the 401 in the AMX, but she still moves out. Pretty much built to the 1.25 HP/CI specs. Heads could use more work.
If I understand correctly, More weight may slow down the accelleration but the engine will still wind out to it`s potential. In other words a 3500 pound car will take 20 seconds to top out whereas a 4000 pound car may take 25 seconds. The 4000 pound car with the same chasis as the 3500 pound car may be slightly closer to the ground making the car slightly more aero. I think in the long run both would attain the same speed (top end), the 4000 pound car having more friction and the 3500 pound car having less aero, sounds like a coin toss.
Does that make sense?
zwede: So the Japanese, Americans, and Euros have slightly different standards. Is the standard used that of the country of manufacture or the destination? I assume that the standard would be that of the country where the vehicle is being sold. My car was manufactured in South Korea, but, if I am correct, the hp ratings would be measured using the American standard, correct?
You are correct. The car will be rated in the country it is sold. A Korean car sold in Europe will be rated according to DIN and the same car sold in the US will be rated in SAE Net.
/Markus
Nice. Always had a soft spot for the AMX and Javelin. Especially the first body style until '70. The '71-up looks a little funky, but still OK.
/Markus