Cruise control at 120mph+
12-23-2014, 02:07 PM
#1
Cruise control at 120mph+
Does the GT3 cruise control work at 120mph and above?
Why do I ask? I plan to use the car for open road races. You can enter various classes and select a target speed. So in the 120mph class you'd want to run most of the course at 125mph. Since there are many really long straight sections (some 12 miles), having cruise control helps, especially if it is good at holding the selected speed.
Deven
Why do I ask? I plan to use the car for open road races. You can enter various classes and select a target speed. So in the 120mph class you'd want to run most of the course at 125mph. Since there are many really long straight sections (some 12 miles), having cruise control helps, especially if it is good at holding the selected speed.
Deven
12-23-2014, 11:33 PM
#5
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Does the GT3 cruise control work at 120mph and above?
Why do I ask? I plan to use the car for open road races. You can enter various classes and select a target speed. So in the 120mph class you'd want to run most of the course at 125mph. Since there are many really long straight sections (some 12 miles), having cruise control helps, especially if it is good at holding the selected speed.
Deven
Why do I ask? I plan to use the car for open road races. You can enter various classes and select a target speed. So in the 120mph class you'd want to run most of the course at 125mph. Since there are many really long straight sections (some 12 miles), having cruise control helps, especially if it is good at holding the selected speed.
Deven
12-24-2014, 10:56 AM
#6
An open road race is one where a long section of road (typically a highway) is closed and competitors in various speed classes (usually 95mph to to 170mph in 5 to 10mph increments, plus an unlimited class) try to complete the race as close to their target time for their class as possible. The class winner is the one who has the the smallest variance.
I've competed in the Silver State Classic Challenge (sscc.us) which is held in eastern Nevada. It is a 90 mile course where the world record for speed on a public road is held (217mph average over 90 miles which is just crazy).
Check their web site for full details, but any car can compete in the Touring class which goes up to 110mph (you're allowed to drive as fast as 124mph). Rookie drivers can must enter the Touring class. Faster classes have stricter safety requirements, starting with 5 or 6 point belts and as you go higher, roll bars, role cages, fire suppression systems, etc.
It is really a blast, but on a serious note, it can be dangerous. There have been four fatalities over the 25+ year history of the event, including one in September where a 993 Turbo driver in the 150mph class apparently was briefly distracted and went off the road. All the required safety systems allowed the navigator to survive, but unfortunately the driver's helmet somehow came off early during the crash.
While many of us have driven our cars well above 100mph and may think it is not too hard, it has been my experience that doing so for 90 miles is a whole 'nother ball game, takes a lot of attention, and is not as easy as it might sound.
Deven
I've competed in the Silver State Classic Challenge (sscc.us) which is held in eastern Nevada. It is a 90 mile course where the world record for speed on a public road is held (217mph average over 90 miles which is just crazy).
Check their web site for full details, but any car can compete in the Touring class which goes up to 110mph (you're allowed to drive as fast as 124mph). Rookie drivers can must enter the Touring class. Faster classes have stricter safety requirements, starting with 5 or 6 point belts and as you go higher, roll bars, role cages, fire suppression systems, etc.
It is really a blast, but on a serious note, it can be dangerous. There have been four fatalities over the 25+ year history of the event, including one in September where a 993 Turbo driver in the 150mph class apparently was briefly distracted and went off the road. All the required safety systems allowed the navigator to survive, but unfortunately the driver's helmet somehow came off early during the crash.
While many of us have driven our cars well above 100mph and may think it is not too hard, it has been my experience that doing so for 90 miles is a whole 'nother ball game, takes a lot of attention, and is not as easy as it might sound.
Deven
Last edited by devenh; 12-24-2014 at 12:21 PM.
12-24-2014, 11:39 AM
#7
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Location: edmonton, alberta, canada
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An open road race is one where a long section of road (typically a highway) is closed and competitors in various speed classes (usually 90mph to to 170mph in 5 to 10mph increments, plus an unlimited class) try to complete the race as close to their target time for their class as possible. The class winner is the one who has the the smallest variance.
I've competed in the Silver State Classic Challenge (sscc.us) which is held in eastern Nevada. It is a 90 mile course where the world record for speed on a public road is held (217mph average over 90 miles which is just crazy).
Check their web site for full details, but any car can compete in the Touring class which goes up to 110mph (you're allowed to drive as fast as 120mph). Rookie drivers can must enter the Touring class. Faster classes have stricter safety requirements, starting with 5 or 6 point belts and as you go higher, roll bars, role cages, fire suppression systems, etc.
It is really a blast, but on a serious note, it can be dangerous. There have been four fatalities over the 25+ year history of the event, including one in September where a 993 Turbo driver in the 150mph class apparently was briefly distracted and went off the road. All the required safety systems allowed the navigator to survive, but unfortunately the driver's helmet somehow came off early during the crash.
While many of us have driven our cars well above 100mph and may think it is not too hard, it has been my experience that doing so for 90 miles is a whole 'nother ball game, takes a lot of attention, and is not as easy as it might sound.
Deven
I've competed in the Silver State Classic Challenge (sscc.us) which is held in eastern Nevada. It is a 90 mile course where the world record for speed on a public road is held (217mph average over 90 miles which is just crazy).
Check their web site for full details, but any car can compete in the Touring class which goes up to 110mph (you're allowed to drive as fast as 120mph). Rookie drivers can must enter the Touring class. Faster classes have stricter safety requirements, starting with 5 or 6 point belts and as you go higher, roll bars, role cages, fire suppression systems, etc.
It is really a blast, but on a serious note, it can be dangerous. There have been four fatalities over the 25+ year history of the event, including one in September where a 993 Turbo driver in the 150mph class apparently was briefly distracted and went off the road. All the required safety systems allowed the navigator to survive, but unfortunately the driver's helmet somehow came off early during the crash.
While many of us have driven our cars well above 100mph and may think it is not too hard, it has been my experience that doing so for 90 miles is a whole 'nother ball game, takes a lot of attention, and is not as easy as it might sound.
Deven
Trending Topics
12-24-2014, 12:17 PM
#8
There are a lot of Canadians who participate, so you should consider it.
http://sscc.us/event_description.aspx
Merry Christmas!
Deven
12-24-2014, 12:39 PM
#10
Nordschleife Master
Maybe the following will help: it is not a race in the sense that everyone starts at the same time like you would on a track. It is a staged start where cars are released onto the course at 1 minute intervals starting with the fastest class and moving to the slowest class. Given this spacing and the fact that the cars ahead and behind you have the same target speed, the result is there is very little passing.
There are a lot of Canadians who participate, so you should consider it.
http://sscc.us/event_description.aspx
Merry Christmas!
Deven
There are a lot of Canadians who participate, so you should consider it.
http://sscc.us/event_description.aspx
Merry Christmas!
Deven
Sounds like a great time, wish we had something similar back here. How many participants generally show up?
12-24-2014, 01:51 PM
#11
The Friday before the race (which is held on Sunday), the organizers have a 1/2 mile and 1 mile shootout which is essentially a drag race (albeit one car at a time). The goal here is to have the highest speed at the speed trap at the end of the course. On the longer course they get up to 180+mph.
It is hard to describe, but there is an unusual kind of satisfaction participating in these events when there are so many police around
Of course you have to balance this with all the firemen and ambulances too ...Deven
12-24-2014, 02:50 PM
#13
Nordschleife Master
On a road race at triple-digit speeds to use cruise control is unwise. At high speed the driver should be in real-time control of all driving inputs. Just my opinion.
12-24-2014, 07:16 PM
#14
I first used CC last September in an SL65. I was in the 110mph class (in this class you are allowed to go up to 124mph). I was comfortable using CC at 120mph, but might reconsider at higher speeds.
In this type of event CC can be useful if it is capable of holding a steady speed on a relatively flat roadway. Why? Because you are racing for a time and the top three finishers in most classes come in within 1 second of their target times. Some teams use very elaborate systems to achieve this. My strategy is to drive the first 80 miles at faster than target speed to build a cushion, then drive the last 10 miles as slowly as allowed (each class has a minimum speed limit) as I believe this gives you more control and time to adjust at the end of the race. So given my strategy, I probably would not be using CC above 120mph.
In any event, you make a good point and I will definitely talk to other participants about CC.
Deven
