I'm in Miami and having a blast

[Michael_]

If you get into an accident at 200 mph I don't think jail is the most likely place you will end up. Maybe the morgue?

I agree but just in case you do survive (maybe you can in some of the new cars?) you will probably wish you didn't.

 

[MarPar]

 

[Michael_]

View attachment 1484809

My favorite sign.

 

[Michael_]

One thing i failed to mention is that people (at least in south beach) are smoking weed everywhere.
I didn't like to be surrounded by the smell of weed everyday.
In theory you're not even allowed to smoke cigarettes in south beach, but nobody cares.

But while not so excessive i noticed that in las vegas aswell.
And here in germany "the greens" (Die Grünen, polictics party) (Which call themself "environmentalists" not drug addicts ironically) want to legalize it (i think this year already) so i'm probably going to smell it a lot more soon unfortunately.

Edit:
Don't get me wrong if people want to smoke weed they should smoke weed but i do not want to smell / passively join them.

 

[Cranky]

That's a real problem. You get tired and distracted on long montone low speed drives.
That's not the case if you're driving 110mph +. At least if you're doing it in an older car.

But even in germany most people do not drive 110mph+. Most people drive between 75 and 85mph pretty much all the time.
Often you also simply can't do it because of speed limits (75mph), road construction (50mph) or simply to much traffic.
But there are unlimited sections with (especially in the night or early morning) low traffic where you can (and i do it regularly) drive as fast as you want. If your car can do 200mph than feel free to drive 200mph. You won't end up in jail unless you're getting in an accident. Then all of a sudden it turns from legal into reckless driving.

I was stationed at Hahn AFB, Hahn Germany (but the main gate faced in the opposite direction lol) and had to drive a bit on a secondary road to get on the Autobahn to Frankfurt and once on it, driving 100+ was easy as the traffic was light back then. I had a car that would easily sustain that speed without overheating and it handled well for a mid 60's sedan. Way better than any sedan that I had driven in the states at that point. Even going that fast there were plenty of passers. I passed a few here and there but there were more passing me by than I was.....and some of them were going at least 140 or better.

 

[Ron H]

Likely an age thing, but driving 100 or more isn’t what floats my boat anymore. Driving my ’63 capable of these speeds after the rebuild, the ride gets light, sensation of coming off the ground and well, floating, unlike the aerodynamics of newer rides. When I get the urge to hammer, I pick open country roads with good vision all around and no traffic. There are plenty of areas where I can do this around me.

Couple weeks ago driving the wife’s car, a deer sprung out of the woods. Perfect timing to give me about none to avoid hitting it going near 60mph, hitting the brakes colliding with it maybe at 40-45mph. Dump truck in the oncoming lane. The kind of event to remind how vulnerable I can be, aside from the deer.

 

[Michael_]

It almost seems that my impression was right:

Acceleration in a Challenger SRT 392 "feels" way stronger.
Looking at the 0-60 Numbers they are very close (+/- 0.2 sec) but it sure feels a lot different.

Looking at the diagrams also does not really help explaining:

Horsepower and Torque curve for 2023 Ford Mustang Fastback GT automatic (aut. 10) offered until Summer 2023 for North America

Engine horsepower and torque curve for Ford Mustang Fastback GT automatic (aut. 10) in 2023, the model with 2-door fastback coupe body and V-8 5038 cm3 / 307.2 cui, 342.9 kW / 466 PS / 460 hp (SAE net) offered until Summer 2023 for North America .

www.automobile-catalog.com

Horsepower and Torque curve for 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT 392 automatic (aut. 8) offered since October 2016 for North America U.S.

Engine horsepower and torque curve for Dodge Challenger SRT 392 automatic (aut. 8) in 2017, the model with 2-door hardtop coupe body and V-8 6417 cm3 / 391 cui, 361.6 kW / 492 PS / 485 hp (SAE net) offered since October 2016 for North America U.S...

www.automobile-catalog.com

(Yes i had the mustang in track mode and i also downshifted 1-2 gears manually before hammering it once)

I guess at the end of the day it's just that you can't beat a big inch push road v8. (Especially the large displacement)
And (as you can see in the diagram) the challenger does not just have a bunch of low end power. It has INSTANT power pretty much anytime you need it. And it has an 8 speed automatic transmission aswell.

That all being said the mustang does pull strong. And if i had empty roads without speed limit i'm sure i would have been a lot more impressed by it's drivetrain.
Still, after driving it a few weeks in miami traffic that's enough for me to say that the 392 is a way better engine. (Especially mated to the 8 speed automatic)

If the Mustang GT is a good reference for a 450/500hp vehicle than the Challenger SRT 392 feels like a 1000hp
Well at least in miami/heavy traffic that is.

 

[Cranky]

Likely an age thing, but driving 100 or more isn’t what floats my boat anymore. Driving my ’63 capable of these speeds after the rebuild, the ride gets light, sensation of coming off the ground and well, floating, unlike the aerodynamics of newer rides. When I get the urge to hammer, I pick open country roads with good vision all around and no traffic. There are plenty of areas where I can do this around me.

Couple weeks ago driving the wife’s car, a deer sprung out of the woods. Perfect timing to give me about none to avoid hitting it going near 60mph, hitting the brakes colliding with it maybe at 40-45mph. Dump truck in the oncoming lane. The kind of event to remind how vulnerable I can be, aside from the deer.

I changed the alignment specs on my cars and that helped a ton in getting rid of the floating feel. Lowering some didn't hurt with that either along with wider wheels and better shocks and tires. My 70 Challenger had lots of front end lift and lowering it helped some but with the tire and wheel combo that was on it didn't allow it to be lowered much.

 

[Ron H]

Lowering some didn't hurt

Good point; I had the 63 lower in the front for some time then upped it by an inch. Hard to believe how an inch changes the look; but it is closer to stock height. Noticed the handling difference at high speeds, worse, not better.