Higgs Boson

fueling 9000 with a carb is 10 orders of magnitude easier than doing it with direct injection.

btw, your 66 corvette was making the same hp at 9000 as the Z06 makes at 4500....

Procrastination Racing

Yes, but I was doing with 302 cubic inches and 25 years ago with about $1500 and a lot of labor.

Just think what I would be doing today if I had Chevy's budget over that time.

Warp Factor

No, Chevy hasn't just now caught up. On a 1966 engine, one missed power-shift, and you were done. And sure, one can build a 1966 engine to later specs, and do 9000 rpm. But it won't be an engine that anybody will warranty for 36,000 miles, like Chevy does on the ZO6.
A major limiting factor is the high piston speeds attained on large-displacement, high-rpm engines. Yeah, a small displacement motorcycle engine may rev to 15 thousand rpm with no problem, but major issues come into play with larger displacements and higher piston speeds. That's one of the reasons why large engines don't benefit as much from overhead cams. It's no problem to fix the high-rpm valve activation issues by going to overhead cams, but it does nothing for the piston speed issue.

But it's kind of a moot point anyway, since the Nurburgring videos don't show a Corvette singing at anything close to 9000 rpm. The guy who thought they did made a mistake. Simple as that.

davepl

You could build a warrantied 700+ hp car that runs 9s or low 10s from the showroom floor and that shifts at 9000rpm with the air conditioning on, and someone would still complain about it for some reason.

Oh wait, they just did!

Higgs Boson

my race car has a 1968 327 that makes 580 hp at 8800 rpm with low compression and ported 1968 cast heads but it cost a little more than $1500. She still ain't no LT4 or LS9 or whatever late model engine suits your fancy.

JMLS

this "NASA scientist" science is bad. And he should feel bad

CFHay

9000 RPM capable for $1500.. did this include a tach that read a couple thousand high?

keagan

Procrastination Racing

Only 36,000 miles?

First-year Z-28-equipped Camaros included Chevrolet's 2-year/24,000-mile warranty and 5-year/50,000-mile powertrain warranty. 602 buyers ordered the Z-28 option in 1967. -- http://www.classic-car-history.com/1967-1968-camaro.htm

Of course, with stock exhaust on, you'd never get the 8000 out of the engine. But the headers were factory and in the trunk, but no idea if putting them on voided the warranty.



All the machine work was free. We had a ton of hours in putting it together. We didn't just balance the pistons, rods, crank, and flywheel, we balanced the valves, rockers, matched pushrods, and so on, so that everything was the same and wouldn't get to jumping around differently than any other piece.

The engine was built three times to finally get clearances right. IIRC, we had .006" on the rods and mains and 80 psi oil as less clearance usually ended with the bearings wiping.


The scary thing was that at 9500, it felt as smooth as many motorcycles at those speeds. The power came on about 3000 and ran up to about 9500. I think it would have gone faster, but it was scary just being at 9500 with it.

I normally didn't go over 9000, just because even that seemed insane for a small block.

Procrastination Racing

I'm not complaining. But I was rattling your cages. The article made it seem like this is some incredible first. It has been done before.

BUT (notice it is a big "but"), there is no denying that the new cars are amazing. Even in 1998, the LS1 just produced power and speed that was incredible. Several years back, there were videos of the Toy Run in New Jersey and the guys hitting 180 mph or so while cruising with a passenger and the stereo on.

I've been those speeds before with the race car and they were not easy to obtain. A lot of work went into making that power and getting that stability and here was an off-the-floor production car doing the same thing.

Now if this new ZR1 is running 9000 rpm, it is an amazing thing for a production car, one that anyone who can sign on the bottom line can simply drive home in.

Sure, we did that with mine 25 years ago, but it was a lot of work.

And Chevrolet will kick one of these out in a day if you order it.

That is just nearly unbelievable.


The only complaint I have about it is I will never be able to afford one. Unless I hit Powerball, that car is as obtainable to me as to getting a trip to the moon.

Heck, I will never ride in one, let alone drive one.

That is my complaint.