Stivo acceleration times by HSV test Driver

[Ilivfor6]

Hi guys,

I guess this topic will get my ***** whipped by some in this forum as I do not have signed declerations or multiple video evidence, but there are a few in here I believed would be interested. The others I guess can make all the noise they want as who cares!

Have been out with HSV doing some photo's for overseas promotions at a test day of some of their upcoming alterations to their cars. This included acceleration/braking tests, handling tests etc.

At the end of the shoot we took my stivo onto the straight for a couple acceleration tests. I drove it first. There were 3 0-100 runs I did.

1st run was 7.9 secs

2nd run was 7.4 secs

3rd run was 7.7secs (still not perfect on the gear changes)

Chris one of the test drivers hops in does a few laps to learn the shift action and then bangs out the following:-

1st run 7.2 secs

2nd run 7.1 secs (now says he knows what he's doing wrong)

3rd run 6.9 secs (Hops out with a huge grin and said that was a perfect run)

I do truly wish I could change gears like that. Lightning quick. The first two runs he was changing at 8200rpm and dropping to about 7100rpm. For the 3rd run changed at approx 7700-7800 and dropped to about 6600rpm where he said the car had more torque. Going past 7800 he found the car would lose its momentum slightly and 6600 is where the torque really started to surge. Although I could certainly smell the clutch now!

For the quarter mile I managed in 2 runs:

1st run 15.7 secs

2nd run 15.5 secs

Chris again hops in, with me standing by the armco with my heart racing and reals off two very hot times:

1st run 14.8 secs

2nd run 14.7 secs

Needless to say the little stivo won quite a few friends their today, although Chris did say that you would not wish to push the car that hard for long as the clutch would be sludge. His view was this was an awesome little car, but very physical to drive as he had to absolutely ring it's neck to get decent figures compared to the astra turbo which he has found to be more relaxed. But in his tests of the astra turbo the times were much the same, he would though take the stivo over the astra for a sunday drive everytime. As far as he was concerned the stivo gave him something the astra did not and that was a grin from ear to ear. It left him wanting to get back in and give it another hiding!

That was my very early morning. first time I've seen the sun rise for a little while. Hey I even managed to do the photo stuff as well.

That's it. I am now bracing myself for some of you guys to bend me over and start banging away.

P.S. the HSV's were doing real low 5's for the 0-100 & easy sub 14's for the quarters. Not allowed to give actual times for them. But WOW they quick!!!

[NIKICH]

ur car is stock yeah??

[Ilivfor6]

No the car is not stock. I have the TRD CAI & TRD Extractors plus 16,000km on the clock so nice and broken in. Only the unichip to go!

[NIKICH]

Cool, so what times do u think a stock stivo get?

[xTiGeRx]

Ilivfor6: Excellent work! landing in lift above 7,000rpm!! DAMN! That's gotta be quick...either A) lightning quick changes or B) 1/2 Flat Change.

Still that's pretty good. mid 7's is excellent =)

and that's with the CAI and Extractors...hmm....the stock stivo...i'm 'guessing' would be low 8's or mid 8's. With the UniChip, you're probably looking at 7 flat and sub seven 0-100. (with ilivfor6 driving...and more practice ;) .not the test driver)

YEAH! GO THE STIVO OVER THE ASTRA!!! YEAH!!! :D :D

-Chris

[Ilivfor6]

The problem was he said for an everyday drive he would take the Astra, as he spends most of his day pushing cars hard so just wants to cruise to and from work, as its fast but easy/relaxing.

I got a lot of practice to do on gear changes still. Basically ripped my ankles off a few years back so now I have mostly metal holding what's left of them in place which I find is quite a hinderance to real quick changes as I just cant move my feet fast enough.

Chris's changes were lightning quick. I think he bearly lifted off the clutch at all. I was impressed and in awe. :o

Certains parts of the body turned hard when I saw my Stivo moving that quick!

[T-Sport]

Certains parts of the body turned hard when I saw my Stivo moving that quick!

hahahahaha

not bad... yeh im gonna look into CAI when i can afford...

[lucio_libre]

Certains parts of the body turned hard when I saw my Stivo moving that quick!

Ohh boy, Stewart you worry me sometimes mate B) . How the hell did he manage to change at 7800 and still land on 6600?

[Pecker]

Its called never taking your foot of the accelerator....

hard on the car but good for fast times..

[ZEEROLLA]

Sorry mate, just cannot see how it is possible to only lose 1200revs on an upshift with the stock Celica 6 speed gears and gear ratios. Even if it is possible, you would have to be absolutely riding the clutch to keep it at higher revs and i don't think i would want to do that to a car i want to keep. Like you said a video clip would have really helped because i cannot imagine what you have said. Sorry.

And what do you mean when you said Chris "...barely lifted off the clutch at all"?

As for what Pecker said with the accelerator stuck to the floor when shifting, i have seen it being done on video and the revs still dropped about 2000revs. 1200revs is just hard to believe. Like i said, its the gear ratios that determine the revs.

My ?cents,

Zee

[xoom]

without getting to technical about revs this and dropping of that and accelerator was like this the fact remains he ran a 6.9 0-100 pass :D Now Ilivfor6 im assuming as this was a photo/testing day it was done on a track somewhere and as such not using primative equiment like a G-Tech or something and if thats the case then these results have my thumbs up B) Your times were pretty good also ;) :P Your going to have to do this again when u get ur unichip on :D :D

[Ilivfor6]

I did not see him change the gears on the runs as I was standing on the straight by the armco. The info on the changes I gave was what he told me after the runs. My first reaction when he told me was bullsh*t but then I saw the times on their laptop and thought wholly crap maybe he is right! I have no reason not to believe him anyway.

What he showed me in one of the HSV's is what he called flat shifting. He kept his foot flat to the floor on the accelerator and just tapped the clutch and not all the way in either. The trick to the quickest times was to just tap the clutch to the point of allowing the gear to change any further and too much time is lost. In the HSV his tapping of the clutch was lightning quick. I swear it was the speed of a blink. If you ever watch the V8 supercars on tv and they show their footwork on the pedals watch when they change gears, thats how fast it was.

And yes this is not good for the car that's why he told me do it a few more times and the clutch would be sludge. But hey I just wanted to see what time a professional driver could do in the stivo.

For the timing they used sensors on the track which fed info to their laptops, as well as radar/laser guns for extenal readings of the cars speeds plus sensors that go on the doors, bonnet, bumper and roof that read g's being pulled plus changes in the cars attitude etc. Very interesting stuff as they take all this raw data back to the engineers who use it in computer models etc to help in the ongoing developments of the cars.

With some luck next time (I hope their will be) will try and take Peekay with me if he's willing to sign a confidentiality agreement. As for video camera's, not allowed. Only video on site was their's.

I will not be putting my car through that again as my clutch doe's not feel as good as it did before that morning. It's only slight but I can notice a difference. To me it feels as though it is slipping just a bit more. :(

[Pecker]

Posted on May 14 2004, 09:52 AM

Its called never taking your foot of the accelerator....

hard on the car but good for fast times..

I told you so boys... :D :D :D

I tried a few power shifts like that when i first got the car and copped the same thing (boy do clutched make a bad smell), since that day the clutch just doesnt grab like it used too.

[CAP]

I've see modified launch control kits fitted to WRX's that allow safe flat changing, perhaps someone out there has a similar kit that can be fitted to the corollas.

The kit I saw on the rex was tuned to the car's optimal torque/power rev zone, in this case it was 4000 rpm, it was very simple and cheap. When the clutch is depressed a solenoid is activated that triggers the modified ecu to cut back on ignition timing and fuel delivery, so sitting at the lights (on a track) with the pedal to the floor the revs were not exceeding 4000rpm. To launch was simple - side step the clutch, the engine is at optimal power and a perfect takeoff easily done. Gear changes same process, keep the gas floored, depressing the clutch cuts back the revs to no less than the set revs programmed into the ecu, change gear and off you go again.

APS made this kit for turbo cars, someone out there has to make a similar one for NA cars such as corollas. ;)

[Danthuyer]

Stew - great post mate :) good to see what can be done by a 'better' driver hey!?

I managed a pitiful 7.24 0 -> 100 and 15.91 1/4 mile with Shao in the car with me on Friday.

each change from 1->2 was dropping just out of lift :(

It just shows how much a 'good' driver can make these things fly :)

[T-Sport]

hmmm never timed myself 0-100... i dont think i can shift that fast... but in all i reckon the rolla isnt really a drag car... most import turbos eat it for breakky :P

i like taking on the touge... my poor turanza... hehe

[Toohey]

I'm with you T-Sport. The Stivo comes into it's own on a bit of twisty road where you chuck it through the gears and try and keep it in the power band.

[qkslvr]

I'm definitely with you there man! V8 conering killers! hahaha :D

I've driven ok handling cars all my driving life so i don't really know what a crap handling car is like. I was driving with a friend the other day and i usually try to drive on the "racing" line all the time. that way i don't have to brake and accelerate all the time. * I do it out of laziness *

i took this corner at a moderate speed and my friends car (old Pulsar Q) almost ran off the road. crappy tires, old shocks and bad driving is a dangerous mix! hahaha

[xoom]

Hi Guys

Pulled over into a quiet flat long street yesterday and thought id test out flat shifting in the car. I mean i know how its bad for the clutch and all but thought id do this 1 to maybe see if im in a close run whether i would do this as apposed to a conventional shift. So pulled over came to a stop and engaged 1st and got it going slowly (i wasnt after a 0-100 time) then once i was on the way i punched it. As the car is screaming its way up the rev range not 2 much later im watching my tacho and I instigated to shift at about 7500 rpm and by the time i shifted it was at about 8000 and once in second and in gear a slight chirp and bang the car was at about 6500 rpm and still pulling away as if i hadnt actually shifted gears but was still in the same gear to begin with :D :D

Now i cant emagine that this is to health for the clutch but i just had to try it out 4 myself. N if ever in a close run and if its worth it then i can pull this mechanism out for shifting. But like i said u'd have 2 weigh up if killing ur clutch like this is worth it mayb for 1 of runs or tests on a track or sumfin.

Cheers

Bill

[ZEEROLLA]

Wow Xoom :o , did you hit limiter during the upshift because i would imagine with the accelerator to the floor you would :P

[lucio_libre]

Well I also decided to try shifting before 8000rpm, using the clutch, no flat shifting. I changed around 7800, and found it to be better than letting it rev over 8000, it dropped to about 6400. Im definely not gona rev it past 8 grand from now on, 7800 seems to be the best range for a good 1-2nd shift.

[xoom]

Hi ZEEROLLA,

There was a slight ***** not huge as if its going to stall but more like as if i hit the limiter and i dont know if this was as a result of the shift or actually hitting the rev limiter. This only happened once so if it was from hitting the rev limiter then it only bounced once off the limiter as ive been in the car when its just sitting their on the rev limiter and it felt nothing like that.

Cheers

Bill