How fast would you drive an '83?
 

A friend has access to a very long private airstrip in Nevada. He has invited me to do a few runs in my SC. Before the engine switch, the car felt solid up to 120 MPH with the Carerra tail and stock chin spoiler. Now I have a new motor and a new bumper (IROC without splitter). The car has good tires and good brakes (stock). Stock suspension. It feels nice and tight, but heck it's 20 years old!

How fast would you drive it?

how fast will it go. I've had my '88 at redline in 5th. It was quite a rush.

Shoot, at 120 I'm just getting ready to shift to 5th.

you need an airstrip for speed runs?
what's wrong with a little bit of autobahn?

heck , when i drove back(from the place i bought it) mine last august , i hardly went below 120 !

must admit, the 2 weeks after that day , i was a bit jumpy whenever i saw the postman ...:D

your car? i would at least match your 120. my car, 60 tops.

hey moses, give me a ride in your car for reference. my car seems very stiff, suspension wise. i have never owned a 911 before so i dont know what it is supposed to "bounce" like. maybe i have been driving too many spongy 4x4's. i'm in the east bay too.

cliff

If it's well maintained, until you hit the fun limiter in 5th...mine see 5k of track miles a year. This is what they were made for.

Cheers, James

It's not very risky for any of US to tell YOU to open her up, so use your best judgement. I would worry a little about the motor most of all. How well do you know it's history? Is there something waiting to be discovered at 130 MPH that you might rather discover at 60? Drive her as fast as YOU feel comfortable.

I must be a wuss. At Thunderhill in my '88 I backed off when I hit about 110 on the straight. Without front or rear spoilers, at stock ride height, it's a scary ride.

The '75 with ducktail and IROC front feels much more planted.

So Moses, I guess I'd just take it up until it felt twitchy enough to back off. Just my cowardly-lion point of view.

If I wad my car up, what will I do with all those tools I've bought? :D

my 73 feels perfectly sweet doing 125+ with the targa roof off
even if it isn't on a completely clean pooltable flat piece of asfalt, i have no worries at all

i wouldn't do high speed turns like Tamborrella@Monza at those speeds though, i ain't Ayrton Senna

What speed are your tires rated to?
And how fast do you think it will go?

An SC speed record perhaps :D

Good luck and be carefull if you go for it :)

Officer, my car only goes up to 85 MPH. So your radar gun MUST be lying... :D

Unleash the BEAST if you have no chance of collision with another car. I am guessing you will at least make it to 160.

I'd hit the rev limiter or 6900 rpm in 5th gear which ever comes first.
Which is what I do with my '79 when I get the chance.

My '88 feels completely fine at 130 with stock ride height and a front spoiler. Above that with bad shocks it feels a little scary, but now I have new Bilstein Sports all around, so it should feel fine, but I haven't taken the opportunity to top 130 since the new shocks.

I'd also take a close LOOK at that runway for debris, etc before I hammered down. :cool:

If its a long straight road I cant see spoilers or lack of having any affect. Personally 120-130 top up or down is not a problem, but if it was private then I would max it out.

Can I come too? I've been leary of top speed runs on public roads, so my personal top speed occured on the back straight at Road Atlanta. Not really enough room to wind out a old 2.7...

Mike

Moses, I did a quick sprint to 135, and oh my gosh I just have the big rear tea tray spoiler on my 911 thats it......it felt pretty stable but I didn't stay there for long either.

I am installing the front chin spoiler though....

Bill

Might be worth throwing your helmet on for added safety.

Full speed nekid, I say.

I'd take it to just under the rev limiter. At that speed if you hit the limiter you might have a control "issue".

ooooh! I wanna go to! I say wring her out. Just leave yourself room to stop.

I've seen 130 on the speedo with no wing, no spoiler, and no problem.

I'm also a bay area resident.

If something is wrong with your car, then I understand your hesitation. but if the shocks are relatively new, and relatively new tires with proper speed rating, and you have inspected everything.....CV bolts are tight, wheel bearings feel good, etc.....then I would expect a smooth secure feeling at 145, which is probably your top speed assuming your gear box is stock.

According to my belief, these cars are made for this kind of abuse, and would be happy to cruise at 140 mph all day long. The trophy case at the Porsche factory contains evidence to support this position.

just wear a helmet and cup..

Ive done 135+ in mine and it was fairly stable. It was done in the proper way, not public roads.

When normal cruising speeds on some highways are 70-90 mph and our cars will wring 4th out at 120-125, there is no excuse (other than a car that's not in good shape) for not hitting 130 from time to time. I'm not "Crazy" 130 on the road by yourself in a 911 is good shape is probably safer than 70 on a crouded road full of the general public.

And if your car is in good enough shape to go 60-70, then it is in good enough shape to go 130+

From 70-80 on the freeway you are a downshift, a few seconds, and a 1/4 mile away from 130.

a stock car , in reasonable shape will take it's own top speed without any problem. Porsche didn't build cars with big engines without thinking if the chassis would be able to handle it

they are german, they go like

wvat vould be better? ze zuspenzion vrom ze tractor or ze suspenzion wvee build dzat can go as fast as ze engine? i tzink i vill go for ze fast one.. jawohl ! itiz better enzineering

take it up there, and see how it feels, as long as it continues to feel solid keep pushing.

i have been 145mph in an '82 targa (my first ride in a 911) and was amazed at how solid it felt (as passenger) compared with a ford cosworth doin similar speeds.......

I'd go as fast as you feel comfortable, Be sure to inspect all steering and suspension components, tires and tire air pressure. Also I agree a helmet and harness are a good idea, as would a roll bar.
From the perspective of the engine hitting the rev limiter in second is probably no different than hitting it in fifth, but having a tire go at 45 is a lot less hairy than at 145

and depends...

Where is the private airstrip? I live 30 min from Reno, Nv anywhere neer here

I have taken my '68 up to 120, nothing to scary and the car is 35 years old. I would just go as fast as you are comfortable, overtime I kept increasing the speed up to the 120 MPH mark.

Never been there. Supposed to be near some place called Railroad Valley.

If possible bring a GPS unit to verify your speed. 145 in an '82 Targa seems high to me.

that's the advantage of public road speeding:
you don't need no stinking GPS

if you drive fast enough , the cops will gladly give you a speed measurement, and mail it to your home adress, and that's certified legally correct. on top of that, if they chase you, you will have a good incentive to push yourself beyond normal driving and you will achieve a true automotive orgasm like peak experience... do it ... now :eek:

Speaking from the voice of reason (or whatever), you should take it up as high and hard as you can. You didn't do the 3.6 swap to sit in rush-hour traffic or be called "the little old man from Pasadena."

Besides, you need a benchmark of your cars capabilities. What could fail at 145 might also fail at 90 or 60, so "danger" is sort of a wash. When I did my swap, I drove the daylights out of my car to see how it would behave in certain circumstances. If I were you, I would try a top speed run...several times.

In the least, it'll give you peace of mind.

Hmm, svandamme's last bit of advice seems a tad ill-advised.

Shoot, forgot about the swap. Woof, that should be interesting.

Just make sure no planes are taking off or landing....well, better yet race one.

Why's that?

Sorry, you replied between my reply and svandamme's, I guess I didn't type fast enough.

There, fixed now! :)

No problem. And you're right: that is ill-advised.