Guys,

Thanks for all the replies. I have just confirmed that the Corolla I encountered a couple of nights ago is a 1998-2002 model. I checked on eBay for pictures and it looks just like all 1998-2002 Corollas.

There was another Toyota Corolla of the same vintage with a red "S" sticker that wanted to play with me earlier this afternoon. It was not even close.

Jon

 

Did you see any kind of wheelspin at all?

I can tell you first hand, a V8 will fit in a corolla's egine bay, but probably not when FWD. If they can do a RWD coversion/V8 swap into a focus, why cant they do it on a corolla? It should be easier, its a bigger car than the focus. they can go into the cavalier/sunfire platfrom as well.

I have seen a cobra V8 go in a focus (before you ask) and can prove it can be done upon request, but as to keep the thread on topic...

IF there was a V8, it would have to be coverted to RWD, because, irregardless of the space in the engine bay, it would NEVER hook up the front wheels. they would spin, or hop to be more precise. and to reach the acceleration rate needed to keep up with/pass an SC400, all he would have is wheelspin. he woudl have to suddenly punch the throttle, and those of us that drive big RWD V8's know that this is a no-no with crappy tires.

And if it was RWD another problem presents itself: There would still be wheelspin, and massive amounts of it, because $43 dollar/70,000 mile American General Rental Car tires wont cut it. they will smoke and smoke and smoke until they pop, having not once gotten grip. This will be due to the sudden application of heavy throttle from a torquey engine. it will overwhelm the gripping power of most stock (or OEM equivalent) tires. No amount of clutch feathering in the world will be able to stop it. i cant even feather enoughj to keep a (rated) 425 HP 440 ci V8 from ripping through a set of OEM tires from a 68 Charger R/T (thats when it was stock)

therefore, the only plausible explanation, can Be something like a turbo. something that applies the power slowly (relative to that of the application of power from a V8, a turbo takes a second to spool, and as such, will apply power as it does, over time).

this may be the key to finding out what beat you. next time, watch for wheelspin.

there should always be a MINIMAL amount, no wheelspin is good wheelspin, it slows you down. but it wont be avoided in most cases with a V8 at WOT, unless you have the tires to handle it.


EDIT: just read your above post. the Type S corolla as it were (not really called a typeS, but you see why i call it that) is a touring package of some sort, filled with a few amentities inside and maybe a Front strut tower brace. i have driven that model, and while better built than ANY domestic in the same class, it still is not up to the standard of even a decked out camry of the same year.

there were no engine upgrades available through that package to my knolwedge, but then, i dont know everything. glad to hear your car isnt slow. and it was just an abnormal corolla that got the better fo you. but if you can, find out what it is!!...im curious.

 

Thank you for your thoughtful analysis.

Yes. I definitely agree that the most logical explanation for this encounter is probably considering it as my run in with a Corolla that's either turbocharged or NOSed.

If there was any wheel spin, it had to be minimal because I don't recall hearing any tire screeching noise. It did not appear to be a stick shift car as well, for which I did not notice the sudden jerking motion during acceleration common to stick shift cars.

It would've been awesome if this guy has indeed, stuff a V8 in his ride though.

Jon

 

he didnt. theres no way. even in an auto, on those tires (they are probably not even H rated) spin. had to be a turbo or an S/C. the latter would be the wiser choice with an auto.

remember, its not just the V8, its the front part fo the frame it sits on, the ECU, the transmission, the wiring harnesses, everything.


and nobody does a V8 swap to put in an AUTO LOL. however, the thing that intruiges me is that it seemend to be an auto, functioning well, under fairly high PSI FI. even with an auto, you can see the jerk of the shift in a corolla at WOT...trust me LOL. unless he had it modified.


no, my guess would be he had a 5 speed, and he was a seamless shifter. revmatching as he went, not using the clutch for anything except takeoff. launching a car with no herky jerky isnt that hard. i can do it (but have been for almost 8 years now).

and you're most definately welcome. i like to be a little useful every now and then.

 

Thank you very much!

I am going to go out and drive around aimlessly around that area to look out for that guy now.

I'll report back if I run into him again.

Jon

 

Update:

Despite the fact that I was not able to spot this Corolla again, tonight's a great night nevertheless. I had two kills in less than 20 minutes.

1st Kill: Early 1990s Nissan 240sx hatchback with a big muffler. This guy was eager to race and challenged me on a rolling start (from 30mph or so) 3 times on a big boulevard. Each time when I got to 70mph, I easily beat him by 2-3 car lengths without even engaging the PWR mode. My RPM needle did have to kiss the redline for a couple of times though.

2nd Kill: Brand new Mazda 6 with some fancy DVD system. This guy was turning at a very wide angle when we were both making a left turn. He was literally within inches of me when I found out how close he was and I had to swerve to avoid him from hitting me. He must have tried to out accelerate me into the turn. After I caught up with him he quickly sped away but the light ahead of us soon turned red. Again, it's a big road going uphill, just like how things were with that Corolla. I started to grin, got behind him and switched on the PWR button. As the light turned green, he punched the throttle. I followed from behind a split second later and as the speed climbed up to 50mph, he was losing ground and had to change to the right lane. By 60mph I was passing him and at 70mph, I could see his headlights in my rearview mirror.

The party was soon over for me because we were already going over the speed limit (50mph zone) so I had to tap the brake as the Mazda flew by. This guy was cool enough to give me a couple of hazard flashes as he sped ahead of me.

Now I can happily go to bed.

Jon