ive been researching kit cars and i was wondering which of these two is better. i mostly plan on racing, but i would still like to drive it on the street. also, which of these has a higher potential top speed
slc vs gtr
- Thread starter catfish
- Start date
Howard Jones
Supporter
Neither is "better" both can be raced, and the top speed of both is crazy fast,
The SLC has a smaller frontal area and is most likely lower drag. All things being equal the SLC would be faster, at least in top speed (depending on wing use or wing angle). Do you really mean RACING (as as opposed to track days)? If your "racing" is actual door to door road racing, then there is no realistic hope of using any car that can win a race on a track that can also be used on the street. If you just want to be a "field filler back-marker", then maybe its possible on some level.
You've been researching?
So you know that you choose which engine you want to install. You choose the gearbox and gear ratios. What was the question again?
Which is a better car? That's subjective and likely split right down the middle.
Ultima has more of a race pedigree. I think the SL-C is a better looking car. My friend is expecting delivery on an Ultima RS this spring (was supposed to be last fall).
Available power? Gear ratios?
You can make a barn door fly.
A good track car isn't great on the street, a street car performs like a street car on the track.
You need to pick what you want to do regardless of which car you go with. Both will do what you build them for. The SL-C leaves more room for interior, other personalization, and refinements using the same budget as the Ultima.
You can make a barn door fly.
A good track car isn't great on the street, a street car performs like a street car on the track.
You need to pick what you want to do regardless of which car you go with. Both will do what you build them for. The SL-C leaves more room for interior, other personalization, and refinements using the same budget as the Ultima.
Ron McCall
Supporter
Are we speaking of the Superlite Coupe (SLC) and the Superlite GT-R or the Ultima GTR?
Ron
Ron
Fran Hall RCR
GT40s Sponsor
DaveC , sorry I beg to differ
The SLC actually has a more successful race pedigree than the Ultima.
Any Ultima records were done with highly modified cars.....ours were done with the same chassis and suspension geometry as we sell directly to customers.
We also sell all of our full race spec components to customers, three differing Aero packages , endurance spec suspension components etc
The SLC actually has a more successful race pedigree than the Ultima.
Any Ultima records were done with highly modified cars.....ours were done with the same chassis and suspension geometry as we sell directly to customers.
We also sell all of our full race spec components to customers, three differing Aero packages , endurance spec suspension components etc
Sorry if i didn't say enough from the start.
Idk what i was thinking when i said gtr. I meant the ultima rs.
About top speed i meant more which one can go faster before it starts flying off the ground. I plan on having a 1500hp lsx. I'm not sure about gearing yet but i'll make sure it can handle at least 250mph. And i meant track day stuff not full on racing
Idk what i was thinking when i said gtr. I meant the ultima rs.
About top speed i meant more which one can go faster before it starts flying off the ground. I plan on having a 1500hp lsx. I'm not sure about gearing yet but i'll make sure it can handle at least 250mph. And i meant track day stuff not full on racing
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Oh man... Don't take this as shitting on your choices. There's a crazy horsepower trend right now thanks to the insanity on all the social media platforms. 1000+hp everything from EV to pickups to ricers. You do you if you insist on 1500, but it's a waste. 1500 is for drag racing. Even F1 cars use less than 1000.
Chris, at 19 years old, that is a very ambitious job. A transaxle that is up to the task for that will set you back $30 K plus, and that doesn’t include the clutch.
Read this build thread from the beginning to the end and you can see the kind of engineering and dedication it takes to build one that’s capable of using a 1000hp plus.
Definitely not a easy or inexpensive task. Just make sure you have a very LARGE wallet.
Regards Brian
Read this build thread from the beginning to the end and you can see the kind of engineering and dedication it takes to build one that’s capable of using a 1000hp plus.
S2's Build Thread
Yeah, the other Scott stole my build thread name so I had to come up with something else. I thought about GreatScott, or TheRealScott and even ScottWhoLikesTheSlcBody, but I settled on S2 My car was delivered last week... about as good as Xmas morning when I got a Six Million Dollar Man action...
www.gt40s.com
Definitely not a easy or inexpensive task. Just make sure you have a very LARGE wallet.
Regards Brian
ok yeah maybe i am pushing things too far. at this point ive basically chosen the superlite slc and i have to admit 1500hp is way to much. maybe something like 800-900 is enough and im pretty sure the graziano transaxle can handle it. even though ive been saving up for something like this for a long time plus i have a scholarship that covers tuition there's no way i can drop 30k on a transaxle. anyways it might be a year or so or maybe even when im done with college before i actually spend like 100k on a car
My friend I wish you all the luck in nailing down a 100K car and the space to work on it after finishing school. And if you land a gig that pays that well so quickly, let me know...I need another gig, lol. The transaxle costs will be commensurate with what you expect out of it, if you plan on big horsepower, expect big money. The engine will be a big expenditure to push the higher HP, especially if you go trendy and start sticking turbos all over it and/or plan for high revs. Use the time between then and now to design, plan, plan, and plan some more. Especially the budget. Good luck.
Scott
Lifetime Supporter
Chris,
As others have said, you don't need and in fact might not be happy with 1,500 HP. Most people will tell you that 800-900 is too much. However, I think your $100k budget for the car is probably a reasonable budget for a reliable mid-engine drivetrain at your top power level. My engine did a little over 1,000 HP on pump gas. It's a supercharged LS7 built by one of the best and it cost me $45k six years ago and that didn't include the front dress, billet valve covers, etc.. You can get 1,500 HP for less, but how reliable will it be?
My engine generates over 800 lb-ft torque at 2k RPM which will shred most transaxles. I spent over $30k on the transaxle, $3k for the billet bellhousing, $5k for a triple carbon-carbon clutch, I replaced the hubs and stub axles, and I have a massive amount of effort to use the transaxle as a stressed member to handle the torque. I took me years to collect the parts, design and fabricate it all, but then again I'm slow.
If you put that kind of power in the car you MUST have traction control and I'm not aware of any inexpensive good options. You should also consider bigger brakes. I have the Brembo GT brake upgrade which RCR currently charges $11k for... if you're creative you can do it for a lot less and that's what I would recommend.
250MPH is fast. Note that the fastest F1 speed during a race is 231.4 MPH. You're going to need to really think about gearing. I can swap my drop gear in a few minutes and using just stock gears I top out at 218. However, I wouldn't use that drop gear on the street or any track that I can think of. To go faster I'd have to cut at least one or two custom gears. NFW would I consider going that fast without a race cage which RCR can build for about $6k, but then you'll need to wear a helmet even when picking up groceries. The build for any car that's going to go that fast will require a lot of planning, skill and money.
Nothing wrong with going big, but make sure you do something that's safe and reliable. I built an ERA cobra when I was your age (a long time ago!) and there is no way that I would have been able to build a car like you're describing back then -- money, time, knowledge, network of friends/professionals, etc.
As others have said, you don't need and in fact might not be happy with 1,500 HP. Most people will tell you that 800-900 is too much. However, I think your $100k budget for the car is probably a reasonable budget for a reliable mid-engine drivetrain at your top power level. My engine did a little over 1,000 HP on pump gas. It's a supercharged LS7 built by one of the best and it cost me $45k six years ago and that didn't include the front dress, billet valve covers, etc.. You can get 1,500 HP for less, but how reliable will it be?
My engine generates over 800 lb-ft torque at 2k RPM which will shred most transaxles. I spent over $30k on the transaxle, $3k for the billet bellhousing, $5k for a triple carbon-carbon clutch, I replaced the hubs and stub axles, and I have a massive amount of effort to use the transaxle as a stressed member to handle the torque. I took me years to collect the parts, design and fabricate it all, but then again I'm slow.
If you put that kind of power in the car you MUST have traction control and I'm not aware of any inexpensive good options. You should also consider bigger brakes. I have the Brembo GT brake upgrade which RCR currently charges $11k for... if you're creative you can do it for a lot less and that's what I would recommend.
250MPH is fast. Note that the fastest F1 speed during a race is 231.4 MPH. You're going to need to really think about gearing. I can swap my drop gear in a few minutes and using just stock gears I top out at 218. However, I wouldn't use that drop gear on the street or any track that I can think of. To go faster I'd have to cut at least one or two custom gears. NFW would I consider going that fast without a race cage which RCR can build for about $6k, but then you'll need to wear a helmet even when picking up groceries. The build for any car that's going to go that fast will require a lot of planning, skill and money.
Nothing wrong with going big, but make sure you do something that's safe and reliable. I built an ERA cobra when I was your age (a long time ago!) and there is no way that I would have been able to build a car like you're describing back then -- money, time, knowledge, network of friends/professionals, etc.
like i said ive been saving for a long time, so i wasnt really paid that quickly. i worked at mcdonalds for a long time and ill probably have to find a higher paying job eventally lol.
really the only reason i asked about top speed is because i was thinking about doing drag races or similar things occasionally. how fast do you think is too fast?
also i was just wondering how the superlite slc would do against the 1000+hp lamborghinis that seem to be all over youtube.
For starters, these cars are not designed or intended to be drag raced. Even Scotts 30K plus transaxle will not survive drag racing events on a regular basis. These Lambos you are watching are all over half a million dollars. These You Tubers have disposable income because they have many followers watching their sponsor driven posts. There is no way in hell that a SLC chassis could be certified to drag race at a speed any where close to that speed. Even at 150mph the sanctioning bodies require tons of safety requirements. I hope you took my advice and read Scotts build thread from the beginning to the end. The amount of engineering he has put into his build is amazing. Then read everyone elses builds because each and every one of them have poured their heart into their build. Reality will set in and you will see that that isn't the kind of build to start on. There are other kits that you should get involved with to get your feet wet . This is only my opinion.
Good luck
Regards Brian
Good luck
Regards Brian
Steven Lobel
Supporter
I looked at the SLC and GTR. Sat in both. I'm 5'8" and felt cramped in the SLC. The GTR is like a camper inside. If no seat installed I can sleep on the passenger floor. Both are too fast for practical use. Need to source ABS and traction control if going over 500whp. I am at 630BHP LS7 in the GTR and if I floor it in 1st,2nd,3rd the wheels spin. I drive a little on the street and full soft settings on the suspension and it is harsh. I tighten the suspension up for track and it is fine (Atl Motorsports Park) because the track is smooth. SLC is harsher. Both are adjustable height and don't clear speed bumps when set for track use even with the lift kit. SLC will always be a race car and GTR will be a street car set up for racing. Get seat time in each before deciding. The community is small and everyone loves to show off their ride.
Chris Kouba
Supporter
Do your self a favor: get some seat time in a 2200 pound, 400 hp car before you swing for the fences. The honest to god truth is when you add lightness, you don't need stratospheric hp numbers. You might not win the bragging conversations around the parking lot, but you are guaranteed to have a good, enjoyable time driving it.
My GT40 is in that weight range and has even less power (~350 at the flywheel). I can tell you it's a blast to run around in. Can something go faster than me? Yep. Do I care? Nope.
Did I mortgage my house for just the driveline? Nope. Do I have problems keeping rubber on it? Nope. Would I change anything? Nope.
These cars are all about individual desires, so yeah, build what you want. My suggestion is to really understand what you want and its implications and compromises before committing.
My GT40 is in that weight range and has even less power (~350 at the flywheel). I can tell you it's a blast to run around in. Can something go faster than me? Yep. Do I care? Nope.
Did I mortgage my house for just the driveline? Nope. Do I have problems keeping rubber on it? Nope. Would I change anything? Nope.
These cars are all about individual desires, so yeah, build what you want. My suggestion is to really understand what you want and its implications and compromises before committing.
ok guess ill just have to think about it for a while
