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[0-60-0][1/4 Mile][Top Speed]

Entries to this page have been slow in coming. Lately I've been busier dynoing and modding the car instead of taking it out to the street to illegally drag it, especially since a buddy of mine has my G-Tech. A new anonymous top speed submission has been made. Seems a bit high, but that's what I was given.

This page is dedicated to the almighty horsepower. Let's face it, if we all wanted to drive slow or the speed limit, we would have been perfectly happy driving Geos. But there's a certain lust in all our hearts that craves the sweet song of redline, the bark of tires as they rip into pavement, the sudden thrust as the vehicle surges ahead toward its destination. May our blessed Mistress of Acceleration never frown upon us.

This page is separated into three sections; 0-60/60-0, 1/4 mile, and top speed. The first two sections will be limited to my own performance runs for now, as comparing myself to others at this point will be contradictory. With the whole concept of before and after, I'm trying to use a single vehicle as a test body for the modifications that will be made. The last section, though, will be open for anyone who wants to submit. Just read the notes for instructions.

0-60 and 60-0 tests can be conducted safely almost anywhere with almost no fear of reprecussion from local law enforcement. Just make sure that the road is wide with good visibility, definitely away from residential areas.

0-60 requires a clean launch to achieve the best numbers possible. For the 0-60 tests, I generally raise the rpms to around 2500 and feather the clutch while accelerating quickly. I try to gain maximum throttle and traction by around 3000-3500 rpm. Tires generally break traction for a few feet into the run. The shift into second is made as close as possible to 7000 rpm (redline). I hold second gear until redline as well. This yields a velocity of about 63 mph, plenty for the GTech to work with. The reason I hold 2nd instead of going into 3rd at around 6500 rpm is because I feel that the slight savings in Time justifies holding 2nd instead of going into 3rd for just a split second of extra power. 60-0 is a little easier to execute than a 0-60, but can almost be more unnerving. After redlining 2nd, I shift into third and accelerate a bit more gently until I hit around 70mph. Then I mash the brake. ABS kicks in and I roll to a stop. If I've braked really hard, I'll smell something slightly cooked. No big deal. The reason I accelerate to 70 before braking is that I think that if I started braking too close to 60, then the GTech might count the extra split second it takes for my foot to achieve maximum braking pressure. By accelerating to 70, I guarantee that I'll have full braking power from around 65 or 60 to 0 mph.

Reading the Chart:
Date : Day of the run.
Time : Time of said run.
Temp : Relative temperature, i.e. ~(about)50F(degrees Farenheit)
Humidity : Relative humidity, i.e. ~(about)10%(desert) or 98%(tropical)
Mileage : Rounded mileage on the odometer
0-60 : Time to 60 mph in seconds.
60-0 : Distance to 0 mph in feet.
Load : Percentage of fuel in tank, visual only. (Gas tank is biased)
Location : Street name.
Anaconda : Very level. Unsuitable for 1/4 mile. New asphalt.
Edwards : Very slight downhill near end of 1/4 mile. Old asphalt.
Phoebe : Very slight uphill at end of 1/4 mile. Old asphalt.
Car Mods : Vehicle mods are as follows:
A: K&N ram air system
B: Borla Cat Back exhaust
Notes : Read numbered notes.

1. 95 Probe GT 5spd. Not using brakes fully.
2. 95 Probe GT 5spd. Passenger aboard. Very light drizzle.
3. 95 Probe GT 5spd. Still hesitant on brakes.
4. 95 Probe GT 5spd. Starting to understand braking..
5. 95 Probe GT 5spd. Full complement of car mods as currently listed on main page. Performed 8 back to back stops mainly to test brake effectiveness and fade.

The quarter mile can also be done fairly easily in many rural areas. Much more difficult under urban/suburban conditions. The problem is often finding a long enough stretch of quiet road for the run in the city. If you're lucky, there's an industrial zone that has flat straight roads that are deserted at certain hours. If you happen to have a drag strip around where you live, all the more power to you.

1/4 mile runs are done similar to 0-60. I execute both the same way except for one slight difference. For the quarter mile, the 0-60 Time is not important, so I shift from second to third at around 6600 rpm. Shifts into fourth are also done at around 6500. Fifth is never seen and very little of fourth is required.

Reading the Chart:
Date : Day of the run.
Time : Time of said run.
Temp : Relative temperature, i.e. ~(about)50F(degrees Farenheit)
Humidity : Relative humidity, i.e. ~(about)10%(desert) or 98%(tropical)
Mileage : Rounded mileage on the odometer
0-60 : Time to 60 mph in seconds.
60-0 : Distance to 0 mph in feet.
Load : Percentage of fuel in tank, visual only. (Gas tank is biased)
Location : Street name.
Anaconda : Very level. Unsuitable for 1/4 mile. New asphalt.
Edwards : Very slight downhill near end of 1/4 mile. Old asphalt.
Phoebe : Very slight uphill at end of 1/4 mile. Old asphalt.
Car Mods : Vehicle mods are as follows:
A: K&N ram air system
B: Borla Cat Back exhaust
Notes : Read numbered notes.

1. 95 Probe GT 5spd. Passenger aboard, very light drizzle.
2. 95 Probe GT 5spd.
3. 95 Probe GT 5spd.
4. 95 Probe GT 5spd. Left radio on and A/C in "defrost" mode. Doh! But good run.
5. 95 Probe GT 5spd. Waaaaaay too much wheel spin. A bad launch.
6. 95 Probe GT 5spd. Another mediocre launch. Two other launches were flubbed.

Consider, if you will, what would happen to your car, your body, and more importantly, the people who may be around you (including passengers) if you sent your car into a 100+ mph spin on a two lane road before veering off and smacking into oncoming traffic. Absolutely do not attempt anything this ridiculously dangerous unless you are very sure of your surroundings and your car's capabilities. With that said, let's move on to a seldom explored area of vehicle performance.

Many people can claim 0-60 or 1/4 mile about a particular car, and those can be easily tested (at least compared to with the guy you're trying to show off to at the red light in the lane next to you). Top speed, on the other hand, often has to be estimated due to its rather academic nature. You won't win a stoplight war just because your car has a 30 mph higher top speed, even if it's a decent indicator of relative car strength. There is virtually nowhere that you can safely test the upper limits of a vehicle's top end without the use of a large race track.

I have seen rather wild claims about the Probe GT's prowess. Wild 0-60 and 1/4 mile Times, top speed boasts, etc. On one person's page, the top speed was listed as "over 140." Not very likely.

All of the statements below should be attached to the statement "goes without saying..." Ideally, the runs should be made only under the following minimum conditions:

1. No other cars ahead OR behind for at least several miles. Cops could be ahead or behind. Traffic may become unpredictable. You need room to slow down safely.

2. Excellent weather visibility/conditions. No cars = better visibility. "Midnight" runs can be dangerous, but the brake lights of a car 5 miles ahead may be more visible than a gray car at 2 miles in overcast daylight. There are obvious tradeoffs.

3. Car in excellent condition. A car that starts to shimmy at 115 mph may be detrimental to your health. Steering, brakes, tires, etc... make sure they're all working properly.

4. V-Rated tires. H-Rated tires, which are often replacements to save a few bucks, should never be used under any circumstance. They are rated to go 112 mph maximum. A unnamed source at Goodyear once told me that a V-rated tire is rated at up to 149mph for up to one full tank of gas. That equates to running a tire at 149 mph for a maximum of 300 miles or so. After that, the tire is considered to be rated for an unspecified amount less. On a Ford Probe GT, this shouldn't be a problem for the rare "limit" test. Was this representative of Goodyear lying to me? I don't know, but somehow it makes sense.

One more thing to consider: Braking distance.

Motor Trend recorded a 60 to 0 stop in 119 feet. Car and Driver reported 70-0 in 165 feet. 10 more mph, 46 more feet. A 17% increase in velocity resulted in a 39% increase in braking distance. A major car magazine reported that an Acura NSX at top speed took a full quarter mile to haul down from top speed. That's about 170 to 0 in roughly 1320 feet. These numbers are under ideal situations in the hands of professional drivers. And don't forget brake fade. Think about it.

Reading the Chart:
Date : Day of the Top Speed Run.
Time : Time of said run.
Speed : Measured speed in mph
Method : Speedometer, Radar, Laser, TimeTrap
Temp : Relative temperature, i.e. ~(about)50F(degrees Farenheit)
Humidity : Relative humidity, i.e. ~(about)10%(desert) or 98%(tropical)
Elevation : Elevation from Sea Level, i.e. -100 feet (death valley) or 5000 feet (colorado)
Wind : Wind direction, speed. Head-, cross-, or tail- wind and wind speed, i.e. Cross/20mph
Grade : Level, uphill, or downhill and percentage, i.e. Uphill/3%, Downhill/slight
Faster? : Yes(I was accelerating, if I only had more room.), No(I was drag limited.)
Notes : Read numbered notes.

1. 95 Probe GT 5spd. Stock. South bound I-5 (CA, the "grapevine"). Overcast, ground very slightly moist.
2. 95 Probe GT 5spd. Stock. East bound I-40 (CA, leaving Barstow). Excellent visibility, passenger aboard.
3. 95 Probe GT 5spd. Stock. West bound I-40 (CA, approaching Barstow). Headlamps raised, passenger aboard.
4. 94 Probe GT 5spd. Borla exhaust. East/Mideast state. Headlamps raised(!), passengers(!) aboard.
5. 95 Probe GT 5spd. UDP, K&N drop-in filter. Mississippi. Headlamps raised.
6. 95 Probe GT 5spd. UDP, K&N drop-in filter. Mississippi. Headlamps lowered.