What ET can I expect from an 86 Shelby Charger?

[hemicuda528]

My wife has an 86 Shelby Charger. We bought the car a couple of years ago with very low mileage on the Odometer 15,000 miles.
The car felt very strong the first time I drove it but my question is.
What et should I expect from the car?
It is a turbo 1 car. The person that sold it to me told me it is stock except for the computer and it has a 3 inch exhaust.
I ran it at the track soon after we bought the car and I was supprised with the performance.
It ran a 15.00 at 95 mph on a very hot and humid day. The car was also frying the tires through 2nd gear.
On a normal less than 95 degree day, if I could hook this car up it would run easily mid 14's in the quarter mile.
Is this typical for these cars? Should I expect better performance? I am new to turbo 2.2's but this car supprised me with its performance.
Would a Turbo 2 car be much quicker?

[jonnyb]

A 15.0 is pretty darn good for that setup. If this was one of those "here's my setup, what do you think I'll run" threads (I thought it was by the title), I would have guessed 15.3-15.5 depending on how well you were at launching it.

The chargers were high 15 second cars from the factory. The 87 GLHS Charger with the t2 setup ran 14.9. So, no, a stock T2 would not be much quicker than what you've got now. However, a T2 is easily modified to produce power levels way above the stock levels (250-300 wheel hp) with stock parts.

[Marcus86GLHS]

".....Is this typical for these cars? Should I expect better performance? I am new to turbo 2.2's but this car supprised me with its performance........."


that's a pleasant surprise i bet. as jonny says your 15.0 is excellent and that 95 mph leads me to think that there is a mid 14 second pass right there with only a set of sticky tires.

a 15,000 mile original 86 Shelby Charger turbo? very nice find indeed. how many miles on it now?

does it have a boost gauge added? have you ever pulled off the passenger-side interior kick panel to see exactly which logic module the prior owner installed?

[hemicuda528]

The car has about 29,000 miles on it now. She bought for a hobby car but after the price of fuel sky rocketed she started driving it daily.
The car gets very good fuel mileage. Around town she averages 27 mpg.
I haven't checked the computer. I think the prior owner said it was a Mopar performance.
It does have a boost gauge. I think it pulls 10-12 in first gear but after that it is under 10 psi.
When I ran the car at the track it had the original 20 year old tires on it. They were as hard as a rock. I'm sure with the new tires I could do a little better.
I could have bought one of these cars new back in the 80's but I thought they were 16 second cars.
If Dodge would start building these cars again they could make a killing with the current price of gas.

[Marcus86GLHS]

12 settling to 10 psi is perfect for a T1 non-intercooled setup so you are doing great.

with all the new federal safety laws, we may never again see small, light-weight, low cost, high performance 4 cyl turbocharged cars again.........but imagine gas say at $20 per gallon in 2 years...would they ammend some of the safety requirements to accomadate a more efficient/lower cost car for the USA?

those low mileage survivor 80's fwd dodges and plymouths may be some of the best cars for right now.

[detobias]

LOL a restorer may wish to buy those tires if theyre the original Goodyear Gatorbacks...

and back in the day the turbo I 5spd charger SC or omni GLHt were lucky to hit a 15.5, stock ; 15.7 was commonplace

your 15.0 is quite nice ! it shows how much the early cars respond to better exhaust and more boost !

Quote:

Originally Posted by hemicuda528 When I ran the car at the track it had the original 20 year old tires on it. They were as hard as a rock. I'm sure with the new tires I could do a little better. I could have bought one of these cars new back in the 80's but I thought they were 16 second cars.

[turbokid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonnyb The chargers were high 15 second cars from the factory. The 87 GLHS Charger with the t2 setup ran 14.9.

A GLHS was more of a low 14 second and High 13 second car stock!
Motor trend stated they ran a 13.9 stock!

[detobias]

Quote:

Originally Posted by turbokid A GLHS was more of a low 14 second and High 13 second car stock! Motor trend stated they ran a 13.9 stock!

getting off thread here, but:

I DEMAND PROOF !

the 'S' cars were 14.7-15.0 sec cars - "stock" ; but 'ol Shel had some 'tuned' versions running around

search on "GLHS whips GT350" ; that 'S' was running a Stage II compy

[Juggy]

my old stock 87 T1 charger ran 15.7 @ 92 with 10 psi on 2.4 60 foot times

car was stock, but had a chopped exhaust b4 the axle overpipe

the 87 charger I built now should run low 12s...even high 11s if im lucky

[vntned]

Quote:

Originally Posted by turbokid A GLHS was more of a low 14 second and High 13 second car stock! Motor trend stated they ran a 13.9 stock!

BS! A stock '87 S car couldnt break 14.5s! Now put a Stage II LM and a 3'' exhaust and low 14s should be easy!

[turbokid]

^it said it posted in the mag. I was next to a guy in omaha and he had old issues of motor trend and road and track, I looked through the article he had laid out and thats what it said.
I will have to go ask the guy for a copy if yall want confirmation.
I dont just throw numbers out there.

[SpiritedShelbys]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juggy my old stock 87 T1 charger ran 15.7 @ 92 with 10 psi on 2.4 60 foot times car was stock, but had a chopped exhaust b4 the axle overpipe the 87 charger I built now should run low 12s...even high 11s if im lucky

I agree with this one. If a stock SC runs better than that I'd be amazed I had one years ago. It was not a fast car but it was quick. A lil off-topic but my CSX-VNT the best I was able to consistently run is 15.3. I doubt the T1 SC is quicker...

[ol"blue]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpiritedShelbys I agree with this one. If a stock SC runs better than that I'd be amazed I had one years ago. It was not a fast car but it was quick. A lil off-topic but my CSX-VNT the best I was able to consistently run is 15.3. I doubt the T1 SC is quicker...

Keep in mind that the SC was 200 lbs. lighter than a P-body. The GLHT was 200 lbs. lighter than the Charger. Unless I'm mistaken, the old drag racing guidelines stated that 100 lbs. =1/10 sec.

[bgbmxer]

my 86 sc with 175 thousand miles with no mods other than a boost bleed ran high fifteens and low sixteens spining and wheel hopping but it ran out of steam on the top end. with a few mods theres no reason u couldnt get a stock t1 to get dam close to high fourteens. but this is my old worn out engine im putting the 2.5 t2 in soon

[bgbmxer]

also had a NA omni in the high 15s before to so why couldnt the shelby do it