1/4 mile woes... :notnice:

[droptopford 5 0]

So i met Tom (69Clark) a couple weeks ago at Lebanon Valley Dragway, NY. the only real good part of the night was getting to admire what he has done to his car... but i also finally mustered up the nerve to put my car through the 1/4 mile wringer. Needless to say i was less than impressed with my times (as many of us are when in nearly stock form.) All that i have done to my car is March U/D pulleys, MAC CAI, MAC o/r H pipe and cat back... I ran a 15.2 after a very hot drive down for close to 100 miles... it was in the mid 80's when i ran, full weight vert, on BFG g-foce sport tires, and a full tank of gas spare tire etc etc etc... my only question is what people think my car is actually capable of considering this was my first pass blah blah blah? r/t .336, 60 ft. 2.538, 330 ft. 6.628, 1/8 mi. 9.964@ 72.8, 1/4 mi. 15.328@ 92.48. to answer any questions that might arise... it is stock suspension at 108k, i did mess up my launch and slipped the 2.83's a tad too much. and btw, it start
ed to ping a tad in the top of 2nd and midway through third which made me short shift 2-3 at abou 4700 rpms. what do ya think??

 

[96stangRC]

I think your times are definitley comparable to others with the same setup. Think of it this way, if you drop your 60 ft. time from the 2.5 to a 2.0, which is easily attainable with drag radials and then some, you would probably have ran around a 14.3, which isn't bad at all for a nearly stock car.

 

[Stanger007]

I think your times are definitley comparable to others with the same setup. Think of it this way, if you drop your 60 ft. time from the 2.5 to a 2.0, which is easily attainable with drag radials and then some, you would probably have ran around a 14.3, which isn't bad at all for a nearly stock car.

I fully agree with what 96stangRC is saying. My (auto) 'vert ran 14.5 @ 95 with a 2.1 60ft. The heat is knocking a tenth or two. Down here in Louisiana with my car I've noticed that I lose about a tenth every 20 degrees hotter it is.

Next time out with some Nittos and cooler air I was at 14.03 @95.32 with a 1.920 60ft.

It's all about that 60ft time and that improves with good rubber and good practice.

Wes

P.S. Oh yeah and my best stock run was a 15.3 with a 2.4 60ft.

 

[droptopford 5 0]

isnt that a terrible 60 ft time though??? i was hoping i could cut my times down, esp the 60 ft... even without d/r's. well, i guess on a good note, i guess you're saying that my driving didnt suck terribly considering it was my first time haha....

 

[rj95svt]

I would think that you could signifigantly lower your times with some practice. I think you could atleast drop your 60ft. to 2.10. I was able to get a 1.98 with my car on 245 45 17 street radials with just some driving practice and 3.73's.

You said you also short shifted due to pinging. Why is your car pinging is it due to much initial timing or just bad gas. Solving this issue and shifting where you normally do should help some too.

 

[final5-0]

isnt that a terrible 60 ft time though??? i was hoping i could cut my times down, esp the 60 ft... even without d/r's. well, i guess on a good note, i guess you're saying that my driving didnt suck terribly considering it was my first time haha....

Yes ... that is a terrible sixty foot

Very ... Very few peeps do good the first time they go down the 1/4 mile :Word:

I've seen some knock more than a full second off their time
with nothing more than practice

Drag racing is like everything else ... practice makes perfect

You just need more time to get better

Grady

 

[droptopford 5 0]

i would think that my 60 ft.s are gonna be tough either way. the 2.83 rear gears leave a lot to be desired. as far as the pinging goes... this has always been a problem for me, and it doesnt seem to matter where my initial timing is set, stock, or advanced. i had it up to 14º and now its at 12 BTDC. i did set it with the spout out, im running 93 octane, the mass air is clean, blah blah blah. i have quite a few threads posted about this problem and still havnt fixed it. it only happens in the upper rpms and not down low where advanced initial timing would usually affect it. some say the fuel pump is going, but it primes fine, and i have no real way of checking the fuel pressure while driving without spending a god chunk of change. i digress... but i just dont know where to go. bad 02's?

 

[Fopar]

well your MPH is kinda low, i'd say mid 14s capable with traction

 

[droptopford 5 0]

well your MPH is kinda low, i'd say mid 14s capable with traction

is it really THAT low? lets just remember it had 3/4 tank of gas, a tool set in the trunk, full weight everything (nothing removed) on a hot motor and hot day... plus i short shifted 2-3... and its a vert. i appreciate the comment, these are the things i wanna hear from people, im just hoping its not that low, i dont wanna think my car is being underpowered or there is a problem... u know? but thanks, i would be happy with mid 14's from a basically stock vert

 

[reddy351]

Food for thought---if the fuel pump IS going out, the MPH on the big end is what would be effected. Get a 255lph Walbro in there. Can't hurt.

 

[Adam95GT]

Ouch that is low... i think i have less mods (no gears etc.) then you

and i pulled a 14.4 @95.5

 

[Stanger007]

is it really THAT low? lets just remember it had 3/4 tank of gas, a tool set in the trunk, full weight everything (nothing removed) on a hot motor and hot day... plus i short shifted 2-3... and its a vert. i appreciate the comment, these are the things i wanna hear from people, im just hoping its not that low, i dont wanna think my car is being underpowered or there is a problem... u know? but thanks, i would be happy with mid 14's from a basically stock vert

I wouldn't put an extreme amount of stock in comparing other people's times over the Internet - there are a good many factors that play in such as weather conditions, elevation, track conditions, car weight, suspension setup/age and location of the moon etc. It's a lotta variables.

The best judge of how your car is performing is a dyno session and repeat visits to the track and even those are subject to some of the conditions above.

What I'm saying is that you can analyze and reanalyze the numbers but I think you did pretty good for your first time out.

There's always gonna be somebody that pulled an amazing time and always gonna be someone slower (unless you happen to be the unlucky slow one which you aren't).

Enjoy the car and :Track:

Wes

 

[Bullitt95]

I certainly wouldn't read too much into the 1/4 mile ET because of the multiple variables that can affect it. The 1/4 mile trap speed is a far more accurate measure of performance because it's much less idiotproof, but the 1/8 trap speed is the most accurate of all because it's also less affected by aerodynamics and wind speed/direction.
Even dyno sessions aren't a reliable comparative measure of performance against other vehicles because each vehicle is run on a different dyno. If you run your own vehicle on the same dyno after each mod, then you CAN make a true "before and after" comparison.
IMO, a 15.328@ 92.48 in a full weight vert with modest bolt-on mods and a T5 is in the ballpark, and it won't take much to break into the 14's.