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 Post subject: Increasing Top End Speed
PostPosted: Mon Apr 06, 2020 12:40 pm 
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Joined: Fri Dec 25, 2015 7:39 pm
Posts: 699
Location: Long Island, N.Y.
After a fun encounter on an empty parkway I'm curious as to WHAT determines a vehicles top end speed. Is it brake horsepower? Transmission and/or rear end gearing? Or a combination of all of these?

Would a 100hp increase equate to an increase in the cars top speed?

I know that I opened myself up to wise crackz when asking about "rear end" gearing. Go ahead F.T.- :roll: :D

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1985 300ZX- GLL Dark Pewter Metallic - Survivor


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PostPosted: Mon Apr 06, 2020 1:44 pm 
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Location: CT
:lol: A good conversationalist once said something to the effect that we should not only be smart enough to say the right thing at the right time, but also wise enough to resist saying the obvious at the wrong time. So I'll leave your rear end alone.

Top speed for any land vehicle depends upon several factors, as you guessed;
Power-to-weight ratio, aerodynamics (drag coefficient), rolling resistance, and yes, FINAL drive gear ratio. Other things can become elements, such as head or tail wind, elevation changes, or external propulsion aids (rockets, etc) but every change you make has a direct relation to one of those factors.

The top recorded land speed for the S-30 body is about 171mph, held for several years now by our Club member Burton Brown. Your ZX body has a drastically lower drag coefficient than the original 240Z has, so you can expect a properly prepared ZX car to get closer to 300mph, altho I don't know what the standing record for that car is at the moment.

Thanks for the diversion. Now I'll return to looking out the window and watching the grass grow.

***UPDATE: Now in May I am re-reading this thread and notice I made a critical error Type-0 by hitting the "2" key instead of the "1" key. The land speed record for the S-30 body is 171+ mph, NOT "271" mph.

The management regrets the error. :oops: :roll:

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PostPosted: Sat May 09, 2020 9:11 am 
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Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2008 2:38 pm
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Location: rhode island
You could install a 3.5 R-200 rear end in place of your 3.7 and get some taller tires that are low friction, head light covers for that slot you have front, .......and some nice wax on the car........I'm sure that'll help. :roll:


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PostPosted: Sat May 09, 2020 2:59 pm 
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Joined: Fri Dec 25, 2015 7:39 pm
Posts: 699
Location: Long Island, N.Y.
Thanks guys. I clay barred the car again and applied two coats of Mother's drag reduction carnuba wax. I'm just waiting for that Infiniti and an empty parkway again to test out this theory.

Any excuse to drive the Z is fine with me. Stay safe everyone. :D :thumbs_up:

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PostPosted: Sat May 09, 2020 5:20 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 2:16 pm
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Location: Ansonia, CT
You could also try narrowing the size of your exhaust tips to increase the exhaust exit velocity thereby providing you with some additional forward thrust. :P

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John Kish
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PostPosted: Sat May 09, 2020 10:06 pm 
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:lol:

Or get going as fast as possible and drive over a very tall cliff.
Not sure how to measure the speed increase that would give you, but you won't care much, anyway.

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PostPosted: Wed May 13, 2020 11:20 am 
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johnnyZ wrote:
You could also try narrowing the size of your exhaust tips to increase the exhaust exit velocity thereby providing you with some additional forward thrust. :P




Ah hah! The good ol' venturi thrust theory. :lol:

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PostPosted: Wed May 13, 2020 11:23 am 
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Joined: Fri Dec 25, 2015 7:39 pm
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Location: Long Island, N.Y.
Frank T wrote:
:lol:

Or get going as fast as possible and drive over a very tall cliff.
Not sure how to measure the speed increase that would give you, but you won't care much, anyway.



:shock: :roll: :?:

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