Is your wedge your fastest car?
Discussion
I still haven't driven mine yet, but there's signs all over the city that say no parking on such and such a date so
the street sweepers can suck up all the gravel dumped on the roads this winter. That's a good sign, only a couple of weeks
before it's on the road.
I was reading at www.carfolio.com that my 390 has a 145mph top speed. How fair is that assessment?
I was out playing in my 7 the other day and filmed it almost doing 140 mph although I've had it up to 142 or so.
I would have taken it higher on film, but traffic and due dilligence for the safety of others did not permit that.
The following video (66 megs) shows it doing about 138mph on stock rims, stock tire size. Any margin of error?
I don't know.
http://control-alt-delete.ca/0to60.mp
I have a feeling though that when conditions are right, and I actually use 5th gear, (only used 4 gears in the video)
My 7 might just beat the advertised speed of my wedge. I think it's fair to say that with the speed of the needle climbing,
it's obvious the car could still go faster.
I'm not sure my wedge will be my fastest car, is it your fastest?
I will say this tho... the wedge is my favourite.
the street sweepers can suck up all the gravel dumped on the roads this winter. That's a good sign, only a couple of weeks
before it's on the road.
I was reading at www.carfolio.com that my 390 has a 145mph top speed. How fair is that assessment?
I was out playing in my 7 the other day and filmed it almost doing 140 mph although I've had it up to 142 or so.
I would have taken it higher on film, but traffic and due dilligence for the safety of others did not permit that.
The following video (66 megs) shows it doing about 138mph on stock rims, stock tire size. Any margin of error?
I don't know.
http://control-alt-delete.ca/0to60.mp
I have a feeling though that when conditions are right, and I actually use 5th gear, (only used 4 gears in the video)
My 7 might just beat the advertised speed of my wedge. I think it's fair to say that with the speed of the needle climbing,
it's obvious the car could still go faster.
I'm not sure my wedge will be my fastest car, is it your fastest?
I will say this tho... the wedge is my favourite.
Beware taking vids of high speed runs and showing speeedo - haven't some bike riders been done by using their own vids as evidence?
I've taken my Wedge up to 1*0 mph but corrugated concrete dual carriageway not too endearing at that sort of speed - so need to back off. Several high speed runs recently, but you have to watch out around here for yumps, bumps and areas where road has been patched! But it's still good fun.
JJ
I've taken my Wedge up to 1*0 mph but corrugated concrete dual carriageway not too endearing at that sort of speed - so need to back off. Several high speed runs recently, but you have to watch out around here for yumps, bumps and areas where road has been patched! But it's still good fun.
JJ
I'd be extremely surprised if a 390 can do a GENUINE 145 (ISTR 146 being quoted as top speed when new).
With an entire motorway to play with I had mine off the clock at 160 but the rev counter told a different story (low 130s). I could make excuses about the camshaft, fuel injection components etc. but the long and short is that it wouldn't go any faster.
I have since made some changes but have not repeated the test
The wedge is still a heavy car, not THAT much lighter than an SD1 or Granada. It may be pointy and angular but I don't think the aerodynamics are much good. The Esprit certainly felt more planted at speed.
With an entire motorway to play with I had mine off the clock at 160 but the rev counter told a different story (low 130s). I could make excuses about the camshaft, fuel injection components etc. but the long and short is that it wouldn't go any faster.
I have since made some changes but have not repeated the test
The wedge is still a heavy car, not THAT much lighter than an SD1 or Granada. It may be pointy and angular but I don't think the aerodynamics are much good. The Esprit certainly felt more planted at speed.
deetes said:
firefox1712 said:
Beware taking vids of high speed runs and showing speeedo - haven't some bike riders been done by using their own vids as evidence?
JJ
JJ
There was a biker JAILED for a similar thing. I believe he posted it on utube.
I was the passenger... that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
If it's top speed you're after you'll have to drive with the roof up I'm afraid!
TVR quoted 137mph for the 350i, and after road testing with the roof up on a cold day I have _no_reason_ to doubt that. Allegedly.
With the roof down the 400SX will happily hit 140 on the autobahn (your honour) but I've never had occasion to try for Vmax with the roof up. 170 is rumoured.
That would beat my previous fastest in a motorised conveyance, 155 on the back of a bike wearing jeans and a t-shirt. One day...
TVR quoted 137mph for the 350i, and after road testing with the roof up on a cold day I have _no_reason_ to doubt that. Allegedly.
With the roof down the 400SX will happily hit 140 on the autobahn (your honour) but I've never had occasion to try for Vmax with the roof up. 170 is rumoured.
That would beat my previous fastest in a motorised conveyance, 155 on the back of a bike wearing jeans and a t-shirt. One day...
Problem with bmw's is they are very tedious to drive compared to a wedge , in fact I would say a wedge is one of the most exiting beasts to drive bar not a lot . Also bmw's have to slow down at corners and rounderbouts which is very dull , I take them on the inside or outside in the '7' .
According to Chris Schirle, the 'Fast Lane Car' hit an indicated 148 when setting the first lap record on the M25 in October 1985. She doesn't get up to those speeds these days. IIRC, he said that Mr Hyde's 420SEAC showed a higher top speed a few weeks later when trying to wrest the record back from Porsche ... a run that was sadly terminated by a large number of Surrey's finest! - Streaky
streaky said:
According to Chris Schirle, the 'Fast Lane Car' hit an indicated 148 when setting the first lap record on the M25 in October 1985. She doesn't get up to those speeds these days. IIRC, he said that Mr Hyde's 420SEAC showed a higher top speed a few weeks later when trying to wrest the record back from Porsche ... a run that was sadly terminated by a large number of Surrey's finest! - Streaky
Given that they had no SatNav or other aids back then, it'd have to be timed over an accurately measured distance, clocked by radar (and how would they know where to site it?) or rely on a dashboard instrument.
I wouldn't trust anything calibrated by TVR as far as I could throw it.
combine said:
Problem with bmw's is they are very tedious to drive compared to a wedge , in fact I would say a wedge is one of the most exiting beasts to drive bar not a lot . Also bmw's have to slow down at corners and rounderbouts which is very dull , I take them on the inside or outside in the '7' .
Another wedge owning rotorhead?
wedg1e said:
streaky said:
According to Chris Schirle, the 'Fast Lane Car' hit an indicated 148 when setting the first lap record on the M25 in October 1985. She doesn't get up to those speeds these days. IIRC, he said that Mr Hyde's 420SEAC showed a higher top speed a few weeks later when trying to wrest the record back from Porsche ... a run that was sadly terminated by a large number of Surrey's finest! - Streaky
Given that they had no SatNav or other aids back then, it'd have to be timed over an accurately measured distance, clocked by radar (and how would they know where to site it?) or rely on a dashboard instrument.
I wouldn't trust anything calibrated by TVR as far as I could throw it.
There are "odometer test sections" onthe highways here...perfectly spaced road signs, 1KM apart. I checked mine today against one and it's dead-on.
Considering the gearing of the Odometer is also geared to the speedo, and my tires are still 100% tread, I'd have to assume my speedo is dead-on too.
AFAIK, I really was (a passenger... admit nothing) going that fast.
Well... the speedo is geared off the output shaft of the gearbox. So it's measuring a predetermined rate of revs of that shaft, but not what the shaft is driving, obviously. So any change in diff. ratio or rolling circumference of rear tyres will throw it off.
But the real issue is the instrument itself: UK regs have stated for years that a speedo is permitted to over-read but it must not under-read. ISTR a figure of 10% for the over-read recommended, and indeed I have drivern a number of cars where at a timed 70mph the speedo read 77/78.
Now in the case of my 390, the speedo starts off more or less accurate at 30mph. By 50 it's about 10% high saying 55, by 80 (3500rpm) it's around 88, still not too bad. From the known statistic that the car travels at 25.4 mph per 1000rpm in top gear, it'd be nice if it read 100 mph at 4000 rpm. Oh no. More like 115. Now 5300 rpm would equate to about 135mph, but mine said 160. Somewhere in the calibration curve is a frig-factor that makes it look like the starship Enterprise.
...and I bet mine's not the only one.
But the real issue is the instrument itself: UK regs have stated for years that a speedo is permitted to over-read but it must not under-read. ISTR a figure of 10% for the over-read recommended, and indeed I have drivern a number of cars where at a timed 70mph the speedo read 77/78.
Now in the case of my 390, the speedo starts off more or less accurate at 30mph. By 50 it's about 10% high saying 55, by 80 (3500rpm) it's around 88, still not too bad. From the known statistic that the car travels at 25.4 mph per 1000rpm in top gear, it'd be nice if it read 100 mph at 4000 rpm. Oh no. More like 115. Now 5300 rpm would equate to about 135mph, but mine said 160. Somewhere in the calibration curve is a frig-factor that makes it look like the starship Enterprise.
...and I bet mine's not the only one.
wedg1e said:
Well... the speedo is geared off the output shaft of the gearbox. So it's measuring a predetermined rate of revs of that shaft, but not what the shaft is driving, obviously. So any change in diff. ratio or rolling circumference of rear tyres will throw it off.
But the real issue is the instrument itself: UK regs have stated for years that a speedo is permitted to over-read but it must not under-read. ISTR a figure of 10% for the over-read recommended, and indeed I have drivern a number of cars where at a timed 70mph the speedo read 77/78.
Now in the case of my 390, the speedo starts off more or less accurate at 30mph. By 50 it's about 10% high saying 55, by 80 (3500rpm) it's around 88, still not too bad. From the known statistic that the car travels at 25.4 mph per 1000rpm in top gear, it'd be nice if it read 100 mph at 4000 rpm. Oh no. More like 115. Now 5300 rpm would equate to about 135mph, but mine said 160. Somewhere in the calibration curve is a frig-factor that makes it look like the starship Enterprise.
...and I bet mine's not the only one.
But the real issue is the instrument itself: UK regs have stated for years that a speedo is permitted to over-read but it must not under-read. ISTR a figure of 10% for the over-read recommended, and indeed I have drivern a number of cars where at a timed 70mph the speedo read 77/78.
Now in the case of my 390, the speedo starts off more or less accurate at 30mph. By 50 it's about 10% high saying 55, by 80 (3500rpm) it's around 88, still not too bad. From the known statistic that the car travels at 25.4 mph per 1000rpm in top gear, it'd be nice if it read 100 mph at 4000 rpm. Oh no. More like 115. Now 5300 rpm would equate to about 135mph, but mine said 160. Somewhere in the calibration curve is a frig-factor that makes it look like the starship Enterprise.
...and I bet mine's not the only one.
My car's probably much the same. I've gotten ticket's for doing 140 in a 90 (km's) when the speedo read an easy 10 higher. Mind you I was on the brake
as soon as I saw the copper, so it's hard to say.
Gassing Station | Wedges | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff