How fast is a really fast street car?

[fearsomefairmont]

Howdy,
It seems this forum is a fair cross section of street racers that are racing right now. In your opinion, how fast is a truly fast street car, and where does a vehicle cross the line from being a race or street machine?

I have seen some crazy machines driven on the street, namely a blown alky tube car that ran low 9's, but that is rather extreme. It seems that a low 11 or mid 10 car would easily defeat almost any other competition, and it could be very or almost not at all streetable. It is obviously easier for a forced induction car to be more streetable than a N/A, and nitrous is an option. As a bottom line, I think a low 10's car is virtually undefeatable, and would also take 95% of sportbikes too.

While we are at it, what would be an agreed definition of a "race" or "nascar" motor? In my opinion, the motor would have these features:
1. Aluminum heads w/Ti valves, retainers, etc., either chevy sb 2.2, ford yates C3, or dodge P7.
2. Dry sump oil system
3. Single plane high rise intake, or the svo, bowtie, or mopar variety.
4. A shaft rocker system and exotic solid roller cam
5. Not run real well on the street and get about 5 mpg.
6. Major compression, 13:1 or higher.

For those of you wishing to build the ultimate car, I would recommend picking up cast off nascar parts from last year's motors. If you scrounge you can build a $20k motor for about $6k and trust me, it will make more horsepower than ANYTHING else. There are some compatibility issues and one of these motors is not simple to build, but the potential for 750+ N/A hp out of a 358 inch motor is there.

Here is a recipe:
1. Ford yates C3 heads, new DW Ti valves, Manley valvesprings, Ti retainers/lock, and professionally ported - $2500
2. Forged Venolia pistons $500
3. 351W Windsor Block, fully prepped $1000
4. Forged crank, stroke of choice, giving up to 427 ci $500
5. H-Beam rods, as long as possible $500
6. Miscallaneous (bad spelling) other stuff $1500

Equals giant horsepower, and when dropped into a pinto w/C4 and 4000 rpm converter means ultimate sleeper.

Race on.....

[JekylandHyde]

Anything faster than 13.2 is pretty darn fast in my book.
Anything in the low 12s will take a majority of the cars on the street.

If you are faster than low 12s and still race on the street, you have no respect for how much power you have (just my opinion).

[GTStang]

For me to consider it a street car in my opinion they have to drive it everyday when the weather is nice. Drive it to work it needs to be your primary car. After meeting those requirements I think you need to be in the mid 12's and lower for me to consider it a really fast street car.

[chevytrucks92]

I agree with Hyde and GTStang, and want to add that it depends on who you ask.

As for a street car, I don't think you'll see any 9 sec. cars that are driven daily (which is my definition of a true "street car"). I mean you have to have some serious power to run 9 second 1/4s. I mean I'm not sure our race car is capable of 9 second 1/4s (4.30s in 330 ft, 1.40s 60 ft., have no other stats with the current engine), and there is no way it could be street driven.

As for my definition of a race engine: 4-bolt main block, steel crank and rods. High compression (12:1 and up), large valves, fully ported heads and intake, and some type of race ready carb.

[jeffs_GTP_sleeper]

Really fast street cars usually go 12.9 @ 105

[Layla's Keeper]

Robert Schmitt
Oceanside, NY
'67 Chevy Chevelle
Average: 9.40 @ 141 mph



Next question?

[GMCSyclone]

I would say anything 10s and under would be for the track as long as it is American. NO RICE! As far as the streets go my truck stock will take most of the rice boys around my way and thats about mid to low 13s.

[ac427cpe]

there is a BIG difference between a streetcar, a "streetcar", and a race car.

a FAST streetcar is something that you can get rubber in the first 2 gears in, and will push you back in the seat. i would only consider a car in this category to be something you'd be willing to drive every day (or whatever amount you'd drive your daily)

a "streetcar" is something that is FAST, you've made it that way for a reason. not something to be driven every day (like jekyl)...

then u have racecars; you don't want to drive on the street. and... yeah, FAST

i don't agree that a 1/4 mile time can tell you how fast a car really is... it takes more than that.

and jeff the "If you are faster than low 12s and still race on the street, you have no respect for how much power you have (just my opinion)." thing... i'd only agree on that if you meant "race" in the sence of an all out display of speed.

[LjasonL]

You're not a real streetcar unless you still have A/C (exceptions for cars that didn't come with it or areas that don't need it), can safely drive in the rain, can go on a long cruise, can fill up at the pump, can idle without dying or overheating, etc...

[Neutrino]

Originally Posted by GMCSyclone

I would say anything 10s and under would be for the track as long as it is American. NO RICE! As far as the streets go my truck stock will take most of the rice boys around my way and thats about mid to low 13s.

Crap I guess i'll have to tell the guys with Enzos and Carrerra GTs that they drive slow rice boy cars with all that carbon fiber and big deployable wings. I mean since they are not american...right

[Rating]

Originally Posted by LjasonL

You're not a real streetcar unless you still have A/C (exceptions for cars that didn't come with it or areas that don't need it), can safely drive in the rain, can go on a long cruise, can fill up at the pump, can idle without dying or overheating, etc...

I know your a Moderator, but I Beg to differ... Because I dont have A/C at the moment, the T3/T4 Hyrbid Took its place for a while. Until I get the money for custom A/C lines im shit out of luck. Alot of street racers live and die for the runs. Living paycheck to paycheck to make there ride sweeter and faster than the next. Thats not everything and that surley isnt the only type of street racer. Oh yeah most street racers dont have to take there car to the shop. To be honest you cant really define a street racer, because a street racer just is...

[kman10587]

I've got a question...if you've got a daily-driven street car that's running in the 11's and 12's, isn't it probably gonna be non-street legal (mainly in the emissions department), thus defeating the purpose of it being a street car? Or you can actually get most cars that fast without failing emissions?

[youngvr4]

you should be able to, unless you have completly removed the cat. which tends to give people problems when testing

[LjasonL]

Originally Posted by GMCSyclone

I would say anything 10s and under would be for the track as long as it is American. NO RICE! As far as the streets go my truck stock will take most of the rice boys around my way and thats about mid to low 13s.

Ah, so imports running 10 and below aren't fast, but american cars are? And imports running low 13's aren't fast for street cars, but American cars doing the same are?

Use your brain much?

[Chevyracincamaro]

the lingenvette is a 9 sec car, and its as streetable as a z06...