How fast? And is it stock? Bone Stock defined

How quick and is it bone stock? That is the question among fans and owners of various cars with lots of debate about who is faster. Top speed is easily measured by magazines and meaningless in terms of acceleration. Zero to 60mph sounds good but doesn't tell the whole story. The 60-130mph timing is growing in popularity but many don't have the means to measure it. My article about that here. It all comes back the the 1/4 mile drag race.

The trap speed is the real indicator of which car is quicker once rolling and takes out the factor of a bad start (launch). In this age of the internet, claims and scanned timeslips can be seen across the country causing instant rivalries and debates. But the question remains, is it stock or modified? Is it just as it was off the showroom floor or has it been secretly enhanced?

The following examples are trap speeds that push the envelope of believability and all of them have the these factors in common: Great driving, proper vehicle preparation and cold, crisp air for maximum horsepower output. Examples such as: Corvette ZR1: 132mph, Dodge Viper ACR: 130mph, Corvette Z-06: 129mph, Dodge Viper 4th gen: 129mph, 03/04 Ford "Terminator" Cobra: 115mph, SRT-8 Charger/300C: 111mph, 05/06 Pontiac GTO: 110mph, 98-02 Camaro/Trans-Am: 110mph, Dodge Challenger R/T: 108mph and many more. Funny thing in the realm of "who is faster debates" is that in most cases, subtract 1mph from many of those and there are suddenly multiple examples.

A "bone stock" vehicle must be as if it rolled off the showroom floor. There are many ways to "cheat" but no performance modifications are allowed. In another article I'll list some drag racing tips for those looking to maximize the performance from their street car.

The rules of "bone stock" are as follows: The original or similar paper air intake filter must be in place. The stock shifting mechanism cannot be substituted for a short-throw shifter, the tires must not be designed for drag racing (drag radials). The vehicle cannot have weight reduction by removing parts. The spare tire is debatable but that weight difference is easily made up with differences in driver weights so I say it's okay. The exhaust as it came from the showroom floor must remain as well.

When magazines test cars, they may be criticized for not representing the "real world". If you take into consideration they don't do any type of weight reduction, a full tank of gas usuallyy, no powershifting, no "drag prep" techniques, they start to look pretty realistic. Another factor is automated clutch cars (single and dual) and fully automatics (torque converter) will have minimal variance. Finally, taking into account the magazines sometimes have fairly fast times because they do not use a dragstrip where the last 60 feet is used as an average for the trap speed, the results are spot-on for probably 90% of the bell curve. Variance due to condtions alone can be huge. A 50 degree swing in outdoor temperatures can translate to about 5mph.

Really the meaning of "bone stock" is pretty basic and the trap speeds listed are in the extreme minority and a couple are no doubt questionable. Others are verified and it's really a simple rule: The same equipment as when the car rolled off the showroom floor, from the factory, no more, no less.