How fast is still safe, how fast did you go?

Hello folks

Aerodynamics are the problem with our cars. Besides the "pushing a barn door through the air" frontal cross sectional area our cars have, the gigantic front grill and radiator openings allows lots of air to get trapped under the hood with no way to get out. Additional alots of air goes under the car to begin with because of the front bumper height. The car will have a tendency to "take off" and get very light especially in the nose.
Best things to do is cut down on the amount of air going underneath (chin spoiler) and also work out a venting scheme to get all the stacked up high pressure air out from under the hood. I personally don't use the original snorkel ram air filter anymore, maybe now the Ram Air openings on the Hood can help to avoid overpressure.

How fast did you go? Whats your feeling at this speed? And have you done any Modifications?

 

According to the speedometer, I've shortly gone 220km/h - ~140mph in my 65 Electra, but as you say the car becomes light in the front end.. I have wider low profile tires on, as the only "mod"..

Normal high way speed is 60mph and less when we're a brunch of cars..

 

Was at a calculated almost 140 (5200rpm, 2.93s, 26.5” tires) and the car (68 GS coupe) was steady. My main worry was NOT aerodynamics. More like ‘public road. Drum brakes. Cops. Other drivers.’
Patrick

 

"Cops" have always been a thousand times more important to me than aerodynamics.

 

I had a 93 Mustang that I once hit 125 in, way back in my young and dumb days. Things like telephone poles fly by ridiculously fast. I have a Pontiac G8 GXP that can blow that Mustang away now, but I'm too smart to do that stuff on public roads now.

 

I hit close to 120 this weekend going to pick up parts . . . in my beater 2000 Passat. Stupid? Probably. But hey I'm only 27 . . . I don't think I'd ever drive my Skylark that fast unless I was on a track for fear of messing it and myself up. On the highway sometimes it's easy to get carried away when there's no traffic.

I think I've only gone 85 or so in the 'Lark with it's 48 year old suspension . . .

 

The ‘64 Skylark convertible I drove in college would hit an indicated 119 (transplant 340, junkyard four barrel AFB conversion). It felt pretty stable but liked a wide lane. The funny thing was, with the top down, at about 105 the vent windows would slam closed.
Patrick

 

I had a 69 Electra that would bury the speedo past 120 and only stopped spinning because the needle touched the shift indicator that was pointing to "D".

Also had a 69 Fury III ex police car with a certified speedo that I had to a indicated 135 . It had 1 dead cylinder

 

130ish in a 70/72 Buick
170ish In my trans ams
140ish iny GN

All 3 scared the hell out of me

I don't care for speed,.. acceleration is what I like

 

120+ in my '71 Stage 1 (according to the speedometer). After it passed 120 I started watching the road instead of the speedo...

 

I've been 130+ in a 60s pickup. I was impressed by the tornadic wind noise and it felt like I pulled a parachute when I let up. Lol

 

110 just past the traps, all the time at the track. I wont flinch at 80-90 on the highway in any of my cars, and the Pontiac with 3.08's loves 100. But 100 in one of our cars is ALOT different than 100 in my Mazda.

 

140 in a 69 Wildcat at 4200 rpm. Definitely not safe, car felt like a plank that desperately wanted to be airborne.

Just last week the Electra did an average of 80 on a certain notorious highway in the BC mountains. Not recommended, but do-able if you know your car. To try and do less than that was just being in the way. The car currently has modern radials on it with stock suspension and drums. It required a great deal of operator intervention and attention to keep it between the lines. Definitely not for the faint of heart or someone who wants a leisurely Sunday cruise, but...yeah, ... it was an absolute rush. There's nothing like wheeling a mid-sixties 2 ton boat around the mountains.
Out of any of the big cars I've ever owned, Chevies, Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles, and a Mercury, they don't hold a candle to the way a big Buick will handle at speed. The Buick is, IMHO, the best hands-down, no question. I wouldn't try it in any of the others I've mentioned. Especially with the brakes, the aluminum drums are better than anyone else's drums, and they dissipate heat very quickly and don't near as much fade.

The big Buicks were designed to do 60-70 effortlessly and safely; anything more than that starts to get interesting.

 

Have done this in the Riv too. Needle pointing straight down with peddle left over. Car was so light on the road that I felt as if the front tires were just barley touching .She starts to float at 100 mph.

 

I have a ton of snowmobilers come here and ask that very question, i say run as fast as you can into that tree and tell me if you are all right.
That's why there are up grades in suspension, helmets and roll bars. Ha

 

After getting the new engine installed, I've buried the needle a few times. I finally used a GPS...I've gone 123mph in the Electra. It's pretty scary. I have no need to do that again. With the 2.56 rear, it still have quite a bit left in her too...

 

Yes Briz. Over 100 its more like AIMING it and not STEERING it .

 

Had my original 400 motor in the 69 on the garden state parkway in 1987 and had the speedo slammed tight at 120 chasing a 71 Mach 1 351 Cleveland. I could not close the distance but he could not widen it either. Slowed down to 55 and could have gone to sleep it seemed so slow compared to what I just did.

 

Had a pretty heavily modified mitsu 3000gt vr4 when younger speedo stopped at 160mph that was about 5000 rpm in 6th gear, at 6200 in 6th fear went around a bend on I71 south of Columbus on night, the kind of bend that normally ay 70 is just 25-30* turn of the wheel, I had to do almost 180 to go around the bend ......the whole Tim I was thinking g if this gets traction I'm going to roll to my death, but I was smart enough to not let off the gas till I got around the corner. I figure it was doing 175ish maybe a touch more.

 

Me too, I LOVE torque