Quote:
Originally Posted by chuckclanton
So...I owned a 2013 ZL1. Found it of only average performance. Too heavy with unbalanced weight. Engine to complex and terrible gas millage.
would have preferred the Z28 engine. Owned a Dodge Viper in my track days(Michelin challenge series 2002-2006). 500 CI, 600HP, simple fuel system. So power does not have to be complex! I just don't see the point in supercharged engines other than for drag racing or dyno queens. All that being said, I find my 2016 1/SS really awesome for the price I paid. It will be on the track next month.
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One of the most successful GP cars of all time ran dual superchargers, and most GP cars from the 20's through the 60's were supercharged. Superchargers were used extensively in road race engines long before drag racing and dyno queens were around. The Car I am referring to was 1.5 liters @ 450 hp @ 9500 rpm in a straight 8 configuration. It kept the displacement down so the engine size was small, but produced remarkable power output for the size winning against normally aspirated engines of over twice the size. They did fall out of favor because the fuel required to run the cars was very dangerous, and the exhaust fumes were quite toxic for the driving participants. The manufactures were able to run without the cooling issues and they were achieving 450 HP out of about 100 cubic inches of displacement in the 50's
In today's world you will surely see more and more forced induction, even my service vehicle has turbo's.
If your taking a purist view that race cars are always naturally aspirated, consider for the first 50 or so years of high end auto racing, the winning cars were almost always supercharged in F1/GP racing.