Come on, who give the crap about OG this wheels and that: Let's talk Horsepower

[SOB/RFH]

So how fast can a street driven, Cal-looked, Volkswagen be!!!?? I suppose there is a limit somewhere and it is moving constantly....somewhere where you step in to the "maintenance taking all available time" and car is turned in to money pit...an area where there is no turning back. But all things like real life taken away, how fast is fast and still useable on the street?

[ESH]

I like to keep maintenance to a minimum and as close to 'stock' as possible so for me it's 13s maybe 12s but for those who love to play I don't think there's too much of a restriction, low 9s, maybe even high 8s? Of course you'd have to pack a chute and keep your foot in it to find that limit.

 

[BeetleBug]

I agree with Mat to a certain degree...

12`s for "everyone"
11`s for fast NA cars and lazy turbocars
10`s for very fast, but still "streetable" NA cars and turbo cars
9`s for NA street cars with nitrous and turbo cars

8`s.... for the extreme supercharged guys. Drive around on the street with moderate pressure but turns a knob and manages 8`s on the strip. We`re still not there but maybe soon - only time will tell.

And I`m glad I could post my answer to your question before the discussion about what is a real street car starts.....just wait and see, you will soon see someone from Germany here saying that a car is not a true street car before it can drive for hours and hours on the autobahn    A street is not a street is not a street and so on...

[louisb]

I think you will see street cars hit a wall around 9 sec due to suspension and transmission design.

--louis

[alex d]

what's your limit? when you can't keep the trans together anymore? when you must run a full cage to be legal at the track? (to me a full caged car is not a street car anymore, I know others thing otherwise), when the car is just to fast to be drivable on the streets?(thinking brakes and handling here)

[Jim Ratto]

Hi Sven, excellent topic.... no more OG wheels and monkey business about where do you live

I think Lee Gong type of car is about as fast as a real Cal Look VOLKSWAGEN can get, or old Mark Voegetly Green Machine... cars that still were VW's at heart. To "me" a Cal Look VW still has to have a VW core to it....not raised torsion, aftermarket case...etc.

so figure 11 sec on race gas

[Jon]

What takes more time, taking care of a hi strung VW engine or keeping the car a spotless cal-looker?
How fast is a cal-looker.... fast enough to smoke cars of the lights... fast enough to make you feel like misbehaving kid once again.
A cal looker looks like it... and does 15's
13 sec time slips is about as important as period wheels....  to me
12 sec time slips is about as important keeping the car spotless... to me
11 sec time slips is about as important as keeping the underside of the car imaculate... to me


Good thread SO

[Jim Ratto]

What takes more time, taking care of a hi strung VW engine or keeping the car a spotless cal-looker?
How fast is a cal-looker.... fast enough to smoke cars of the lights... fast enough to make you feel like misbehaving kid once again.
A cal looker looks like it... and does 15's
13 sec time slips is about as important as period wheels....  to me
12 sec time slips is about as important keeping the car spotless... to me
11 sec time slips is about as important as keeping the underside of the car imaculate... to me


Good thread SO

good point, maintaining mag rims or keeping 230hp engine happy?
or BOTH?

[John Rayburn]

What takes more time, taking care of a hi strung VW engine or keeping the car a spotless cal-looker?
How fast is a cal-looker.... fast enough to smoke cars of the lights... fast enough to make you feel like misbehaving kid once again.
A cal looker looks like it... and does 15's
13 sec time slips is about as important as period wheels....  to me
12 sec time slips is about as important keeping the car spotless... to me
11 sec time slips is about as important as keeping the underside of the car imaculate... to me


Good thread SO

good point, maintaining mag rims or keeping 230hp engine happy?
or BOTH?

                                        One of the reasons I have painted wheels.

[richie]

Sven,what you talking about gansta sh+te for anyway?  

OK,maybe to some my car pushes the limits of what a Cal look street car is,but then to me a car with chrome on pushes the limit of what a Cal look car is anyway,just my opinion.

Heres a rough history:

So when i ran high tens[N/A with nitrous],I drove it to the track all the time,it really could go anywhere,one weekend my girlfriend at the time and I drove to an open day at WPK racing VW shop south of paris in a day,then back again a day later,its roughly 600miles each way
So to the doubters,can you do this? in your 14/13 or even 12 second cars? yes I kept on top of maintainance,
now when I went turbo it changed somewhat,but so did my aims for the car,it actually is quite drivable again now,it took a while to get on top of it and theres still some things that could be improved to help,but as I cruise along its an 8.5/1 2332 with the EFI taking car of things going on inside and with tall gearing thanks to the turbo,it will go 70 at around 3000rpm and I am sure if I had the inclanation I could drive most anywhere,someone would have to sponsor me for fuel money but thats not the issue here
Its noisy,uncomfortable to get in and out of,sometimes difficult but it sure as hell is FUN

In reply to some other replies posted,my car has to have a cage at 14.99 here,so would you be happy running 15s???  Not me,normal cars do that and quicker and it doesnt have a raised trans,and as race bugs have gone 8s,so will street cars as the technology filters through,heck 2 cars are nearly there

cheers richie,uk

[nicolas]

And I`m glad I could post my answer to your question before the discussion about what is a real street car starts.....just wait and see, you will soon see someone from Germany here saying that a car is not a true street car before it can drive for hours and hours on the autobahn    A street is not a street is not a street and so on...

OK what is a street car, but stay on topic! 

i think there Lee Gongs car is up on my list as well (NA anyway) as is the green oval from Joe Maestras (spelling???). maybe even Art's 67 if it is driven on street ( i have seem a pic of the car on a trailer    ) anyway i think this could be a healty and good discussion and we are bound to come up with some different idea's about street cars.

so i can speak for me only and to me it is to get MY car to a point that it will drive as fast as it can and still be enjoyable on cruises. as i will cruise more then i race. so now i have 17second timeslips and a whole road ahead of me of trying and testing to get better times and enjoy it.
and one more thing: i like my OG wheels to the max, brotha.

[lawrence]

The mention of a 13 second e.t. sets off the lightbulb in my head and tells me a certain car is not run of the mill no matter what make or model. It isnt necessary to drive 100,000 miles, get perfect mileage or what have you, but it even better if those things are possible. Drive it, enjoy it, beat the shit out of it.

[Jason Foster]

Richies car is a good representation of the limits in  my opinion.
   My car has gone 13.57 and done 100 MPH in the 1/4 on radials. I think it will see the high 12.XX's now with D.O.T.'s
   It is loud bumpy way to fast for the street but so fun.
   Maintenance is always there with it but most of that is cleaning also.
   My car is geared tall 4.12 R/P super beetle main shaft and .82 fourth it will cruise all day at 3000 to 3500 RPM.
   It's N/A and fast enough for me if I hit it with Nitrous it could see 11's probably easy. But that won't happen.
   Anything's possible and open to the interpretation of the owner as to whats a street car.
   Shawn Geers "Street Car" does mid to low 10's
   I think it's about what the owner wants and does with it Skies the limit Boys. I think 8's in a street car is way ridiculous thinking though.    Jason

[mg]

 

[BeetleBug]

I think it's about what the owner wants and does with it Skies the limit Boys.

I agree totally - if the car is and can be driven on the streets then it`s a street car. Loud? so what. Cage? whats wrong with a safer car? 35 dollars/gallon gas in the tank? ok for me if the driver can afford it. 1.42 fourth? no problem...

If Shawn Geers car is driven on the streets - then ok for me. Jussi is faster and still uses his car to cruise nights etc. Richie + + .. all true street cars to me.

Just my two cents..

[BeetleBug]

Oh, almost forgot - a real street has to have wipers!

[louisb]

All I know is, after watching Johnie Walker's blue car at the races last weekend I have a bad case of "Fastest Car in The Valley Disease". Now I am thinking the '67 needs enough power to do at least mid - low 12s.    200+ hp NA anyone?

--louis

[BeetleBug]

Oh, almost forgot - a real street has to have wipers!

not that is funny... my notch speedster has almost 30k miles on it without having a wiper/wiper motor or anyplace to mount them.  i'm yet to have an issue with the police and yes i have driven it in the rain/snow/hail.  next you will say my car would also have to have bumpers. 

Nah.. I should have posted a smiley behind that answer because it was and is ment as a joke... it`s a Norwegian joke among the 7 second am-cars here.

[Rick Meredith]

Oh, almost forgot - a real street has to have wipers!

not that is funny... my notch speedster has almost 30k miles on it without having a wiper/wiper motor or anyplace to mount them.  i'm yet to have an issue with the police and yes i have driven it in the rain/snow/hail.  next you will say my car would also have to have bumpers. 

Are you in Cali? I've had 2 tickets from CHP for no wipers one with my '67 and one with my Mustang. With the Mustang, the wipers were in the back seat and required no tools to install and he still wrote me for that and no front plate.

[Gary Justus]

funny how "topics" get off 

[Eddie DVK]

I think it should be fast enough to kick those as....s buts in their laese cars(TDI an that kind),
who think they have a fast car.
Well thats how much horsepower i am aiming at.

[Zach Gomulka]

The GTV ran back to back 20.32's last time out!!
Ill run it at PHX BOR again, maybe Ill break into the 18's!!

[Sam K]

The goal for my street/race bug is going top be three things:

1. The ability to run a 10 second 1/4 mile (at Bandimere speedway  which is around 7,000 feet above sea level)
2. It has to make it to the track under it's own power (hopefully home from the track too)
3. I'd like it to pull thre front wheels off the ground

These are the same goals I set for my Mustang and I accomplished them all, but it might be a little harder in a bug. 

[besserwisser]

If you feel good about driving your car to the track, not worrying about overheating,more or less just enjoying the ride, doing a mild burnout and running down the track you have a street car. On the other hand if your eyes are glued to the temp meter and you are worrying about how to get home if the car breaks down you have a race car in a street car costume.Its like this,it doesnt matter how fast you go because someone is always going to go faster. Its more how much you enjoy going as fast as you go,not thinking about how fast others go. The option is there if you want to go really fast your car becomes a full time jobb. but if you want to enjoy life a thirteen time slip is totally okay. Just my own observations since building my first hopped up engine in 1971. I think Sven Olof is pretty close to the street car concept. just wish he had a type one engine. But in this trade you cant have everything so 90% is good enough.

[richie]

And i havent got near touching my wheels with polish for at least 3 years  

cheers richie,uk

[Jason Foster]

 Little update. Drag Day is in the books. I drove there ran a best of 7.77 at 88 mph won T1 class and drove it home no issues and a great day of work. Looking forward to Bug-In. Met my goal of getting in 7's in 1/8th and looking forward to getting my 12.XX run in the 1/4.   Jason