POLL: For how many has LBA180?

[cuisinartvette]

Well, almost 2 years, and Ive barely broken 135, just nowhere around to do anything like that or faster safely. Undergoing a ton of work right now, soon as its done Im heading to the middle of nowhere to see what it will do...Kind of nervous thoguh, I hear even leting off the gas too quick at high speeds can wipe you out. I love acceleration....Top speed Im not a huge freak about. Had a bad experioence many years ago, Ill just have to go do it I guess.

Is it best to slowly let off, or throw it in 6th and ease off the throttle slowly?

Put it in 6th, and coast. Letting off the gas will slow you down pretty rapidly from those speeds.

Modulate the brakes just a bit once you get below 150. Be prepared for 70 mph to be slow as chit.

[cward]

Originally Posted by WB9MCW

OK GUYS CURTIS EMAILED ME THE PHOTOS OF HIS ZR-1 IN THE BIG BEND OPEN ROAD CHALLENGE FOR ME TO POST HERE SO YOU ALL CAN SEE HOW HE SET UP THE Z FOR THE 201 BEST IN 2002. NOTICE HOW THE Z WAS MUCH LOWER BETWEEN THE 2000 VS THE 2002 RUNS. THIS IS WHAT CURTIS IS TALKING OF GETTING THE Z NICE AND LOW. HEY CURTIS WHAT IS ALL THE DUCT TAPE ABOUT? IS THERE A CONCERN ABOUT AIR GETTING IN THE FRONT AT THE PLATE AND TURN LIGHT OPENINGS? BTW HOW MUCH OF A BLUR DOES IT BECOME AT THOSE SPEEDS? I IMAGINE QUTE A "TUNNEL VISION" EFFECT HAPPENS AND TIME STANDS STILL FOR THOSE BREIF MOMENTS WHEN YOUR AT THE MAGIC 200 MARK----

Tape was to try to make air flow better. Waste of time. It was all gone after the run. I expect it came off going south and was not there for the 200 mph part. More important is the removal of the outside mirrors. Several mph above 180. Some tunnel vision but I am always that way when open road racing and am trying to go fast. On a road course such as Texas World Speedway, I look around alot more. When I ran an ORR at lower speeds, I looked around then too. I remember waving to a friend along side the road at about 175 in the 1999 BBORR.

My opinion on slowing down from high speed is to set the car up tight before going fast. A tight car will be less likely to have the rearend try to catch up with the front end. I never set my car up loose. When doing an ORR and you are not an expert driver (I am an old for fun driver, not expert by any strech of the imagination), you need to be able to let off the gas if you make a mistake. That is usually in the middle of a corner and you really don't want the rearend to come around. Also, if you are trying to go fast and you want to save time on the course, then you run up on the corner and hit the brakes to set up for the corner at the correct speed. Open road racing is different from track racing. No practice on the course so you don't know the corners. Your navigator is feeding you the info you need, mainly the entry speed. Most corners on a Texas highway are sweepers so most of the time you enter the corners the same way: go in high, dive on the corner and hold the bottom until you can see the end and accelerate out. That is why entry speed is critical. The better you are and the more willing to take chances determine the entry speeds and amount of drift in the middle and exit. Also cajones come into play. :-) I have said many times, 180 + on the straight is the easy part. 140 - 160 in a corner with a 20 foot ditch on the outside of the exit is the fun part. That is where the sheep and goats separate. That is why my low hp car could sometimes beat some much faster cars. Very dangerous type of racing when trying to go fast. There are definately some places where you do NOT want to go off the road. If you lose a tire at speed in one of those spots, you can kiss your *** good bye.

Curtis

[jonszr1]

In retrospect of my little topspeed run gone almost bad (previous post) i think that I will call it a day on the topspeed runs. ithink i will go back to drag racing @the strip and sure things can happen there but thats alot different than a dummy(me) out on a straight stretch of road 50miles out into one of the most desolate places on earth. it was a gas haveing escaped unharmed but i can't help thinking what if............So to anyone thinking about doing a jonny dummy be carefull don't do it alone if nothing else. BUT I WENTOVER 190 phew

[Z Factor]

Originally Posted by cward

I remember waving to a friend along side the road at about 175 in the 1999 BBORR.

Surprised you didn't hand him some Grey Poupon at that speed.

Nice run

[UKZR1]

Most I've done is 178mph in Germany a couple of years ago. It was on a 2 lane autobahn and after many runs of 160-170 I finally had a good stretch of road, only to have a car pull out infront of me - that was the day the Movit brake upgrade became worth every penny!!! The engine was stock back then. This year we are going on a road trip after LeMans down to Switzerland and then back up through Germany to Hockenheim. I'm looking forwards to the autobahns now the engine has been rebuilt

There are some videos on my site at http://www.corvetteclips.co.uk/VideoClips.html

The best high speed run is done by a quiet guy in the corvette club with a C5, scroll down and look for the link 180MPH TE51CLE 5MB Version and take a look. Be ready to hit the pause button as he approaches the bus. Appropriate name do ya think??

[WB9MCW]

Hey Gixer Chicago ZR-1 here---nice post and vid-- yes methinks that TE51CLE is a tad nutz--he sure came up on those cars and motorbike mighty fast--guess his brakes passed the test this time--funny how the vid cam rolled over--guess I would too if I had been in that vette coming up on those cars at that speed. Imperssive that the LS1 got to 180mph suppose a few mods on that engine there of Mr. TE51CLE's C5. Or Perhaps it is a Z06 --LS-2 engine?

[UKZR1]

Originally Posted by WB9MCW

Hey Gixer Chicago ZR-1 here---nice post and vid-- yes methinks that TE51CLE is a tad nutz--he sure came up on those cars and motorbike mighty fast--guess his brakes passed the test this time--funny how the vid cam rolled over--guess I would too if I had been in that vette coming up on those cars at that speed. Imperssive that the LS1 got to 180mph suppose a few mods on that engine there of Mr. TE51CLE's C5. Or Perhaps it is a Z06 --LS-2 engine?

How ya doing Not sure what Te51cle has done to his car (it's not a ZR1 so I don't pay much attention ). I think its just about stock, just the usual air box mods and stuff. I know he upped the psi in the tires before the run.

My Z is now run in so I've been out putting some miles on her and enjoying those extra horses

[WB9MCW]

Glad to hear the rebuild went well! Good of you to post here from time to time

here is a vid of a sc c5 199mph flyby of a cyberbuddy vette friend Joel in California

http://zr1netregistry.com/forum/show...40&postcount=5

[USAFPILOT]

I feel really funny doing anything over about 130 in a car...it feels like I should be taking off. In a jet if I'm not airborne by those speeds, it is time to reject the takeoff...I guess I carry that over to the car as well.