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TOP SPEED OF Z06 is CONFIRMED!!!

3942 Views 29 Replies 14 Participants Last post by  Lawdogg
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Sort of anyway. I just got home from the Black Hills Classic. I had a chance to do 2 5th gear to rev limiter runs (6600 rpms). At the point the rev limiter hit both times, I was at an indicated 177 mph!!! /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif Now how accurate is the speedometer? I don't know, but side by side at 100 mph with 2 other buddies C5s, they showed 102 on theirs and I had 100 on mine. Was I maybe going 179 or 180? I'd like to think so, but I say 177 for now. One of my friends wants to take his GPS in my car and see how it compares to my speedometer, but I don't know how accurate GPS's measure speed either.
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I've tested GPS on many cars and a couple of aircraft, I can say that they seem very accurate. I of course have not compared these readings with readings from a radar gun, which would be the only accurate way of testing them.....

I would trust the GPS over a speedometer any day, providing you're in an open area and measuring the result over a period of a few seconds or more...

JC
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Damn Ron, you've got some big Kahonies!! /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif That would have scared the crap out of me!! /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_eek.gif
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Frank, Susan said that our Z06 got up to the rev limiter soooo fast she didn't have time to tell me to back the f&*k off! /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif This thing friggin flies, it got to 175 way way faster than last year when I hit 175 in my '99 FRC. Thanks DRM!!!
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Thats what getting used to track racing will do for ya. Must have been a really good stretch of road anyhow. Would love to see a video of a run like that. /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif
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I think this was debated on this forum a few weeks ago and someone thought I was smokin dope. /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif


If anything your speedo is too conservative.

I just got one thing to say, if you hit the rev limiter in 5th, still have stock gears, wheels and tires, then your actual top speed was 181!!!

You might be the first to have proved me right.

Rippied, thanks for the feedback and to a few of you others, "I told you so!" /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif
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dsinned, the tires, axle, etc, are all stock. For now I'm sticking with 177, but if you say I must have done 181, who am I to disagree? /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif I should know how my speedo compares to a GPS next week. I hope you are right!

The next part of the equation is whether a totally stock Z06 can hit the rev limiter in 5th or if the aero drag will stop the acceleration before the limiter. At least we know its geared to do somewhere around 177 to 181.
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On 2001-07-22 19:35, dsinned spewed forth this drivel:
I think this was debated on this forum a few weeks ago and someone thought I was smokin dope. /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif


If anything your speedo is too conservative.

I just got one thing to say, if you hit the rev limiter in 5th, still have stock gears, wheels and tires, then your actual top speed was 181!!!

You might be the first to have proved me right.

Rippied, thanks for the feedback and to a few of you others, "I told you so!" /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif
The speedometer is not going to give a true reading of actual MPH. They will never be accurate, no matter what type of car.

Rippied Z06, nice run though. Try it with timing lights or a radar gun. I'll bet it is somewhere in the high 170's, maybe, but I'll believe it when I see it. (No Flames) /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif
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speedo do lie, that's true....but do tachs? I never heard of a tach being inaccurate?

Great run. Now I've got a goal to shoot for /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif
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Besides running at 100 mph side by side with 2 others, I timed between several mile markers at an indicated 60 mph and most were miles were covered at about 59 seconds (long drives lead to various diversions). I think that my speedo, if anything, reads a little slow. In any event I ran to the rev limiter twice in 5th and we was a flyin. /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif
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Sweet! /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif
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Rippied:

All I can say is WOW-WEE! /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_eek.gif /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_eek.gif

Too kewl /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif
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I had the chance to meet again with Ron at Sioux Falls Wed evening. He invited me along with the "quickly advancing" group across South Dakota. I took him up on the invite and joined him and about 20 other Vettes in a westbound romp. After some lonesome freeway play he pulled up next to me and gave me the number "177" It was a day of personal best as I did 170.

I can say that his Z does sound sweet going by 50 mph faster than me, when I'm doing 100.

I captured a rare photo of Ron and his Z. Thats with them standing still! /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif

Thanks for the memories Ron.






His signed rail cover



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Gerry Pflepsen
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TORCH RED CORVETTE CLUB

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Gerry, Susan and I enjoyed spending some time with you and that sweet FRC. I forgot about our hand signal. /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif Of course all of these runs were on a closed course track. /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif We spent a lot of time pushing some serious speed. Glad you enjoyed running with the Minnesota Renegades.
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Ron, I can't condone driving fast, but then I also can't condemn it /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif

Did those pictures beat down your modem? /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif

_________________
Gerry Pflepsen
[email protected]

TORCH RED CORVETTE CLUB

CUT ME...I BLEED TORCH RED


B&B PRTs Quad Oval Tips
Donaldson LS6 with Cold Air Cover
Zaino
GM Bra
Colgan Mirror Covers
Rand McNally Road Atlas (Good for 2 HP)
Amoco Ultimate 93

99 Torch HT

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4
Ron and Gerry, you two have too much fun!! /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif

Ron, I expect a ride in that DRM monster when I go to the Twin Cities in Sept. /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif I'll bring an extra change of underwear!! /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_eek.gif

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Sherylann Calmes Black 2001 Z06
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Dave Hill's autograph on your red beauty cover says it all. /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif

Please keep us posted on your GPS to speedo correlation. I'm still betting you are the latest member of the LBA180 Corvette club. I'm one of the founders but so far only in the best of C4s, a 1990 ZR-1 and 1996 LT4. Can't wait to make it a three-peat in a Z06. /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif)

Just a reminder, a top speed run is LEGAL (and safer) in Nevada at open road races. Check it out at: www.openroadracing.com
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On 2001-07-22 19:10, Rippied.Z06 spewed forth this drivel:
I had a chance to do 2 5th gear to rev limiter runs (6600 rpms). At the point the rev limiter hit both times, I was at an indicated 177 mph!!!
Ron, that sounds very accurate. /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_cool.gif I got 178.59 MPH after doing the math:

Tire Circumference Estimate for P295/35-18
(295 * .35 * 2 / 25.4 + 18) * 3.14159 = 82.089499 inches

5th Gear Axle RPM at Engine Redline
6600 / .84 / 3.42 = 2297.410192 RPM

Distance Traveled Per Hour
82.089499 * 2297.410192 * 60 = 11315595.099526 inches

MPH Estimate
11315595.099526 / 12 / 5280 = 178.59 MPH

If you measure your actual rear tire circumference, you can use that number in place of 82.089499 and redo the last two calculations.
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I've said all along that the top speed is higher than G.M.'s number of 171. According to my speedo I hit 170 and I was still pulling. I wasn't able to get the exact rpm but it pulled in fifth from 140 to 170 without slowing down and still hadd a couple 100 rpm's left. There probably was another 10 mph left in fifth gear. The question of wether or not a stock Z can reach redline in fifth is a matter of the weather. I reached 170 when the outside temp. was about 50 degrees with no wind. Trying top speed in 90 degree humid weather is definitely a different story. Just my two cents. Ed G.
"pmontelo", you're forgetting about the tire growth factor. Although relatively minor, it increases as a function of speed, so at maximum wheel/tire rotational speed, it adds several tenths of a percent to the final calculation.

You guys really need to get the Cartest 2000 software program, developed by Patrick Glenn (aka "rocket scientist), for a detailed theoretical analysis of any car's top speed (among other performance attributes). I highly recommend it.

For a free demo go to:

http://home.earthlink.net/~patglenn/ct.html
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