Improving top speed on a road car?

[ketanpaul]

Best of luck on your adventure mate although make sure that you are not breaking the speed limit in the area, coz a cousine of mine took a porsche carrera gt to quite a lot of speed in germany and ended up in jail for a couple of hours.

[Venom]

Don't forget to give it a good polish just before you do it. That will make a good difference.

[Ciro Pabón]

Mmm... let's see. I would start by picking a country with hills, like Belgium or Holland and use the slope in my favor, but I know most of Germany is flat as a billiard table and there are no hills over 10 feet (that's like 12.000 Gigananometers, in euros). Anyway,

1. Polish the car (Venom)
2. Avoid police (ketanpaul)
3. Lower the suspension
3a. Use thin tires (both by flynfrog in his reference article)
4. Close the radiator and the air intakes (Carlos)
5. Bypass the rev limiter (wazojugs, f1.redbaron & djones)
6. Disassemble the interior and all the spares (f1.redbaron)
7. Follow closely a Porsche doing 180 mph, overinflate the tires, avoid choppers (Tom)
8. Inutilize the mirrors (Spyker MF1)
9. Plan the run on New Year's Eve when, certainly, the german roads are full of people alert and sober

I throw in my suggestion, speaking in the name of the "colonialists":

10. Use D’vinci-Forgiato-Radurra clear polycarbonate wheels. I don't know if they are rated for the speed, but they look pretty smooooth to me.

[img::]http://www.ministryoftech.com/images/cl ... -wheel.jpg[/img]

However, don't forget the most important aspect of your speed trial: INSCRIBE YOURSELF (and your partner) FOR THE DARWIN AWARDS. You may have to use the mandatory JATO jetpack for this one: it's expensive, but we will be so proud...

[f1.redbaron]

However, don't forget the most important aspect of your speed trial: INSCRIBE YOURSELF (and your partner) FOR THE DARWIN AWARDS.

Am I to assume that you've never decided to let loose and see how fast your car will go?? If so, why? I thought you loved racing.

(yes, I'm aware that the racing we watch is done in a controlled environment, but still. And for the record, I have driven at around 230km/h on a highway, so I might be a little biased).

[Ciro Pabón]

f1.redbaron: I love to race (long time ago, before my life insurance climbed to stratospheric prices and the three children arrived ), but I love more to make jokes.

Anyway, think about it just for a moment (heaven forbids something happens to djones): what would the police say at the crash site? They will laugh hard for a while watching the vinil over the mirrors, the thin wheels, the tampered limiter, the cardboard over the grille, the (perhaps) speed camera video of the driver scanning around for choppers, the "confession" left at the public forum... These guys could be Sun's front page material.

[Tom]

Adding up all of Ciro's colaborated suggestions you should make at least an extra 5-6mph out of that, although I would avoid covering the radiator with cardboard, unless you want one of these: [img::]http://static.flickr.com/46/112173728_be8bfc358c_m.jpg[/img]

[Carlos]

Whahoo What fun we all have -- Tom & Ciro's last few entries had me Laughing -- Yes -- Out Loud

[Venom]

Ciro is listing methods to increase speed, but not encouraging him to do it. It's very dangerous, for yourself and anyone on the road.

[Tom]

Going fast isn't particularely hard, or dangerous, it's slowing down when it all goes wrong. Be very careful if you do go for it and keep your eyes peeled, no sudden movements etc.

[West]

Going fast isn't particularely hard, or dangerous, it's slowing down when it all goes wrong. Be very careful if you do go for it and keep your eyes peeled, no sudden movements etc.

I was going 130 to Las Vegas (not to the knowledge of my passengers), from California, I-15 N. I was gunning for over 140 but then I saw traffic. I started braking lightly and all of a sudden the car started shaking violently. Good thing I braked early... or it would have been another tale of "Alice's Adventures Through the Windshield"

[Venom]

Having too much self-confidence isn't always a good thing [-X

[djones]

Ciro Pabón - It is 100% fully legal to do them speeds in Germany so im not sure why your going on about police and speed cameras!!!

In Germany it's perfectly normal to drive at high speeds. Even when your doing 150 somebody will come behind you in a Porsche or something. Also, most other people in the other lanes (even in not very good cars) are usually doing 100 MPH or over so it's all relative.

[Ciro Pabón]

Ciro Pabón - It is 100% fully legal to do them speeds in Germany so im not sure why your going on about police and speed cameras!!!

I'm not. I am resuming suggestions of others... and asking not if it's legal, but if it's prudent to run the car with the "enhancements"... C'mon, don't you have some sense of humour? It seems to me some of the members have some: at least many of their suggestions are a little on the funny side.

Besides (you probably know this), even in Germany there are sections of the motorways covered with a speed limit: surely they have cameras there. You can check that 130 km/h is the recommended maximum speed on motorways (you'll see blue signs with that recommendation). Also, even in Germany, "it is usual for drivers involved in crashes who were exceeding the 'recommended' speed limit to be held to be at least partly at fault, regardless of the circumstances of the crash, and insurance companies have the right to withhold payment."

To sum up: I am against speeding on roads as you already can see. It is too hard to find a closed track available? You could spend more time finding it than covering the rear mirrors with vynil (this, at least, I bet is illegal: think about the many Porsches that will try to overtake you! ), that's all I'm suggesting. I've worked in road maintenance and I have seen my share of speed related accidents: surely you'll understand me, even if you don't agree with me (which is your right, of course). I think I understand you: what's an open, lonely road and a car made for if not for going fast?

So, I stand firm on my recommendations: transparent wheels and a closed circuit OR Darwin Awards registration.

[f1.redbaron]

It is too hard to find a closed track available?

Speaking of which, djones, how far is the 'ring from you?

[f1.redbaron]

Ciro, how's this for stupidity?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V60QLKZbbmE