Svelt Swede Vs. Detroit Steel (Or: "Beauty and the Beast")

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Saabstory02
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Svelt Swede Vs. Detroit Steel (Or: "Beauty and the Beast")

Post by Saabstory02 »

OK; so I had my fun yesterday against a Dodge Charger :mrgreen: . We were on a 6 lane surface highway; you know the type: Multiple lanes at highway speeds, but still has traffic lights and intersections. We were pulling up to a red light at the bottom of a long uphill climb, a little over a 1/4 mile to the top. At this particular light the roadway actually opens up to 8 full travel lanes and 4 turn lanes, so there is a lot of wiggle room when traffic backs up a little.

I switched lanes to a far right lane that had just opened up as I was pulling up to the light, and the charger cut over in front of me so he could have a free lane. I have a very long commute (65 miles each way) so I generally don't let traffic bother me... It is what it is... so I figured he wanted to get around traffic just like I did, no problem. As the light changed green I heard his twin pipes roar to life as he pushed the beast, but I noticed quickly that despite his efforts I was still having to hold back on my little 4 banger. The weight of the charger just took away any power advantage he had...

So as soon as he and I were past the body of traffic in the left 4 lanes, I floored it in second gear at about 35-40; right in my car's perfect power zone :lol: I switched over a lane and screamed past the charger, and I heard him floor it as I did, trying to show me what the beast could do... I shifted to 3rd and floored it again, watching the poor charger drop multiple car lengths back as my turbo screamed to life once more. As I crested the hill; I saw that the traffic light at the top of the hill just changed to red as well; so I slowed down and eased into the left lane (at this point it dwindles back down to 3 forward lanes and a turn lane).

After about 10 seconds the charger comes up beside me at the light, revving his engine repeatedly and looking at me. I started laughing, but I figured he probably didn't work it very hard at the first light so maybe he had more power with a harder start? When the light changed green I took off; easing through first a little (Saabs are torque limited in first and second to protect the transmissions) and then pushing it to WOT as soon as I hit second. Right as the light changed, he gained a few feet on me due to his lack of turbo lag, but even in first I started to gain that ground back once I crested about 2500 RPMs. Once I shifted to second he didn't have a chance... By the time I was looking at third gear he was a good 3-4 car lengths behind me and still dropping. I pushed it up to about 80 and then eased off and relaxed; dropping back to 74 and continuing along my normal commute. About 6 seconds later the same fool charger comes screaming past me at about 95-100 like that was supposed to show me something; then he slowed a bit after he was a few hundred yards past me :lol:

I pulled up next to him again at the next light, about 2 miles down the road, and he started revving it up again. I just laughed at him. The beast had already been thoroughly slain by that time :mrgreen:


DISCLAIMER: I, as most people here, know that street racing is wrong. To be honest this was the first time I ever did it; though I regularly push my car up close to its limits when there are no other cars present.
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Re: Svelt Swede Vs. Detroit Steel (Or: "Beauty and the Beast")

Post by AHTOXA »

If it was a plan Charger, hell it's slower than even my car and my car's not fast at all. Ask Watkins.

Awesome kill. I have my fun with Civics and V6 Stangs, Chargers and so forth as well. Gotta love it. :lol:
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Re: Svelt Swede Vs. Detroit Steel (Or: "Beauty and the Beast")

Post by Saabstory02 »

Thanks, I was rather surprised with it myself :mrgreen:

I don't know what trim level it was, as the guy had de-badged the whole car. It did have dual exhaust though (the 6s don't, at least not stock) and it sounded like a V8.
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Re: Svelt Swede Vs. Detroit Steel (Or: "Beauty and the Beast")

Post by watkins »

AHTOXA wrote:If it was a plan Charger, hell it's slower than even my car and my car's not fast at all. Ask Watkins.
I only drove it with around 950 pounds of people in it though, so I cant really say.
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Re: Svelt Swede Vs. Detroit Steel (Or: "Beauty and the Beast")

Post by tehfade »

Chargers aren't as fast as you'd think. They weigh something like 4200 lbs. My buddy has one and every time he floors it, I'm surprised at how slow it is.
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Re: Svelt Swede Vs. Detroit Steel (Or: "Beauty and the Beast")

Post by AHTOXA »

Speaking of weight. I was helping my dad wax his '00 Maxima today and looked at the door plaque. I was surprised to see it marked at 4300 pounds. It actually moves quite well for the heavyweight that it is. I no longer feel about mine at ~3170 lbs.
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Re: Svelt Swede Vs. Detroit Steel (Or: "Beauty and the Beast")

Post by watkins »

AHTOXA wrote:Speaking of weight. I was helping my dad wax his '00 Maxima today and looked at the door plaque. I was surprised to see it marked at 4300 pounds.
All I can say to that is holy shit
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Re: Svelt Swede Vs. Detroit Steel (Or: "Beauty and the Beast")

Post by 94Corolla5Speed »

LOL, that's the GVWR (Gross Vehicle weight rating). That's the curb weight of the vehicle + all the capacity the vehicle can carry (about 900-1000 lbs.) Curb Weight for a 2000 Maxima is 3227 lbs.
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Re: Svelt Swede Vs. Detroit Steel (Or: "Beauty and the Beast")

Post by 1974Alfa5spd »

Saabstory02 wrote:OK; so I had my fun yesterday against a Dodge Charger :mrgreen: . We were on a 6 lane surface highway; you know the type: Multiple lanes at highway speeds, but still has traffic lights and intersections. We were pulling up to a red light at the bottom of a long uphill climb, a little over a 1/4 mile to the top. At this particular light the roadway actually opens up to 8 full travel lanes and 4 turn lanes, so there is a lot of wiggle room when traffic backs up a little.

I switched lanes to a far right lane that had just opened up as I was pulling up to the light, and the charger cut over in front of me so he could have a free lane. I have a very long commute (65 miles each way) so I generally don't let traffic bother me... It is what it is... so I figured he wanted to get around traffic just like I did, no problem. As the light changed green I heard his twin pipes roar to life as he pushed the beast, but I noticed quickly that despite his efforts I was still having to hold back on my little 4 banger. The weight of the charger just took away any power advantage he had...

So as soon as he and I were past the body of traffic in the left 4 lanes, I floored it in second gear at about 35-40; right in my car's perfect power zone :lol: I switched over a lane and screamed past the charger, and I heard him floor it as I did, trying to show me what the beast could do... I shifted to 3rd and floored it again, watching the poor charger drop multiple car lengths back as my turbo screamed to life once more. As I crested the hill; I saw that the traffic light at the top of the hill just changed to red as well; so I slowed down and eased into the left lane (at this point it dwindles back down to 3 forward lanes and a turn lane).

After about 10 seconds the charger comes up beside me at the light, revving his engine repeatedly and looking at me. I started laughing, but I figured he probably didn't work it very hard at the first light so maybe he had more power with a harder start? When the light changed green I took off; easing through first a little (Saabs are torque limited in first and second to protect the transmissions) and then pushing it to WOT as soon as I hit second. Right as the light changed, he gained a few feet on me due to his lack of turbo lag, but even in first I started to gain that ground back once I crested about 2500 RPMs. Once I shifted to second he didn't have a chance... By the time I was looking at third gear he was a good 3-4 car lengths behind me and still dropping. I pushed it up to about 80 and then eased off and relaxed; dropping back to 74 and continuing along my normal commute. About 6 seconds later the same fool charger comes screaming past me at about 95-100 like that was supposed to show me something; then he slowed a bit after he was a few hundred yards past me :lol:

I pulled up next to him again at the next light, about 2 miles down the road, and he started revving it up again. I just laughed at him. The beast had already been thoroughly slain by that time :mrgreen:


DISCLAIMER: I, as most people here, know that street racing is wrong. To be honest this was the first time I ever did it; though I regularly push my car up close to its limits when there are no other cars present.
I'll drink to that!
10 gallons of high-test to be precise.
All that matters it that no cops saw you and that you had fun!
(It'd blow my mind to beat a Charger, I've yet to try)
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Re: Svelt Swede Vs. Detroit Steel (Or: "Beauty and the Beast")

Post by IMBoring25 »

Yeah, door sticker weight (GVWR) is the weight that, if you put enough weight in the car that it weighed more than that, the Nissan engineers were no longer willing to be responsible for the outcome.
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