Silver State Classic Challenge . . .

Congrats on the finish. I dont know if I've got the nerve to push that speed. I cant imagine feeling comfortable there. Wow!


This was the first death at SSC since '92.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/09/19/driver-navigator-die-in-nevada-road-race-after-tire-blows/

 

Wow, sad to hear that the guys died. But anything is possible at those speeds.

 

Congradulations on finishing the race and a very respectable time for your first outing. Are you going to do it again?
One of the last years I raced there was a newer Mustang (96/97) in the unlimited class that lost a tire and went off course. The car was totally destroyed but the guys made it ok with minor injuries.
It is always sad to hear about someone parishing in a racing acident, but racing can be hazardous to your health no matter how much you plan or how safe you build the car.

 

I definitely want to do it again. I am going to plan to move up slowly, I did the touring class, next is the grand touring with a max speed of 140 and I will aim for the average speed of 125. That should be very exciting.

I have to ask bryant to see if we can maintain 140 with the power the car has now but I figure I will have the supercharger in it by then. We would need some suspension adjustment and better aerodynamics.

 

It's 2012 and September is the next race. I got a late start on things this year but I should have enough time. I requested time off from work, that would be my only limiting factor right now. The list of things I have to get done is not too bad. Main problem right now is the car isn't even driving, have to figure out that problem. Next big thing would be whether I need a supercharger or not. Definitely will have EFI for this race. I get somewhere around 350hp to the tire on motor alone. Would that be enough to get to 140mph? My suspension needs some work and I need to make the body more stream lined.

 

Wish I could join you!
My 07 Mustang Cobra had about 40hp less at the rear wheels and managed 142mph (actual) in 4th gear(with a Tremec TKO) with 275/40-17's and 3:73 gears out back, I am pretty sure (depending on tire size/gears/engine RPM capability) that you should reach 140+ on the longest 14 mile straight.............
So...........which class are you going to run in, the 130mph.........because your Tech Speed should be around 142/148...........I can never remember.
I doubt that EFI will give you much more HP, but should increase gas mileage and driveability.
Talking about a supercharger...........I've lost track of you motor.......if you've got good rods and a steel crank and some kind of girdle/4blt mains I'd say go for it............if not..............90miles is kind of like an endurance race at high RPM and does take it's toll........................IMHO
P.S. If you use a supercharger you may have to use sometype of throttle stop or underdrive pulley system to keep the speed down and not grow wings.

 

350 horse is more than enough to maintain 140 on the straights. Even up slight inclines for that matter.

Just have to keep in mind that it's more about the power bands being adjusted to the gear ratios more than anything else when it comes to speeds like that. A decent overdrive will easily pass that challange or you'll need better upper rpm range with taller gears to push the car. I've been 150 with 3.00 gears and a snotty 351C before.. and the biggest limitation was my fear of pushing the older Perrelli P7's that I had on it at the time. The cars steering felt very light even over lighter bumps too and I didn't have a larger enough air dam to keep it planted otherwise I may have seen 160.

Many don't realize that many of the cars you sit next to at the light can do 140 pretty easily given a long enough stretch of road.

Even my V6 Honda Accord has pegged its 140mph speedo a "few times" so that car should have no problem if gear ratios are properly selected to accomplish it. Suspension and tire quality are paramount compared to the HP it takes to push a car to higher speeds. And a tires speed ratings are of the utmost importance when it comes to your life.

The big dollar 200mph guys even go so far as to x-ray their tires before running them, so that should tell you how delicate the balance can be for a tires integrity.

Hope that helps.. and good luck on your quest.

 

So you are saying I should be ok driving the car in 5th gear which is my overdrive gear right? It is a higher quality gear from G-force but I was worried the T5 might overheat.

 

well.. I won't go so far as to tell you what to do with your equipment.. but I would think it would be fine if it is in fact an aftermarket piece. The car is definately light.

Plus, the bigger thing to watch out for would be the lugging when going up grades as that will do more damage to them than the rpm alone will, similar to an auto in that regard, although through differing mechanisms.

Although, I would probably install a cooler just for this specific purpose if it were my ride. They would be a simple unit similar to a rear end cooler where there would be no pump to circulate it but keeps temp spikes in check a bit better. Look around at what the off road racers are doing and you'll see how simple they are in design. You can go even more extravagant and use a small pump like the roundy round racers do too, but I would doubt it will be needed unless you're trying to power up steeper grades while in overdrive.

And while I've only owned 2 T5 cars in my life.. I will say that they can cruise down the highway at high speeds with little issue so long as your doing steady state driving. So, blast up to speed in 4th.. and cruise steady in 5th to avoid issue.

Depending on your rear gears?.. I can't see you going much beyond around 5000 engine rpm to hit 140 with that OD ratio. BUT you may want to check into some of the Mustang 5.0 sites to get better opinions on the matter and compare notes to those who've done it on more than 1 ocassion.

And it should go without saying.. but buying the best synthetic gear lube you can find would be mandatory regardless of whether you choose to fly high in 5th or not. Synthetic anywhere possible for that matter. I'd probably be more worried about the power steering pump than the trans. lol

Anywho.. good luck with it all.

PS. another way to go would be to swap your rear gears out just for this purpose to enable driving at max speeds in 4th gear. 2.70'ish with a lower rpm torque band would probably be just fine.. or 3.00'ish with a higher rpm setup should still send a 350 horse car to 150. You'll be quite literally screaming down the road.. but you should still get there.

 

Last time I ran 3.0 gears for the race, I usually run 4.11 gears around the street.

 

On the T5, if it is not a Tremec TKO and you just have a stock unit I would not worry about it overheating, but would run a good syntheic oil. Remember 90 miles is not like driving the Indy 500, you don't need an oil cooler for the trans, but I assume you do have an aftermarket shifter....right????
Like I said and was mentioned.............my Cobra was about 40hp less at the rear wheels and it really didn't have the torque to pull in 5th gear....it would actually slow down by 4/5 mph if left in 5th...............but again, it depends on where your torque curve is with the motor, along with gears in the trans, tire diameter and rearend gears. What you don't want to do is gear the car for 140mph................assuming that is your Tech Speed, but you do want to make sure you don't over rev the motor while doing those short bursts of 140.
As for changes to car, what is your front end like. I think I would give the guys at Global West east of you and see what they had to say about replacing the lower control arms or at a minimum change to their heim joint strut rod.........as it is bigger and stronger and is just alround better than the old rubber or urethane bushings...........again............IMHO
So, did you use 5th gear last year, and what has changed since then? So, what RPM were you pushing with the 3.0's last year?
In my estimation, 3.0's are not enough and you should really be using at least 3:55's..................once again, I don't know how your motor was put together and how much sustained RPM it can handle...............One thought is to find a chassis dyno and see what happens RPM/Torque/HP when you go from 4th to 5th.........obviously the RPM's will drop along with Torque, but by how much...............IMHO

 

surely can't disagree with any of that ^.

Probably take a big block or supercharger to push 3.0 gears in 5th. And even then.

I'd also guess 3.50'ish gears would be good for 5th gear runs as well. You'd have some margin built in with that setup. Good advice there.

 

T5's out of an 80's turbo T-Bird had 5th gear that was closer to a good 5 speed than an overdrive....Forget what the ratio was though....As for the body, a front air dam to prevent air from getting underneath the car would be a start....Causes drag and possibly lift......Maybe tape up the grille?....Should be able to pick up enough air through the valance below the bumper to cool it...

 

Last year with the 3.0 gears I was at about 4K in the 4th gear. The suspension in the front is pretty tight but I can definitely upgrade the UCA to the global west, we had plans of building our own set and never got around to it. I'll keep an eye on those.

I was looking at this website, they make this sturdier 5th gear for the T5 for road racing, which tells me I probably can get away with using the 5th gear. My engine shouldn't have any trouble maintaining 4,000 rpm.

 

I don't see why you would need a sturdier T5. If you were going to get another transmission I would go with the Tremec T56 and then use the 4:11 gears......................that would be about perfect.
So, if your were only pushing 4krpm where is your maximum torque and HP and at what RPM's? I thought you had taken this on a chassis dyno, or am I wrong.
If the answer is no, this is definately a must for deciding what trans/grears and tires to run. If the motor is not built for much over 5krpm then I understand....................not trying to be a smart Xss, just looking to help if I can. Not an expert by any means as I've only driven in the event 3 times and was navigator once. Talking about a navigator..............you should really find someone to ride with you as it makes the 90 miles at speed more enjoyable.................and more interesting as well, especially when your navigator keeps saying, "YOU NEED TO BRAKE IN 100', 50', NOW!"....................to make that fast approaching hairpin turn, and you are trying to slowdown from 140mph to make the 60mph turn.

If you ever get a chance to go road racing by all means do it, because not only are you going as fast as you can, but you are watching out for the other 20/30 drivers on the track at the same time as you.