200+mph WRX/STI?? Possible??
01-22-2006, 11:26 AM
#1
200+mph WRX/STI?? Possible??
Hey everyone, Ive been throwing this idea around for awhile now and after talking to someone about it a few days ago, decided to post it up here for you guys to comment. Is 200mph or 215mph or even 220mph even possible in a WRX? I remember a guy telling me he limited at 155mph in his STI and Ive limited at 130mph, so Im pretty confident engine wise it could take me to 200+. Now I know a tranny upgrade would be in the works, most likely the STI 6-speed. My concern, which was brought up by the person I talked to about this, is the car's aerodynamics. Is there anything out there that could handle 200+? So now I come to you guys (and girls) for help. What do you think? Think its a waste of time? Not possible? If it is possible, what setup do you think would be best? Im open to anything, especially since this a WIDE open idea. Thanks.
01-22-2006, 11:48 AM
#3
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You'd need a helluva lot of power to start going over 160 or even break into 200... and a lot of work to modify the aerodynamics of the car... i wont say it's impossible, but you need an assload of money
01-23-2006, 06:46 AM
#8
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Anything is possible if you throw enough money at it. Look at the cars that top 200 mph at Bonneville, some with very small engines. These are purpose-built cars not used as daily drivers. Transmission strength is not really as big of a concern with top speed as it is with drag or road racing, but gearing is.
Production cars are usually lowered as far as the rules allow to keep air from getting underneath the vehicle. Body panels are usually re-attached so that the gap between panels is at an absolute minimum. If allowed, 'racer' tape is used to seal gaps and to cover openings that catch air. At 200+ mph, anything that hangs out in the wind like windshield wipers, hood scoops, etc., will increase wind resistance. Cars that run on the salt flats also use skinny tires designed for super high speeds. Skinny tires reduce the frontal area drag of a vehicle. When cars such as Porsche are tested on high-speed test tracks, the wide body cars with factory fender flares to accomodate huge tires are sometimes slower than the narrow bodied factory cars because of the increased frontal area. The same fender-flared, wide-tired cars that handle so well on a road course become like shoeboxes being pushed through the wind at very high speeds.
As speed increases, the power required also increases but more on an exponential curve than a linear one. As a rough example, a given 140 mph car might need an additional 60 whp to go 155 mph, but the same car might need an additional 300 whp to do 200+ mph. These are just hypothetical numbers but the power requirement is huge when trying to go this fast.
Many years ago, there was a John Lingenfelter-built stock-bodied Corvette that achieved 254 mph on a closed course. This car had stock body panels and only slight mods to the suspension. It was all motor that allowed the car to achieve this speed. CART, ChampCar, and F1 aerodynamist Tony Cicale was on hand to observe this test and determined that some sort of factory vents on the body were disturbing the airflow over the car. He taped over the vents and a subsequent run gained a few mph. To gain these few mph by way of additional power would have required a lot.
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0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush
Production cars are usually lowered as far as the rules allow to keep air from getting underneath the vehicle. Body panels are usually re-attached so that the gap between panels is at an absolute minimum. If allowed, 'racer' tape is used to seal gaps and to cover openings that catch air. At 200+ mph, anything that hangs out in the wind like windshield wipers, hood scoops, etc., will increase wind resistance. Cars that run on the salt flats also use skinny tires designed for super high speeds. Skinny tires reduce the frontal area drag of a vehicle. When cars such as Porsche are tested on high-speed test tracks, the wide body cars with factory fender flares to accomodate huge tires are sometimes slower than the narrow bodied factory cars because of the increased frontal area. The same fender-flared, wide-tired cars that handle so well on a road course become like shoeboxes being pushed through the wind at very high speeds.
As speed increases, the power required also increases but more on an exponential curve than a linear one. As a rough example, a given 140 mph car might need an additional 60 whp to go 155 mph, but the same car might need an additional 300 whp to do 200+ mph. These are just hypothetical numbers but the power requirement is huge when trying to go this fast.
Many years ago, there was a John Lingenfelter-built stock-bodied Corvette that achieved 254 mph on a closed course. This car had stock body panels and only slight mods to the suspension. It was all motor that allowed the car to achieve this speed. CART, ChampCar, and F1 aerodynamist Tony Cicale was on hand to observe this test and determined that some sort of factory vents on the body were disturbing the airflow over the car. He taped over the vents and a subsequent run gained a few mph. To gain these few mph by way of additional power would have required a lot.
--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush
01-23-2006, 08:57 AM
#9
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No way you could run 200+ mph with a stock STi body. Too much drag from the TMIC and wing. just look what it takes to run 250 mph. The Bugatti EB16.4 cranks out 1000 hp and has ultraslick aero and a $1 million price tag. I'd like to see a car that could run high speeds as well as be driveable around town. What's the top speed of a of the Cusco JGTC STi? It'd definitely need to be dropped significantly and the bottom of the car covered in sheet metal. You'd need probably 6-700 whp to manage 200 with a slightly modified Impreza body (just the addition of the Vortex Generator from the Evo).
01-23-2006, 10:25 AM
#12
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Anything is possible!
Ok, IMO -
Anything is possible - with enough money and enough resources you can do anything you want... hell, you could make an STI fly with unlimited resources.
Look at the Cusco JGTC WRX. It has the proper aerodynamics (ie. downforce) but probibly doesn't have the power required to push past a certain velocity being limited to a 300 hp car (JGTC 300). With the appropriate power to the wheels and the ability to control downforce, minimize the frontal wind resistance, the appropriate gearing in the tranny - you could absolutly drive a STI above 200. Its also important to note that the JGTC Cusco WRX is a million dollar car with about 16 of the highest qualified automotive engineers working to make it run on a daily basis and enough financial backing from Cusco, Fuji Heavy Industries bla bla bla to do anything and everything to their car that they want.
Anything is possible - with enough money and enough resources you can do anything you want... hell, you could make an STI fly with unlimited resources.
Look at the Cusco JGTC WRX. It has the proper aerodynamics (ie. downforce) but probibly doesn't have the power required to push past a certain velocity being limited to a 300 hp car (JGTC 300). With the appropriate power to the wheels and the ability to control downforce, minimize the frontal wind resistance, the appropriate gearing in the tranny - you could absolutly drive a STI above 200. Its also important to note that the JGTC Cusco WRX is a million dollar car with about 16 of the highest qualified automotive engineers working to make it run on a daily basis and enough financial backing from Cusco, Fuji Heavy Industries bla bla bla to do anything and everything to their car that they want.
01-23-2006, 02:30 PM
#13
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Originally Posted by depdivr
Ok, IMO -
Anything is possible - with enough money and enough resources you can do anything you want... hell, you could make an STI fly with unlimited resources.
Anything is possible - with enough money and enough resources you can do anything you want... hell, you could make an STI fly with unlimited resources.
01-23-2006, 03:34 PM
#14
Does anyone think the Varis rear diffuser would benefit at all? I dont know if its wind tunnel tested or if it'll help at all but I know diffusers are supposed to help aerodynamically. What about Chargespeed's shark fin piece that goes on your roof? Isnt that supposed to be like the Evo's Vortex Generator? And if it is, will it actually help or is its only purpose to look good? Now, Im not rich. But Im also not trying to accomplish this this year. But this is something I would seriously like to accomplish. It may not be too practical, but neither is slidding sideways burning up your tires. Nothing against drifting. I would just like to try something different that is not common with this car. Many cars that are built for top speed in Japan are also Time Attack cars, so the build could actually serve two purposes, even more being more practical. Keep the comments coming, its defiantly appreciated. Thanks.