You're pretty much lookin' to die young on public streets at that speed.

Unless:

1. You've done suspension work
2. You've done brake work
3. You have a nice, long, bump free and deserted stretch of road.
4. You can drive very well, especially in terms of scanning ahead, way down the road.
5. Even with all of the above handled, it's just a really bad idea.

I'm 49 years old. My first car, at 15, was a 500+ HP Shelby GT500 4 speed. I've done triple digits on crowded surface streets more times than I could possibly remember. I've done over 140 on public roads many, many times. Dropped an intake valve into a cylinder, seizing the 428CI engine, at 140 on I-10 in Houston when I was about 18. That was pretty exciting. Stuff happens you just can't plan for.

I've driven like a complete idiot in my younger years, and it's God's grace I'm still alive AND that I didn't kill somebody else in the process. I've 360'd any number of cars on dry streets while pushing the car to the edge. FWIW, I've driven Winston Cup cars at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and that's cake compared to driving your F-body 150+ on a public road.

But I would never, ever look for 190 MPH in an F-body on a public street. As whack as I've been, even I think that's crazy. At that speed, you are simply not prepared for, nor will the car allow you to do much to correct or avoid *anything* unexpected that happens. All it takes is that one little unexpected thing, and then what's left of you and the car will have them looking really hard to find all of your body parts for the funeral. Closed casket, of course.

Topping out a modded car that already had more motor than suspension when it was stock is a really bad idea. Unfortunately, some people only find that out the hard way. Don't be one of them.


P.S. In case it's not obvious, in no way am I bragging above. I drove stupid and could easily have killed innocent people in the process. I'm encouraging you younger peeps to take it to the track.

 

If you want to go fast legally, prep the car and take it Nevada to the Silver State Classic. 100mile stretch of open highway with classes from 80mph to unlimited.

 

I'm also 49 and have done my share of dumb things in my youth. Fortunately, I didn't have enough money for a fast car. Unfortunately, my friends did. One particularly harrowing experience was riding in a 460 PI powered Shelby doing 135 down a side street in town. We went over a little bridge and were airborne for well over 100 feet, I would guess. Miraculously, we landed, bounced and continued gliding along in a straight line. I never rode in that car again, ever.
Fast forward to 2002 on the Autobahn in Germany and there I was sitting in the passanger seat doing 135mph once again. This time, I fell asleep because I had just gotten off a plane after traveling all night. That 5 series BMW handled like a fine sports car and I never felt the least bit scared.
The driver was also an experienced German, used to traveling at speed.

 

You said that for the F-body.. Is this different for Corvettes? I mean you can see that speed much safely in Corvettes? (just curious)

 

At high speeds most f-body's exhibit a tail wag. Was definitely the scarriest moment of my life, taking a small corner at 160+ when the tail wouldn't stay planted. I've never driven that fast again. Even with better suspension I wouldn't feel comfortable. There is too much wildlife roaming around on the highways up here in Canada and there'd be no coming home if you hit a deer doing 160+ mph.

 

I have taken mine to 184mph. I used datamaster to record how fast it was going.

 

Is there anyone who has made a speedo to to go 200mph? All you would need is the right gear in the dash right? and a nice looking piece in the dash. Just curious. Now that i know my car can handle whatever my crazy *** hands it, i'm happy. I wouldnt drive with anyone over 100 mph, I have to be in control of the situation, i don't like driving with other people at all, I like to think i'm a good driver. I wish i had the connections and money to go into road racing with corvettes and vipers. or even the f-body and mustang racing. I think nascar is boring and so is dirt racing.

 

Talking about being out of your mind.
"160+ taking a small corner".
never not for a million dollars not a small corner.
"tail wag" I would think any car other than a nascar would have some tail wag going into a "small corner".
In witch an F-body Camaro or FireBird is not.


Chris G.

 

Hey, while we're at it......

The freaky thing about a Winston Cup car is not the acceleration, which is stout, but not mind-boggling since the gears are so tall. I've owned cars that would out accelerate it.

And the freaky thing is not the fact that it goes like stink in a straight line, up at speed, since once you're over about 120-130 going in a straight line all feels pretty relative.

The freaky thing IS the cornering. Unbelievable. Like it's on rails. At speed, with the aero-downforce in play, the car really does feel like you could hang a 90 degree hard right/left turn at about 150MPH. I'm not sayin' you could really do that of course, but I swear, the car makes you think it could. It takes serious getting used to. Like "Here comes the wall for turn 1 and I'm gonna be a wet spot right about THERE", then suddenly, you're pinned to the side of the roll cage, really glad that the harness is snug so you don't get bruises. And you've just hung a left where your street car would have become an unguided missile.

After you've piloted one of those things around a track a few times, then go back to your camaro, you realize that compared to a real race car, above 130, the camaro feels about as tight as driving a steaming hot pile of mashed potatoes. You get a clear sense of just how not-in-control of your destiny you would be, should anything AT ALL go wrong. In an emergency, it would pretty much come down to suddenly morphing from the driver into a mere passenger and then hanging on to whatever part of the interior you decide to grab while watching to see how it all shakes out, hoping for the best. The sound you would hear that sounds like a shrieking middle aged woman turns out to be coming out of your own mouth.

Not my idea of a good time.

 

You can say that again!

 

gearing/transmission/engine differs between track types in NEXTEL Cup cars...safe to say a combo at bristol (short trac) would destroy a talladega combo (2.5mi. superspeedway restrictor plate)

 

LMAO
"a steaming hot pile of mashed potatoes."
Sounds like you were talking about the car my friend use to have A 1969 camaro I use to call it the "brick".
Don't get me wrong I love all Camaro's but it does look like a brick.
I can't imagine what that car would feel like at 130.
He had drum brakes all around with leaking wheel cylinders.
I told him I need to fix it now he wined to me about money.
Well a Mustang made him run into the side of a house and take out two cars because he could not stop at a the end of the road.



Chris G.

 

I spun a rod bearing in my previous Z28 racing my brother in his slightly modded Eagle Talon TSI on the highway. I went from 65 to 120 mph, and I beat him pretty baddly even with two other people in the car. And 120 is pretty scary in the dark since you can't see if there's anything in the road ahead of you.

I've only been to 110 in my new car, passing three 18 wheelers in a row on highway 46.

 

I took mine through a "medium corner" at around 150 MPH last year....about 250 times. It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't bad either. These cars do quite well with a few suspension mods. Doesn't take anything too fancy. The SCCA T2 Camaros go through that same corner almost that fast, and about the only suspension mod they are allowed by the rulebook is shocks (which are very important, of course).

I'll likely be well over 160 MPH in that same corner next year with the new engine. I wouldn't have to do anything to the car and I'd get around that corner just fine at that speed. I will be doing a little aero work which will help plant the car at speed and make me "feel better" while doing it, but that's really just a side benefit to the main reasons I'm doing the aero work.

Don't underestimate these cars. They really can be quite capable with minimal mods--even at high speeds.

BTW, this is all on a race track, of course.

 

MAybe so, with road race oriented suspension mods and on a race track, which is specifically made for it. But when you get these cars going that speed on a public street with potholes, bumps, dips, oil, sand or whatever, you're asking for it.

And I doubt many of the guys who post here have done road racing type suspension mods to their cars. It's mostly engine mods, and most of the suspension mods mentioned here are for drag launch, which is going the opposite direction from road race mods.