OK, wiseass, so you need some space to vent. Here it is. Direct letters to the editor to sccnews@sourceinterlink.com and we'll do our best to comeup with a snide response. Or completely ignore you. But hey, at least you've got a voice.
Free Stuff!
Do you really have to ask why? Thomas has obviously spent some time behind the stick of a fire-breathing, air-smashing jet fighter. The cojones it takes to fly an F-4 alone is enough to ensure that Thomas is a major speed freak on anything with wheels. The geeked-out data he provided just sealed the deal. As a reward, he's going to receive a full case of ENEOS fully synthetic 0W-50 engine oil, the engine oil used by the Honda F1 team.
To follow in Thomas' footsteps, send us your letters, good or bad, to sccnews@sourceinterlink.com, or to
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Letter Of The Month
In your Feb '08 issue, I enjoyed the article on the two cars compared to a MiG-15. I never flew the MiG-15, but I did fly the F-4. For the sake of comparison, I present some numbers (as best as I can remember) for F-4 take-off performance.
Jets start out slowly. They're sucking air into the intakes and don't initially develop full thrust. During take-off roll, the rate of acceleration increases due to increased thrust, due to ram effect in the intakes. Take-off roll in the F-4, in a typical operational configuration with a 5000-pound centerline tank, was about 3000 feet at a speed of 160 knots. That's an average acceleration rate of 12.19ft/sec2 or 0.38g. Based on these numbers, I calculate a quarter-mile time of 14.72 seconds at a speed of 122.07mph. A little better than the MiG-15, but not as much as you might anticipate.
However, in the F-4, if you make a maximum performance take-off and hold the nose down after lift-off and leave it in full afterburner, you can be at 500 knots at the end of an 8000-foot runway. Accelerating from 160 to 500 knots in 5000 feet is an average acceleration of 64.09ft/sec2 or 1.99g. That's much more noticeable in the cockpit and great fun.
Although I never flew the F-15, I did fly with those guys a lot. I believe their take-off performance was 160 knots in 1000 feet. If that's correct, that's an average acceleration of 36.56ft/sec2 or 1.14g. That provides a quarter-mile time of 8.5 seconds at a speed of 211.41mph. That really is pretty quick.
Thomas Craven
via e-mail
An 8.5-second quarter-mile and the ability to carry loads of missiles? Maybe we lined up the wrong jet fighter. Permission to buzz the tower. -JL
Decisions, Decisions
I have a 2004 Mazda Miata (non-MS) set up for SCCA Solo2 CSP competition as well as being prepped for a Flyin' Miata turbo kit. I love the car and it has won me several trophies in South Jersey Region SCCA Solo2 competition.
My dilemma is whether to turbo the car, or sell it and buy a '98 BMW M3. I drove a friend's M3 (prepped) at an event and loved it, even the sound from the exhaust. The overall cost would be the same with either project, but the Miata offers more acceleration due to less weight. I've done all the work to the Miata myself (exception being clutch/LSD) and therefore have a lot of personal time invested in it as well. It should be noted that I plan to keep either vehicle streetable so I can take it out whenever I want. I must also admit that neither vehicle will be daily driven as I have a 2004 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 (that I sometimes go off-roading with). One thing that could sway me is if you would be interested in having a turbo Miata compete in the USCC. That could persuade me to finish the project and enter the competition. Please help with my tough decision.
Sam Resnick
Haddonfield, NJ
A turbocharged Miata is always welcome in the USCC if it can hang, but don't let that be your ultimate decision-maker. Decide for yourself which car you think will allow you to kick the most ass. Both are incredibly capable and a turbo Miata will probably offer a more visceral thrill than a stock E36 M3. But the M3 does come with naturally aspirated response and more seats, should this be your daily driver. Don't ignore the ability of the E36 either. Much like S2000s, they're capable of setting lap times you wouldn't think possible from a 10-year-old, 240bhp car with a real back seat. -JL