The long road to Bonneville, goals are 40mpg useable pickup in the 150 club

[gumby79]

This all started in 2013 when my cousin sugested theres a pile of steel and that I build one of my Ideas . It became the "Aero Tonto".

So thank you Brent for pushing me to just peek. Now my eyes can see.
I was sponsored @Darco by Aerohead. Then we went to Bonneville to see the eye candy. I fell in love. And decided last minute to run. Knowing that my truck hits the governor at less than 100 and my tires are only rated for 106mph. I hit 87.14mph on the standing mile. @ 2500rpm . It took almost an hour to figur out what class I'd run in ,they finaly decided on T (time only open class). With a call to the rules people it was established that my Aero Tonto alone, any mod above the bed rail puts me in the UDT(Unlimited Diesel Truck)class. Full aero package less cap is MDT(Modified Diesel Truck. And 0 aero is DT(Diesel Truck) records for my size motor are; UDT 272.685MPH, MDT228.804MPH, DT215.091 MPH. The piece that confuse the inspectors is the rule specify 14500 GVW/race weight minimum in anything except for DT

Stock 16-22.6mpg avg 18 3k mi
Aero Tonto 18-29.3 avg 24 over 100k mi
Not raging on those that do but 0% EOC (not safe)
DWL (inclueds most of the conserve momentum tips. It just how you learn to drive when living in the mountains)
Drive by Vav/boost /EGT gage its amasing what a 25°f change in EGT can do.

This is an ambitious long turm multi step process. With self imposed restrictions.
Truck must
1 be street legal
2. Be able to carrie 1Cord of Green Oak in the bed with all mods in place.(CDF definition is 3000lbs)
3. Tow 10k lbs 1k mi
4. Be returnable to stock ,except hood.
5. Sealed IP till after HP/aero adds up to 130 club
Step 1.
Aero package up to 40mpg. Stock tune(factory sealed macanical injection pump (IP))
2
Custom Quickchange extreemliner differential (QC)this allows mixing and matching from 1.2:1 - 5.11:1 takes >15min to swap gears Carrie three sets of gear race, daily driver, tow heavy.
This is custom because Winters the QC manufacturer has stated that the diff can handle my power/tork(could end up over 1500ftlb), however, not the weight. The QC only uses ford 9" axle/ berings I need a full floating axle to meat my restrictions.(weight)
At this point I'll return to Bonneville. Qualify 130mph club, 150club. One theory is , with the right aero package its 1hp /1mph. So 160 is plausible if I get the aero right, and if I'm lucky 175+ to get to the big track,With a stock sealed IP
3 strip it down and run for an ABA test (sealed )
4 reassemble A run
5 release the Kraken start turning the screws on the pump( tuneing for power) and see how far she will go with 300+HP, this is conservative number as this motor is capable of 400HP on the cheep at the expence of longevity. The costly part is making it reliable.
6 run the full aero +tune +street gears for improved mpg. Hopes are for 1-10%gain over aero/gear only

Sorry no pictures the sight is not allowing at this time.

To those that dont like WOT this is not a thred for you sorry context in too important.

[aerohead]

An otherwise 147-mph 2012 Mini Cooper S,with 181-hp,and an Iced down intercooler, just eked out 130-mph in the mile in 2012,due to the extra rolling resistance on the salt.
At 2730-pounds,that's basically 1-hp per 15-lbs.Power-to-weight is more important than any other factor in this 1-mile drag race.
If the Dodge was 4,000 lb race weight,you'd need a minimum 267-hp available to squeeze 130 in the mile,qualifying for the 150 Club.
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I don't know anything about the 2-mile course.
It's still a lot of acceleration.Aerodynamic horsepower would be 54% higher than at 130.Rolling resistance should be a linear function.
*you'll need a roll cage
*fire suppression system
*V-Rated tires
*current SFI fire suit
*current SFI Hans device
*current Snell-approved brain bucket
That's $5,000 right there!
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If you could pull off the 150,then you'd be qualified to run the long course,which can be up to 12-miles long.
You'd have to get your race license in 10-mph increments and the USFRA might let you use their roadster for that.
Once you had your racing license for up to 180-mph,you could do bracketed handling runs in the truck,increasing speed incrementally until you'd run the truck for all she was worth.
What a hoot!

[aerohead]

For the 776-mile tank,between Green River,Utah and Fernley,Nevada,I pulled the 250-miles of 65 mph travel out,indicating 36.9 mpg for the 55-mph portion.
If I throw in 4-mpg for the missing boat tail I'm knocking on 41-mpg,on unleaded Regular gas.If I throw Audi's 1.30-X TDI factor in,Spirit would be looking at 53.3 mpg.
The Dodge isn't THAT bigger,nor much different in weight,so 40-mpg seems real doable,even with the firewood hauling capability.

[gumby79]

Ive been on the horn with Jim Dunn , the Truck and pickup class rules chairman ,to iorn out the details of, What calss.

For all truck classes except UDT and DS say, flat tonto cover that yeald no aero advantage are allowed ,but must not extend above the top of the bed.
Theas are the 3 classes we came up with . He said that the 14500lbs min weight for the Mdt and udt classes is a missomer and that I wouldn't be held by that, only limitis 750cid If this changes the only class I fit with my Aero Tonto will be T, time.
There is 1 more class that would alow our caps and that is DS Diesel streemliner @306.816 except "modified production bodies are forbidden " so maby shrink wraping it bumper to bumper may qualify .

87.14 was a rpm limit of my 2.4495 final gear(stock trans .69×3.55 rear end) and my refusal to brake the seals on my factory sealed injection pump. To raise the governor to 3500 or 4200rpm tell after 40mpg. 3500rpm =134mph 4200rpm =161mph. Without supporting modifications 4200 is not achievable. Stock lift pump bairly handles the stock motor lucky me it failed monday so the variable displacement piston pump is going in place of the diaphragm that came out. This is a reduced pressure high volume pump from the 2nd gen Cummins 94-98.


Gears, aero package and safty will be my focus for now.

[skyking]

You'd need the 60 LB valve springs to support the higher RPM, but those are easy to do.
I've done governor spring kits many times on P-pumps. If we could find the parts to convert yours to a P-pump, it is a bit easier to make big power.
I even have a spare rebuilt 215 pump, already set for 3500 RPM on the springs.
The trouble is, different injectors, lines, and timing set. It is a big job.

[freebeard]

Good luck! Are you planning for 2018?

I was driven to Bonneville two years ago, and I told my son and his friend Nick (a manager at Boeing) I would get myself there next year and be on a pit crew in 2-5 years. Last year I watched Nick do a 164mph run on his Ducati. This year he drove someone else's motorcycle at the 14000ft salt flat in Bolivia. I'm hoping I can get him for a driver.

They confirm my reservation number for an Arcimoto FUV comes up in 2nd quarter 2018. I can cover the base price (bye bye Superbeetle) and I'm hoping they see the logic in sponsoring a Fun Utility Vehicle run at America's Playground.

Maybe they can sponsor me to the extent of doors.

I'm thinking stock, except for replacing the 145-65/15s with 155-50'19s (from the BMW i3) for longer legged gearing, and a two foot boat tail.

[Big Dave]

Racing is tough.

Then, there's Bonneville.

[freebeard]

The first year I was there, we met a guy from Montana who'd gotten a $1000 Dodge pickup running, thrown his toolbox and motorcycle in the back and headed to Bonneville. Assuming he'd a luck into a pit crew once he got there.

My son's friend volunteered and drove the chase truck for his run. After the motorcycle took off, he followed toward the horizon and promptly lost him, and drove right past. IIRC they had to send another truck after the chase truck.

It's like another world.

[gumby79]

If the Dodge was 4,000 lb race weight,you'd need a minimum 267-hp available to squeeze 130 in the mile,qualifying for the 150 Club.
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I hit 84 by 1/2 mile the rest of the thime was spent fighting with the transmission to stay in 4th luse 5mph when it would grab 3rd then upshift as I brought the throttle under 75% and reapply the power

I don't know anything about the 2-mile course.
It's still a lot of acceleration.Aerodynamic horsepower would be 54% higher than at 130.Rolling resistance should be a linear function.
*you'll need a roll cage
*fire suppression system
*V-Rated tires
*current SFI fire suit
*current SFI Hans device
*current Snell-approved brain bucket
That's $5,000 right there!

Per the rule book

In order to qualify to run on the
long course, you must go at least 175 mph at the 2 ¼ mile on the short course

Roll cage .. 130club 3pt harness ok so no cage required
150 club 2point(pt) cage to hold the shoulder belts of the required 5/6 pt harness at the proper hight.
175 full cage.
Race capable fire suppression@175 +( they Overlook the fire extinguisher in the 130 and 150 because the Marine style mounts just turned that two and a half pound fire extinguisher into a 5 lb chunk of aluminum hit me/you upside the head)
Nomex 150+
Hans 175+
Current helmet check.
Dreem Big Chisel Down To Reality

[freebeard]

I've talked to the head of marketing at Arcimoto about them sponsoring a vehicle at Bonneville. He wasn't too excited. I was trying to convince him to subject one of their FUVs to the salt environment, so it wouldn't have to be mine. Fording creeks of brine didn't do my Superbeetle any good at all.

Any prognosis on the Salt yet this year? Sometimes it doesn't dry out. I've been thinking El Mirage instead, of only because of the corrosion. I don't know how those bare-metal Model T do it.