whats the fastest you got your saturn up too ?

[Laz]

hey, just wondering what's the fastest you got your Saturn up too ?

we own an 2002 sl2 4 dr and I think 155 kph was the max (en route to Montréal); hot summer day, when the car was still very new ( less than 4000kms)

 

[Kevin M. Keller]

hey, just wondering what's the fastest you got your Saturn up too ?

Down the front straight at Gateway International Raceway, top of 4th gear, right at 110 MPH ( too busy making sure I didn't miss the turn in for turn 1 to check exactly)

 

[marx404]

110+ in my 94 SL2 on an empty stretch of I95 (dont try this at home kids, professional idiot driver). have radar will travel ;-)

marx404

 

[Nobody U. Know]

85 MPH in my 91 SL2. About 145 in my 95 Mitsu GST. 160 in my 91 3K/VR4. I felt safer at 160 in the 3K than at 85 in the Saturn.

 

[Bob Shuman]

Todd,

The 3000GT just has a nice feel. My '91 isn't a VR4 (twin turbo) and I've never had it up anywhere near that speed, but it is a heavy vehicle for it's size, has a wide wheel base, and low aerodynamic drag so just plain feels stable .

Bob

 

[Nobody U. Know]

It is a TT and at speed the turbos are really out of steam. I believe the actual speed was more like 155. I did it once and it felt pretty good. The first time I like my GF drive it, she had it up to 100 in third before I reminded her we were on a public road and she should be in a higher gear. The GST felt like it was floating at anything over 130 and I had to remove the govenor just to do it.

 

[just another]

hey, just wondering what's the fastest you got your Saturn up too ?

55 mph. Honest, officer!

 

[Skip]

I believe I've got up to as fast as 80, maybe 85(MPH that is in my 2000 SL2. Of course I do have the factory rear spoiler so it was cool...

 

[Nobody U. Know]

I remember being at a race track in TX. This little kid in a Honda had a big wing on his car and the guy I was with bet him he could shave a tenth off his time. The kid was only too happy to listen. It involved removing the giant aluminum wing and saved him 0.2 seconds. Of course he put the thing back on, but I did run his buddy in my GSX (2nd Mitsu after GST was hit by an old man).

http://home.woh.rr.com/roberthonea/dsm_vs_rice.avi

 

[Michael Halliwell]

hey, just wondering what's the fastest you got your Saturn up too ?

we own an 2002 sl2 4 dr and I think 155 kph was the max (en route to Montréal); hot summer day, when the car was still very new ( less than 4000kms)

Well, my '03 Ion has seen 145 kph, but with the bit of a cross wind, I wasn't going to push it...the car is too light for stepping it out with a side wind.

However, I had a '99 Saab 9-3 that I greatly enjoyed showing a '03 Celica GTS how quick a turbo 5 door could be vs a little sporty coupe when I handed him his doors from a standing start. We went pretty hard until he found where his governor was (180 kph) and that mine was a lot higher (at least 215 kph).

Cheers,

Michael

 

[Philip Nasadowski]

I remember being at a race track in TX. This little kid in a Honda had a big wing on his car and the guy I was with bet him he could shave a tenth off his time. The kid was only too happy to listen. It involved removing the giant aluminum wing and saved him 0.2 seconds. Of course he put the thing back on, but I did run his buddy in my GSX (2nd Mitsu after GST was hit by an old man).

I love seeing civic hatchbacks with the big wing, 'slammed supension', coffe can muffler, etc etc etc. They think they've turned a shitbox econocar into a race car. The wing does nothing, the suspesion mods tend to make the handling even WORSE, the muffler and 'cold air induction' does shit for the motor, etc.

You know, Honda spent lots of money desiging the suspension on that car. Nonethless, some punk kid thinks he can outengineer Honda. hehehe.

I love the muffler (useless) and the 'cold air induction' these cars always get. I've yet to see anyone put up an instrumented test between a stock and cold air intake, and I suspect the answer why is most people hawking these systems wouldn't know a thermocouple if it bit them on the ass, and don't want to face the harsh truth anyway.

At least saturns suck the air in the fender well where it's pretty much outside temp anyway, and measure it right by the airbox, all the way up front. I suspect there's litte/no heating of the air, and that the transit time between the intake and the throttle body at running speed is virtually nil anyway.

I bet if you dumped a thermocouple outside your window and another right at the TB opening, they'd read within a degree or two...

 

[Nobody U. Know]

I've never understood the coffee can.They put a stupid fat muffler on a 1.5 inch pipe and think they can hang with the big boys. I like to use the example of taking a skinny straw, blow in it...then flare out the end as much as you can and blow again. It doesn't do shit...but it does make somebody else some money saying "you can get 4 more HP out of this exhaust". 4 HP for 100 bucks?. The weather has more of an effect than that. Cut out cheese cake for a week and you can make that up in weight for free.

It's funny...I did find out these guys actually think they are fast. I drive the Saturn as a beater and race far more than I ever do in the GT. I think it's because I wouldn't even know they were trying. Not that I'm saying anything bad about the Saturn, but I know what it is...a simple, comfortable, little car with good mileage. A track car, it isn't

 

[Kevin M. Keller]

They think they've turned a shitbox
econocar into a race car. The wing does nothing, the suspesion mods tend to make the handling even WORSE, the muffler and 'cold air induction' does shit for the motor, etc.

The wing - correct - doesn't do anything but make you slower.

Proprer suspension mods can improve handling, but your typical cut springs on stock dampers that "ricers" often do does make a car handle worse. Putting a big muffler on a stock exhaust does nothing, but a proper cat-back system does add HP, as does an intake. The SPC has dyno tested several intakes, and found a 4-8 HP gain on a Saturn motor.

You know, Honda spent lots of money desiging the suspension on that car. Nonethless, some punk kid thinks he can outengineer Honda.
hehehe.

The manufacturer designed the suspension for one set of parameters. On economy cars, that is usually comfort when getting groceries. Aftermarket companies design suspensions for a very different set of parameters. I have chosen to sacrifice some comfort to make the car corner better.

I love the muffler (useless) and the 'cold air induction' these cars always get. I've yet to see anyone put up an instrumented test between a stock and cold air intake, and I suspect the answer why is most people hawking these systems wouldn't know a thermocouple if it bit them on the ass, and don't want to face the harsh truth anyway.

Several SPC members have indeed done this. the gains are not as much from the air being cooler, but from the opening up of the intake and allowing more air into the engine. Again, 4-8 HP gain on a Saturn.

While I don't think I've turned my econobox into a race car (the guys in the Thunderbird yesterday seemed to think they had done that when they tried to get me to race them...), I know that I've turned it into a well mannered track car.

 

[Philip Nasadowski]

Proprer suspension mods can improve handling, but your typical cut springs on stock dampers that "ricers" often do does make a car handle worse.

Proper mods might. But, let's face it, it's beyond the ability of the average Joe to outengineer Honda, etc on it. Sure a stock suspension is a compromise, but IIRC, those little Civics already outhandle most drivers anyway. Most cars today pretty much do.

Putting a big muffler on a stock exhaust does nothing, but a proper cat-back system does add HP, as does an intake.

Not that much though.

The SPC has dyno
tested several intakes, and found a 4-8 HP gain on a Saturn motor.

4 - 8 HP at the wheels on a Saturn motor is just barely enough to make it out of the uncertainty of the average dyno. Chassis dynos aren't spectacularly accurate, assuming they're even calibrated right. Now, a calibrated engine dyno - that's different. But 4 - 8 HP at the flywheel is barely worth the effort - it hardly is at the wheels either.

I wouldn't be surprised if normal variation from temperature, air pressure, etc is that much...

The manufacturer designed the suspension for one set of parameters. On economy cars, that is usually comfort when getting groceries. Aftermarket companies design suspensions for a very different set of parameters. I have chosen to sacrifice some comfort to make the car corner better.

But, the fact remains, on a skidpad, even a cheap economy car like a Kia pulls quite well. IIRC, they can outhandle some sports cars of 20-30 years ago...

In any case, the chances of the average ricer boy being able to make a car handle better than a group of engineers at Detroit/Tokyo/Stugartt, is pretty slim. At least on a newer car.

Several SPC members have indeed done this. the gains are not as much from the air being cooler, but from the opening up of the intake and allowing more air into the engine. Again, 4-8 HP gain on a Saturn.

4-8 hp is barely worth the hassle at the smogger station or even the money on such a system. In any case, if a system's being advertised as 'cold air' induction, is it REALLY bringing in cooler air than a stock system? That's my big question, and I'm guessing the answer is 'no'. So, what you're seeing is airflow improvements...

This reminds me of a test in some mag of headers for some Honda (toyota?) motor. The best aftermarket one was 2HP better than the stock. I'm guessing that those little buzzbomb motors are so optimized from the factory that there's really not much room for improvement without making MAJOR changes...

 

[Kevin M. Keller]

Proper mods might. But, let's face it, it's beyond the ability of the average Joe to outengineer Honda, etc on it.

That's why I let the very smart people at Eibach and KYB do it for me.

4 - 8 HP at the wheels on a Saturn motor is just barely enough to make it out of the uncertainty of the average dyno.

We have used TMW Chassis Dyno in Joliet, IL for over 5 years. Their dyno is properly calibrated, and we have done back to back tests - stock intake, then aftermarket. The results have been repeatable across cars.

I have an intake, factory header, and a Thermal R&D cat-back. Stock, DOHC Saturns tend to dyno around 104-108. Mine has dynoed at 119. Beleive me, that's a noticable difference.

 

[Napalm Heart]

hey, just wondering what's the fastest you got your Saturn up too ?

we own an 2002 sl2 4 dr and I think 155 kph was the max (en route to Montréal); hot summer day, when the car was still very new ( less than 4000kms)

As fast as the speed limiter in a '96 SL2 would allow.

 

[Jonnie Santos]

As fast as the speed limiter in a '96 SL2 would allow.

Lead foot! (grin)

 

[hoosier_drifter]

Those mods are significant, especially when combined with other modifications. Port work, new cams, valve work, increased compression, forced induction, etc. just don't work out as well without opening of both ends of what is really just a combustion driven air pump. It equates to trying to drink a milkshake through a cocktail straw if you leave things as is. Even if it's only minor gains in the beginning; it leads to bigger and better results. You need a starting point, and opening up the constricted intake and output just makes common sense.

 

[hoosier_drifter]

I've taken both of my Saturns to their governed limits (anyone know how to get past that without setting off check engine lights, etc.)

Oh, fastest top end in any other cars...
Somewhere between 170-175 in parents Thunderbird SC(some modifications, computer, intake, eshaust, intercooler.)

Somewhere over 175 in my General Managers new Vette (not the brightest thing to do when your boss asks you if you want take for a spin.)

160 in a previous employers 300Z Turbo (again, not a smart thing to do.)

Little under 160 in managers new Mustang Cobra at a different previous employer (starting to see a pattern here?)

In a car that actually belonged to me....fastest would have been 141 in a 65 on what used to be known as the Green River Parkway in Kentucky on the way back from Bowling Green in my built up 84 Monte SS. I'm quite sure about the speed, because Kentucky State Troopers are a very truthful and forthright group of gentlemen. My dad, having been bailed out of jail a few times in the past himself, was quite understanding.

 

[Oppie]

100mph in a 2001 LW300. Car was very willing to run faster but I have a clean license and lost my nerve. Not having any moving violations in over 10 years and getting a low insurance rate is a big anchor.