I put my foot into it for the first time today... A friend of min has a Cadillac catara V6 200hsp sport addition and he thought he had a chance.

My SS ate him up off the line and stayd ahead till we got to about 170 KPH then he started to take control and it pissed me off

So how do I get more top end?? Any suggestions??

 

think of it this way -
the more torque you have, the faster you accelerate off the line
the more HP you have, the faster your go (top speed)

so in your case, you probably have a better torque:weight ratio, so you jumped off the line, but your friends sheer HP overcame you 171 HP and beat you when your speeds became suicidal!!! Why would you race up to 170 km/h anyways idiot

 

surprsing the Catera would have ANY top end. 200hp with about 3600+lbs to haul around.

 

turbo and nitrous are top end monsters when done right other than that you are a low end car

 

You probably beat him off the line cause of driver skill as well. He could of had a bad launch or not as good of a launch and was playing "catch up" till he passed you.

Now, as far as improving your "top end", it's not just that simple. You should want to improve your overall powerband, not just one section of it. If you want, we can tell you ways to improve your top end but it would hurt your lower end and you'd be in the same situation or possible in a worse situation.

How much power do you really want? How much money are you willing to spend? Do you want to stay N/A? The list of questions go on and on...what you're asking is a really general question that not one of us can necessarily answer, you would have to answer it cause it's your car and your decision. Best suggestion is look at others who have gone in different directions...look at their progress, the outcomes, how much money they've spent and the problems that they've indured. This should help you make a logical decision.

 

What's done is done...he's sped just over 100 MPH, we've all done it once before, don't be mean bro.

 

At that speed, it's not your top end, it's your overall lack of power. At that point weight starts to take a back set as it becomes a battle of power vs. aerodynamics, and although he may be heavier, he's got more power and will likely have a higher top speed than you. Feel comfortable knowing you can probably still win in the 1/4 mile.

 

Good post and good point.

 

You are aware it says KM/H, not MPH, right? 170 km/h is about 105mph, which is nothing compared to the 140mph the SS/SC's race to at times. Sure, street racing is stupid, but calling him an idiot is completely out of line in this instance.

...my $.02

 

^^^ What he said.

 

true that!! ur a meanass dude u've never been past 105 or something huh man?

 

what is the final drive on the 2.4? You could swap out gears, but the more top speed you gain the more acceleration you lose. For example, the 4.1's on my car make it monstrous off the line for the power it's putting down, but from high speeds my stock 3.3 gearing would be better. If it isn't your gearing holding you back, then any power adding modification will help you. The more hp you are making, the easier you will be able to overcome the drag your car is creating. i would suggest a tune if you dont already have one, i don't know about the 2.4, but a tune made a huge difference in my car and every other car with a tune i have driven.

 

the catera's are small cars perhaps smaller than our's probaly closer to 3k

 

first of all the top end limiter will either have to be moved up or completely gotten rid of....160 mph max is all you should SAFELY be capable of...without more serious aerodynamical mods....and youl need to up hp levels and also get some z rated tires if you dont wanna be riding on aluminum by the time you hit 150.....

 

This was said earlier...

He is measuring KPH not MPH...big difference.

 

yea...you know what i mean in regards to mph...sorry i didnt convert it

 

It's alright...you're not the only one to make that mistake. No harm no foul.

 

lol no no no i wasnt trying to be mean,.. i am sorry about that lol..