Bonneville or Bust!

John W. Weston · Apr 29, 2011

Good Morning!
I'm off this year for USFRA's World of Speed and am contemplating buying a "beater" mustang to try for their 130MPH club. I've been thinking about a SN95 and found one for $2900.00. I haven't bought it yet, but may pull the trigger depending on the condition.
From reading the USFRA web page, I get the idea that the salt ain't the greatest traction surface... They recommend skinny tires inflated to max. pressure. Also, the salt seems to reduce ones attainable top speed. Sometimes by a fair amount. There are too many variables for me to account for why this happens.
As the top speed of a stock SN95 GT is about 137MPH, what could be expected of a 100,000 mile plus GT? Has anybody here driven at Bonneville? Any suggestions?
If I do this, the car will get a thorough going through (belts, hoses, tune up, oil leaks fixed and fresh oil, coolant system flushed, brake system flushed and new parts as needed, suspension/steering refurbished as needed, driveshaft loop and universal joints, transmission/clutch refurbish if needed, etc.).
What are the least expensive modifications that would pretty much guarantee 130mph on salt? Will the car get "floaty" at 130mph plus?
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.
John

RedDaemon · Apr 29, 2011

without the governor, the GT can go to 155mph

N8Dogg98 · Apr 29, 2011

I did something very stupid one time. When I was in college going from Fargo to Grand Forks, ND on I-29, I got on my car and got up to 140 mph. I hadn't done any performance mods to my car at that time either, so I think you'll be alright at Bonneville.

Those of you who have never been to ND have no idea how strange it is. Interstate 29 is straight as an arrow in some areas and there are absolutely no hills.. it is perfectly flat. In the winter it looks like you are driving in the middle of a frozen ocean.

I know this site doesn't condone street racing and for the record it was the middle of the day, there were no cars on the road, and I still think its one of the dumbest things I've done with my car and I am by no means bragging or proud of it.

RedDaemon · Apr 29, 2011

could have slammed into a bison

Dark04GT · Apr 29, 2011

RedDaemon said:
could have slammed into a bison

Or a caribou I've been up to 140mph pretty much stock (CAI only) as well. Not proud of it, very dangerous, and the car was very squirrely. I wouldn't do that again unless I was on the salt flats with a helmet and a cage. Have fun.

N8Dogg98 · Apr 29, 2011

Dark04GT said:
Or a caribou I've been up to 140mph pretty much stock (CAI only) as well. Not proud of it, very dangerous, and the car was very squirrely. I wouldn't do that again unless I was on the salt flats with a helmet and a cage. Have fun.

my thoughts exactly... that was very scary and she moved around a lot when I was going that fast... definitely wouldn't do that again either w/o being on a closed course, wearing a helmet, in a car w/ a cage.

John W. Weston · Apr 29, 2011

Thanks

Thanks for the replies! I'm still undecided on this. Common sense has poked me a few times and I may just go and spectate.
I also didn't know that the SN95 was squirrely at speed. I know that the S197 is stable at 135mph plus. Don't ask, I just know. Maybe its just because it's heavier as both are an aerodynamic "brick".
Anyway, if I do bring a car, I'll let y'all know how it went .
Thanks again,
John

dsc1990 · Apr 29, 2011

John W. Weston said:
Thanks for the replies! I'm still undecided on this. Common sense has poked me a few times and I may just go and spectate.
I also didn't know that the SN95 was squirrely at speed. I know that the S197 is stable at 135mph plus. Don't ask, I just know. Maybe its just because it's heavier as both are an aerodynamic "brick".
Anyway, if I do bring a car, I'll let y'all know how it went .
Thanks again,
John

i've gotten mine up to 135mph and it wasnt "squirrely" at all. isnt a car being squirrely at top speeds most like due to the tires anyways

trinity_gt · Apr 30, 2011

Sounds like you've got a good list of things to upgrade.

I would focus on aero too, if the class rules allow it. Think about lowering the car and adding a splitter to the front to keep air from under the car. You might also consider mods to the grille opening to control the amount of air entering the engine compartment and/or lifting the rear of (or venting) the hood near the cowl to allow built-up air pressure to bleed into the air passing over the hood.

On the salt, downforce on the rear will be important so consider a decent, functional wing to both add downforce to keep the tires planted but also to smooth airflow over the back of the car and reduce drag.

In absolute terms, 130MPH isn't really that fast and any decently-running SN95 should be able to attain it easily but you're going to be on salt and you're going to be driving a brick covering a football field every 1.9-seconds... The aero measures needn't be drastic but you should consider them both for success but also for safety.

RedDaemon · Apr 30, 2011

i would MOST DEFINITELY take the GT hood applique off if equipped with one

BurningRubber · May 1, 2011

I would at minimum lower the car as trinity suggested. Aero mods would be a good idea as well for stability, BUT, you can take a stock GT up to those speeds and remain stable so long as everything is working as it should. If you do want to go the aero route, the Cobra R wing and front splitter are 100% functional. Those cars run 170-175mph out of the box.

I had the chance to take my car to the point where I let out, it was around 135mph. It wasn't unstable at all, just lots of wind noise.

I think you're two biggest advantages would be lowering the car and having a GOOD set of tires that are properly rated for sustaining those types of speeds.

fast97gt · May 1, 2011

ive burried the needla passed 150mph on my 97gt with 373s, i have family in FL that owns a lot of land and some has paved roads, 1 specific spot is abou 3.5 miles long and relativly straight. the previous owner had a tuner for the car and turned off the speed limiter function. ive heard that a stock sn95 will go well pass 130mph

Dark04GT · May 1, 2011

dsc1990 said:
i've gotten mine up to 135mph and it wasnt "squirrely" at all. isnt a car being squirrely at top speeds most like due to the tires anyways

Yes to clarify the car was stable. Just much more sensitive to minor changes in the road and winds (probably mostly me hyper focusing on the small things... )

trinity_gt · May 1, 2011

fast97gt said:
ive burried the needla passed 150mph on my 97gt with 373s, i have family in FL that owns a lot of land and some has paved roads, 1 specific spot is abou 3.5 miles long and relativly straight. the previous owner had a tuner for the car and turned off the speed limiter function. ive heard that a stock sn95 will go well pass 130mph

The only thing I'd say here is that the OP wants to do this on what amounts to a pea-gravel road (salt surface) so he's going to want more aero aids than is needed for a blast down asphalt.

He can certainly try without the aero stuff first and back out if it feels squirrely...

N8Dogg98 · May 2, 2011

Dark04GT said:
Yes to clarify the car was stable. Just much more sensitive to minor changes in the road and winds (probably mostly me hyper focusing on the small things... )

Exactly.. things like small bumps in the road suddenly don't seem so small...

John W. Weston · May 2, 2011

I think I'm gonna do it!

Good morning!
Thanks for the replies! The more I think about this, the more do-able it looks (surely a recipe for disaster ).
It looks like lowering the car is a really good idea. It gets it further out of the wind and doesn't allow as much under the car which would create that "floaty/squirrely" feeling. This will definitely be on the list of to-do stuff.
I found all sorts of interesting stuff @ landracing.com. Most of it was beyond my understanding and made my brain hurt . But, I managed to find the drag coefficient and frontal area of a '94 GT and a calculator for horsepower needed.
'94 GT drag coeff. = .34 (I plugged in .345 just to have a little extra guarantee)
'94 GT Frontal Area = 22.11 ft
Speed Desired = 140 (Again a little extra)
Crank Horsepower needed = 184
Rear Wheel H.P. needed = 166
According to the calculator, y'all are correct. The car will do this in stock form.
I also plugged in 165mph (Again more than needed for the 150mph club but what the heck).
Crank Horsepower needed = 291
Rear Wheel H.P. needed = 262
I thought about doing the 150mph club, but there's enough stuff to do without adding a roll cage, 5 point harness, arm harnesses, seat, etc. Also, this would require mod's to ensure around 300 crank hp. Oh well, maybe if I get the "salt bug" I'll be back for the 150mph club .
I'm still searching for a suitable SN95 GT... Lower miles means less stuff to recondition but the price is steep too. Anyone know of a low miles SN95 GT 5sp for cheap? Just thought I'd ask...
Thanks,
John

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