SVTPerformance - View Single Post - How fast are 03-04 Saleens SC??

TEABG · 06-29-2006, 03:15 PM

COPIED AND PASTED FROM www.musclemustangfastfords.com

E=Extreme
After only one year on the market, you'd be forgiven if you thought Saleen would stand pat with the S-281 Extreme, the top of the line Saleen ponycar. After all, it comes with a handbuilt 4.6, specially prepared for boost and insane velocities with forged internals and custom-ground cams. But Saleen did not stand pat. A 75mm throttle body replaces the previous 65mm unit, the supercharger blows through the new intercooler from the S-281, and the same high-flow exhaust system is fitted as well. A reprogrammed PowerFlash ties it all together and the result is 445 hp at 6,000 rpm and 450 lb-ft of torque at 4,000, increases of 20 and 10, respectively. Making the delivery even more enthralling is a 3.55:1 final drive, versus 3.08 in 2002. So you can imagine what our reaction was when Saleen wanted to know if we'd drag test one.

But not just any S-281E. While every one of these very limited production vehicles is special, we got to sample the very Lizstick Red model shot featured in The Fast & Furious, 2. We felt like such celebrities, even though the car gets blown up in the flick.

So it was off to Raceway Park for a little drag-o-rama. First we'd test it on the factory-issue Pirelli PZero Rosso tires (P265/35ZR18), then we'd give it a whirl on Mickey Thompson slicks. After that, it was a date with the dyno at Crazy Horse Racing.

Actually, let's give you the dyno results first. Corrected to 56 degrees, 12.5 percent humidity and a barometer of 30.05 percent, the Extreme punished the CHR dyno to the tune of 416.6 hp and 405.2 lb-ft of torque. Little wonder our drag strip numbers were as good as they were.

How good? Let's just say our worst pass on street tires was a 12.567 at 113.89. We followed that up with a pair of 12.23s at over 116 mph (best 60-foot of 2.004). After a brief cool down, we gave it one last shot on radials. Test driver Evan Smith slipped the clutch while feeding the throttle and got off with a very clean 1.902 60-foot. He found all four gears en route to a blistering 12.195 at 114.71 mph. That is far superior to our best-ever 12.43/113 in a stock '03 Cobra.

With 28x10.5-inch slicks, we had both good and less than great results. In the plus column, we clicked off a pair of 11s, an 11.945 at 116.24 and an 11.855 at 115.54. To the negative, no matter how high we launched the little 4.6, the car bogged--like going from 5,000 rpm to 500 before recovery. We attributed this to the combination of an aluminum flywheel and lack of gearing. This same car with 4.10s would be an easy mid-11-second ride.

Still, it's hard to argue with anything that goes 12.19 in factory trim. That's ZO6 Corvette territory, albeit at a greater price. With an MSRP of $60,586, the Saleen is nearly $10k more than the Vette. Of course, for this you get far greater exclusivity (fewer than 100 built per annum) and don't have to suffer the indignity of driving a Chevy.

06-29-2006, 03:15 PM	#18 (permalink)
TEABG Banned Join Date: September 2005 Location: LBC Posts: 3,238 2.12 per day Trader Rating: (4)	COPIED AND PASTED FROM www.musclemustangfastfords.com E=Extreme After only one year on the market, you'd be forgiven if you thought Saleen would stand pat with the S-281 Extreme, the top of the line Saleen ponycar. After all, it comes with a handbuilt 4.6, specially prepared for boost and insane velocities with forged internals and custom-ground cams. But Saleen did not stand pat. A 75mm throttle body replaces the previous 65mm unit, the supercharger blows through the new intercooler from the S-281, and the same high-flow exhaust system is fitted as well. A reprogrammed PowerFlash ties it all together and the result is 445 hp at 6,000 rpm and 450 lb-ft of torque at 4,000, increases of 20 and 10, respectively. Making the delivery even more enthralling is a 3.55:1 final drive, versus 3.08 in 2002. So you can imagine what our reaction was when Saleen wanted to know if we'd drag test one. But not just any S-281E. While every one of these very limited production vehicles is special, we got to sample the very Lizstick Red model shot featured in The Fast & Furious, 2. We felt like such celebrities, even though the car gets blown up in the flick. So it was off to Raceway Park for a little drag-o-rama. First we'd test it on the factory-issue Pirelli PZero Rosso tires (P265/35ZR18), then we'd give it a whirl on Mickey Thompson slicks. After that, it was a date with the dyno at Crazy Horse Racing. Actually, let's give you the dyno results first. Corrected to 56 degrees, 12.5 percent humidity and a barometer of 30.05 percent, the Extreme punished the CHR dyno to the tune of 416.6 hp and 405.2 lb-ft of torque. Little wonder our drag strip numbers were as good as they were. How good? Let's just say our worst pass on street tires was a 12.567 at 113.89. We followed that up with a pair of 12.23s at over 116 mph (best 60-foot of 2.004). After a brief cool down, we gave it one last shot on radials. Test driver Evan Smith slipped the clutch while feeding the throttle and got off with a very clean 1.902 60-foot. He found all four gears en route to a blistering 12.195 at 114.71 mph. That is far superior to our best-ever 12.43/113 in a stock '03 Cobra. With 28x10.5-inch slicks, we had both good and less than great results. In the plus column, we clicked off a pair of 11s, an 11.945 at 116.24 and an 11.855 at 115.54. To the negative, no matter how high we launched the little 4.6, the car bogged--like going from 5,000 rpm to 500 before recovery. We attributed this to the combination of an aluminum flywheel and lack of gearing. This same car with 4.10s would be an easy mid-11-second ride. Still, it's hard to argue with anything that goes 12.19 in factory trim. That's ZO6 Corvette territory, albeit at a greater price. With an MSRP of $60,586, the Saleen is nearly $10k more than the Vette. Of course, for this you get far greater exclusivity (fewer than 100 built per annum) and don't have to suffer the indignity of driving a Chevy.