Questioning my Cars Performance!

[red-eight]

Thanks to a Saturn Ion Red-Line, I am now questioning my cars ability. After having a spontaneous drag race in Pittsburghs Liberty Tunnels last night......I'm finding that this Saturn will run nearly door to door up to triple digit speeds. Is it humanly possible that this could happen? At one point he was 4 car-lengths back from me, and then like lightning......he was next to me? Nitrous maybe?........either way....it was a hard fought battle, and I don't feel great about winning by a nose.

[SLSDuke82]

Originally Posted by red-eight

Thanks to a Saturn Ion Red-Line, I am now questioning my cars ability. After having a spontaneous drag race in Pittsburghs Liberty Tunnels last night......I'm finding that this Saturn will run nearly door to door up to triple digit speeds. Is it humanly possible that this could happen? At one point he was 4 car-lengths back from me, and then like lightning......he was next to me? Nitrous maybe?........either way....it was a hard fought battle, and I don't feel great about winning by a nose.

Small world haha. I signed up on the forums last night to make a post myself, but didn't get the chance to find your post. Someone linked from the Charger website.

But that would've been me in the Rubbermaid...I was just on a milk run, detouring through the Tubes. Soon as I saw your badging, I figured you'd want to run

Reason the race ended up like it did was I'm trapping ~107 in the quarter. But...FWD = 13.6 or so ET. Had we gone from a dig, ya would've jumped a few cars and kept it. And it was funny to note the difference in our powerbands. You pull low to mid-range, I gain it back up top. Have a nice 7,400rpm rev limiter.

Not stock, but I'm not spraying. 2.6 pulley vs. stock 3.35, 60# injectors, K&N CAI (I'm sure you heard that lol), second heat exchanger, cat delete, custom tune. Pushing 19 psi. With a clogged cat, I put down 265 whp and about same tq. Probably freed up some with the cat delete, and the heat exchanger helps me in 3rd and 4th gear, keeping my post-intercooler temps pretty low. Got that nice bump in HP for less than a grand in mods. Plus the car, tank of gas, and myself only weighs in @ around 3000 lbs.

If we both kept on it in forth, you probably would've started pulling, as that 's a long gear for me, and I start getting heat soak. But winning by a nose? You sure?

I've played around with a few Goats who hang out with our car group, and have ridden in another friend's Charger SRT-8. I knew I could hang from a roll, and thought you might be surprised If ya ever want to run again, or try some other tuned LSJs, drop me a line. A lot of us meet up almost weekly, including the Goats and Charger. Another guy in our group just went all turbo on his Redline. Pushing 350whp, with a rough tune. He's installing a new valvetrain, pistons, etc. this week or next, looking at 400whp or so.

Anyway, great run!

Jon

[madeulooq]

wow...I don't even know what to say, I prolly would have freaked out.
sounds like a pretty quick Saturn though.

[SLSDuke82]

Originally Posted by madeulooq

wow...I don't even know what to say, I prolly would have freaked out.
sounds like a pretty quick Saturn though.

I don't have any visual mods (not even the ricer wing...thank God), so unless you know what you're looking at, a visually stock Ion Redline, I just look like a quad coupe w/ a non-ricey body kit and 17" rims. I surprise a lot of people. Though the "supercharged" badges give it away, usually. Or, when I get on it, the insanely loud s/c whine

It's quick. The LSJ (2.0 liter Ecotec, lifted from Saab, according to the stamps on the coilpack cover and tranny) is a pretty stout motor. A decent hp-to-weight ratio helps, too. The gearing in 1st sucks for dig races, but my 2nd and 3rd make it perfect for rolls. Plus my powerband rises at almost a 45 degree angle. Making power all the way to redline, why big NA motors or turbo'd motors will pull mid-range, but I just keep moving till I have to shift.

[madeulooq]

I just read ur post on the Charger forum and i just have 1 question, soooo who came out on top?lol

[SLSDuke82]

Far as I remember, he has HID headlights He was gaining back (like I said, into 4th, I'd start pulling timing, as my IAT2s go nuts), and would've started pulling, but we let off (he had traffic in his lane)...I was low in 4th gear.

He was ahead most of 2nd gear, and into 3rd, but I crept up. I'd feel safe calling it a draw. Safe and satisfied

[madeulooq]

damn now I gotta lookout for Saturns too? the friggin list keeps getting bigger. j/k.
Way to go guys

[eggr]

Got to give the guy credit for not coming here and talking some crap. I'm not a big Saturn fan but as a car guy, I appreciate anyone who puts the time and effort (not to mention money) into making his car run better. Many of us have done the same with our SRT8s. Just goes to show that you certainly can't judge a book (or supercharged Saturn) by it's cover. Just means I'll look a little closer if I ever pull up on one.

[GoofyTimL]

Nice to see a friendly banter, and explanation of what can be hidden in a Saturn Ion... sometimes even we get a bit assumptive in our prognostications of what we should be able to outrun, etc.

Thanks for joining up here and enjoy the group! Sounds like you've found another "buddy" in Pittsburgh!

[SLSDuke82]

Originally Posted by eggr

Got to give the guy credit for not coming here and talking some crap. I'm not a big Saturn fan but as a car guy, I appreciate anyone who puts the time and effort (not to mention money) into making his car run better. Many of us have done the same with our SRT8s. Just goes to show that you certainly can't judge a book (or supercharged Saturn) by it's cover. Just means I'll look a little closer if I ever pull up on one.

Having owned the IRL for about two years, I've never found a reason to talk crap. A) I drive a Saturn. B) I know what it can do, no need to be an ass about it haha. Car has its flaws (i.e. trap times are in the 12 sec range, but that'll never happen cause of the stupid front wheels...) C) When and if I run someone, and they see SATURN on my bumper, that's all the talk I need

I will admit, though, to hopping on the Charger forums, into a specific thread about a Cobalt SS vs. Charger SRT-8, and just posting up what my car can do. In a nice way. Got some smart ass feedback, but I have a feeling the link to here might change things.

As to the book cover, thing, I've come to love being in a Saturn. The WTF look I've gotten, a lot, is priceless.

Pics of my ride:






Link to a crappy run I had, but still beat the RX-8:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqzr5SAU6DY