If you're concerned with freeway driving and performance, this is a spot on test. If you're interested in drags, this may not be. BUT, unless your car is wickedly peaky, a measure of performance from ~3500 rpm to ~6000 covers a good and useful past of your powerband. 6000 is pretty high, in fact... damn near the stock redline.

 

why not make the runs between speeds, not rpm's?
any gear goes.

 

Suggestions?

 

The shorter the gear, the more error in measurement can be presumed, because the revs will go by faster... I think that time between speeds is a little easier than between revs, since the tach only really shows the thousand rpm points at night, and these points are spaced further apart when compared to the speedo [at least I think it will be easier].

Of course, with revs or speeds, the gearbox you have will make a large difference either way. We should really have two different classes, based on the gearbox.

 

I have trouble seeing how doing a 3rd gear roll from 3000-3500 rpm is spot on for freeway driving. I would grab 2nd long before I ever took my chances running from 3rd at 3500rpm. 6000rpm is high, but not high enough. That is why the factory made the redline 6800rpm. I am sure they have a reason or two why they made it 6800 instead of 6000. As I said before my car really comes alive at 5500 or so. Using the 6800 rpm red line, that leaves me 1300rpm to work with. In a 3rd gear roll 1300rpm is a lot.

 

Now we are on to something. Your cars ability to put on MPH is a good way of showing how powerful it is.

 

Can you imagine how many different permutations and variables we'll see for that? C'mon... you've got the potential need to shift, no common gear specified. Your driving skill and nerve are gonna weigh really heavily into the result.

I know what it's like to have power really kick in upwards of 4.5k or so. That's my car. But, my car is also fast up until then, just not so much so. The point is, everything is a compromise. Not everyone is wishing to have to go to the dyno or track to participate in this thread.

I personally do, and you seem to enjoy the drags quite a bit, but...that is not the goal of this thread.

 

Temp. 52 deg.
Altitude 450~ ft.
cruse control on 3,500-6,000 rpm
130 lb. passenger operating stop watch
seven run average 5.92
fastest 5.65
slowest 6.38

 

mods?

 

That's nearly a second differnece Is your passenger calibrated?

 

Fun Sid, Fun

 

Not much actually. But we use 98 octane fuel.

K&N Typhoon kit with an Itg foam filter
%15 pulley
Hamann header+ custom exhaust
Superchips software
Denso 22k's
Water Sprayer
Lightweight Enkei 17"Rims

I have a 2004 and every optional besides Navigation+cd changer.. Heavy

 

Norm's gotta smack his passenger a little quicker when "mark" comes along or compensate for the lag time...maybe hook up an electric shock wired from the go pedal to the passenger's seat

 

17% Helix ( P&D ) pulley, Goodyear Gatorback belt
Homemade air box w/ Alta hose & vented rear panel
Magnaflow
VGS
16" Rota Wheels 205x50 ES 100's
7 runs on different stretches of level road mostly straight, some curved.
Included a couple of runs that were stopped late.

 

woohoo, 1300 mile drive to and fro Vegas!!

My wife and I in the car + luggage, prolly about 400 lbs total extra weight, this was before turkey day.

elevation = -100 (negative alt. is courtesy of Death Valley CA. )
temp = 41 F
we did a avg. time of 7 seconds.

At 2000 feet, temp of 33 deg. F, our avg. was almost 9 seconds. Actually felt timing being pulled as we passed 5500rpm.

02 MCS with 16% pulley, Alta CAI, Alta Diverter and sprayer, custom SC intake tube, Borla race exh. 17 inch s-lites minus RF's. oh yeah and my splitter.

next time, I'll have an actual timer as the 1-1000, 2-1000 counting method though fun with my wife's help doesn't let me tell you guys I laid down a 8.991 time up at 2000 elev.

 

Did you calibrate your 1-1000, 2-1000 lip timing before the trip? I think I can improve my performance with one of my watch that is a little fast

 

I know it's lame, but I had to try something. I will try again with a stop watch, but with out the wifey and luggage.

I also tried at 8000 ft, but ran into to many twisties.

 

Screw the Dyno? Nah, MOON the dyno.

 

2003 MCS
205/50-16 Arctic Alpin snow tires on X-lites
40degrees, very light cross breeze
about 900ft (Indiana, so it's all about the same)
3500rpm - 6000rpm in 3rd, level pavement
3015lbs total weight

5.86sec
5.81
5.90

Scott

oh yeah, guess it's time to update my sig. Currently using 19%, GIAC, JCW injectors, GRS intercooler
90SM

 

Very nice Looks like we have pretty equal machines here

 

Mod money is never wasted. Stock sucks!

I'll have to try this again using the 225/45-15 Avons when the weather is better. The improved gearing should be good for a couple 10ths.

Scott
90SM

 

Another data point, but a different exercise.

Same conditions as previous post, except 32degrees tonight.

50mph to 85mph in 5th gear. Same starting speed as 3500/3rd but slightly higher finishing speed. I think the 6000rpm/3rd was closer to 82 or 83mph. 85mph, halfway between the speedo hash marks, was easier to identify.

10.21 seconds. Felt like forever.

Followed that with a 5mph rolling start in 1st gear to 60mph in 2nd - 6.17 seconds. Hardly any wheelspin, since the car is basically starting from a "bogged" condition. This is like the "street start" that Car and Driver (I think) does. Only clutch use was during the shift from 1st to 2nd, meaning that I just stomped on the gas at 5mph vs. dipping the clutch to get revs up. The time for 0-60 was actually slightly slower (6.4 seconds), probably due to having to modulate the throttle due to wheelspin in 1st gear. Dusty roads, freezing temps and snowtires isn't the easiest combo to launch aggressively without too much wheelspin or having to slip the clutch a bunch (which I won't do). Just did one of each. I'm an autocrosser, not a drag racer, by hobby.

Scott
90SM

 

since the temperature has dropped to about 30 degrees i find that when i do a rolling start from 5, by the time i hit about 3500 rpms, my tires loose traction and i start to smoke them if i dont modulate the throttle. this has never happened before and im wondering if its just because the power has increased because its cold, or my tires rubber compound isnt designed for the colder temperatures. can 20-30 degrees in temperature have such a big influence on perceived power? I will post my times when i can. (now back to your regular scheduled programming)

 

dang tab key. Ignore this.

 

this one too.