Impala SS land speed record.

1828 Views 47 Replies 0 Participants Last post by coolchevy, Sep 4, 2001

Discussion Starter · Jun 9, 2001

Here is one for you to figure out....How do we beat this record and get it sanctioned..
In order to be the fastest SS in the land the speed record must be official, in other words, must be verified by some sanctioning body....Jeff Coffmans record of 165 mph has been verified by the Silverstate (May 20, 2001) via radarand published on silverstateclassic.com ....The problem we have here is that in order to beat the record you would have to go over 165. If you attempted to exceed 165 at the Silverstate you would immediately be DQ'd for going over the tech speed (tech speed is 165) Soooooo it looks like we have a catch 22 here and the best one could do would be to tie the record...I have heard some chatter on several of the forums and digests of some who could attain a speed of 165mph in their SS....I agree that is possible to do but where can they get it verified by a sanctioning body...
Lets have some discussion on where we could do this and do it legally...We don't want a bunch of SS's on the road trying it.....We have heard about some guy in Germany going over 195 mph but this is not official as it was not verified by a sanctioning body....So until someone comes along and figures out a way to beat Jeffs official record then I guess he holds record for the fastest SS in the world.
I was just saying!!!
Gary Foster

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Discussion Starter · #41 · Jul 20, 2001

Dude,

I love those speed checker things! I like to slow way the hell down to like 20 mph and then nail it and watch the speed thing go nuts......Ok, maybe I am just easily entertained, you guys should try it.

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Discussion Starter · #42 · Jul 21, 2001

Ken, your posts are right on the mark! I enjoy reading your comments

We really need a venue to execute our mania for massive amounts of velocity

Well I gotta go and fill out my Silverstate entry form now

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Discussion Starter · #43 · Jul 29, 2001

would an .MPG video work of a B-body doing 165mph+?? we have several of the car doing 0-60, 0-80, 0-100, 0-120, 0-140 and a run of about 140-165+. i will try and find the discs these are on. they were taken in 99 going and during the hot rod power tour west. these were done in the deserts of new mexico and arizona so there wasnt much to hit but cactuses. in a fairly stock car you have to run in 3rd gear till about 125-130mph then shift into overdrive that away it will get there faster and not shift up. i know of one semi official topspeed run of 164mph in oklahoma on I-44 caught by a County sherrif during a high speed chase with a stolen impala. SSeeyall

nick

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Discussion Starter · #44 · Sep 2, 2001

Do I believe my speedo or do I believe my tach? If you work the numbers for a stock configuration then what you will see is:

@5,600rpm
1st....47.7mph
2nd....89.9mph
3rd...146.0mph
4th...209.8mph

My Black Car shifted out @5,600rpm W.O.T. thru 3rd & into 4th but the speedo only showed about 137mph ... now according to the tach it did 146mph in 3rd & beat 150mph before I backed-out but the speedo never showed it ... that was brand-new w/ just over 1,500 miles on it & bone stock ... let me say that it was not going to "pull-out" high gear ... the doors were about to blow out ... damn near took it back to the dealership ... felt like it should have done better...but it didn't! That's not really why I bought it anyway...right? It did O.K. for a Stock Four-door Chevy! The real deal is @ 70mph it is turning 1,868rpm ... now that's crusing!

I have the six speed in now & now it won't "pull-out" 5th gear ... here are the numbers w/ stock 3.08's @ 5,600rpm:

1st....54.9mph
2nd....82.1mph
3rd...112.3mph
4th...146.1mph
5th...197.4mph
6th...292.1mph (1,342rpm @ 70mph)

It takes a 4.31 but 4.33's is a close match @ 5,600rpm...here's the numbers:

1st....39.1mph
2nd....58.4mph
3rd....79.1mph
4th...103.9mph
5th...140.4mph
6th...207.8mph (1,887rpm @ 70mph)

O.K.-
Here is where I've been going...
This works with-out changing your carrier 4.88's @ 5,600rpm:

1st....34.7mph
2nd....51.8mph
3rd....70.9mph
4th....92.2mph
5th...124.6mph
6th...184.4mph (2,126rpm @ 70mph)

This should be the starting place for top-end efforts ... 5.38 @ 5,600rpm:

1st....31.4mph
2nd....47.0mph
3rd....64.3mph
4th....83.6mph
5th...113.0mph
6th...167.2mph (2,344rpm @ 70mph)

(This looks like a nice gear if you don't do alot of long distance driving & even if you do ... final drive is 2.69:1 that is real long leggs for a direct drive final tranny like the 400-Turbo!...If you could pull-out high gear then @ 7,000rpm you would be doing 209mph)

Now...Let's get serious...6.14's @ 7,000rpm:

1st....34.4mph
2nd....51.5mph
3rd....70.4mph
4th....91.6mph
5th...123.8mph
6th...183.2mph (2,675rpm @ 70mph)

In conclusion:
I don't see any 1/4mi gears in the Summit Book for six speed Impalas...unless you think that 3.07:1 is a 1/4mi gear...that's what the 6.14's are like in final drive ratios...take a lot of "stroking that stick" to get all those gears done...you couldn't do it! ... You might see the start of 5th!
Are you freaking yet? ... Check the final ratios in all the gears:

1st...16.33:1
2nd...10.93:1
3rd....7.98:1
4th....6.14:1
5th....4.54:1
6th....3.07:1 (about the same as stock w/400)

The stock 3.08:1 / 4L60-E final ratios are:

1st....9.42:1
2nd....5.00:1
3rd....3.08:1
4th....2.14:1

If you followed all that then you must be a nut too! ... If you didn't ... who cares!

Later!
Wild Bill

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Discussion Starter · #45 · Sep 3, 2001

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by T56SS:
Do I believe my speedo or do I believe my tach? If you work the numbers for a stock configuration then what you will see is:

@5,600rpm
1st....47.7mph
2nd....89.9mph
3rd...146.0mph
4th...209.8mph

My Black Car shifted out @5,600rpm W.O.T. thru 3rd & into 4th but the speedo only showed about 137mph ... now according to the tach it did 146mph in 3rd & beat 150mph before I backed-out but the speedo never showed it ... that was brand-new w/ just over 1,500 miles on it & bone stock ... let me say that it was not going to "pull-out" high gear ... the doors were about to blow out ... damn near took it back to the dealership ... felt like it should have done better...but it didn't! That's not really why I bought it anyway...right? It did O.K. for a Stock Four-door Chevy! The real deal is @ 70mph it is turning 1,868rpm ... now that's crusing!
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Believe the speedo. If I understand correctly, then at WOT, the torque converter doesn't lock up. That means it is slipping a little. However, with the 6 speed, unless your clutch is slipping, it should be dead on.

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Discussion Starter · #46 · Sep 3, 2001

Speedo vs. Tach? At these speeds neither. Some of us who run the Silverstate use GPS and due to tire expansion the speedo gets off as you go faster. The newer GPS units will get you to within the tenth of a mile.

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Discussion Starter · #47 · Sep 4, 2001

Very Good! ... Someone is paying attention!
Due to the fact that there is tire growth at these speeds and there are too many variables to factor it properly that means that neither the tach nor the speedo is going to be accurate...there is also shear w/torque converters w/o lock-up which is not allowed by the computer at full- throttle ...the speedo is more trustworthy than the tach under these conditions however it will always read slow even if it is "dead-on" due to tire growth...

How Refreshing...Thank You!
Wild Bill

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Discussion Starter · #48 · Sep 4, 2001

let's see if the post comes through this time. Well, my "sanctioning body" was a police officer's laser gun. He is a befriended cop and member of our Austrian Corvette Club International and also a racer guy. A few times a year we can go out and play on the Autobahn because the rest of the year there is a 85mph speed limit in place. Contrary to Germany, Austrian Autobahn does have a speed limit. The clocked speed was 193.125 mph. To get there took a while (5 miles) because at those rpms and gear I could not just nail it or full boost for that long sustained time would have grenaded the engine (20psi). The run was made on my 18" Pirelli P-zero WS4 Intermediate slicks (roadracing tire). The Impala behaves very well at high speeds, still the front was lowered as much as possible and outfitted with the Penske/Carrera Coilover suspension and the rear with ST springs and Koni racing shocks. METCO arms and HA bars all over the place. However, with 3'08's there is no way to get to that speed unless you can rev way over 7krpm. Something I can not do because a turbo engine is a torque engine not rpm engine.

Regarding brakes, my 15" Le Mans GT1 derived Porsche brakes do not have a problem in keeping up with those speeds. After my switch to airride and 20" tires and steeper gears I can go beyond 160mph because I hit the rev limited in 4th gear. I lost my license for speeding for a month and we slowly get involved in street racing which much more fun because you get to kill lot's more identity crises cars like Ferraris and Porsche and such recycled Yogurt cups.

The scary parts are the tires, after the run and due to the high weight the tires were too hot to touch. Later, I read on BRABUS web site that their flagship Mercedes, the T12, had to be electronically limited to 195mph or the tire would overheat on the station wagon.

To date our "inofficial" because "sanctioned" speed record is held by Klaus's Winston Cup engined Vette. The engine was dynoed in the States at 825hp at 8,800 rpm and propelled the car to a top speed of 376kph or 235mph. This is a semi race Vette with complete cage, Porsche brakes and carbon fiber body weighing about 2,600 lbs.

Heinz

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