high speed help

worksalot · #1 (**permalink**) 02-15-2002, 05:58 PM

took my cobra out today on a nice smooth road(closed to the public as far as you know)and took her up to about 110mph she seemed to get very light in the front end does any body have any tips on how to make these cars handle better at high speeds??
thanks

avalanche325 · #2 (**permalink**) 02-15-2002, 06:06 PM

Put a four foot high wing on the back, 6 inch chrome exhaust tips, big plastic skirts on the sides, a big air dam with splitter on the front, and "R" badges and stickers all over.

Oh, wait, that's how to make Toyotas go "fast".

Fred Douglass · #3 (**permalink**) 02-15-2002, 07:10 PM

I have seen quite a few mods on cars designed to put a venturi under the body. If you look at Dennis Olthoff's SPF photo
in the latest issue of KIT-CAR magazine, you'll see the tried-and-true method of generating this downforce: the good old "front air dam" or "chin spoiler". Some of the more technically-minded CC members would give you a better read on the offsetting blessings and penalties of mounting one. I would say Dennis' version is rather extreme. Hard to get over bumps and up steep driveways, in other words. I can tell you from running one on a somewhat hotted-up VW Rabbit GTI, that, by adding two inches to the stock "chin-spolier" I did notice a slight reduction in rolling acceleration above 80 or so. The fastest I could go in the little bunny---even with Oettinger heads and a boost from 90 "stock" hp to about 125 (I think) was about 125. A consideration or two: Rabbits were front-engine-front-wheel-drive jobbers; I did notice that I had a slight "bow down" attitude (weirdly enough I used a carptenter's level taped to the starboard window sill to do before and after read-outs at 85 mph. I'd have to say that there might be too many dissimilarities between the two types of vehicle. Some other considerations: like "lift to drag" ratios on airfoils, there are some penalties to be paid---your gas mileage will suffer. You're not going to be running at 110 mph all the time, so you're going to be making some choices. I think that you could find yourself putting a deep chin-spoiler on and then finding you may want to make it fairly shallow.
In any case, it will tug your nose down, and depending on the porosity of your cobra's underbody, could also pull the whole car down. A rear spoiler just ain't an option. A "Kamm-back" would look just flippin' hideous on the rounded AC/Cobra fanny! The true enduro race-car lash-up is a chin spoiler, pannelled and channeled underbody and a rear deck-lid spoiler pr even a wing. This is most obvious on little Bimmer M-3 sedan racers. All I can say is: talk to the more knowledgeable techies on this site AND realize that any nose float will disappear with the front dam. Flyin Freddie (on this site) knows lots, but he will plug you directly in to the Olthoffs who are the SPF guys to talk to (and, since most cobras are very similar, also THE GUYS to talk to period. Good luck.

worksalot · #4 (**permalink**) 02-16-2002, 04:34 AM

avalanche325 thanks for the styling tips,but i think the reason the toyotas go so fast is because of the big aweasome,cool,groovy,rad,off the hook,sweet......fart tubes sticking out the back anything that makes a car sound that crappy has to make it go faster.
Fred i was afraid i would get pointed to the chin spoilers but i really don't think they match the looks of the cobra.I did some reading elsewhere on the forum last night and read about a semi-belly pan to close off the bottom ofthe engine compartment and i have somesheet aluminum,so this may be something i try.but keep those ideas coming.
thanks john b