Maximum Speed of a Stock 70-71 Cuda/Challenger?

[1970 RT Challenger 1970]

Back in the Day, 340, 383, 426, 440, and Factory New off the Dealers Floor.

What was the Maximum Speed of each under ideal conditions, say at Daytona?

Today with Wind Tunnel Testing, Beer and Rocket Science, what is the Maximum Trip at Maximum Speed before the front end gets too light, etc? 

[Alaskan_TA]

It depends. Horsepower? Rear gears? Aerodynamics?

The previous owner of my T/A (with 3:55 gears) told me it topped out at about 142 / 143. I never had it over 120 here, not enough road, so I do not know if he was right.

There is a formula somewhere that will get you close.

[Alaskan_TA]

You can play with this some;

http://vexer.com/automotive-tools/speed-rpm-calculator

[1970 RT Challenger 1970]

Found this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1cLfiVSyrw

The 208 MPH 1000HP Super Cuda, Ran out of Aerodynamics and Driver ran out of Balls!

[HP2]

In stock form, off the showroom, probably not as much as you'd think. The air trap of a nose combined with bad aero create lift and drag that would probably prohibit getting much over 150 mph.  Remember that as speed rises, the necessary horsepower to overcome the resistance rises at a rate that is non- linear.  Heck, the race dedicated aero cars were only hitting 200 on closed course runs and they have vastly superior aero to production cars.

[73EStroker]

I was trying to purchase a 440/727/3.23 RT once and was talking to owner #2 as the car spent it's life in a 50 mile radius of my town. He said that he had it to a shade under 150MPH and siad that the front was floating bad.

[dodj]

Had mine @ 135mph, and while the engine had more, I had to back off. The car felt like it was barely touching the road. Mine's a '73, but probably similar aero to a '70.

[brads70]

When I was younger and dumber, I had my 73 Challenger just over 120 MPH and the front end floated so bad it took me 4 lanes to make a gentle curve in the Hwy......scared the heck outta me and never went that fast again.
Considering the speed ratings back in the day of the crappy tires....not to fast I'd say?

[ntstlgl1970]

Had mine @ 135mph, and while the engine had more, I had to back off. The car felt like it was barely touching the road. Mine's a '73, but probably similar aero to a '70.

About the same here, around that speed was really unstable and "light" feeling

[BIGSHCLUNK]

I've had NIKKI in the triple digit zone (without the wife knowing) and she feels wat too light in the front..... 

[Topcat]

I've had NIKKI in the triple digit zone (without the wife knowing) and she feels wat too light in the front..... 

Wow! Even with a Hemi weighing in at 800 lbs plus? I guess these cars really get alot of air under them at high speeds.

[BIGSHCLUNK]

Wow! Even with a Hemi weighing in at 800 lbs plus? I guess these cars really get alot of air under them at high speeds.

Top was down too Mike, dont know if that changed the airflow ?? But she was light!

This was also when I first got her  .. 14" wheels smaller tires front. Haven't done it since..

[femtnmax]

Not an E body, but my 340 duster with 3.23 gears would get real light in the front at 125+ mph.  I never ran it much over that.  They guy I sold it to said he drove everywhere at at least 100 mph.  Montana had no speed limit then, so I believed him.  He later cracked both front unibody frame rails when skipping over the tops of frost heaves on the Alcan highway heading to a job in Alaska.  He said it scared him so much he sat a long time before limping the car to a weld shop where they welded the K-frame to the unibody to get the car back on the road. 
So he's an example of living to tell what happened, and not doing it again.

[Killer_Mopar]

Honestly, I don't like how the front end feels on anything above 100. Anyone that takes a stock challenger past 120 on a public road is crazy. I could only imagine how it feels at 150. As for top speed - all depends on gearing, engine's max RPM, tire size, aerodynamics, and enough horsepower to get you there.

[sleepychallenger]

I have had the speedo bouncing off the 150 mark before going down I-70 and at that point i felt like i had no control over where the car was going to go. 383/727/3.23's.