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desh Wolfsburg Wizard

463 posts · joined Jan 2009 ·

#726797
I understand the earlier Beetle's have a top speed of 100KPH

what sort of top speed do the later 1600 bugs achieve?




what sort of type speed to worked Beetles, still running an air cooled engine achieve?

I tried to goggle up the answer, but only came up with drag racing cars, that had been heavily modified to look like funny cars


I was just curious, what sort of top end speed was achievable out of a Beetle, still running an air cooled engine, in some form, modified etc.. etc..
--------------------------
Kind Regards
Des

Joel Now containing 100\% E-Wang

9,368 posts · joined Feb 2006 ·

#726802
60mph was the old 50s 36hp engine top speed
altho they're capable of breaking that fairly easy

1500 and 1600 bugs were all up around the 80mph
but even the 60s 40hp 1200 and 1300 could pull about 75

my mates 68 bug which has an untouched 140,000+ mile old 1500 when fully loaded up coming home from valla still kept upto me doing 75mph

amazeer Bishop of Volkswagenism

3,029 posts · joined Nov 2005 ·

#726807
desh wrote:I understand the earlier Beetle's have a top speed of 100KPH

what sort of top speed do the later 1600 bugs achieve?




what sort of type speed to worked Beetles, still running an air cooled engine achieve?

I tried to goggle up the answer, but only came up with drag racing cars, that had been heavily modified to look like funny cars


I was just curious, what sort of top end speed was achievable out of a Beetle, still running an air cooled engine, in some form, modified etc.. etc..
easily 180kmh

david777 Officially Full-On Dubber

307 posts · joined Mar 2005 ·

#726813
I've taken my 1970 1500 beetle with a 1916 motor to a track day at Eastern Creek raceway
and was doing up to 170kph down the straight. Now that I have gone to a gearbox with different ratios, I think it would be higher.
There are plenty of beetles around with much more horsepower than mine that could do alot more.

beetleboyjeff Custom Title Time!

1,790 posts · joined Feb 2009 ·

#726822
Before 100 & 110 kph speed limiits, I used to travel between 120 & 140 kph all the time if the road permitted. The best I ever did was on the Oxley Highway going West into the Yarrowich valley, when I got it up to the oil light (about where 170 would be I reckon).
From your ole' mate Jeff

Joel Now containing 100\% E-Wang

9,368 posts · joined Feb 2006 ·

#726827
pffft

i see your oil light and raise you a blinker light

on a private race track ofcourse

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axlepressbutton Seriously Crusin Dubber

114 posts · joined Dec 2005 ·

#726840
^^^^^In the dark -without headlights. ^^^^^

Beat that!

matberry Moderator Go hard or go home

8,114 posts · joined Mar 2006 ·

#726842
HA

I like pegged on zero🙄
Matt Berry Motorsports...air cooled advice, repairs and mods Ph 0408 704 662
OFF-ROAD,CIRCUIT,DRAG,STREET,ENDURANCE

trickysimon 100km/h is only 9 seconds away

1,473 posts · joined Dec 2007 ·

#726846
Was that with the 0.82 and the 1600 Joel?

desh Wolfsburg Wizard

463 posts · joined Jan 2009 ·

#726865
Thanks for the replies guys, seems that 180+ is possible,


modulus; thanks for the link, that looks like the sort of thing I was after, seeing how fast you can get your Beetle to run,

I was thinking, how fast you could get a Beetle to go after watching the movie, The World's Fastest Indian, not sure if anyone else has seen it?

Where this guy Burt Munro has a heavily modified Indian motorcyle.

you can read about it here if you haven't seen it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World%27s_fastest_indian


I have some other questions about drag racing Beetle's but I'll put my thoughts together and post under the drag racing forum,


thanks guys
--------------------------
Kind Regards
Des

trickysimon 100km/h is only 9 seconds away

1,473 posts · joined Dec 2007 ·

#726866
😉

HappyDaze Superannuated

2,887 posts · joined Jun 2009 ·

#726867
OK, so much for the theories and speedo readings. The beetle that I drove at Bathurst in the 1963 Armstrong 500 was a 1963, 1200, 40hp Custom or Standard. It had 60000 miles odd on the odometer. OFFICIAL speed down con-rod straight - electrically timed - was 86 miles / hour!

Cheers, Greg
I'd rather wear a Beetle out by racing it than by polishing it!

Joel Now containing 100\% E-Wang

9,368 posts · joined Feb 2006 ·

#726887
axlepressbutton wrote:^^^^^In the dark -without headlights. ^^^^^

Beat that!
they were on, camera flash just over powered them lol

was the 1835 POS and stock SSP simon

colonel mustard Son of Jim - Creator of Good

2,829 posts · joined Feb 2009 ·

#726892
Joel wrote:pffft

i see your oil light and raise you a blinker light

on a private race track ofcourse
I like the positioning of your tacho....looks... well, its visable!

polak Everything is alright with enough Vodka :P

913 posts · joined May 2009 ·

#726959
hmmmmm know anyone with a radar gun? that wont put me away? i have a 1776 and it winds off the clock and bounces about 14mm past the 90mph mark very easily, id be very interested to know what its actually doing myself 😂


VW - helping put oil back into the ground for over 60 years

1303Steve Scirocco Rare

8,650 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#726972
polak wrote:hmmmmm know anyone with a radar gun? that wont put me away? i have a 1776 and it winds off the clock and bounces about 14mm past the 90mph mark very easily, id be very interested to know what its actually doing myself 😂
Hi Polack

Get hold of a GPS, they have a built in speedo, Ive compared my GPS to roadside speed units that put up your speed and its spot on.

Ive always driven flat screen bugs until a few years ago when bought an L Bug/1303, the way this model cuts thought the air is very noticalble above 100 kph.

I had it up to 160kph on a private road near Lake George with a stock 1600 twin port, and it still wanted to go faster.

Steve

colonel mustard Son of Jim - Creator of Good

2,829 posts · joined Feb 2009 ·

#726973
Know of anyone with one of these private roads outside of Brisbane anywhere..... we could have speed runs! one car at a time, one GPS and record fastest speeds... whooo! but ont on public roads, cause thats darn stupid!

donn Wolfsburg Elder

3,515 posts · joined Nov 2005 ·

#726975
Criky, sure are a lot of private roads around that are long enough to wind the little buggers out.
I dream of a day when a chicken can cross a road without being asked for it's motive!

desh Wolfsburg Wizard

463 posts · joined Jan 2009 ·

#726976
1303Steve wrote:Ive always driven flat screen bugs until a few years ago when bought an L Bug/1303, the way this model cuts thought the air is very noticalble above 100 kph.
Steve
Was the L bug more stable at high speed than an older bug?

Would a later model bug, with the IRS and spring be more suitable as a high speed race car than an earlier bug?

Just toying with the idea of getting an old crappy bug and building a race car, with the intention of trying to make it as fast as possible, in top end spee
--------------------------
Kind Regards
Des

HappyDaze Superannuated

2,887 posts · joined Jun 2009 ·

#726978
Was the L bug more stable at high speed than an older bug?

Would a later model bug, with the IRS and spring be more suitable as a high speed race car than an earlier bug?


HOPE SO!
I'd rather wear a Beetle out by racing it than by polishing it!

polak Everything is alright with enough Vodka :P

913 posts · joined May 2009 ·

#726989
oh yeah.... well derrr.... seems so obvious now that u mention it..... frikken hell... sorry i was having a blond moment 😂
1303Steve wrote:
polak wrote:hmmmmm know anyone with a radar gun? that wont put me away? i have a 1776 and it winds off the clock and bounces about 14mm past the 90mph mark very easily, id be very interested to know what its actually doing myself 😂
Hi Polack

Get hold of a GPS, they have a built in speedo, Ive compared my GPS to roadside speed units that put up your speed and its spot on.

Ive always driven flat screen bugs until a few years ago when bought an L Bug/1303, the way this model cuts thought the air is very noticalble above 100 kph.

I had it up to 160kph on a private road near Lake George with a stock 1600 twin port, and it still wanted to go faster.

Steve


VW - helping put oil back into the ground for over 60 years

Craig Torrens 6 times Australian, 7 times State Hillclimb Class Champion

8,040 posts · joined Jan 2003 ·

#727054
I've done over 200kph in both early and late model beetles................all with 1916's of course 👍😂


eraser Fahrvergnugen

970 posts · joined Mar 2005 ·

#727083
I got the little 1968 with 1600TP stock up to 160ish. (autostick ratio in 3rd)

Rural Baja #tassievwpickers

1,075 posts · joined Jan 2006 ·

#727130
Joel wrote:pffft

i see your oil light and raise you a blinker light

on a private race track ofcourse
Great photo Joel, told all my mates thats in mp/h too, very impressed 😂 Ah what the kids of today will beleive.

Ive got my 1500cc baja up to 60mph on the beach with big wheels and thats it. No more. 🤪

coletrickle Wolfsburg Wizard

661 posts · joined Apr 2009 ·

#727167
some guy in orange county back in the day got a speeding ticket in his ghia for 139mph

1303Steve Scirocco Rare

8,650 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#727261
desh wrote:
1303Steve wrote:Ive always driven flat screen bugs until a few years ago when bought an L Bug/1303, the way this model cuts thought the air is very noticalble above 100 kph.
Steve
Was the L bug more stable at high speed than an older bug?

Would a later model bug, with the IRS and spring be more suitable as a high speed race car than an earlier bug?

Just toying with the idea of getting an old crappy bug and building a race car, with the intention of trying to make it as fast as possible, in top end speed
Hi desh

Ive owned flat screen bugs since 1971, I had driven curved screened bugs before but only on local roads, I only bought a curved window bug a few years ago, Ive got 2 now.

Ive lowered mine and fitted a Kamei air dam and some 17 inch wheels.

The lowering and air dam make huge difference not only to handling but aerodynamics.

There is many schools of thought about the best model VW to race, Greg AKA known as Happy daze showed a clean pair of heals to many more modern and expensive cars at Wakefield a few months ago, and he was running an early Beetle with 4 wheel drum brakes, king & link pin front end and swing axle rear.

The advantages I see with an L bug/1303.
Struts, better turning circle, easily tunable for height, corner weighting, spring rate changes etc
IRS rear end

Disadvantages, about 50ks heavier than other bugs.

Not many beam front end cars came with IRS standard, the beam front end is certainly very strong and effective but misses out on all the advantages that struts have.

Steve

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amazeer Bishop of Volkswagenism

3,029 posts · joined Nov 2005 ·

#727485
if you can get 180+ out of a kombi you should be able to do 180 with your eyes closed in a beetle.

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