does removal of the right headlight help at the track???

[tjm73]

What's not realistic about taking out a headlight?

So you're saying someone shouldn't run slicks at the track because that isn't REALISTIC?

I didn't see anything in his post about slicks. Slicks (in some states....such as Ohio) are legal. Not that it really matters. Some people (like me) believe in running their car 100% as they drive it on the street. My car should, in full race trim, run about .5 to 1 second faster than it does. But I don't fool myself into thinking it's a race car and have to run that number. I run it as I drive it. Radial tires and all.

 

[tjm73]

I have to say i agree with that. When you go to the track its more like a game than reality. You do your best to pull off the best run you can.
You guys are saying you go to the track with a full tank of gas, some groceries in your trunk and a spare tire?

I go with what ever is in the car. In my 90 GT convertible I ran a 13.78 with the spare and associated bits in the trunk, a fully loaded tool box, 3/4 full tank of fuel, and no cool down. Rolled through the gates. Signed in, teched (gradn total of 5 minutes to do this) and ran my first pass (13.83 I think), then I ran again in less than 15 minutes when I ran the 13.78. I never opened the hood either. In fact I shut the car off and walked away for a few minutes, until I went back and started the car and ran it again. It was over 200 degress in the staging lane on my mechanical water temp guage. And I was running drag radials.

My 98 GT had the same toolbox in it, with the spare and stuff in it and a full tank of gas on BFG Traction T/A's and it ran 15.21 at 92 mph.

That's how I run. The exact same way I roll through the gate. Does it hurt my "number"? Probably. Do I care that it "hurts" my "number"? No.

 

[StngStr]

I didn't see anything in his post about slicks. Slicks (in some states....such as Ohio) are legal. Not that it really matters. Some people (like me) believe in running their car 100% as they drive it on the street. My car should, in full race trim, run about .5 to 1 second faster than it does. But I don't fool myself into thinking it's a race car and have to run that number. I run it as I drive it. Radial tires and all.

I also didn't see anything in his post about running in street trim at the track. he asked if removing the headlight helps at the TRACK...not on the street. The answer is YES. Some people like to do whatever little "free" things they can to get a better slip. Some like to run in full street trim. Some like to run bone stock, some like to run modified. To each his own. But, no matter how you like to run...removing your headlight is typically worth .1 and 1 mph. Typically being the key word. Not always, but normally.

 

[Monkie]

I didn't see anything in his post about slicks. Slicks (in some states....such as Ohio) are legal. Not that it really matters.

How many street cars do you see running around with 15" slicks? Most people install the slicks when the get to the track.

 

[tjm73]

How many street cars do you see running around with 15" slicks? Most people install the slicks when the get to the track.

One or two in my area in NY and plenty in Ohio.

 

[Monkie]

you don't get the point

 

[FallenPhoenix]

One or two in my area in NY and plenty in Ohio.

How often? They're either stupid or have something to prove if they do it more than on a friday night to cruise up to sonic. There's a reason slicks aren't DOT approved, they're not safe for general street use.

 

[tjm73]

How often? They're either stupid or have something to prove if they do it more than on a friday night to cruise up to sonic. There's a reason slicks aren't DOT approved, they're not safe for general street use.

Only once and a while. Not very often. Mostly just to going to and from the track is when I see them.

 

[tjm73]

you don't get the point

No, I GET the point of the mod. I just don't see the hassle being worth all the work. I, personally, don't see why anyone would waste the time pulling a headlight. You could be making a pass in that time.

The next trend will be cutting heat by taking your hood off the car to get more cool air in there.

 

[cap42]

In the time your waiting in the staging lanes you can pop the hood pull the 2 pins that hold the headlight assembly in no tools necessary and unplug the headlight and parking light. I've done in several times and I can get back in the car and not worry about holding up the staging lanes in fact I'll still be waiting on people doing their burnouts and getting staged.

And yes I've gotten 1-2mph outta pulling the headlight in trap speed but I'm not consistant enough to say I've gottena better ET off it. I just know that I have gotten a 13.8 @ 103mph instead of 101mph in the same day at the track by only doing that.

The point of this thread is not why do this at the track when you don't do it on the street. Some people want every little .01 outta their run...if that's what they want to do with their car then you should respect that. Just like if you want to run your car in street trim we should respect your opinion. If that doesn't satisfy you then technically you can run without your pass headlight on the street and still be legal just as long as you never had to use your headlights or right turn signal

 

[Monkie]

No, I GET the point of the mod. I just don't see the hassle being worth all the work. I, personally, don't see why anyone would waste the time pulling a headlight. You could be making a pass in that time.

The next trend will be cutting heat by taking your hood off the car to get more cool air in there.

Obviously you DON'T get the point. When most people go to the track they go for one reason, to get the best possible time out of their car. Most people don't go with 120lbs of junk in their back seats. Taking out the headlight to allow cooler air to get to the filter is common sense. It takes 5 mins to do and if anything it saves 2lbs of weight. And obviously you haven't been to the drag strip. After you make a pass you go get in line and wait about 30 mins to run again (if its a crouded night) so no the time it takes to take out the headlight could not be spent running another run.

 

[StngStr]

5 mins? You could do your burnout, jump out of the car, remove the headlight, jump back in and stage in 60 seconds.

It's literally 2 pins that you pull straight up. Then, just pull the plug out of the back of the headlight and the plug out of the blinker. Simple as that. It took you longer to read this post than it would to remove a headlight.

 

[StngStr]

No, I GET the point of the mod. I just don't see the hassle being worth all the work.

All what work? See my last post. It takes longer to open the hood than it does to take the headlight out.

I, personally, don't see why anyone would waste the time pulling a headlight. You could be making a pass in that time.

If you can make a pass in less than 5 seconds, you wouldn't even have headlights. That's the most it would take to remove a headlight....5 seconds.

 

[5spd GT]

Would you drive down the street like that? Probably not. I believe that you should run your car at the strip, in the exact same way you run it down the street. That means no shorts, belts bags of ice on the intake, or taking the headlight out of the car (which BTW looks like total $ h ! t). This kind of thing ranks right up there with pulling the passenger seat out of the car to save what, a half a tenth? If you want a real race car, build a real race car. Otherwise run your car the same as you run it on the street. Besides the number you run has no street credit. Sure you ran a 13.57, but can you run that at anytime of the day, or do you have to spend 40 minutes preping the car to run that number?

I agree 100%...I run exactly how I run on the road...what you see when I drive by "you"...is what you see when I'm at the track...headlights, spare tire, even those couple pieces of gum wrappers are in the car still...IT IS MORE REALISTIC...

Now back to the topic at hand...about the headlight removal...my friend gained two tenths by removing his headlight assembly and removing his spare tire and jack...though he did get laughed at by a few in the crowd...

 

[tjm73]

And obviously you haven't been to the drag strip. After you make a pass you go get in line and wait about 30 mins to run again (if its a crouded night) so no the time it takes to take out the headlight could not be spent running another run.

Not at my local track. Depending on the night and time you get there, you could possible make 4 or 5 back to back runs...EASILY. Until the regular crowd shows up a little later in the night. My record for back to back runs on a very overcast day was 9. Then a few other people showed up and the big money spending guys started running there cars.

And what in the hell makes you think I've never been to the track? You don't even know me, so don't presume you can question whether I've been to the track. That is an ignorant statement.

Oh yeah. I'm not most people and neither are the 15 or 20 guys I know that run the same way I do.

 

[Teen'93stang5.0]

um, ive driven slicks on the street before in my old '93 hatch

and i run drag radials 24/7 on my car during the dry season down here

 

[StngStr]

um, ive driven slicks on the street before in my old '93 hatch

and i run drag radials 24/7 on my car during the dry season down here

SO? The question is whether removing the headlight helps at the track, not what kind of tire you drive on the street. Slicks on the street is foolish. Drag radials is fine, as long as there is still tread.

 

[FR-S8N]

my friend drives around his 11 second-flat daily driver LS1 TransAm around town on ET Streets. oh.. its NA too.

just do whatever you want to do to your car and don't give a $hit what other ppl do to their car. but if they beat you because they did a little weight reduction and pulled out the headlight don't whine about it.

i have yet to run with more weight reduction other ran removing the jack and spare tire. with one more mod i might take out the read seat and front passenger seat just to get a 12 second pass.

run your car however you like... its yours. Everybody on here should be old enough to care about what other people think.


good luck with everybody's cars.

 

[AirWolf87]

ok this is starting to get a bit :OT: lol i didnt mean to start a war between the "run what ya brung" guys and the people who squeeze out every tenth. I personaly dont go to the track to show ppl what my car can run on the street. Who cares what your ET was on the street. I go to see how fast I can get it to go at the TRACK. thats why i want to know if it helps....i guess it does next time ill try it. But as to weight saving, yeah ill admitt i take the tire, jack and back seat out its easy and if it can gain me 2tenths AT THE TRACK, its worth it(and im not ashamed to say if it wasnt to time consuming, i would take out the front bumper support too). When you are at the track you are driving in a race condition...so why shouldnt you prep your car like a race car??

 

[CottonBurnerz]

I think it kinda helped.. it doesn't hurt either way.. I would do it again..