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How Fast?
desh - July 31st, 2009 at 09:09 PM

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..


Joel - July 31st, 2009 at 09:46 PM

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 - July 31st, 2009 at 10:14 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by desh
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 - July 31st, 2009 at 11:10 PM

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.


trickysimon - August 1st, 2009 at 12:16 AM

Here you go, tired old 1600:
http://s260.photobucket.com/albums/ii19/trickysimon/?action=view&current=MOV00A.flv


beetleboyjeff - August 1st, 2009 at 01:16 AM

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).


Joel - August 1st, 2009 at 07:44 AM

pffft

i see your oil light and raise you a blinker light

on a private race track ofcourse


axlepressbutton - August 1st, 2009 at 09:25 AM

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

Beat that!


matberry - August 1st, 2009 at 09:30 AM

HA

I like pegged on zero:rolleyes:


trickysimon - August 1st, 2009 at 10:14 AM

Was that with the 0.82 and the 1600 Joel?


modulus - August 1st, 2009 at 12:46 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by desh
what sort of type speed to worked Beetles, still running an air cooled engine achieve?



http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/motorsports/4278559.html?page=4 
"Bob Stall's 1965 Air Cooled Volkswagen is out to beat an F/Altered record that stands at 173.059 mph."

See also:
http://www.burlyb.com/ 


hth


amazeer - August 1st, 2009 at 02:02 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by trickysimon
Here you go, tired old 1600:
http://s260.photobucket.com/albums/ii19/trickysimon/?action=view&current=MOV00A.flv


A 1600 vw @ 130kmh on private property? Shit you have a long driveway!


desh - August 1st, 2009 at 03:18 PM

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


trickysimon - August 1st, 2009 at 03:20 PM

;)


HappyDaze - August 1st, 2009 at 03:34 PM

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


Joel - August 1st, 2009 at 07:33 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by axlepressbutton
^^^^^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 - August 1st, 2009 at 08:06 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Joel
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 - August 2nd, 2009 at 09:36 AM

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 :lol:


1303Steve - August 2nd, 2009 at 10:52 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by polak
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 :lol:


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 - August 2nd, 2009 at 11:05 AM

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 - August 2nd, 2009 at 11:14 AM

Criky, sure are a lot of private roads around that are long enough to wind the little buggers out.


desh - August 2nd, 2009 at 11:20 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by 1303Steve
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


HappyDaze - August 2nd, 2009 at 11:48 AM

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!


polak - August 2nd, 2009 at 01:53 PM

oh yeah.... well derrr.... seems so obvious now that u mention it..... frikken hell... sorry i was having a blond moment :lol:

Quote:
Originally posted by 1303Steve
Quote:
Originally posted by polak
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 :lol:


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


Craig Torrens - August 2nd, 2009 at 10:48 PM

I've done over 200kph in both early and late model beetles................all with 1916's of course :tu::lol:


eraser - August 3rd, 2009 at 07:56 AM

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


Rural Baja - August 3rd, 2009 at 06:00 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Joel
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 :lol: 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. :crazy:


coletrickle - August 3rd, 2009 at 08:19 PM

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


1303Steve - August 3rd, 2009 at 11:53 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by desh
Quote:
Originally posted by 1303Steve
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


amazeer - August 4th, 2009 at 09:57 PM

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