Oh Happy Day...Cold air experience
 

Hey guys,

Just wanted to share my experience yesterday in Miami when we had a very cool cold front. During my yesterday morning commute, I experienced ambient air temperatures in between 55-60 degrees. All I can say is holy moly!!! What a pleasant experience driving the Vette with this weather. My LS1 is stock for now, but had a fresh engine air filter put in less than 20 miles ago. During a backroad pull, the thing RIPPED!!!!!! I smoked 1st and it danced slightly on 2nd gear. I was laughing at myself afterwards. I didn't know that these cars were pleasantly sensitive to cool intake air. Yesterday's drive memory I'll cherish for a while.

While cold air is better then warm air, the Idea of ambient temperature giving seat of the pants " Wow" can only be felt in a dramatic change.. Since science and dense air are relative. Every 10 degrees of temperature change will yield 1.3 to 1.5 Horse power gain or lost. On a Normal 70 degree day in Florida as the base line. A temperature drop of 20 degrees will yield 3 hp gain at best , and there is no seat of the pant dynamometer that can register 3 hp. When a change of 10 hp is added, there will be a noticeable difference. there is no " WOW" factor with three HP. However, there is also a sensation dynamometer. ( in the head ) wow factor when some one adds something to their car, be it aesthetic or performance .

Usually is takes a 65/70 degree swing to feel a difference in actual hp gain.. Most people who drive their car in the summer in 90 *F + weather will indeed feel the difference when they take their car out in weather that is 20*F
People in the North East are very familiar with the amount of ambient swing from summer to winter... But a ten to 20 degree swing is not noticeable nor is 3 hp.. Just offering some science here, I could add a formula, the same one used for " corrected " ( corrected for temperature ) dyno numbers used by both Mustang and dyna-jet Dynamometers...
Just an FYI for actual air density effects.

Bill aka ET

^^^

:iagree:

Glad you had a WOW moment.... for what ever reason....those are cool. It's not difficult to have WOW moments with our C5s. The more the better. Actually here in Flagstaff with very little humidity at 7,000 feet, a 40 or 50 degree temp swing is pretty common. Perfect for WOW moments in my C5.

But...a cold front at 60 degrees..... LOL Here is Flagstaff this week....yes, it's Arizona....:)
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...efc3975483.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...97d87b2b66.jpg

All I'm saying I've felt the increased agility way more in this vehicle than others I've experienced with a similar ambient air swing. Being used to driving at 85F-90F, yesterday's 55F sure felt faster. I also wasn't heatsoaked since traffic wasn't at play. Probably the colder road & tire conditions also added to the wheel spin drama, but man was it fun.

That's some beautiful scenery. Handsome dog too.

Thanks, he loves the snow!!!!
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...df0d440ebe.jpg

Been driving mine in 20-35 degree weather regularly recently. I actually feel like my engine doesn't like it quite that cold, but my car has been pretty modified.

My snowmobile runs better when it gets below zero. Never tried the vert at that temperature.

:flag:Bill, I doubt that there is nobody else on this forum who has the knowledge, experience and back round with this generation of Corvette. I would also imagine that almost to a person that you are very respected for these attributes, myself being a person who does respect you regarding these things. However, your people and social skills seem very transparent, especially when exhibited on a media such as this forum with the many transcribers viewing here daily. Why could you just compliment the gentleman on his experience with his car. It is apparent that he had a hell of a good time, whether the car was actually that much more responsive, or just imagined so is a moot point. He had a grin on his face, then and still now. Hopefully so, even after reading your post. I have been on this forum since 11/13 and have read many of the posts written by you. While many are very informative and contain valuable points of interest to the rest of us, your overall negativity in you wording tends to turn many of us off, so to speak. I am 62 and have owned a Corvette all the years since I was 21. I have had many experiences with all of these cars that put a smile on my face and that is all that really matters. Reinforcement of another's experience in a positive manner would go a long way in growing respect for you as an individual, not just an encyclopedia on the C5 generation of Corvette.
Regards,
Chas:(

Chas !
In your effort to admonish me for offering the Op some facts. ( Its what I do ) Look at it this way, if my son or brother came here saying because the weather was 20 degrees cooler his car ripped through first and second gear and there was such a Wow factor, I would be embarrassed for such a statement.. I did mentioned the sensation factor, ( in his head ) IM like Jack Nicholson I guess, ( " You can't handle the truth " ) Some people can not handle the facts. on the other hand I tried to explain to the OP that it would be embarrassing to spout such an unrealistic experience to anyone who actually knows something about automotive technology... But I guess I should have said... something like , as unrealistic as a 20 degrees swing making any difference, I guess I should have said: IM glad you enjoyed the experience. An in your head ( psychosomatic ) experience is as real as an actual experience ( Psychology 101 ).
I apologize for trying to be informative to the OP . Sometimes its just hard to accept the wow factor of some who post here. Its my short coming. I deal in facts, formulas and statistical process I try to share that knowledge here, and it sometimes comes off as being insensitive.
Bill aka ET

One other point here is a fact. ( Unsprung weight factor A 3000 pound car that has 300 HP has a 10:1 power to weight ratio. Same thing for a 2000 pound car with 200HP. If you drop 10 pounds off each car it will have the same effect on acceleration as gaining one HP.

My point is that no one will notice a difference in their cars performance with the reduction of 5 gallon of gas. . 5 gal = 30 lbs, or 3 hp.
it wont make your car rip through first and second gear. A smart person would want to know this information.. that was my motivation.

I also live in the Northeast, I usually drive my car in March through November. However most of my driving is during warm sunny days seeing temps in the 90+ range. But on a Crisp clear December of January day where ambient is in the single digits to the teens, the car is noticeably more responsive.. its almost like driving a different car. knowing the car on a regular basis at 90+ F degrees and then getting that boost of 70 degree swing and air density, much like adding boost, or compresszor as the Germans call it.
Bill aka ET

More dense air is the same thing as a super charger to compress the air... a car performance reaction at any point in the torque range will feel more powerful because it is... stepping on the gas in second or third gear without breaking the wheels free is a noticeable experience if that increase is at 10 hp or higher..
the wheel spin you are talking about is the deliverance of kinetic energy as the tire make full contact traction.. its not the same as an increase in dense air. Point being you do not have to break the tires free to experience a real gain in hp via denser air..