I wouldn't go it without working lower speeds first. Work up to the highest speed you are comfortable with using 10 or 20 mph brackets.

 

I'Ve done 162 at Talladega and my Z06 was rock solid. I've watched the video of BEZ06 doing 175 at Daytona and it looked very sable. I'm going to Daytona in Dec and hope to hit 175 crossing the start/finish line.

One thing though, a race track like Daytona and Talladega, is very smooth. I wouldn't want to ty those speeds on a public road where the car could be upset by less then perfect road conditions.

 

Good to be cautious about the road conditions. On a straight and "perfectly flat" road "in the middle of nowhere", I hit a pair of long rolling undulations that almost bottomed my Z51 suspension. And that was at only about 120.

 

"Gearheads" got an important point. Pavement that seems perfectly flat at lower speeds, sometimes has waves in it that can launch you airborn at those speeds. You may want to drive the route a few times, working your way up before really going for it. Dont know if you recall, But Car & Driver magazine used to include top speed runs in sports car tests, until one guy got killed. They dont do that part anymore.

 

Even if you have the power to reach hyper speeds, lift is your enemy.

Go for more downforce with some aero improvments.

GM added some aero pieces to the ZR1 in the last record at the "Ring". they were taging 180 mph each lap.

 

When I ran the Texas Mile I had the proper tires Hooiser A6s, 6 point roll bar and 6 point harness those are things needed to do an event like the Texas Mile now to go above 180ish, glad I had all the safety gear, I ended up wrecking my C5 on the street when I passed out from dehydration on my way home from detailing two Vettes, oh the roll bar saved me as my Vette flipped and still bent the halo and top bar

 

Especially if ambient temps are high - as they are all over the country this summer.

 

At close to 200mph, with no cage, or harness, you won't be injured, you'll be scooped up with a shovel.

 

You blow a motor at speeds well over 100 mph your asking for BIG trouble....depending on how it blows...if you drop a rod through the bottom of the engine and oil flows freely under the car, there is a VERY HIGH likelilhood that he could lose control of the car..especially at 180 or better.

I drove a late model stock car for years and I know what it feels like when you blow an engine and oil/water gets all over your tires....it ain't fun and the car is a handful to hang onto if you can hang onto it. If all he does is drop a valve or something like that...a mild blown motor, he stands a far better chance of getting the car slowed back down in control. Anytime your talking traveling at speeds well over 175 mph, it is a VERY dangerous proposition....one that should be thought out and EVERYTHING gone over 2-3 times before making the run, have your Checklist of items to go through. This isn't a game at these speeds, it is life and death.. and can be very FUN.

 

Apply the risk/reward ratio, if it's still a go...add to the safety check list the wind conditions. Usually you are allowed several passes. I'd do a test run before mounting a banzai attack. If it does not feel good, don't do it. Who cares what others think... A fast death is God sent, but ending up all messed up over this... Good luck!

 

Don't run on those tires.

Don't run in the wind.

Don't run past any perceived vibration or wheel shake - shut 'er down.

Don't run on a surface at high speed if that is the first time you've gone over that surface.

Don't ignore what your "gut" tells you during a run - shut 'er down.

Don't run without help standing by on basically "alert 5".

Don't run to target on the first pass. I've made lots of standing mile passes at the Texas Mile. I can tell you the world is "different" past about 170mph. It can be a good place, but it darned sure is a different place with regard to lift, car response, steering response, the tiniest of inputs - by you or the wind or the surface etc. Work up to your highest speed.

Good luck, be careful and don't take any of it cavalierly

 

We used to be able to do that on St Mary's Rd when I was much younger growing up on the North Shore. Sheesh ............. Talk about urban sprawl now .............

 

You say you'll be doing a top speed run.

How long of a distance do you have to reach top speed???

As has been mentioned, you need big power to reach 200 in a standing mile. Peter pan said he had a couple hundred rwhp more than your car and did 190 mph in the mile.

Forum member octaneman did a Canadian event on a looooooong runway. I think they had 1-3/4 miles to accelerate before they had to shut down. Here's a picture that show he has 900 HP (engine HP - around 765 rwhp). He reached 336 km/hr, which is 209 mph:



So....with your 570 rwhp I suspect you could get up to 200 mph if you have at least 3 miles to accelerate.

Good luck, and we want video!!!!!

Bob

 

I've almost been talked out of it now. It'll be a while before lining it all up. The road is a closed freeway and I would have 3.5 miles to open up and shut down. It is "flat" but I haven't considered how flat it needs to be.

 

I think W is 168 mph. I've been 173 on Invos, but I sure wouldn't attempt 200 even for a short burst.

Balance at those speeds is critical. Find the most **** guy you can to do it on the best equipment available. Put a few hundred miles on and run it up a ways, then rebalance.

My tire guy checks the wheel balance before mounting the tires. Then checks the tire for runout and out-of-round. I've seen him break down the tire and rotate it on the rim to find a better balance before attaching weights.

Make a few trial passes at lower speeds and work your way up to check everything before the final attempt. If you feel ANYTHING is not absolutely perfect, forget it for that day.

My three concerns would be tires (already noted), the road. and air. A bump, dip, or wind gust can be big trouble.

 

I say leave those speeds for people who don't mind possibly dying in their vette.

 

Ok, you can die at 100 mph depending on the road. I've only had mine up to 155 mph on the BIR long straight. It was rock solid turning into turn 1.

Heck, I would go to the event and just not exceed the limit of the tires.

 

P = 0.5cdAρv^3


------ (2P)^(1/3)
v = -----------
------ (cdAρ )


Enjoy!

 

Your question reminds me of mountain climbing which I've done a good bit of. The idea in climbing is to reduce the amount of time at GREAT RISK. Like don't have a rest break on a snow bridge over a crevasse....get across ASAP. Don't have lunch under an overhanging serac ( huge ice block on a glacier ) or under an ice or rock cliff that's constantly throwing off debris.

So, is it safe to drive 200 in a car that is not remotely survivable at that speed? No. It's very unsafe IMO. You're not in a car that's been built like a tank and engineered to be survivable at very high speed. That it will go 200 or so says nothing about what the outcome would be in a crash at that speed.

You make your run just like a climb.....there will be a few minutes during which your life will be at serious risk. Nothing can change that except not doing it. You pay to play. You are playing the odds. Odds are that for the few minutes of glory nothing will go wrong. But, something that might be relatively minor or at least survivable at 70 may not be at much greater speed.

Each time I got to the top of a big mountain all I wanted suddenly was to start down. The risk kind of builds up...tempting fate is just what it billed as. I decided that for the rewards of climbing it was worth the relatively short periods of lethal peril. The rewards of going 200 mph would not be sufficient for me to take the risk. But, that's just me.

I've never been on a motorcycle....just too much "uncontrolled" risk in the form of idiots and impaired drivers on the road with me.

Have fun, get your jollies, and be thankful when it's over and you discover you've survived.

 

My post certainly wasn't trying to talk you out of anything, just mentioning its good to know the territory first, before doing something like that. I road track my my car several times a year, and sometimes hit speeds close to 150. It's a blast, and cant wait to do it again. In your case, think I'd try the run at about 120 mph first, to get the feel.