Well the high from 252 MPH is starting to wear off and we all know what the next number should be. I'm looking into what it will take to reach the next logical goal of 275+. Some of the concerns are the tires and which ones should I be using considering the speeds I want to attempt. I have been speaking to some very knowledgeable people regarding this and hopefully we can come up with a solution that we all are comfortable with. I feel like the team is capable of making enough WHP/Torque from the engine to reach the 275+ and the car is gear capable provided the engine is able to push it to those speeds. We will probably make a switch from C16 to E85/E98 considering some of the issues we had last time with temps. As to safety I don't know how much more I can do beyond what we have done already, maybe update the gear I wear and a new HANs, it's about time for that anyway. I feel the car is aero capable of 275 although I might put a very small spoiler on rear to tighten up the back of the car. I would probably have 3 to 4 spoilers made from maybe 1/2" to 1.25" tall so that I can make a few 225 to 250 MPH passes to see how each feels and then bolt on the one that feels best. It does like to dance side to side just a little bit at top speeds and a small amount of downforce could help with that. The nose seems to create enough downforce at speed that the car feels very connected up front. I just need to get the balance right between adding small amount of downforce at the rear and none up front. I want to limit the distance to 1.5 miles max which will help with the IAT issues we had in the past. As before I'm not trying to be the fastest Viper in the half mile, mile or any specified distance, I'm just chasing the top speed at any distance.
I have looked at many of the peoples cars doing speed runs. I have not seen your car run or don't remember it. my concern is the rake these cars are running. If you run a boat or car noise high you will flip backwards some time. like some Vipers have on the drag track. if your frount down force is ok, drop the frount ride height(at speed) 3 degrees lower than the rear ride height(at speed). this will do several things, keep air out from under creating more down force, will permit removal of down force generators reducing drag(increasing speed). find a tire that has a stronger side wall that will not colaps under down force like somany do, but has the rubber for tracsion (maybe nascar tire)
Thanks for the input, I do rake the car prior to any runs. The front is lowered as much as possible and the rear is typically a few inches higher. I have some data from past runs that we use to make these adjustments. The tires obviously grow in height with the centrifugal forces acting on them and as the speed increases the downforce acting on the car can result in the tires rubbing the wheel wells. We have learned over time what clearances we need to prevent this. As to tires which are the biggest concern I'm looking at Nascar and Formula 1 tires and trying to find a workable solution that will give me some comfort at those speeds.
I think Bugatti was working with Michelin or someone and had a carbon fiber reinforced tire that could hold up to 300mph
