Drag racing my GT/CS

[joedls]

I went to California Speedway today to try my hand at drag racing again. I had a blast!!! This is more fun than anyone should be having with their clothes on. I still can't get any traction because I pretty much suck, but I sure had a blast. The 07 GT/CS got lots of attention. I may have to get some slicks. Here are 3 of my quickest runs. They're each at 13.1, one @ 108, one @ 109, and 1 @ 111. As the day got hotter, my traction problems just got worse, so I left. But I'll be back to try another day...........

 

[Midnight Special]

...Congratulations Joe - That is awesome! 'Have to wonder what the times will be when you "get a grip" ;-) That has to be a serious rush!

Do some photos next time (if you can) & keep us posted. 'Wasn't that long ago (sans alot of work) that David was besting in the low 13s....

Curious: How do you think your '68 would have faired on the track?

 

[joedls]

...Congratulations Joe - That is awesome! 'Have to wonder what the times will be when you "get a grip" ;-) That has to be a serious rush!

Do some photos next time (if you can) & keep us posted. 'Wasn't that long ago (sans alot of work) that David was besting in the low 13s....

Curious: How do you think your '68 would have faired on the track?

With the trap speeds I'm running, the car is capable of low 12s if driven correctly and the right conditions. I'm only 1 MPH off of David's best trap speed. Might have to get different tires, though.

This car is fast, but my 68 was definitely more powerful and a much lighter car.

 

[davidathans]

congratz joe, those are some impressive speeds...it wont be long before you're turning quicker speeds than me...but its going to take some suspension work and definitely slicks and skinnys for the 11s...i might be going august 16 again..i'll let you know

so let me see if i remember...you turned 13.2 @ 108mph with your stock? gears (3.55s?)..and the only mod since then was 4.10 gears and now your doing consistent 13.1s with 2.0+ 60 foot times?

 

[joedls]

congratz joe, those are some impressive speeds...it wont be long before you're turning quicker speeds than me...but its going to take some suspension work and definitely slicks and skinnys for the 11s...i might be going august 16 again..i'll let you know

so let me see if i remember...you turned 13.2 @ 108mph with your stock? gears (3.55s?)..and the only mod since then was 4.10 gears and now your doing consistent 13.1s with 2.0+ 60 foot times?

Gears is the only change I've made. I wouldn't say I'm consistently doing 13.1s. That was 3 out of 10 runs. They were my quickest. Although I had a couple more in the 110-111 MPH trap speed.

I've been reading on another forum today and there is a guy who says that the Nitto DRs need to be run at 15 PSI and that you need to do a burnout about 10 seconds longer than you would normally do with other tires. Do you know anything about these tires? Anyone else?

 

[davidathans]

i know someone who had an 04 Cobra with 20psi of boost and he would run 11.4 at 129mph with his nitto drag radials. He would also run low tire pressure and do extremely long burnouts.

i didnt realize you made 10 runs, thought it was just 3 runs that were all 13.1..i was pretty impressed with this being only your second time out at that track.

With the gear swap did you have to change some setting using OBDII with your ECU? did you get a new dyno # at the tires with the 4.10s? Going through your gears alot faster now eh? haha

 

[joedls]

With the gear swap did you have to change some setting using OBDII with your ECU? did you get a new dyno # at the tires with the 4.10s? Going through your gears alot faster now eh? haha

I have a hand-held tuner that makes changing the settings for gear changes a snap. No new dyno #s, although I don't think the gear swap would change the dyno #s. Do you? Definitely go through the gears more quickly.

I was looking at wheels and slicks on the internet last night, but before I go that route I think I want to try to get the most I can out of what I have, first.

 

[GTCS07]

I would think with your current set-up you should be in the 11's. Are you running at sea level? You might need to adjust your instant center with your control arms to plant better. It's a learning curve to be sure. I'm running next month if I get my 4:10s in time.

 

[davidathans]

GTCS07, only if he had slicks and had his suspension set-up for drag racing...you wont run 11s on drag radials unless you have 20 lbs of boost and your making 600HP at the tires, but to answer your question...

right from the website:
1121.27 ft above sea level is the track elevation

 

[joedls]

GTCS07, only if he had slicks and had his suspension set-up for drag racing...you wont run 11s on drag radials unless you have 20 lbs of boost and your making 600HP at the tires, but to answer your question...

right from the website:
1121.27 ft above sea level is the track elevation

I'm not sure about your #s, David. Here's a guy running 10s with drag radials, making 577 HP. http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2356629 And here's one deep into the 11s making less than 500 HP running on drag radials. http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2529652 I think 11s is a little optimistic for my car, but I'm going to try like hell to get into the mid 12s with drag radials.

 

[GTCS07]

The new Roush 427R automatic runs 11.20s I just read. That's what I was basing it on. That sea level height is about a 1/2 second slower than running at actual sea level tracks I think. People are running mid 12's around here with no blower.

 

[joedls]

People are running mid 12's around here with no blower.

They're much better drivers than I am. :wink:

 

[davidathans]

what i said is based on someone i knew who could only best 11.4 @ 129mph on drag radials with over 650HP at the tires, but that was at LACR which is a shitty track...and that was a 04 cobra with IRS and suspension for road racing...leaving at 3000rpm...i was not trying to say that with that much HP and drag radials that you couldn't run 10s (so my #s were from someone i knew...im sure there were people going faster than him on better tracks with less horsepower with setup suspension on drag radials)

joe, im sure you could run 10s on drag radials with enough power, but it still requires that you setup your suspension and you race the piss out of your CS...

i think if you had your suspension setup for drag racing and had your tire pressure low enough and could launch at 6000rpm...and race like the wind....then you might run 11s...

want to go as fast as you can...its easy....get slicks

look at these guys with drag radials...if they are running 11s they are doing like 129mph which is a speed for 10s (if they had slicks)

do those guys have stock suspension that are running 10s and 11s with drag radials???????????? i seriously doubt it

gtcs07, that roush 427R in stock trim would never get close to 11.20 at california speedway in fontana....those numbers the magazine post are not realistic for two reasons:

1)the automakers want people to think the car is as fast as possible so they will test it on sea level tracks with optimum conditions

2) the person racing is a professional and really knows how to drive

always add at least 1 second to the e.t. to the numbers you see in a magazine

here is an example, i got my dad and uncle to race eachother at california speedway in fontana, their porsche cayenne turbos are rated for 13.5 second quarter mile...they both ran 14.7+ @ 97mph (no tire spin cuz AWD, so that didnt affect their e.t.s and the car shifted itself at max rpm)

joe, you turned 110+mph...that is a speed for 11s...i know because that was the speed i was running when i broke 12s...it just shows that your not hooking up, which is evident of your 2.0+ 60' times...you get your 60' down to 1.5 seconds by dropping your clutch at 5500rpm and you'll run 11s with your 447+RWHP...but your going to have to do suspension work and put on some slicks and skinnys

 

[davidathans]

the guy from your first link:

changed his springs and put in RACE shocks and a Roll Cage and hits 1.4 second 60' times...without those components he wouldnt be able to run 10s on his drag radials

the guy from your second link:

look at all his suspension mods!
wish it would show his 60' time, because he should be running 10s with that speed...instead he is only running 11.5...drag radials won't give you the best e.t.

those links proved my point

 

[joedls]

Maybe I misunderstood what you wrote, but I understood it to mean that it would take at least 600 HP to the tires to run 11s on drag radials. If that's not what you meant then why this statement?

....you wont run 11s on drag radials unless you have 20 lbs of boost and your making 600HP at the tires....


Also David, the car in the second link has almost the identical suspension modifications that I have. I wasn't offering this up as an example of the best ET for a car with this power, just an example of a car making a lot less that 600 HP running 11s on drag radials.

BTW, I don't have illusions of running out and making a run in the 11s tomorrow. And I know that slicks and skinnies will help me achieve the best ETs (I'm not an idiot). That's just not my goal at the moment (not saying that may not change). What I want to do is figure out the best set-up for me to drive on the street and run the best time I can on the strip with that set-up.

 

[joedls]

look at these guys with drag radials...if they are running 11s they are doing like 129mph which is a speed for 10s (if they had slicks)

Here's a whole list of guys running 11s. Many of them are on drag radials and all of them are 125 MPH or under.

 

[davidathans]

you're right about the exact words i used...i should not have said that you "needed 600HP to run 11s on drag radials"...you obviously don't...i just meant that its hard as fuck to do it and you better have your suspension setup and you better link up like crazy and it takes suspension work to do it...

next time i'll just say that i know a guy who had 650RWHP and ran 11.4 at 129mph on his best run with drag radials at LACR with an 04 Cobra with 20lbs of boost with a 3000rpm launch without a roll cage with an IRS, road race suspension and 3.55 gears

you are going to have to pull a low 1.6 60' time to get 11s if not a 1.5...the only way to do that is to drop your clutch above 5000rpm and link right away with no spinning...good luck trying to do this on your drag radials Joe...i don't have to tell you that its not easy to do....i hope you can...i hope i can pull a 1.6 60' on my slicks next time im at the track because thats the only way im running 11.90s

 

[davidathans]

Here's a whole list of guys running 11s. Many of them are on drag radials and all of them are 125 MPH or under.

this is good info...these guys running 11s under 125 mph are running e.t.'s that match their speeds because they can put it to the ground...you know how hard it is to launch your car...find out what they are doing differently than you to get their 60' times down in the 1.5s and 1.6s

 

[joedls]

you are going to have to pull a low 1.6 60' time to get 11s if not a 1.5...the only way to do that is to drop your clutch above 5000rpm and link right away with no spinning...good luck trying to do this on your drag radials Joe...i don't have to tell you that its not easy to do....i hope you can...i hope i can pull a 1.6 60' on my slicks next time im at the track because thats the only way im running 11.90s

I don't think that'll be happening, David. I'm not nearly a good enough driver to do that. But like I wrote earlier, my goal (for now anyway) is to do the best I can with the set-up I have now. I'm sure with some practice and a few tweaks I can get into the mid 12s.

And I don't have any doubt that you're going to run 11.90.

 

[davidathans]

I don't think that'll be happening, David. I'm not nearly a good enough driver to do that. But like I wrote earlier, my goal (for now anyway) is to do the best I can with the set-up I have now. I'm sure with some practice and a few tweaks I can get into the mid 12s.

And I don't have any doubt that you're going to run 11.90.

Why don't you think you can pull a 1.6 second 60' time? you said you had your suspension already setup like the other guys who are pulling low 60' times and running drag radials too...if they can do it, so can you....

you need to drop your tire pressure as low as possible (try starting at 15psi, since 20psi wasnt working) and sit in the wetbox and drop your clutch in 2nd gear and let those babies roast for like 25 seconds if you have to

then try dropping your clutch at 4000rpm to see if you can get an instant bite, just don't miss that first, instant, shift into second gear...if you can get it to bite at 4000rpm...then the next run try 4500rpm then 5000rpm...

at some point it isnt just driving skill because there is nothing a great driver can do when his tires are spinning every time

if there is nothing left to do to improve your suspension and your still spinning your drag radials and cannot pull 1.6 second 60' times....then throw on some slicks

good luck and good traction haha
hopin you get your 12.50s

do the best you can with what you got...all i was trying to say before was...slicks will take away the frustration you are experiencing every time you start a race and spin your tires and lose your 12 second drag race

one of these times i'll have to drive out there without my slicks and try racing on my mickey thompson e.t. drag radials...i don't think i could pull a 12.5 on them though