Now this I did not know until about a month ago when I saw the FAQ on a 1995 Contour SE and it said it has a governor at 112mph. I am guessing this applies to my car too. I thought most Fords didn't have governors though. I have had my car up to 110mph and still had throttle left but it seemed like the car wouldn't let me go any faster. Maybe thats why it so slow to get up to that speed too. I was just wondering if anyone can confirm this.
yes they do govern at 112-115( varies from car to car)if you have a zetec. i have been able to overcome mine by takin it to the limiter and then pushing the clutch in while going downhill. the only other way to overcome this is to get a chip...and that doesnt always work. I think duratecs are governed somewhere around 140 if you have an SVT...not sure though...
I have a duratec engine so does that still apply to me?
umm i cant really say, i dont think so..i think you are governed at the same speed as the SVT's but i could be wrong...
waint no you are govenred at 112 because i just noticed you have a 1995.
sorry.
thats not what i was told...but ok.
non-svt duratec's are governed to 115, at least mine is.
see told ya...between 112-115.
so if the SVT duratecs are governed, why would they just pick a magical number of 143 as opposed to 112-115? Oh yeah, because the monstrous 2.5 v-6 is capable of reaching top speeds of 268 mph so they have to keep it reasonable. I almost forgot about that.
So if I get a racing chip I might be able to over-ride it? I was thinkking about getting a chip but I heard they can blow up your engine because they push your car harder than it can handle. I also heard they help you get better gas mileage. Is this true?
Quote:
I also heard they help you get better gas mileage. Is this true?
It's possible, but having a chip means having to put in Premium gas. To notice any effect anyways. They're tuned to take advantage of Premium.
So, if you don't do that already, even if your gas mileage goes up, you'll still be paying ~20 cents a gallon more, so it'll cost you in the long run.
ummm...no...i was told BY A FORD DEALER SEVICE TCH that the 1998-200 CSVT"S were govenred around 140...but ok, im sorry i took the word of a stealership and it will never happen again!
Quote:
So if I get a racing chip I might be able to over-ride it? I was thinkking about getting a chip but I heard they can blow up your engine because they push your car harder than it can handle. I also heard they help you get better gas mileage. Is this true?
wow. try to avoid posting stuff like this. you will get torn apart by some of these guys. the consencus around here is to get a "custom" chip as opposed to a "generic" chip for many reasons. If all you're looking to do is raise your speed limiter, then a "generic" would do the job. I don't think anybody has had a problem around here blowing their engine because of a chip.
Quote:
It's possible, but having a chip means having to put in Premium gas. To notice any effect anyways. They're tuned to take advantage of Premium.
Actually, I believe the reason for having to use premium is due to increased timing. Higher octane is generally needed for higher compression and more timing to prevent "pings"(detonation, if you will).
Cars have governers on them so they do not require high performance tires off the lot. Car manufacturers are responsible for equipping cars with tires that will perform up to the vehicles capability. By placing a governer on the car, they are only required to put tires (with a speed rating) capable of reaching the governed speed.
The SVT does not have a governer, but is limited by drag to approximately 143 MPH.
Originally posted by Zippy_Zetec:
ummm...no...i was told BY A FORD DEALER SEVICE TCH that the 1998-200 CSVT"S were govenred around 140...but ok, im sorry i took the word of a stealership and it will never happen again!
all cars are governed to 112 mph but SVTs are drag limited to 143
getting a chip often removes the govener but then you become drag limited like the SVT
Originally posted by zgendron:
Cars have governers on them so they do not require high performance tires off the lot. Car manufacturers are responsible for equipping cars with tires that will perform up to the vehicles capability. By placing a governer on the car, they are only required to put tires (with a speed rating) capable of reaching the governed speed.
The SVT does not have a governer, but is limited by drag to approximately 143 MPH.
see thats where i got it from. i didnt know that. when i saw drag limited, i always assumed it was an electronic governor of some kind. im stoopid
Originally posted by Zippy_Zetec:
i always assumed it was an electronic governor of some kind. im stoopid
Your words, not mine.
Ok, the emphasis was mine . . .
Originally posted by Rara:
Originally posted by Zippy_Zetec:
i always assumed it was an electronic governor of some kind. im stoopid
Your words, not mine.
Ok, the emphasis was mine . . .
Lance wacks Rara with a large trout
Now now, be nice
-Lance
Originally posted by brapple:
getting a chip often removes the govener (sic)â?¦
  Perhaps we should try that here in California. I imagine even a high-end performance chip is probably a lot less expensive and troublesome than a recall election.
Originally posted by Lance Kinley:
Originally posted by Rara:
Originally posted by Zippy_Zetec:
i always assumed it was an electronic governor of some kind. im stoopid
Your words, not mine.
Ok, the emphasis was mine . . .
Lance wacks Rara with a large trout
Now now, be nice
-Lance
thanks lance.
Originally posted by Zippy_Zetec:
ummm...no...i was told BY A FORD DEALER SEVICE TCH that the 1998-200 CSVT"S were govenred around 140...but ok, im sorry i took the word of a stealership and it will never happen again!
It better not happen again. Sheesh...
The SVT is drag limited to 143-144mph in stock form.
The "actual" limiter is set to 255mph. Let me know if anyone hits it... 
first you say you heard it from a ford tech, then you assumed drag was an electronic limiter? make up your mind here.
What I'd like to know is what some of the turbo/supercharged SVT's have been able to hit in top speed runs. If there's still plenty of rpm left in that gear and if you've got the tires to grip and power to push back against all of that air, I'd imagine they should be pulling a higher top speed than 143mph.
I'd like to see one trap that
Tim
Originally posted by Tim:
What I'd like to know is what some of the turbo/supercharged SVT's have been able to hit in top speed runs. If there's still plenty of rpm left in that gear and if you've got the tires to grip and power to push back against all of that air, I'd imagine they should be pulling a higher top speed than 143mph.
I'd like to see one trap that
Tim
A little more explanation is in order here.
Modern cars usually have more than one governor. The is a top speed limiter unless the car is equipped with tires that are speed rated high enough to handle the cars true top speed. I had thought that the speed limiter on the non SVT Contours was 118 MPH, but my memory could be faulty.
There is usually a rev limiter, often more than one. It is set at a speed that the factory feels they can live with without having too many warranty high rev problems such as thrown rods and the like. Often there is an even lower rev limiter when the trans is in neutral. For example, the Lincoln LS is rev limited to 3000 RPM in neutral.
When there is no speed limiter, top speed is self limited by the ability of the car to overcome everything that tends to limit it. These things include wieght, air drag, tire rolling restitance, wheel bearing resistance, parasitic drag in the transmission and axles, etc.
As you may guess, the biggest limiting factor is horsepower. Just because an engine can rev to 7000 RPM or higher in lower gears, doesn't mean that it can reach those revs in top gear. Sometimes you can gain top speed with lower gearing because the gearsets are just too tall to keep the engine in it's best working range.
If you add significant horsepower such as adding forced induction or additional displacement (3.0 conversion) you will add top speed. Just remember that it is not directly proportional. You need very big gains in horsepower to make much of a dent in top speed. Don't expect to see 180 MPH even with a blower combined with a 3.0 conversion. Even 160 MPH will require an awful lot of work.
the rev limiter of the LS or our cars with automatics to prevent damage to the ATX if someone is just reving it.
I beleive all the mtx contours have a fuel cut off at redline, unless a chip has changed that. Someone with a SVT would have to say but I know in my zetec when I hit the speed limiter I am only turning around 5k rpms. Although I have never hit a fuel cut off with that car, I had hit the one on my fathers car while in 1st, a very long time ago. The newer Contour I am not sure about. SO you should be able to make power until you hit the programed fuel cut off
Originally posted by brapple:
the rev limiter of the LS or our cars with automatics to prevent damage to the ATX if someone is just reving it.
Specifically, the Torque Converter
Non SVT Duratec, 112 mph confirmed. (Saw 115 indicated before it cut, though, and fuel didn't come back until it dropped to 110.)
Originally posted by RogerB:
Non SVT Duratec, 112 mph confirmed. (Saw 115 indicated before it cut, though, and fuel didn't come back until it dropped to 110.)
Confirmed, non-SVT Duratec, 112 mph (182 km/h) and it stopped pulling.
[disclaimer]
On a track, OfCourse<tm>.
[/disclaimer]
Originally posted by Kyo:
Originally posted by RogerB:
Non SVT Duratec, 112 mph confirmed. (Saw 115 indicated before it cut, though, and fuel didn't come back until it dropped to 110.)
Confirmed, non-SVT Duratec, 112 mph (182 km/h) and it stopped pulling.
[disclaimer]
On a track, OfCourse<tm>.
[/disclaimer]
Oh yeah. Right. 
That's what I meant.
Originally posted by Kyo:
Originally posted by RogerB:
Non SVT Duratec, 112 mph confirmed. (Saw 115 indicated before it cut, though, and fuel didn't come back until it dropped to 110.)
Confirmed, non-SVT Duratec, 112 mph (182 km/h) and it stopped pulling.
[disclaimer]
On a track, OfCourse<tm>.
[/disclaimer]
I brought mine to Germany with me. When it hit the Gov it was about 4200rpms.
Originally posted by brapple:
Originally posted by Zippy_Zetec:
ummm...no...i was told BY A FORD DEALER SEVICE TCH that the 1998-200 CSVT"S were govenred around 140...but ok, im sorry i took the word of a stealership and it will never happen again!
all cars are governed to 112 mph but SVTs are drag limited to 143
getting a chip often removes the govener but then you become drag limited like the SVT
so how fast would an SVT go on a dyno? no drag, thats got to go damn fast!
Originally posted by sigma:
Quote:
I also heard they help you get better gas mileage. Is this true?
It's possible, but having a chip means having to put in Premium gas. To notice any effect anyways. They're tuned to take advantage of Premium.
So, if you don't do that already, even if your gas mileage goes up, you'll still be paying ~20 cents a gallon more, so it'll cost you in the long run.
I live in Florida, I have a chip & I run regular gas most times with premium about every fourth tank full. I get no pings, no problems, no improved fuel mileage either. Then again, I don't push my car very hard for the most part, so perhaps I'm just not reaching the point where I would notice any problems.
Quote:
so how fast would an SVT go on a dyno? no drag, thats got to go damn fast!
WTF??!! Do you not know what a dyno is??!!
I've had my CSVT doing 140mph (according to speedo) and I was pretty much tached out. Just thought I'd share that with you guys.
Originally posted by JonnySVT:
Quote:
so how fast would an SVT go on a dyno? no drag, thats got to go damn fast!
WTF??!! Do you not know what a dyno is??!!
yes i know what a dyno is. 
i was just wondering what if you could peg out the speedometer while the front wheels are on the barrels...
Worthless, except for theoretical top speed in a ZERO drag environment (i.e., on the moon).
You could, but why bother? There's no functional purpose of doing so (that I'm aware of).
if pre 98s could only top up to 115, how come i've reach 130s would have gotten to 140 but my 2 front tires exploded.. one of the most scariest things that happen to me..... ahhhh memories!
because either you have a chip, you wer going down hill and shifted to neutral or pushed in the clutch, or your BSing...
Originally posted by Zippy_Zetec:
because either you have a chip, you wer going down hill and shifted to neutral or pushed in the clutch, or your BSing...
Actually, there have been some accounts of Pre 98s not having a speed governer in the car. So, it may be possible, but rare.
Originally posted by tyc03:
if pre 98s could only top up to 115, how come i've reach 130s would have gotten to 140 but my 2 front tires exploded.. one of the most scariest things that happen to me..... ahhhh memories!
Why in hell would you go that fast without having proper speed-rated tires??
Originally posted by Stebo:
I've had my CSVT doing 140mph (according to speedo) and I was pretty much tached out. Just thought I'd share that with you guys.
Then your tach is broken or you put 22" tires on your car...
Originally posted by tyc03:
if pre 98s could only top up to 115, how come i've reach 130s would have gotten to 140 but my 2 front tires exploded.. one of the most scariest things that happen to me..... ahhhh memories!
Don't feed the trolls. Their stupidity is not to be furthered here...
On the dyno my car was up to 135mph in 3rd gear (O/D off)at 6800 rpms.
cougar with sport package, no governor. 134mph was my highest till i got scared and started to run out of road. theoretical 143mph max.
sorry abt that, i check the speed meter and i thought it goes up to 140 but it only goes up to 130, so i guess i was going around low 120s. That was way back in jan 96 and the tour was only 3 week old. I was stupid when it happen cause i didn't know anything by that time, i was only 16, sneak out and trying to get home before my parents woke up. I got grounded until i was 21 and can't use my tour unless i get an A in a test = 1 hr of driving. I'm asian and asian parents are so strict, and i'm sorry abt my english cause english is my 2nd language. I learn my lesson and never go over the speed limit specially when i have a fear of going over the speed limit now.
Originally posted by tyc03:
i was only 16, sneak out and trying to get home before my parents woke up.
Ahhhhhh. Memories.
Mercury Capri. 9 miles of straight road. Blown tire...(speed rating? What's that?)
Originally posted by tyc03:
sorry abt that, i check the speed meter and i thought it goes up to 140 but it only goes up to 130, so i guess i was going around low 120s. That was way back in jan 96 and the tour was only 3 week old. I was stupid when it happen cause i didn't know anything by that time, i was only 16, sneak out and trying to get home before my parents woke up. I got grounded until i was 21 and can't use my tour unless i get an A in a test = 1 hr of driving. I'm asian and asian parents are so strict, and i'm sorry abt my english cause english is my 2nd language. I learn my lesson and never go over the speed limit specially when i have a fear of going over the speed limit now.
well, its easy to mis-read a speedo when your doing 120!!! 
that can be scary [censored]. especially if your running stock tires... 
all it takes is one wrong move, one twitch of the steering wheel at those speeds. i love doing it. thats all im gonna say for fear of getting the thread locked... 
Every tire that came on the Contour (except SVT) had H rated tires which is 130MPH. Most stock Contours can't go that fast.
Quote:
well, its easy to mis-read a speedo when your doing 120!!! that can be scary [censored]. especially if your running stock tires... all it takes is one wrong move, one twitch of the steering wheel at those speeds. i love doing it. thats all im gonna say for fear of getting the thread locked...
Heh... All I'll say is don't drive with me on the way to work. 35W is a nice straight road with minimal police.
Originally posted by DemonSVT:
Originally posted by Stebo:
I've had my CSVT doing 140mph (according to speedo) and I was pretty much tached out. Just thought I'd share that with you guys.
Then your tach is broken or you put 22" tires on your car...
Why would you say that? It makes sense. You ever tried it? I hit 140 in 5th gear and I was doing at least 6000 RPMS - stock rims and tires. Can anyone else support me here?
I'm no math wiz, but if you take the diameter of a stock tire, the final drive ratio, and the gear ratio I'm pretty sure it won't add up to 140mph @6000
Originally posted by sigma:
Quote:
well, its easy to mis-read a speedo when your doing 120!!! that can be scary [censored]. especially if your running stock tires... all it takes is one wrong move, one twitch of the steering wheel at those speeds. i love doing it. thats all im gonna say for fear of getting the thread locked...
Heh... All I'll say is don't drive with me on the way to work. 35W is a nice straight road with minimal police.
can u say Radar/laser jammer/detector?! mine was 250 dollars at best buy. i dont get caught anymore! afte rmy last ticket ($450...47 in a 20) i will never be caught again... ok i might but at least i wont be doing 27 over...more like 10... i like hwy 377...but watch out around watauga...those public saftey officers will get ya!
Originally posted by bigMoneyRacing:
I'm no math wiz, but if you take the diameter of a stock tire, the final drive ratio, and the gear ratio I'm pretty sure it won't add up to 140mph @6000
I'm not trying to B.S. anybody, but I could have swore when I hit 140, I was pretty much tached out. It was a couple years and quite a few drinks ago, so maybe my memory has faded a little, but from what I remember it was slightly over 6000. I'll try it again here soon and post results. Please don't think I'm trying to b.s. you guys because that's what I honetly believe to be accurate.
Originally posted by Stebo:
Originally posted by bigMoneyRacing:
I'm no math wiz, but if you take the diameter of a stock tire, the final drive ratio, and the gear ratio I'm pretty sure it won't add up to 140mph @6000
I'm not trying to B.S. anybody, but I could have swore when I hit 140, I was pretty much tached out. It was a couple years and quite a few drinks ago, so maybe my memory has faded a little, but from what I remember it was slightly over 6000. I'll try it again here soon and post results. Please don't think I'm trying to b.s. you guys because that's what I honetly believe to be accurate.
why is that wrong. if top speed is 143 (drag limited established), then it should be hit in 5th gear at max rpms. the svt goes above 6000rpms.
Originally posted by LoCoZ:
On the dyno my car was up to 135mph in 3rd gear (O/D off)at 6800 rpms.
WHAT? no freakin' way. then you must be running some juice. svts hit about 120 in 4th at max rpm on a dyno. mine did along w/ every svt dynoed at the last dyno meet i was at. your 120hp atx will not do it. if it was a joke, sorry, i didnt get it.
demon, is that true about governor of 250 for svt? first time ever hearing that
why is that wrong. if top speed is 143 (drag limited established), then it should be hit in 5th gear at max rpms. the svt goes above 6000rpms.
I don't know what the RPM would be at 143 MPH since I have not tried to go that fast, but there is no reason to believe that it MUST be at max RPM.
I'm not sure, but it seems like I'm tacking 3500 RPM at 80 MPH. If that is correct, my slide rule shows that 143 MPH would be pretty close to 6300 RPM. This is about what I would expect, that you would run out of horsepower before you hit red line in top gear.
Part of the art of tuning for drag racing is to find the gear that will put you very close to red line at the end of the 1/4 mile. This is a little bit of an over simplification since there are many other factors involved.
With this thought in mind, it is concevable that you could get a little more top speed with a slightly lower gear set, if you could find or make a gear set that would get you into this "sweet spot". I suspect that the performance 4.50 gear set that is available somewhere is too low unless you were able to raise the red line.
Originally posted by hmouta:
Originally posted by LoCoZ:
On the dyno my car was up to 135mph in 3rd gear (O/D off)at 6800 rpms.
WHAT? no freakin' way. then you must be running some juice. svts hit about 120 in 4th at max rpm on a dyno. mine did along w/ every svt dynoed at the last dyno meet i was at. your 120hp atx will not do it. if it was a joke, sorry, i didnt get it.
Well that was what the monitor said when it was running. It may have been a little off....My car had reached 140 (on the speedo) at fuel cutoff-7200rpms. IT was not a joke.
I know for a fact with the stock final drive in the the mtx-75 the SVT will do 143 without fuel cutoff. Now with my zetec final drive I did 130mph on the dyno at 7600 rpm in fourth gear.
It sounds like some of your are backing up my claim when I said I was doing 140mph at nearly 6500RPM. It certainly makes sense to me that this information is accurate.
Originally posted by Stebo:
It sounds like some of your are backing up my claim when I said I was doing 140mph at nearly 6500RPM. It certainly makes sense to me that this information is accurate.
Actually, no. But I wasn't accurate in my earlier post either!
Here is the formula:
(MPH * 5280 / 60 * 12)
-----------------------
(Tire Diameter * 3.14) * Final Drive Ratio * Gear Ratio)
so...
140*5280 / 60*12 = 151008
-----------------------
(24.3*3.14)*4.06*.77 = 238.66
or 6,054 rpm
WHAT!!! 268mph, I have a Duratec and i find that hard, very hard to believe. Not to say "NOT!" but i would like very much to know where that information came from.
Originally posted by LoCoZ:
On the dyno my car was up to 135mph in 3rd gear (O/D off)at 6800 rpms.
3rd gear in ATX guys much different than MTX. Also a ghetto way to check theoretical top speed is to get in your top gear and go half of rev limiter or redline. Check your speed now double that. Was pretty close in my 90 Probe GT. Speedo went to 120 but I had it wrapped past a bit. Air drag nailed my car down at 5500 RPMs didn't have the power to push it to redline but just guestamation I was doing over 130mph. Theoretical top speed was 144.
