VECTOR cars! | Page 5 | FerrariChat

VECTOR cars!

Discussion in 'American Muscle' started by philt68, Aug 31, 2011.

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  1. CK7684

    CK7684 Formula 3

    Oct 19, 2011
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    Probably...downloading now. Maybe I had the title wrong? Thanks!
     
  2. CK7684

    CK7684 Formula 3

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    Just got around to reading it...very nice! Is 0-100 still active? I don't think any W8's got the planned HUD though. Obviously it was planned, as the dim/on/off knob is on the dash of every pic I've seen. I think this would have solved the issue of the display panel being hard to read while driving. BTW, GM used HUD in 1988 in the Cutless Supreme. A good friend of mine owned one of these. Very nice. I would have loved to see what the Vector display would have looked like!
    Also, isn't redline @ 7000 rpm in these? That works out to 218 mph. 242 would be nearly 8000 rpm. Certainly not out of the question for this engine though. I'm really trying to find reliable info on this car. I'd love to hear about the development & high speed behavior as well as what prompted the aero changes.
    I'm also curious to the location of the oil & trans coolers.
     
  3. AxerJk

    AxerJk Formula 3

    Jan 28, 2009
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    I would love to see one of the shows do a test drive of a W8. I would love to see them take it up to speed, going around corners, ect. I don't have high hopes that that will happen though.

    Chris
     
  4. CK7684

    CK7684 Formula 3

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    I'd love to see that too, but due the the cars rarity, I too doubt it would happen. In the 2004 Automobile issue, the guy that owns(ed) two of them stated that his insurance company limited what he could do with the cars...
     
  5. AxerJk

    AxerJk Formula 3

    Jan 28, 2009
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    I tried finding that August 2004 issue on ebay and elsewhere online, but to no avail. I hope to find it one day.

    Chris
     
  6. VF1Skullangel

    VF1Skullangel Formula Junior

    Nov 22, 2008
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    Your my hero! Its guys like you who've made it without the degrees I look up to the most. I can't take a test to save my life. I've gotta find my gig and soon. :)
     
  7. VF1Skullangel

    VF1Skullangel Formula Junior

    Nov 22, 2008
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    Id honestly drive an Old Vector over a brand new Aventador any day of the week. When was the last time you saw a Vector strolling around? I'm sure you'll see many more Lambo's Ferraris and such before you see one of those. ;)

    It is very kitcarish though especially the M12 being a Diablo rebody. That car never made sense to me using the Lamborghini driveline with a GT40 transaxle and a Mazda Miata dash board and a Camaro highlight switch? No joke its the same switches found in my 96 Camaro RS!!!

    The WX8 had lots of potential except for the Supra headlights. Looked like a Fiero/Supra kitcar gone bad! hopefully Vector comes back and pulls a miracle cause now that I live in socal I wanna see some Vectors! :)
     
  8. nthfinity

    nthfinity F1 Veteran

    Mar 21, 2005
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    Show me one W8 that has features like a Kit car... ;)

    The M12's gearbox is a Getrag 5 speed...

    I believe by one of the side intake ducting for the oil/trans coolers.

    Each W8 will do 242 mph... and you are almost right about the RPM. :)

    The magazine proved too difficult to do between two guys. The original name was 0-60, and our cooresponding website was 0-60.us. Harris publishing came up with the same title, although they registered it after us. That said, we were two guys fighting an uphill battle with a big publication.
     
  9. CK7684

    CK7684 Formula 3

    Oct 19, 2011
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    Drivers side? Just wondering if that would make all the vents functional.
    I know its been stated that the car will do 242, but I'm looking for more solid evidence, etc.
    The fastest I've I've read (I can't find it at the moment) was 192 during testing at a track, & Jerry said he did over 200 on the autobahn but couldn't prove it.
    I'm not saying what the car will or won't do, I'm just looking for what was documented. Similar cars were running 230-254, but these weren't production cars.
    It's too bad yr magazine didn't work out. The photos were fantastic & it was an enjoyable read. I really liked the approach & content...
     
  10. AxerJk

    AxerJk Formula 3

    Jan 28, 2009
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    Chris Ashworth
  11. nthfinity

    nthfinity F1 Veteran

    Mar 21, 2005
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    Chris, it was a lot of fun... maybe I'll be writing some more this year ;)

    The W2 prototype with the smaller donnovan 5.7 liter block did 242 @ Bonneville with the owner of the white car driving. He worked for Vector for 13 years. In one of the magazines, the top speed was reported ( I believe it was Top Wheels). The top end was so outlandish, that the first owners were unable to secure insurance. Promptly responding to this, Vector's PR machine (Or pull start mower) changed the claim to "200+ MPH" .

    The passenger side vents are functional for the oil cooling as memory serves, the right side merely keep air moving through to keep the vehicle symmetrical. The front vents are functional, as are the rocker panel vents.
     
  12. CK7684

    CK7684 Formula 3

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    I am still trying to locate that issue of Top Wheels magazine. Could anyone provide the publication dates or maybe scan the article?
    I'm sure I'm searching for a lot of information that isn't really available. I'd also like to know more about the W2 being wrecked & rebuilt four different times, what was learned & applied etc. There's no doubt that the W8 was probably one of the safest cars built. (for those unaware of this, the W8's DOT crash test results surpassed every other car made with a single chassis. It also passed the 5000 lbs roof crush test with no damage whatsoever)
    Although I've been a fan of this car for a long time, my latest obsession is to see though both the hype as well as the negativity directed towards this car.
     
  13. AxerJk

    AxerJk Formula 3

    Jan 28, 2009
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    Holy hell, that is something I wasn't aware of.

    Chris
     
  14. CK7684

    CK7684 Formula 3

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    They used a single chassis, where other manufacturers use separate ones for front, rear & side impact tests. The Vector could have been driven away after the tests if the battery had been hooked up...pretty amazing!
     
  15. CK7684

    CK7684 Formula 3

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    Also, do the vents in the rockers just relieve air from underneath the car?
     
  16. VF1Skullangel

    VF1Skullangel Formula Junior

    Nov 22, 2008
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    #116 VF1Skullangel, May 21, 2012
    Last edited: May 21, 2012
    I can tell you if I wanted to build a Replica it would be easier than you think! Fiero Choptop. L98 engine, some foam and measurements. Yeah you get the picture ;)\\

    Now replicating the Avaonics would be difficult. Very difficult!

    242mph? I don't think so. The car has been unproven. Maybe EST but never proven with actual numbers or tested. Now the W2 on the other hand I could believe so. That Donovan V8 still sells today at a high price, I wanted to put that same Twin Turbo Chevy 383 V8 in my Camaro and the company wanted to charge 65K for a create shipped to my door!
     
  17. CK7684

    CK7684 Formula 3

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    I think the statement refers to the opinion that the W8 doesn't look like a kit car, not that a car couldn't be built to look like a W8. However, there have been people that have looked into building such a kit, but the shape proved to be too complex. One would also need to use original windshield glass, which would be difficult & expensive. Also, the Vectors were praised for their high quality by all the magazines I've read, one specifically stating that it does not at all look like a kit.
    I'm not sure what the block has to do with things here either. The Rodeck is a top of the line piece & the power output is similar in both versions of the car (although since the W2 was a prototype I'm sure specifics changed quite a bit over the years) I believe the cost of the W8's engine was $75,000.
    Anyhow, I could care less (other than curiosity) what the top speed really is. One of the things I would like to know is why they never did allow top speed testing. The car certainly had the power, especially with race fuel & boost turned up. My assumptions are either aerodynamic instability or the holding capacity of the transmission in 3rd gear, with the tall final drive. However, I am trying to stay away from assumptions, opinions or statements without any actual data to back it up. Aerodynamics were obviously addressed in some way from the early to the later cars. I'd like to know how much these changes affected the behavior of the car.
    One last thing, Vector only claimed 200+ while the W8 was in production. All the other high numbers were for the W2, while trying to drum up investors. But that still doesn't answer any questions definitively...
     
  18. nthfinity

    nthfinity F1 Veteran

    Mar 21, 2005
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    #118 nthfinity, May 22, 2012
    Last edited: May 22, 2012
    The Rodeck block was chosen due to it's reslevable nature. The Donnovan block was sound, but not reslevable. The Roddeck proved the superior engine for a variety of reasons.

    I have yet to see a Kit Vector in any pictures. I'm not sure what you are getting at.

    The aero changes were to increase cooling efficiency, while also improving front end downforce. Also, the later cars have air-intakes on the mirrors to bring a higher volume of fresh air into the cabin.

    During the initial testing at Bonneville, they were worried the car might kite at high speed. Around 180 MPH, the car becomes a little unstable, but above 185, the car settles down, and continues accelerating right on to the rev limit. The aero fixes correct that issue. It was tested to have a low Cd. of .325. Compared to the Ford GT with 75 less guarenteed HP, the GT has a Cd. of .39, and the Veyron in top speed mode is .36.

    Keep in mind the frontal area on the Vector is tiny even by the standards of the supercars of the 90's due to it's extreme wedge shape.

    Just because you "don't think so" doesn't really mean much in the land of reality. I know Jurgen "doesn't think so" either. Most owners didn't take their cars to top speed. I know of one who did on PCH :)

    Speaking of taking cars to top speed, of all the people I know, only a small handful have done so on their 200+ MPH cars..... let alone the 150 MPH+ cars. Just because it can doesn't meany you have to.
     
  19. CK7684

    CK7684 Formula 3

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    Any info about why they changed the intake plenum from the dual style to the tuned port style?
     
  20. Skidkid

    Skidkid F1 Veteran
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    Aug 25, 2005
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    The last one I saw was about 2 years ago but I agree that it is very rare.
     
  21. XR4Tim

    XR4Tim Formula 3

    Jun 1, 2005
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    Medina, OH
    I have this issue. I'll let you borrow it if you want.
     
  22. nthfinity

    nthfinity F1 Veteran

    Mar 21, 2005
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    The intake plenum was developed on the Donnovan block, and were made by a company called "First". The general design was copied by GM in the form of the TPI motor. The difference is that the intakes from First are about 2" in dia. Much much larger than those on the TPI.

    The dual plenum intake was shown, and installed on a few cars that were sold overseas. When the car was taken to Ann Arbor, MI to get EPA certified, and crash tested, Jerry believed the dual plenum intake wouldn't pass. Of course, this was largely based on a whim. The end result is that the US delivered models had the single plenum intake, and produced about 50 HP less than it might have with the dual plenum intake.

    Keep in mind that the tolerances of each engine are so specific to each build that the HP # varied from car to car. No car left making less than 625 HP. There are a few that were making in excess of 750 HP. This is something also seen today with the Bugatti Veyron. No car is delivered with less than 1001 PS; however, a great many range from 1001-1100+ in non-SS form.
     
  23. XR4Tim

    XR4Tim Formula 3

    Jun 1, 2005
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    I did get to see a video of them doing aerodynamics testing on the W8. I do recall that the sunroofs in the later cars are fixed because the removable ones were buffeting at high speeds.
     
  24. CK7684

    CK7684 Formula 3

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    Thanks! Just the type of info I'm looking for. :) I know the TPI is not the same that GM used. I think the runners are 3/4" larger.
    The engine for the AWX-3 would have been incredible too. It's a shame this car didn't get produced. I don't understand why MT scraped everything. Grrr.
     
  25. CK7684

    CK7684 Formula 3

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    I sure would have liked to have seen that video! Sounds like the sort of thing I'd be interested in. I know some of the changes & why, but I like the little details & stories behind them. I find these things fascinating
     

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