TomoHawk

right, but you'd have to be observing yourself from far enough away.

No need to add a heavy rool bar, or some restraints that make it tough to get out. But your point about not being able to hear is good- I thought of that myself. Put your radio in the same category as a helmet, in that respect. Beany- If you can go 90 on the parkway around here then it -IS- a BIG DEAL. With stop signs every 1/4 or 1/2 mile, I can go faster than cars on a bicycle.

OK, in a car then, but you didn't say that in your original question. People need to think more, talk less. Hence the saying, "Light travels faster than sound, so he looked smart until he opened his mouth."

I don't think so...I think you'd be going 186 MPH, only in the wrong direction. But according to your way of thinking, you'd only be going 514 MPH in the same direction as before (only slower) It depends on your relative point-of-viewing. You'd have to be watching yourself go from some other point, as in geosynchronous orbit. But at about 24,000 miles away, you'd need a telescope to see yourself. To be going backwards 514 MPH , you'd have watch yourself to going 700 + 514 = 1214 MPH in the opposite direction.

That chrome strip is called a 'drip guard' It's like a roof gutter and keeps the rain from going off the side onto the windows or into the door crack.

Airplane for me too. I've been to about 300 kts in a race plane myself once. I pulled back on the throttle when the needle went off the scale- didn't want to break it. My dad's Cessna 182 with the new engine cruises at about 150 kts (about 170 MPH), on 1/2 throttle. FYI, did you know r/c sailplanes can go over 250 mph? No engine needed there. but it does take a little time to get enough altitude.

What if you put a microphone under the hood and amplify the engine sound? Or make your own engine-sound synthesizer?

Since there's no a/c, I'll be going about 90 down the parkway, so I'll probably need a helmet for that.

If you wanted to do soime rallies, or some speed laps or whatever ( even highway safety?), what kind of helmet would you get? Open face? full face? Maybe it would be good if somebody could post some general rules for helmet requirements & use. thx

Well guys, I've spent a few hours getting my fuel rail off my L28, so now I need to decide if I want to wait on a new one or to just clean and/or plate the old one. I took a look at the old one, and I think I'd rather have a new onethat's shiny & simpler than the old speghetti-tube. I had to take some notes & pictures so I can remember how things were. Will- you got your setup going yet? I've got some cash. thx

You're lucky you don't have a 280Z with efi, and maybe some emmissions control stuff.

I think it would be good to suggest a category so that you could just go out there and hammer the gas pedal- instead of racing in the streets or speeding on the highways. IMO, Zs aren't really for cruising the streets, although I would do that ( after I fix the rear break squeal & a better-sounding exhaust). Mid-Ohio is about an hour away, and I think they have open-track day. You think I should get a helmet? Somrething in a "Paul newman?"

What category would you put a Zed into? Vintage?

About that 1,000,00 hours... I would like to know how the manufacturer figured that number in the first place. was it on continuously, or 50% of the time or what? It might change things considerably. But I will agree will Carl this once, that the things will last so long that the cars will be memories when l.e.d.s will need replacing. Assuming nothing extraordinary happens. And good luck to Will on his search to find the ultimate do-it-all l.e.d. substitute for small incandescent bulbs.

114 years? how did you come by that figure. For automotive lights, I'd say they might be used on average about 1 or 2 hours a day, unless you're a nightttime courier or something (like moonshine driver?). So that means about 1 million days until they burn out. How many years would that be? If I use the word never in relative to gauge bulb replacement, it means more like a really long time, and for the average car (they want you to buy a NEW one every 3-5 years), 30 years is a really llong time. thx

Those square l.e.d.s are supposed to hjave 1,000,000 hours of operation. If you opened up your gauges and put in a string of l.e.d.s, you'd never have to replace them. If they were oem from the Nissan factory in 1970, etc., we'd be changing them out just about now, I would say.

Will- When I suggested the 10x10mm leds, Iit was that they be used for guage lights. the flat smd units were ment to be used to illuminate an area, not to project light long distances. BTW. MCD is MEGA Candelas. I know you meant to type mCd for milliCandelas. Same for MlM, whatever those are. j/k

I haven't looked into them for a while, (I was using them on r/c trucks, cars & ships), But I know you can get red, yellow, blue, and white. up to 10 x 10mm. I'm still looking for the best kind, but here's something to get you started: http://www.hebeiltd.com.cn/?p=led.smd

did you know you can get square smd l.e.ds in a 10 x 10mm size? I don't think that's small.

Have you ever considered the smt style l.e.ds? My cell phone has them in the keypad. they are flat, the seem to be diffused. I think you could easily put a diffusing lens over the top of them. Just an idea- I think you've all been pretty much focused on the T-1 type l.e.d.s with wire leads. see attached.

I bet scavenger hunts and poker runs are fun though- when the sun is out, the temps moderate, the radio loud, and the caffeine flowing! Not to mention a georgeous seat cover in the right seat

Ok- So what other kinds of interesting COMPETITION can you add to the list? Anybody ever try one of those "savenger hunts?"

Here's something for Vicky-- Solo I In Solo I you are competing against the clock. Solo I events are high speed Time Trials; they may be run at race tracks, airport runways, or may be hillclimbs. Cars must be prepared to Road Racing safety standards. maximum speed of approximately 100mph, the objective is simply to drive the track in the fastest possible time. Competitors are released onto the track one at a time, carefully spaced. You drive a warm-up lap , several ‘hot’ laps, then a cool-down lap, and return to the pits. Although there might be several other cars on the track with you, Stock: This is the usual entry level for new competitors. The cars are essentially in ‘as delivered’ condition, with the exception of the required four point safety harness. Super Stock: In this class, some modifications are allowed, but these are typically limited to suspension component changes. Street Prepared: This is the last class that runs on street legal tires. Also, a combination of both suspension and engine modifications are permitted. Modified: This is the final category, and it covers both open- and closed-wheel race cars which run on slicks. Solo II events (also known as autocrosses) are an all forward motion driving skill contest. Each driver is individually timed to the thousandth of a second, over a short, miniature road course clearly defined using traffic cones. Cars compete one at a time, hence the name "Solo", in a class with similar cars. An event can be held on any flat paved surface, usually a parking lot, or airport apron or runway. http://www.tirerack.com/features/solo2/handbook.htm Pro Solo Pro Solo events use the same sites and speed guidelines as Solo II, but in a somewhat different format. The format consists of two mirror-image courses with a drag-strip start, complete with a christmas tree. Each competitor receives 6 runs on each side over the course of two days. After that competition, the top 32 drivers from each of the 17 classes compete in a single-elimination tournament, with a handicapping system http://www.na-motorsports.com/Organizations/SCCA/Solo/Rules.html There ya go, babes.

OK, we'll call it types of competition.

from some sources, I've gathererd these types, or classes of racing you could do in a Z. Thes first types are kinds of rally racing: Gimmick rallies - usually pretty low key events, paved roads, relaxed speeds, easy navigation TSD Tour Rallies - (time-speed-distance) 2 -12 hours long, legal speeds, mostly paved roads TSD Trap Rallies - 2 - 6 hours long, legal speeds, paved or paved and unpaved Performance or Brisk TSDs - 3-12 hours long, brisk but legal speeds, paved and unpaved roads Rallycross - in North America this is an autocross on an unpaved surface SCCA ClubRally - 4-8 hours legal speeds on transit sections, all-out speed on closed off stages SCCA ProRally - 1-2 day events, The next step up WRC - (World Rally Championship) - Professional rally racing. We can discuss all the different kinds/styles & classes of racing. I'm referring to the whole spectrum of possible types, not just rally racing. thx What about road racing types & classes? Solo (I & II)