Was a ZR-1 Ever Tested at 180mph?

[Erik]

Did an independent magazine test ever manage to get a ZR-1 to 180mph? I remember a bunch of tests at 175+ but don't recall seeing anyone get one up to an actual, life begins at, 180mph. Does anyone know of one?

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Here you go.

https://youtu.be/X4AwBohyxNI


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[Vetman]

Great question. That translates to 181 mph. Just how stock was the car?

[Erik]

Here you go.

https://youtu.be/X4AwBohyxNI


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One of my favourite videos, but not exactly what I meant. Proper top speed testing is an average of two runs, one in either direction. Only a few car magazines bother to do it right.

[Erik]

Great question. That translates to 181 mph. Just how stock was the car?

Just minor mods, iirc. Headers and exhaust, a bit of porting work. Just a ZR-1 uncorked.

[Vetman]

Appeared to be still gaining speed had there been more road.

[HAWAIIZR-1]

One of my favourite videos, but not exactly what I meant. Proper top speed testing is an average of two runs, one in either direction. Only a few car magazines bother to do it right.



Sorry, I missed the main part of independent magazine test. [emoji38] Hopefully one of the diehard old timers will chime in. Where is Hib when you need him?


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[Dynomite]

Great question. That translates to 181 mph. Just how stock was the car?


181 mph is 291+ km/h :thumbsup:

At what engine rpm?
Which Transmission?
Which Differential?
I can calculate rolling rear tire diameters.

[Erik]

181 mph is 291+ km/h :thumbsup:

At what engine rpm?
Which Transmission?
Which Differential?
I can calculate rolling rear tire diameters.

I'm taking nothing away from him and the achievement of his run, but not a stock ZR-1 and not a proper, 2 way top speed test.

[LGAFF]

Id have to go pull the articles, I think Corvette Fever did it, Automobile magazine, and Hot Rod magazine. One of the articles mentioned that cars were often tested on a track that didnt allow a true top speed due to nature of banking, straightaway length and also temperatures.

[wfot]

I think a 1990 did hit 182.xx in one direction but once corrected, the average was 178...


John

[Erik]

I think a 1990 did hit 182.xx in one direction but once corrected, the average was 178...


John

Thanks.
I used to have that magazine, but many moves later.....

[gtcollins@maxnet.co.nz]

Hi that's my ZR-1 in the video I have made my own headers and exhaust system I have dump pipes open behind the diff I have a aluminum flywheel Marc Haibeck chip and have ported the injector housing haven't removed the injector boss haven't port matched it either runs 3.45 gears I made a defuser at the rear to keep the from getting under the rear of the car I am running nitto NT05s 315x35x17 and 27x40x17 std sizes my shift light comes on at 6500rpm so over 6000rpm but not 6500rpm I am 1850 feet above sea level so the engine is down on power I think about 50hp could be wrong about that but at a track at a lower altitude I am about .5 of a second slow in the 1/4 mile which is about 50hp that video is from my second time at that event my first time it was cooler weather and I did 296.31km or 184mph.
At the event I go to we have 2.5km run up 1/4 measure 2.5km run down then turn around and do it again my average speed in the timed section was 284km/hr both ways first time I did the I button of slow down and then had to drive to the end so I keep going further at to how fast I could go 184mph was most I got to I believe the speed was still going up slowly at sea level maybe 190mph who knows I had a fun day out

Glen Collins

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[Dynomite]

:thumbsup:

Excellent information and great performance :cheers:

[gtcollins@maxnet.co.nz]

Thank's Dynomite

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[Erik]

Not taking anything away from Glen and what he has achieved (it's my favourite YouTube ZR-1 video, and I've probably watched his videos 100 times each), but his car is not stock. Not drastically modded, but not what left the factory either.

What I'm really interested in is how the ZR-1 performed off the showroom floor. Chevy seemed really confident in their 180 mph top speed, yet it doesn't seem to have achieved it. It was probably a 175-178 mph car? Yes a minor, and largely esoteric, difference. But as I'm sure GM did a lot of math supporting the 180 mph top speed, it would be interesting to know where it went. The last minute exhaust change? An emissions demanded programming change? The wide body causing more drag then anticipated? It would just be interesting to know.

Obviously, Glen has shown that there is a lot left behind by GM as far as top speed is concerned, and it doesn't take much to free it.

[grahambehan]

The Facebook page may be a better place to ask this.
The reason I say this is that I recall a test at DPG, desert proving grounds, that was a v max test for the cooling system. I have seen DPG and cooling group staff post there.

Graham

[bb62]

Here's an article where a stock ZR-1 was tested at 180:

http://sportmachines.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Motor-Trend-6-93.pdf

[XfireZ51]

Erik,

Most of us know that the LT5 was pretty ?constipated? the way it came from the factory. Given the results we see w just some little tweaks to the LT5, I?d be interested to hear perhaps from Graham, what were the obstacles in going for an honest 500hp back in 1990. Because its clear that level of power is readily available in a reliable and streetable configuration.
500hp would have blown up the automotive universe as we knew it.

[grahambehan]

Durability, noise, emissions, cost to name but a few.

Graham

[Erik]

The Facebook page may be a better place to ask this.
The reason I say this is that I recall a test at DPG, desert proving grounds, that was a v max test for the cooling system. I have seen DPG and cooling group staff post there.

Graham

Good idea.
Thanks Graham.

[Hib Halverson]

Sorry, I missed the main part of independent magazine test. [emoji38] Hopefully one of the diehard old timers will chime in. Where is Hib when you need him?

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This doesn't really qualify as an "independent test" because 1) I was not working on a Corvette assignment from a magazine when it happened and 2) it was one-way, not a two-way average, but one time at the Milford Proving Ground, I was riding shotgun with Heinricy in a ZR-1. Late one afternoon at 4PM, he took me out to the "North-South straight and floored it for what seemed, like...forever. When I could see the end of the straight coming up fast, I looked over and saw 181 on the digital speed display. Right then John lifted, downshifted and braked hard.

Afterwards I asked him why do this so late in the day. Turns out 4PM was when the MPG security people changed shifts and for about 15-min or so there were no guards cruising around. The car was bone stock with no roll cage or harnesses and it was against MPG safety rules to go that fast without safety equipment, special permission and jumping through who knows what other hoops. Had we been "caught", John would have been in a lot of trouble.

[HAWAIIZR-1]

This doesn't really qualify as an "independent test" because 1) I was not working on a Corvette assignment from a magazine when it happened and 2) it was one-way, not a two-way average, but one time at the Milford Proving Ground, I was riding shotgun with Heinricy in a ZR-1. Late one afternoon at 4PM, he took me out to the "North-South straight and floored it for what seemed, like...forever. When I could see the end of the straight coming up fast, I looked over and saw 181 on the digital speed display. Right then John lifted, downshifted and braked hard.



Afterwards I asked him why do this so late in the day. Turns out 4PM was when the MPG security people changed shifts and for about 15-min or so there were no guards cruising around. The car was bone stock with no roll cage or harnesses and it was against MPG safety rules to go that fast without safety equipment, special permission and jumping through who knows what other hoops. Had we been "caught", John would have been in a lot of trouble.



Mahalo for sharing Hib! Personally it does not matter to me since I honestly don?t have the location or balls to try 180, but it nice to know that the slogan is not just made up. 🤙🏼


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[gtcollins@maxnet.co.nz]

Thanks for sharing Hib it took 1 minute for my ZR-1 to get to 184mph

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[HAWAIIZR-1]

Hi that's my ZR-1 in the video I have made my own headers and exhaust system I have dump pipes open behind the diff I have a aluminum flywheel Marc Haibeck chip and have ported the injector housing haven't removed the injector boss haven't port matched it either runs 3.45 gears I made a defuser at the rear to keep the from getting under the rear of the car I am running nitto NT05s 315x35x17 and 27x40x17 std sizes my shift light comes on at 6500rpm so over 6000rpm but not 6500rpm I am 1850 feet above sea level so the engine is down on power I think about 50hp could be wrong about that but at a track at a lower altitude I am about .5 of a second slow in the 1/4 mile which is about 50hp that video is from my second time at that event my first time it was cooler weather and I did 296.31km or 184mph.
At the event I go to we have 2.5km run up 1/4 measure 2.5km run down then turn around and do it again my average speed in the timed section was 284km/hr both ways first time I did the I button of slow down and then had to drive to the end so I keep going further at to how fast I could go 184mph was most I got to I believe the speed was still going up slowly at sea level maybe 190mph who knows I had a fun day out

Glen Collins

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You are the MAN Glenn! Very few on here will ever be able to do what you do, especially on that narrow road where you do you high speed runs in NZ. I salute you big time and you represent the C4 ZR-1s in a big way. To me, you are a King of the Hill! Thanks for keeping the legend alive.


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[gtcollins@maxnet.co.nz]

Hi Craig thank's for the kind comments I am very fortunate to be able to do what I have done I really enjoy the ZR-1 Net Registry and hope I can add to it for others
Regards Glen Collins 16004

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[RichieDMD]

Wasn't the bigger accomplishment that a stock engine was able to run at high speeds for up to 24 hours and was still in good shape after the testing? If I remember, it wasn't just about top speed but true robustness.

[A26B]

One of my favourite videos, but not exactly what I meant. Proper top speed testing is an average of two runs, one in either direction. Only a few car magazines bother to do it right.



?Proper? testing might need 3 runs, but we are not talking about a sanctioned certified Bonneville Salt record here.
The Life Begins at 180? comment falls in the category of bragging rights, not certification. This is why you won?t find what you are looking for.
?JUST DO IT!?

[A26B]

?Proper? testing might need 2 runs, but we are not talking about a sanctioned certified Bonneville Salt record here.
The Life Begins at 180? comment falls in the category of bragging rights, not certification. This is why you won?t find what you are looking for.
?JUST DO IT!?






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[Erik]

Wasn't the bigger accomplishment that a stock engine was able to run at high speeds for up to 24 hours and was still in good shape after the testing? If I remember, it wasn't just about top speed but true robustness.

Different accomplishment. Yes, easily indicative of the fact that the LT5 might be the most rugged high performance/exotic street engine ever built. But it also doesn't much matter if the street versions don't hit the expected numbers.

[Erik]

?Proper? testing might need 3 runs, but we are not talking about a sanctioned certified Bonneville Salt record here.
The Life Begins at 180? comment falls in the category of bragging rights, not certification. This is why you won?t find what you are looking for.
?JUST DO IT!?

The car testing guys set the standard at 2 passes, as close to back to back as possible. It's fair as it eliminates wind and elevation from the equation.

It's not bragging if you can back it up. And with a stock ZR-1, it doesn't seem we can. But, it seems the Corvette guys really believe that it could, and I trust them on that. Something happened between the last prototypes and the production cars, and I'd like to know what it was. Especially with how easy it is to get the needed power out of a mildly tweaked LT5. My guess is either accounts or last minute emissions.

Ive Been talking to some of the GM testing guys, and hope to learn more soon. They certainly hit some very impressive numbers in late prototype testing, which could have made it a serious contender for worlds fastest production car in 1989.

[Matt B]

Maybe there also lies the reason why they refuse to hand out the dyno sheets? Big promise they couldn't keep in production runs?
Doesn't matter today and will not jeopardize the achievements or make car and engine any less desireable. But for sure this would have had a high s**tstorm potential back in the 90's.

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[Erik]

Maybe there also lies the reason why they refuse to hand out the dyno sheets? Big promise they couldn't keep in production runs?
Doesn't matter today and will not jeopardize the achievements or make car and engine any less desireable. But for sure this would have had a high s**tstorm potential back in the 90's.

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Good point.

Could very well be. A bunch of power was lost between the prototypes used for testing, and the production cars. The dyno sheets might show exactly that. Even if the peak numbers are the same, there are a lot of changes that can dramatically effect the performance of a car.

Could they have tweaked the prototypes to run better then production cars? They could have. But I really doubt they did that. This car was very much an exercise in the Corvette team showing the world what they could do. I'm sure they built a ton of reserve into it to meet whatever goals they set for it.

[gtcollins@maxnet.co.nz]

Hi All my ZR-1 does 12.515 @114.79mph in the 1/4 mile a friend worked it out with the weight of the car that my LT5 is making about 430hp @ the flywheel so if you lose .5 of a second in the 1/4 at altitude which is 50hp you down to about 380hp just rough figures and I got to 184mph so the ZR-1s that would do the 1/4 mile in 12.9 second would be able to do the 180mph my car did 13.5 seconds on the 1/4 when I first got the vehicle so room for improvement on the driving but I don't think .5 off my time the book in the pizza box say the ZR-1 should be able to do the 1/4 in 13.5 I do think that a good stock ZR-1 would be able to do 180mph on a good day and if you have a long enough road as the LT5 keeps pulling at the top end

Glen

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[XfireZ51]

Gotta think Graham knows.

[jad1014]

Hi that's my ZR-1 in the video I have made my own headers and exhaust system I have dump pipes open behind the diff I have a aluminum flywheel Marc Haibeck chip and have ported the injector housing haven't removed the injector boss haven't port matched it either runs 3.45 gears I made a defuser at the rear to keep the from getting under the rear of the car I am running nitto NT05s 315x35x17 and 27x40x17 std sizes my shift light comes on at 6500rpm so over 6000rpm but not 6500rpm I am 1850 feet above sea level so the engine is down on power I think about 50hp could be wrong about that but at a track at a lower altitude I am about .5 of a second slow in the 1/4 mile which is about 50hp that video is from my second time at that event my first time it was cooler weather and I did 296.31km or 184mph.
At the event I go to we have 2.5km run up 1/4 measure 2.5km run down then turn around and do it again my average speed in the timed section was 284km/hr both ways first time I did the I button of slow down and then had to drive to the end so I keep going further at to how fast I could go 184mph was most I got to I believe the speed was still going up slowly at sea level maybe 190mph who knows I had a fun day out

Glen Collins

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I enjoyed your vids. A rare site to see the car at its full potential, along with the narrow tree lined pass!

Ive been to Queenstown and Cromwell when visiting in laws and enjoyed my brief time in NZ.

Jason

[gtcollins@maxnet.co.nz]

Hi glad you enjoyed the video's South island is very nice place to visit love going down there have taken my ZR-1 down there

Glen

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[grahambehan]

Gotta think Graham knows.

Maybe. My first question would be, what is the minimum rwhp anyone has seem with a good condition stock ZR-1 on a dynojet chassis dyno.

[We Gone]

My 91 did 326rwhp bone stock in 02 with 12k miles.