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How fast is that thing?

Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 8:54 pm
by volny
92 wagon, not sure which kind (L?), non turbo.

Why does my speed gage goes up to 140mph when later models and turbos goes only to 120mph?

I have always been curious about it. Is it just a stock dash they put on every car, or is that little ejj22 really have that much potential?

I know they put the same engine on some older impreza.

Previous owner called this car white lightening, I'd like to find out more :)

So far I can cruise a 80mph easy, but my 5th is really sloppy (more likely bad injectors) plus it's an old car as well.

I cant push to much in 4th unless my rpm goes way up, and so far I like to keep under 4000.

At what RPM is that thing safe to drive by the way?

Re: How fast is that thing?

Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 9:45 pm
by evolutionmovement
High speedometer numbers are for marketing purposes (once the Joan Claybrook 85 mph bullshit was repealed). My guess is that the 1st generations go to 140 because of the speed record cars. I saw 133 in my N/A wagon—the BMW 323 was at least as surprised as I was. True speed was probably somewhere in the 120s, but who cares? Like my past life flying Thunderbolts, we saw 500 mph indicated, that's what we bragged about if we made it back (at some point, I didn't).

Re: How fast is that thing?

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 1:22 am
by volny
Interesting to know still! The tire rating recommendation is H (up to 140mph)...that said I wonder how you get there, probably if you have 100 miles of straight road with nobody on it! Anyway it doesnt have a lot of horsepower so I'm assuming this thing will get there like a train :D

Re: How fast is that thing?

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 1:36 am
by evolutionmovement
That BMW couldn't pull more than a hood on me to that speed, but being fwd with its less power loss and apparently with a ringer for an engine helps.

Re: How fast is that thing?

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 1:46 am
by SILINC3R
i can hit 113 comfortly but thats about it

Re: How fast is that thing?

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 2:03 am
by kimokalihi
Yeah I never got my wagon over 115 and only took it over 100 probably once. This was a 90 L AWD 4EAT with 94 trans+rear diff.

Re: How fast is that thing?

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 2:46 am
by GClark
I hit 135 in my Legacy..

Re: How fast is that thing?

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 3:18 am
by volny
Damn Clark !! is it auto or manual? AT which RPM?

Re: How fast is that thing?

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 3:51 am
by GClark
Manual and around 5kish

I have a picture, it was right after decelerating so it doesn't back up my claim. I'll snap a picture next time I'm feeling adventurous ;-) .

Image

Re: How fast is that thing?

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 4:10 am
by evolutionmovement
My wagon would hit 120 fairly easily, but over that it had very little. I remember cruising along 95 and seeing a Lotus Esprit V8 turbo coming up fast behind me with a Neon pacing it two lanes over. I pulled aside for the Lotus and stepped on the gas. At around 110, the Neon hit physics' brick wall and I ran alongside the Lotus to about 120. I look down through his open sunroof, the guy looks up, nods, downshifts, and he was gone as if we had been sitting at a light. I've been behind F40s, Diablos, Murcielagos, F355s, etc., but that Lotus was the only exotic that didn't require me to slow down from my normal (former) cruising speed to hang with.

Re: How fast is that thing?

Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 5:50 am
by wtdash
Gclark,
A 'touring wagon' has a turbo, and yours looks to be a 5-swap based on the pic of your dash?

NOT busting your-know-whats, just clarifying.


Edit: Found your Build Journal.....some of your pics are missing, but I like the wide tires. :-)

Td

Re: How fast is that thing?

Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 6:25 am
by DevC
I've had cars that exceed the speedo no problem, and I've had cars that would never reach the end of the speedo without fear of death(legacy). Just cause that wat it says, doesnt mean it can go that fast.

jdm cars are limited to 180kph and thats all the speedo reads to, my 2nd gen jdm wagon would get there fast and feel like half that in a 1st gen, but as soon as you hit 180kph it shuts you down.

Re: How fast is that thing?

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 1:36 am
by Legacy777
When I was FWD, I had thing thing to 130 mph.....and since turboing, have had it to 120 a couple times.

Re: How fast is that thing?

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 2:13 am
by speedmaxx
hmmm I got cams, intake, exhaust, crank pully, manifold spacers.

I havent tried topping it out but it will do 100mph relativly easilly. top I have hit 110 when it was stock but it was winding out hard at like 6k in 3rd. felt like I was gonna blow it up.

I blame the auto tranny... and the hilly highway I drive on lol

Re: How fast is that thing?

Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 1:02 am
by volny
Some nice stories up here! Stay safe though ;)

I would like so much to get on a track and test that thing (and also learn how to drift :)...

What RPM is this car safe to drive?

On windy roads I like putting in 4th at around 4k RPM around 80mph , for traction and nervosity, but I don't if it is good to drive long distance like that? That's also why I was wondering bout the top speed, to understand how to bring it up there and get a scale of what can be done with it...you know just in case ;)

5th at 80mph is very sloppy and accelerate like a snail...which means I should be able to stretch the 4th passed 100pmh theoretically? I;m just making assumptions I'm still a kook, but loving the learning process with this brand :D

Re: How fast is that thing?

Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 1:41 am
by evolutionmovement
I ran my EA81 GL back and forth from Boston to school in Detroit cruising near red line in top gear overloaded with gear for much of the drives. My cruising speed with the EJ22 used to be 85.

Re: How fast is that thing?

Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 2:21 am
by kimokalihi
85? Damn. With my 4.444 I'm at 3K 60mph. At 85 I'd be so high in RPM I would get like 10mpg. Lucky. Sure wish this trans had a 6th gear.

Re: How fast is that thing?

Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 3:13 am
by asotwavb
Sorry for the bad quality..... :lol:


Image

Re: How fast is that thing?

Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 4:51 am
by evolutionmovement
Fwd 5MT=3.7 FD=~27 mph/1000 rpm. I hate short gearing.

Re: How fast is that thing?

Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 5:09 am
by kimokalihi
So you'd be at 81 mph at 3K while I am at 60mph. wow. This explains my piss poor fuel economy. 19.5 and 18.3 the last two tanks.

Re: How fast is that thing?

Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 4:12 pm
by evolutionmovement
Yeah, and I used to get a consistent 25 from a tank at that speed (with some ventures to higher speeds as well). I don't know why so many companies insist on short top gears. That's a big reason a Corvette can almost match an average sub compact hatch on the highway. Even the damned Mazda runs 23 mph/1000 rpm in top—the same my 1983 GL ran with less than half the horsepower peaking at low rpm and worse aerodynamics. If I convert Duchess to rwd, I'm going to see if I can manage the gearing to put her around 30 mph/1000 rpm. That, playing with some boost control, and some aero tweaks I hope will get her at least 30 mpg at cruise.

Re: How fast is that thing?

Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 4:46 pm
by kimokalihi
Sure would be nice. Filling up for $50-$55 a week in this car is no fun at all. Twice what the metro costs to drive.

Re: How fast is that thing?

Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 5:35 pm
by evolutionmovement
I wish kept better track of the wagon as I wonder how far off the Mazda it would be. I drive slower now and average 30/tank in that. Driving 70-75 might have brought the wagon into closing range of the 3. But it wouldn't get anywhere near the 2012 Focus I'm going to look at today.

Re: How fast is that thing?

Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 5:46 pm
by kimokalihi
Yeah no doubt. Seems as though the automotive industry has finally decided to make cars that get good gas mileage. Pretty embarrassing that 40 years ago cars got better gas mileage than they did 10 years ago. :roll: I know they can make cars that get as much as 60mpg if they wanted to, maybe more. But at least 40mpg is bearable.

My 1990 legacy L wagon with AWD and a 4EAT trans out of a 94 wagon got 25mpg regularly and actually got 28mpg on the last tank I went through before selling it.

Re: How fast is that thing?

Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 4:11 am
by GClark
wtdash wrote:Gclark,
A 'touring wagon' has a turbo, and yours looks to be a 5-swap based on the pic of your dash?

NOT busting your-know-whats, just clarifying.


Edit: Found your Build Journal.....some of your pics are missing, but I like the wide tires. :-)

Td

Thanks! Yes we did a transmission swap, and yes, photobucket is broken.