I would race around a track, but I could never race up some 11,000 foot plus mountain like Pike’s Peak!
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Oh Hell No!
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
I would race around a track, but I could never race up some 11,000 foot plus mountain like Pike’s Peak!
See Guy Martin's go at it on his home built monster. He had to adjust the mixture on the way up as the air thins out.
I can imagine getting an engine to have peak performance at that altitude is a challenge.
A turbocharged engine with adaptable EFI solves that problem. Today that technology is cheap and widely available and many newer vehicles are capable of this stock from the factory.
It's even fairly easy to adapt to older vehicles by DIY street rodders. My daily driver is an 88 Ford 2 3 turbo with a plug and play programmable EFI that costs about $800. The ECU has a USB port for your laptop and you program the vehicle's fuel and spark maps and other variables like turbo boost profiles with the supplied software.
It sounds complicated but it's actually pretty easy once you see how it works. I started out working on V8 engines with carbeurators and it takes more knowledge and experience to make efficient power that way than with modern computer controlled engines. Getting a carbeurated engine to work well driving at various high altitudes would be anajor problem.
That was a sweet run!
How’d he get his GoPro swivel like that? It’s like he had a third hand in the camera!
How’d he get his GoPro swivel like that? It’s like he had a third hand in the camera!
I used to drive -- not race -- that road a couple times a year. There were always people burning up brakes and going off the road to the point that police set up checkpoints.
Was wondering the same thing. It's been a few years since I've messed around with a GoPro... but that looks pretty slick! Perfect for doing what they used it for in that video!
Certainly an advantage on something like the Pikes Peak race. Those guys are nuts, but extremely talented drivers, no real room for error up there.
I know I could never do that. Fear of heights is my one real weakness. It took a lot for me to drive in the Rockies at normal speeds. I could not imagine flying through there at race speeds.
I miss when Pike's was dirt. Sure, it's fun to see wicked fast climb times on the asphalt runs now, but, something about that dirt section was just wild to watch.
I would race around a track, but I could never race up some 11,000 foot plus mountain like Pike’s Peak!
I'm a competitive driver, but not on a course like that, and especially not on a two-wheeler. I respect those who can do it, but there isn't enough money in the world to get me to run that road on a bike. It sends small electric shocks through me just to watch it.
Passinwind
I know nothing.
- Dec 3, 2003
- 23,066
- 45,998
- Disclosures
- Designer/Toaster Tech @ Passinwind Electronics
Volkswagen holds the overall record now, achieved a few months ago with a purpose built electric car. At least on a bike you can see the edge of the road.
neat video!
I would race around a track, but I could never race up some 11,000 foot plus mountain like Pike’s Peak!
