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From: ULY@PSUVM.BITNET
Newsgroups: net.auto.tech
Subject: Unexplained horsepower
Message-ID: <4613ULY@PSUVM>
Date: Fri, 21-Mar-86 13:00:48 EST
Article-I.D.: PSUVM.4613ULY
Posted: Fri Mar 21 13:00:48 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 25-Mar-86 03:56:31 EST
Expires: Sat, 5-Apr-86 00:00:00 EST
Lines: 29


    In the April issues of Car and Driver magazine, a road test was
performed on the 1986 Buick Regal Grand National. According to their
results, the Grand National is faster than any other car made in America
(acceleration not top speed) including the Corvette. Only one other car
sold in America is faster and that is the Porsche 911 Turbo with a zero
to sixty time of 4.6 seconds (the Grand National's is 4.9).
    The V-6 turbo that Buick has installed in the Grand National deserves
the credit for these results. The claim by Buick has the engine rated at
235 horsepower and 330 lb-ft of torque. However, there has been some diff-
iculty in understanding how a car using an automatic transmission as well
as weighing 300 pounds more than the Corvette, can outaccelerate it when
there is only a five horsepower difference between the two.
    Car and Driver estimates that the true output must be something
closer to 290 horsepower. The only explanations they could come up with
was that they did their test in very cold weather so an extra 15 hp could
result from this and they discovered that Buick apparently intentionally
rates the output 10 - 15 horse power lower than normal. This can explain
only 30 horsepower more, leaving 25 still unaccounted for. Even if the
car were a ringer it would still seem difficult to explain all of the
extra power. Where could it all be coming from?  Thanks in advance for
any explanation.
     
     
Kevin S.
PSUVM on BITNET