Sleepers
03-23-2009, 12:58 AM
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Sleepers
I'm writing an article on sleepers and figure this is a great place to get feedback. Preliminary article follows:
The Sleeper
Everyone with a hopped-up Ford wants to prove his car is faster than a Corvette. Even Lamborghini drivers want to prove their cars are faster than Ferraris. And just about everyone with a chip and a modified exhaust wants to blow away a Porsche. It’s just the nature of the beast.
Unfortunately, no one wants to lose a race, so you won’t find many willing contestants if you’re driving a 2009 Corvette ZR1 with a full roll cage and graphics. As much as you might want to drive this car, no one will want to race against it. The risk/reward ratio is too high. In this case the risk is the money you put down to prove your car is faster, and the reward is the ego boost you get from proving it.
A fast car with a low perceived risk/reward ratio is commonly referred to as a sleeper, and building such a car is the subject of this article. But make no mistake; building a sleeper is an art form in itself. You need to know the psychology of the racer, the psychology of the auto enthusiast, the tuning capabilities of most performance vehicles, and the best way to hide tuning from the casual observer. Armed with expertise in these subjects and a whole lot of disposable income, the creative racer can build a true sleeper.
With a good understanding of racers, you can determine the factors that go into the decision to race. With a good understanding of the auto enthusiast, you can determine the cars most racers would like to beat. With a good understanding of tuning capabilities you can determine which cars have the most potential. And with some skill at hiding performance modifications you can actually build a racecar without anyone noticing.
Let’s start with the car most racers would like to race against. This list includes older Corvettes, Ferraris, Porsches, pony cars, and any muscle car from the 60s; basically any car with a verifiable performance envelope that will give a competitor a great ego boost should he be the first to the finish line. Notice that there’s nothing new in the list. Again, it’s all about perception, getting someone to put down money against a shiny new machine is always harder than the same bet against an older machine, and since the real value is hidden inside, why start out with a point against you when the alternative is cheaper? Granted, there’s such a thing as too old, namely, when performance parts aren’t available, or can’t be added without drawing attention, but for the most part, the older the better until the little things, brakes, safety equipment, architecture and performance can’t be tuned to their highest potential without being noticed.
But you shouldn’t select your car just yet. There’s still a lot to consider…
If the car you’re racing looks stock and sounds stock, it’s probably stock, or at best, slightly modified. This is the overriding falsehood exploited by the sleeper. By looking and sounding stock, the sleeper appears to have a low risk/reward ratio. Most racers will know the 0-60 and ¼ mile times of stock cars. All they need is a faster car to be willing to race. So selecting a car that racers will bracket into a known performance envelope is one of the main considerations in selecting the make and model of a sleeper. This need for perceived “performance bracketing” eliminates Corvettes with hood bulges, turbocharged Porsches, and anything with a wing. Such cars simply can’t be bracketed into known performance categories.
We’re getting closer, but there are still a few more considerations…
You’ve still got a few choices, but many of these cars just can’t be modified without looking or sounding modified. Some will fit a turbocharger or two. Some can mask the whine of a quiet supercharger. Some have oversized, stock tire/wheel options. The predominant requirement is the ability to stuff as much performance as possible into the car without appearing to have done so. That’s why 60s muscle cars are in the list of cars most racers would like to race against. You simply can’t make them much faster without visible changes. Sure they’ve got big engine bays, so building an 800 horsepower engine is possible, but how do you get that power to the ground? Any form of racing suspension will be instantly recognizable. Massive tires are a dead give-away. And keeping 800 horsepower quiet isn’t as easy as you might think. So what’s left?
We’re down to Corvettes, Ferraris, and Porsches; each can be extensively modified without visible changes, each comes stock with the architecture and components required for racing, and each is a highly desired “win” in the eyes of racers and enthusiasts alike. Of the three, Porsche is generally considered to have the lowest risk/reward ratio. The 260-285 horsepower 993 and the 320 horsepower 996 are exceptional choices. Everyone knows the performance envelope for these cars. Even allowing for 20% performance gains, most of today’s high performance cars can overwhelm a stock, or nearly stock Porsche in a straight line.
Now were getting somewhere…
It’s time to use your understanding of performance options to further narrow your selection. Even after deciding upon a make and model, selecting the best car for the job can be tricky. You need to maximize power, grip, breaking, control and safety.
From the ground up, the first consideration is tires. Racing slicks are going to raise a few eyebrows, so street tires are an unfortunate requirement for a sleeper. For Corvette, these are Goodyear Eagle F1’s, For Ferrari they are Pirelli P Zero’s, and for Porsche they are Michelin Pilot Sport PS2’s, but consider the wheels first. With an older Corvette you can upgrade to the 1991 Corvette ZR1 wheels. With an older Porsche you can upgrade to the 2003 GT2 wheels. These wheels look just like their stock replacements, only they’re much wider. They will require extensive wheel well modifications, but launching your sleeper from 335/30ZR18s will definitely get you off to a good start.
Next consider your brakes. If it’s not too old, the Ferrari and the Porsche will have phenomenal stock brakes, and upgrading them will only raise eyebrows. But being able to stop quickly can’t be overvalued. Just remember to paint the calipers back to the stock color. Bright red brake calipers on an older vehicle will scream “Speed Racer”.
Next consider your suspension. If you’re planning a lot of horsepower, you’ll need a way to plant it. With Porsche the easy option is all wheel drive. The GT2 wheels mentioned above fit 245/40/ZR18 front tires that can pull an incredible amount of torque during launch. The trade-off here is weight; all wheel drive will cost 200 pounds in the Porsche 996, slightly more in the older 993. With Ferrari and Corvette, traction is rear wheel only, so you’ll need a track tuned suspension with just enough damper and no hop. This can take a lot of trial and error testing, so start with an extremely adjustable suspension and keep at it until you can launch hard consistently.
Which brings us to the clutch/flywheel. Most performance cars have a dozen aftermarket high performance clutch/flywheel suppliers. A high performance clutch with a lightweight flywheel is crucial for racing. If you can’t find a good clutch/flywheel supplier for the make and model of the car you’ve selected, keep looking (for either a supplier or another car)!
Now we come to the engine. This is probably the most important component of any performance enhancement project, but for all its importance, it’s practically never fully designed before implementation. To make matters worse, the sleeper has the additional requirement of visual and auditory stealth. These are completely conflicting goals! So take a step back, decide what you really need, make sure all the parts will work together, and build it. Turbo chargers are usually the best performance option for the sleeper, but keep in mind the race will be short and the suspension you’ve selected will only put down so much power. A Porsche 993 can’t really use more than 440 horsepower or 300 lb/ft of torque while a Porsche 996 can handle about 500 horsepower and 400 lb/ft of torque. Designing an engine that exceeds the abilities of the chassis won’t help, so work within your limitations.
And remember to design your exhaust system along with your engine. Cutting out the cell inserts from catalytic converters and cutting out baffles from mufflers will improve flow without significantly altering the sound of the car at idle. Above 4000 RPM the difference will be extremely noticeable, but by then it will be too late. Just remember to perform all exhaust modifications before dynamometer tuning as a less restrictive exhaust can be exploited while seeming quite ordinary at idle.
Another important and often overlooked component of street racing is safety. A roll cage and a 5 point harness aren’t options for a sleeper. But you should at least make sure the stock seats and seat belts are safe. You can’t have a quick release fire extinguisher either, but you can wear a non-synthetic long sleeve shirt and practice emergency egress. Another trick is to take advantage of the belt tensioners in stock seatbelts. Just tilt your seatback back until you’re looking up at the sun visor, then attach your seatbelt and pull the chest strap quickly to engage the belt tensioner. Now bring your seatback forward to your normal driving position while maintaining belt tension. You’ll be locked into place, just like a 4 point harness, using factory belts!
Finally, consider whatever weight savings you can get away with. Unfortunately, there’s not much to choose from with a sleeper. You can’t rip out the back seats or the radio. You can’t install fiberglass bucket seats. You can’t even pull out sound deadening without raising some suspicion. But you can replace fenders, doors and lids with carbon fiber parts if you’re willing to paint over the beautiful carbon fiber weave to restore the stock look. And remember, you don’t need a spare tire to race!
OK, that’s enough to get started on the car, but in the end you’ll need to convince someone else to race against you. This is where knowing the psychology of the racer is helpful. Most of us can simply put ourselves into the racer’s mind-set and extrapolate. But a few hits might help to get started. First, watch The Color of Money. In this move Paul Newman teaches Tom Cruise how to hustle. It becomes evident that just knowing how to play pool isn’t enough to make a living at it; you also need to know how to convince others that A) you are not a threat, and B) you really need to be taught a lesson. Next, remember everything you learned building your sleeper when selecting your opponents. It might look stock and sound stock…
Ric Vieler
The Sleeper
Everyone with a hopped-up Ford wants to prove his car is faster than a Corvette. Even Lamborghini drivers want to prove their cars are faster than Ferraris. And just about everyone with a chip and a modified exhaust wants to blow away a Porsche. It’s just the nature of the beast.
Unfortunately, no one wants to lose a race, so you won’t find many willing contestants if you’re driving a 2009 Corvette ZR1 with a full roll cage and graphics. As much as you might want to drive this car, no one will want to race against it. The risk/reward ratio is too high. In this case the risk is the money you put down to prove your car is faster, and the reward is the ego boost you get from proving it.
A fast car with a low perceived risk/reward ratio is commonly referred to as a sleeper, and building such a car is the subject of this article. But make no mistake; building a sleeper is an art form in itself. You need to know the psychology of the racer, the psychology of the auto enthusiast, the tuning capabilities of most performance vehicles, and the best way to hide tuning from the casual observer. Armed with expertise in these subjects and a whole lot of disposable income, the creative racer can build a true sleeper.
With a good understanding of racers, you can determine the factors that go into the decision to race. With a good understanding of the auto enthusiast, you can determine the cars most racers would like to beat. With a good understanding of tuning capabilities you can determine which cars have the most potential. And with some skill at hiding performance modifications you can actually build a racecar without anyone noticing.
Let’s start with the car most racers would like to race against. This list includes older Corvettes, Ferraris, Porsches, pony cars, and any muscle car from the 60s; basically any car with a verifiable performance envelope that will give a competitor a great ego boost should he be the first to the finish line. Notice that there’s nothing new in the list. Again, it’s all about perception, getting someone to put down money against a shiny new machine is always harder than the same bet against an older machine, and since the real value is hidden inside, why start out with a point against you when the alternative is cheaper? Granted, there’s such a thing as too old, namely, when performance parts aren’t available, or can’t be added without drawing attention, but for the most part, the older the better until the little things, brakes, safety equipment, architecture and performance can’t be tuned to their highest potential without being noticed.
But you shouldn’t select your car just yet. There’s still a lot to consider…
If the car you’re racing looks stock and sounds stock, it’s probably stock, or at best, slightly modified. This is the overriding falsehood exploited by the sleeper. By looking and sounding stock, the sleeper appears to have a low risk/reward ratio. Most racers will know the 0-60 and ¼ mile times of stock cars. All they need is a faster car to be willing to race. So selecting a car that racers will bracket into a known performance envelope is one of the main considerations in selecting the make and model of a sleeper. This need for perceived “performance bracketing” eliminates Corvettes with hood bulges, turbocharged Porsches, and anything with a wing. Such cars simply can’t be bracketed into known performance categories.
We’re getting closer, but there are still a few more considerations…
You’ve still got a few choices, but many of these cars just can’t be modified without looking or sounding modified. Some will fit a turbocharger or two. Some can mask the whine of a quiet supercharger. Some have oversized, stock tire/wheel options. The predominant requirement is the ability to stuff as much performance as possible into the car without appearing to have done so. That’s why 60s muscle cars are in the list of cars most racers would like to race against. You simply can’t make them much faster without visible changes. Sure they’ve got big engine bays, so building an 800 horsepower engine is possible, but how do you get that power to the ground? Any form of racing suspension will be instantly recognizable. Massive tires are a dead give-away. And keeping 800 horsepower quiet isn’t as easy as you might think. So what’s left?
We’re down to Corvettes, Ferraris, and Porsches; each can be extensively modified without visible changes, each comes stock with the architecture and components required for racing, and each is a highly desired “win” in the eyes of racers and enthusiasts alike. Of the three, Porsche is generally considered to have the lowest risk/reward ratio. The 260-285 horsepower 993 and the 320 horsepower 996 are exceptional choices. Everyone knows the performance envelope for these cars. Even allowing for 20% performance gains, most of today’s high performance cars can overwhelm a stock, or nearly stock Porsche in a straight line.
Now were getting somewhere…
It’s time to use your understanding of performance options to further narrow your selection. Even after deciding upon a make and model, selecting the best car for the job can be tricky. You need to maximize power, grip, breaking, control and safety.
From the ground up, the first consideration is tires. Racing slicks are going to raise a few eyebrows, so street tires are an unfortunate requirement for a sleeper. For Corvette, these are Goodyear Eagle F1’s, For Ferrari they are Pirelli P Zero’s, and for Porsche they are Michelin Pilot Sport PS2’s, but consider the wheels first. With an older Corvette you can upgrade to the 1991 Corvette ZR1 wheels. With an older Porsche you can upgrade to the 2003 GT2 wheels. These wheels look just like their stock replacements, only they’re much wider. They will require extensive wheel well modifications, but launching your sleeper from 335/30ZR18s will definitely get you off to a good start.
Next consider your brakes. If it’s not too old, the Ferrari and the Porsche will have phenomenal stock brakes, and upgrading them will only raise eyebrows. But being able to stop quickly can’t be overvalued. Just remember to paint the calipers back to the stock color. Bright red brake calipers on an older vehicle will scream “Speed Racer”.
Next consider your suspension. If you’re planning a lot of horsepower, you’ll need a way to plant it. With Porsche the easy option is all wheel drive. The GT2 wheels mentioned above fit 245/40/ZR18 front tires that can pull an incredible amount of torque during launch. The trade-off here is weight; all wheel drive will cost 200 pounds in the Porsche 996, slightly more in the older 993. With Ferrari and Corvette, traction is rear wheel only, so you’ll need a track tuned suspension with just enough damper and no hop. This can take a lot of trial and error testing, so start with an extremely adjustable suspension and keep at it until you can launch hard consistently.
Which brings us to the clutch/flywheel. Most performance cars have a dozen aftermarket high performance clutch/flywheel suppliers. A high performance clutch with a lightweight flywheel is crucial for racing. If you can’t find a good clutch/flywheel supplier for the make and model of the car you’ve selected, keep looking (for either a supplier or another car)!
Now we come to the engine. This is probably the most important component of any performance enhancement project, but for all its importance, it’s practically never fully designed before implementation. To make matters worse, the sleeper has the additional requirement of visual and auditory stealth. These are completely conflicting goals! So take a step back, decide what you really need, make sure all the parts will work together, and build it. Turbo chargers are usually the best performance option for the sleeper, but keep in mind the race will be short and the suspension you’ve selected will only put down so much power. A Porsche 993 can’t really use more than 440 horsepower or 300 lb/ft of torque while a Porsche 996 can handle about 500 horsepower and 400 lb/ft of torque. Designing an engine that exceeds the abilities of the chassis won’t help, so work within your limitations.
And remember to design your exhaust system along with your engine. Cutting out the cell inserts from catalytic converters and cutting out baffles from mufflers will improve flow without significantly altering the sound of the car at idle. Above 4000 RPM the difference will be extremely noticeable, but by then it will be too late. Just remember to perform all exhaust modifications before dynamometer tuning as a less restrictive exhaust can be exploited while seeming quite ordinary at idle.
Another important and often overlooked component of street racing is safety. A roll cage and a 5 point harness aren’t options for a sleeper. But you should at least make sure the stock seats and seat belts are safe. You can’t have a quick release fire extinguisher either, but you can wear a non-synthetic long sleeve shirt and practice emergency egress. Another trick is to take advantage of the belt tensioners in stock seatbelts. Just tilt your seatback back until you’re looking up at the sun visor, then attach your seatbelt and pull the chest strap quickly to engage the belt tensioner. Now bring your seatback forward to your normal driving position while maintaining belt tension. You’ll be locked into place, just like a 4 point harness, using factory belts!
Finally, consider whatever weight savings you can get away with. Unfortunately, there’s not much to choose from with a sleeper. You can’t rip out the back seats or the radio. You can’t install fiberglass bucket seats. You can’t even pull out sound deadening without raising some suspicion. But you can replace fenders, doors and lids with carbon fiber parts if you’re willing to paint over the beautiful carbon fiber weave to restore the stock look. And remember, you don’t need a spare tire to race!
OK, that’s enough to get started on the car, but in the end you’ll need to convince someone else to race against you. This is where knowing the psychology of the racer is helpful. Most of us can simply put ourselves into the racer’s mind-set and extrapolate. But a few hits might help to get started. First, watch The Color of Money. In this move Paul Newman teaches Tom Cruise how to hustle. It becomes evident that just knowing how to play pool isn’t enough to make a living at it; you also need to know how to convince others that A) you are not a threat, and B) you really need to be taught a lesson. Next, remember everything you learned building your sleeper when selecting your opponents. It might look stock and sound stock…
Ric Vieler
Last edited by TTJunkie; 06-22-2009 at 05:09 PM.
04-19-2009, 01:48 PM
#2
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I don't know much about sleepers, but Corvettes, Ferraris, and Porsches don't seem like very good starting points for building one. How about a Saturn, Volvo, or VW instead?
One of the best sleepers I've read about (years ago in R&T) was an old VW beetle with a Corvette engine located forward of the rear axle. If one looked inside at the back seat area, one saw what appeared to be a pile of paper files and books. Those were actually covers hiding a fabricated engine compartment. The owner actually had two "identical" VWs, except one was completely OEM and the other was the sleeper. Even his neighbors didn't know because he never took both cars out of the garage simultaneously.
The slowing devices are "brakes" rather than "breaks."
One of the best sleepers I've read about (years ago in R&T) was an old VW beetle with a Corvette engine located forward of the rear axle. If one looked inside at the back seat area, one saw what appeared to be a pile of paper files and books. Those were actually covers hiding a fabricated engine compartment. The owner actually had two "identical" VWs, except one was completely OEM and the other was the sleeper. Even his neighbors didn't know because he never took both cars out of the garage simultaneously.
The slowing devices are "brakes" rather than "breaks."
04-19-2009, 03:44 PM
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Thanks Jim:
Breaks changed to brakes in the post and the original draft.
Can't do much about the models though. The VW sounds really cool, but it's not just geting money down; you have to actually win the race.
Ric :-)
Breaks changed to brakes in the post and the original draft.
Can't do much about the models though. The VW sounds really cool, but it's not just geting money down; you have to actually win the race.
Ric :-)
05-13-2009, 02:33 PM
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Hello Ric,
thanks for your interesting and entertaining thoughts and the fundamental insight into the mind of the average sporty motorist.
And that was exactly the movie I had in mind while I was reading your post.
Touché.
K.
thanks for your interesting and entertaining thoughts and the fundamental insight into the mind of the average sporty motorist.
First, watch The Color of Money. In this move Paul Newman teaches Tom Cruise how to hustle. It becomes evident that just knowing how to play pool isn’t enough to make a living at it; you also need to know how to convince others that A) you are not a threat, and B) you really need to be taught a lesson.
Touché.
K.
05-15-2009, 05:10 PM
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Ric, that would be the perfect Sleeper you discribe. I assume in real world, you are still able to build a nice sleeper car with some more mods, expecially when it comes to an old car you hot rod....
When it comes to a sleeper still even after 20years the old veedubs have alot of potential. If it's look real beaten up, even the rear bench can be missing or the door pannels. etc... With streetable 200+hp and a short tranny you have a real sleeper. And even with some more than usual exhaust noise doesn't make them think, cause it must be defect, looking at the rest of the car.
Let me share some real world experience, a couple of years back a friend has an 60ties Single cab, with a modified 914/4 on 48 dual carb's and some other mods. To make it more authentic, he had alot of styrofoam blocks covered under a canvas cover. We were on a cruise night and a sporty rice burner pulled up next to him....
We all know what happend next..
as you said:
"A) you are not a threat, and B) you really need to be taught a lesson."
When it comes to a sleeper still even after 20years the old veedubs have alot of potential. If it's look real beaten up, even the rear bench can be missing or the door pannels. etc... With streetable 200+hp and a short tranny you have a real sleeper. And even with some more than usual exhaust noise doesn't make them think, cause it must be defect, looking at the rest of the car.
Let me share some real world experience, a couple of years back a friend has an 60ties Single cab, with a modified 914/4 on 48 dual carb's and some other mods. To make it more authentic, he had alot of styrofoam blocks covered under a canvas cover. We were on a cruise night and a sporty rice burner pulled up next to him....
We all know what happend next..
as you said:
"A) you are not a threat, and B) you really need to be taught a lesson."
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06-20-2009, 07:04 AM
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Hello Ric,
you´re right, a 1993 3,6l would be very fast allready, unfortunately it´s a 1991 3,3l.
A lot of the young guns on German backroads/ motorways and at the traffic lights always assume you´re up for a race, just to show you how fast a VW rabbit with a turbocharged and overboosted VR6 engine can be...if they get the power to the ground AND around a corner...
I also have a 1971 Fiat Spider and a 1973 Land rover Station Wagon, you think these could be turned into a proper sleeper? :-)
you´re right, a 1993 3,6l would be very fast allready, unfortunately it´s a 1991 3,3l.
A lot of the young guns on German backroads/ motorways and at the traffic lights always assume you´re up for a race, just to show you how fast a VW rabbit with a turbocharged and overboosted VR6 engine can be...if they get the power to the ground AND around a corner...
I also have a 1971 Fiat Spider and a 1973 Land rover Station Wagon, you think these could be turned into a proper sleeper? :-)
07-19-2009, 01:40 PM
#11
Racer
1990 Porsche Carrera 2 Cabriolet - Sleepers
Good article on sleepers. Most sleepers seem to be of Japanese descent (maybe cost being a major factor) but Porsche's can be good sleepers just expensive to build up.
I have a sleeper but it has obvious visual attributes that eliminates it from the true sleeper category (visual roll cage, racing seats, 5 point harness and the exhaust tone). The cars performance is quite impressive and the modifications were done tastefully.
I'm including a picture of a Porsche sleeper...
I have a sleeper but it has obvious visual attributes that eliminates it from the true sleeper category (visual roll cage, racing seats, 5 point harness and the exhaust tone). The cars performance is quite impressive and the modifications were done tastefully.
I'm including a picture of a Porsche sleeper...
Last edited by SAM DACOSTA; 08-13-2010 at 06:44 PM.
07-20-2009, 02:36 AM
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07-20-2009, 12:39 PM
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Sam: Your car looks just about perfect. It says, "Rich guy thinks his car is fast" while at the same time bracketing into the 5.0 - 5.5 second 0-60 MPH category. If you can turn 3.5 second 0-60 times with this car, you can pay for those cool wheels in no time at all.
Guns951: Wicked cool car, but I'm guessing you don't make a lot of money street racing...
Guns951: Wicked cool car, but I'm guessing you don't make a lot of money street racing...
07-20-2009, 12:46 PM
#15
Racer
Sam: Your car looks just about perfect. It says, "Rich guy thinks his car is fast" while at the same time bracketing into the 5.0 - 5.5 second 0-60 MPH category. If you can turn 3.5 second 0-60 times with this car, you can pay for those cool wheels in no time at all.
Guns951: Wicked cool car, but I'm guessing you don't make a lot of money street racing...
Guns951: Wicked cool car, but I'm guessing you don't make a lot of money street racing...
"Guns951" your ride is sweet but a sleeper, now way. I see you coming from along way off... LOL
