Sledgehammer question...

[90 Corvette ZR-1]

Did Lingenfelter ever get the car to 278 mph? I just had someone tell me the this occurred and I'm not buying it.

 

[*89x2*]

Did Lingenfelter ever get the car to 278 mph? I just had someone tell me the this occurred and I'm not buying it.

No.

Top speed was 254.76 mph

For the facts on the Sledgehammer Callaway Corvette, Click HERE

 

[90 Corvette ZR-1]

No.

Top speed was 254.76 mph

For the facts on the Sledgehammer Callaway Corvette, Click HERE

thought so, thanks chirs

 

[callaway4fun]

Hey I remember when those picks were taken . December 2003 Just before Barrett Jackson Socttsdale Az. What a GREAT time.

 

[*89x2*]

Hey I remember when those picks were taken . December 2003 Just before Barrett Jackson Socttsdale Az. What a GREAT time.

That was a great weekend, wasn't it :cool

 

[red69coupe]

If you check out lingenfelters site it should say that he reach 278 in a sedan, i forget which kind in the salt flats. The car was not street legal like the sledge hammer.

 

[*89x2*]

If you check out lingenfelters site it should say that he reach 278 in a sedan, i forget which kind in the salt flats. The car was not street legal like the sledge hammer.

...maybe it was the Trans Am w/ loads of Nitrous - seriously not even close to legal :eek

Then there was the other T/A (w/ an LPE decal on the fender) that flipped :ugh

 

[red69coupe]

I came across www.goingfaster.com and found this article

"In 1989, John's greatest attempt at top speed began on the Bonneville Salt Flats. There, taking a '89 Firebird Trans-Am, whose aerodynamics he thought were superior to the 'Vette's, he managed to drop in a twin turbocharged 355cid small-block that was making an astounding 1400 horsepower! John's goal? 300mph! To this lofty end, John rigged up a set of six(!) nitrous bottles in the rear hatch area of the Firebird. These nitrous bottles injected their charge not into the engine, but into the intercoolers for the two turbos, using the super cold gas as a cooling medium in the air to air capacity. The result was that the turbochargers outlet air temperature dropped radically, far more than would have been possible using just normal atmospheric air. This did some pretty incredible things to the horsepower output of the engine. His first run in the car netted a 298mph top speed. A second run managed only 293mph."

Some reason I dont think that it was all 50 state street legal!!

 

[*89x2*]

...there is a fella overseas w/ a Callaway Twin Turbo who "fogs" the intercoolers w/NOS :eek

He also set up a nozzle to make it look like a dragon breathing as he purges / sprays the tanks :eek


There are obvious benefits to spraying the intercoolers

 

[Aurora40]

Couldn't you just compress air and do the same thing for a lot less money? Or maybe CO2 or something that might have a higher specific heat (or whatever the thing is that would result in it taking away more heat)? Nitrous isn't all that cheap, is it?

 

[90Callaway]

You are correct Aurora - CO2 is a good choice for external fogging of intercoolers. I thought the speed run of the Sledgehammer averaged the speed over a certain distance. So, isn't 254.76mph actually the average speed? That would mean it is possible the car actually went a little faster at any given point.

 

[SurfnSun]

Couldn't you just compress air and do the same thing for a lot less money? Or maybe CO2 or something that might have a higher specific heat (or whatever the thing is that would result in it taking away more heat)? Nitrous isn't all that cheap, is it?

Oxygen is way too flameable, nitrous isnt. The problem with C02 is that it dispurses all the oxygen nearby. If youre going down the road it might be ok...but on a dyno it kills your numbers. This was proven by a guy on CF.com.