How fast will the "Target 550" car go???

[maj]

In regards the air density for hp v drag ,1 NA bike in particular running near 200mph at Gairdiner  had around 15mph penalty at Bonneville
while us forced induction guys see it the other way around , but were going a little faster too

[ggl205]

From formulas I found in the past that deal with HP loss or gain on a NA motor due to changes in density altitude it is a wash with the changes in HP required to push a vehicle through denser or less dense air.  More HP needed at lower altitudes to push the car through the air but the car picks up corresponding HP to manage the task, if tuned to take advantage of the denser air.  

The catch is that the DA changes regardless of what we do but it is up to us to tune the car so that it achieves maximum HP at the new DA to keep up with it.  That is hard to do with exact certainty.  I always felt that we ran faster in the morning's cool denser air than later in the day but now pretty much feel that our tune was such that we were taking more advantage of the denser air than what we were of the less dense air later in the day.  We weren't tuned optimally at either time, but closer in the morning.

Also this applies to a NA motor and can go out the window with a blown motor.

Sumner

I ran the same G/GL car at both Lake Gairdner and Bonneville in 1995. We consistently ran 10-13 mph faster at Gairdner than Bonneville (205 mph vs. 218 mph). I am sure some of this had to do with track surface differences but we did run much faster at Gairdner.

John

[ack]

Marlo 345

Valerie 328

Half day tomorrow for DLRA event

FIM starts Saturday runs through Monday

[racergeo]

   My worst fear. Leave the car and Cory in Au. Rent a shed and have a couple of derros help him till it's right. Come back next year and with a little luck (and help from the derros) go fast.

[racergeo]

     Time to think out side the box. Too many smart people have made this car possible. Now for a suggestion from a certified idiot. Take the entire rear engine out of the car. Engine, tranny rear ballast if any. Get the car as light as possible. Retain the 4wd by way of same shaft system that connects current power plants together. Hire a NHRA TFD tuner, Like Alan Johnson perhaps.Use a top fuel clutch that he would be very familiar with. Now start off small, feeding the NITRO to it. With less weight, less chance of breakage, complete spare engine ready to go and more then enough power available with a Whipple on NITRO. Why do I think more then enough power. I have read many times that Tom Burkland's  car was only at 40% throttle at 450 mph. It runs old Donovan's on alky and if memory serves were so mild of engines that the torque and power curve both peaked out at about 5250 rpm. Going to a 4 speed might be necessary but beyond that it should at least start going up in the BURKLAND SPEED RANGE WITH OUT ALL THE BREAKAGE. If there is any advantage to the Au. track it might get in the high 400's. Might not be 550, but at least it would be a wheel driven record. Smart people, jump in......

[Milwaukee Midget]

Leave the car and Cory in Au. Rent a shed and have a couple of derros help him till it's right. Come back next year and with a little luck (and help from the derros) go fast.

Might work, but the Aussie government may need to okay letting it stay put for that long.

[desotoman]

     Time to think out side the box. Too many smart people have made this car possible. Now for a suggestion from a certified idiot. Take the entire rear engine out of the car. Engine, tranny rear ballast if any. Get the car as light as possible. Retain the 4wd by way of same shaft system that connects current power plants together. Hire a NHRA TFD tuner, Like Alan Johnson perhaps.Use a top fuel clutch that he would be very familiar with. Now start off small, feeding the NITRO to it. With less weight, less chance of breakage, complete spare engine ready to go and more then enough power available with a Whipple on NITRO. Why do I think more then enough power. I have read many times that Tom Burkland's  car was only at 40% throttle at 450 mph. It runs old Donovan's on alky and if memory serves were so mild of engines that the torque and power curve both peaked out at about 5250 rpm. Going to a 4 speed might be necessary but beyond that it should at least start going up in the BURKLAND SPEED RANGE WITH OUT ALL THE BREAKAGE. If there is any advantage to the Au. track it might get in the high 400's. Might not be 550, but at least it would be a wheel driven record. Smart people, jump in......

George,

Don't jump the gun. Les Davenport is one of the most talented people when it comes to running Blown Alcohol IMO, and he currently tunes a Alcohol Funny Car that set the NHRA speed record at the NHRA World Finals in Pomona, CA. They are still working the bugs out, and stuff happens that you would never expect. It will all come together.

Keep the Faith,

Tom G.

[racergeo]

   Tom, see my post #8. I know Les personally. His son Ryan was in my tow truck when I won the TAD championship in 93. Les helped me with tuneup on several occasions. He is a genius. Car is still too heavy. My concern is for Marlo. He's no youngster. If they had 5 more years to run in Australia and who knows how much money, Les would get it done.   

[Rex Schimmer]

It is so sad to see this effort continue to have problems. Going to Australia was certainly not a cheap thing to do and I am positive that everyone of us were looking forward to good news from Aussie land. With a project that is as complex as this car it shows that "Testing, testing, and more testing" is required and even then every completed run is a gift. I hope that Marlo and Les have the determination to continue with their quest. What they want to do is not easy and they are sure proving that!

Rex

[kiwi belly tank]

So true Rex! Anybody that thinks it's easy to go fast in a liner has no concept.
  Sid.

[desotoman]

  Tom, see my post #8. I know Les personally. His son Ryan was in my tow truck when I won the TAD championship in 93. Les helped me with tuneup on several occasions. He is a genius. Car is still too heavy. My concern is for Marlo. He's no youngster. If they had 5 more years to run in Australia and who knows how much money, Les would get it done.  

Hi George,

Yes we are on the same page regarding Les and Marlo, and I also worry about the age factor. They have run a blown alcohol motor for years and the combination has proven very reliable. IMO changing it up would put them back to square one and IMO Nitro is not the easiest fuel on motor and drivetrain parts.

Let us hope that Bonneville is in better shape this year for non suspended vehicles, so more runs can be made and more data recorded. That would help tremendously, IMHO.

Tom G.  

PS. Good post Rex, and I agree Sid. 

[ack]

Bub 7 crashes at 300 Valerie OK

[Paulin adelaide]

Target 550 ,  The rear clutch let go , the bellhousing moved back and rotated .
In about 2006 a liner was stored for a year at The National Motor Museum in nearby Adelaide , but that didn't achieve anything as the  next meet was rained out .

[Beef Stew]

With inflation my $.02 ain't worth much, but here goes anyway.

Unlike Project 550, Speed Demon has suspension, a single engine and a turbocharger.  Are there lessons to be learned here

[desotoman]

Are there lessons to be learned here

No, everyone has their own ideas and that is what makes Bonneville racing so great. If everyone had the same shape and drive-line in a car, can you say boring?

Besides for 8000 or so pounds this is not to shabby.

Tom G.

293 mph in the 1/4 on one motor!!!!!

http://www.target550.com/_images2018/arrived-D.JPG