So it sounds like my Z34 had no limiter at all. Fuel cut off point and rev limiter are two different things right? I know what it's like to bounce off the rev limiter in my 6-speed Camaro but I've only had the fuel cut off a couple times. When fuel cut off in my Lumina it was deep into redline way past normal shift point.

 

hmm.. the rev limiter works by cutting off the fuel.. i don't think there are two different things.

Speed limiter cuts off the fuel, too

 

Guess I don't know what to call the difference but when I think of rev limiter I think of bouncing between a couple hundred rpm constantly hitting that 'limit' until you let off the gas. When I think of fuel cut off, I think of the engine shutting off entirely for a few seconds before coming back on at least a thousand rpm lower.

 

If your car had a speed governor, it sounds like you never reached it. In third gear you were bouncing off of the rev limiter, and in 4th gear your car couldn't fight the wind with the power it had.

 

CD is a strange thing, because you can't look at something anymore and tell how aerodynamic it is. I was shocked when the last generation Seville came out in 98 and it's CD was .30, i believe. How could it be lower than the 4th gen Camaro? It was just as shocking how little the aero was improved from the 3rd gen to 4th. That stupid windshield for nothing! Although the 4th didn't blow around as much on the highway. As far as the handling, I owned two Irocs and they felt much lighter, better handling than the 4th gen, but eventually i realized i was taking curves just as fast in the 4th gen, but with more body roll and a smoother ride. So although the 5th gen doesn't look real aerodynamic, with wind tunnel work it might be. It does look more aero than the new Mustang.

 

I thought 3rd GEN camaro's and Firebird had the BEST aero for top speed?? You see them on the salt flat races alot. Of course the camaro has the headlight cover to AID in Aero

 

I would think one of the main reasons you might see a third gen out on the salt flats is because third gens can be had for so cheap nowadays. Save money on the car, and put it into the drivetrain.

 

IIRC, Irocs were .34

 

I'm no expert, but, it isn't just the "frontal area" alone that affects drag. The shape of the frontal area, slightly rounded from top to bottom, and from side to side, will change numbers quite a bit. As well as being longer, or a length to height ratio, lowers drag a little too. Even the width of the tires...from what little I've read.
Most of us will never top 150, even at the strip, so I think it's not much to worry about. Hardcore speed-junkies will probably do a lot more mods to run high speeds, so some body reworking wouldn't worry them either.

 

Since this argument is still going, here's some more information for those of you curious about high top speeds. From what I understand there are many more complications to increasing a 4th generation Camaro's top speed than there are to the 3rd generation.

http://racingarticles.com/article_racing-21.html