Why I waited so long to hit up my local track is beyond me, but I did it, now I'm addicted. The discouraging side of all this is…I drove away at the end of the night with a best of 13.80 @ 100. (mods in sig) Now is this typical for what i have done? My 60' was horrendous (2.1) and I'm running a set of BFG a/s supersports which are still newish (installed early Apr). I had one of the regulars at the track watch my runs and noted when I took off, my tires were spinning way to much. Remedy? Slicks. What else could help me hook better? *

Other than that, I had a blast and def looking forward to t&t this Friday night.**

 

Yup, slicks. Street tires aren't made for a strip. But is you need to run them, stay out of the water pit as water is bad for a street radial. Also, a never-ending burnout isn't helping either, longer you burn 'em the more track oils they will pick up. Some will say to only do a quick squawk to shake the tires clean, others will say go a few seconds longer. Did I mention getting slicks will drastically help?

May want to consider throwing some extra weight in the trunk. Another 50 pounds can help a lot.

I also think a late model Mustang's rear suspension isn't set up for a high-hp dump for a fast launch. Seems to high which looks like it could lead to wheel-hop. I'm thinking it should be lowered. This is only my gut feeling so YMMV.

 

Is your car an automatic? If so, did you take it out of OD and turn the traction control off?

 

How was the weather?

If it was hot/humid that will tack a few 10ths on also.

 

ET Streets. You'll have fun with those.

 

Having fun is the key point. Your trap speed won't change much regardless of traction, while your ET is very dependent on traction. 100 mph tells me that you could ultimately run 13.50's with the right launch and traction. If you have an automatic trans, that 2.1 60' time is about right for a stock converter. An aftermarket converter will improve your 60' and ET's by about 3-4 tenths. If you have a manual trans, then your 100 mph trap speed is very low. The automatics are usually in the 99-102 range, while the manuals are typically 103-106 mph. Weather (low barometric pressure, high humidity, and high temps) will slow you down. Perhaps you went on a hot, muggy day? Go on a cool, dry day with a rising barometer and you'll go faster. Most importantly, get drag radials to take traction out of the equation.

 

Couple of other details from my day…it was a rock solid 70 degree into the night with 0-humidity and 29.9BAR (per my slip). Mine's an auto and launched with TC off and OD on. I just did quick cleaning on my tires, 3secs or less before I left. I also gave some good time between my three runs with the hood opened after each.

 

Still a 13.7 is a pretty good run.

 

Take the OD off and gain 3 tenths... betcha .... it sure makes a difference with my car.

 

look at it this way. you're alot closer to the ideal ET with regard to your trap speed than i am. I'm trapping 99.9 in my bullitt and still in the low 14s! my ability to launch isn't nearly what it should be lol.

i need to go back to the track and see if my practice has paid off

regardless, nice run

 

If the barometric pressure was only 29.9, then there's some of your issue. Go back on a day with a rising barometer over 30.00 (closer to 31.00 if at all possible). The extra pressure is like mother nature supercharging your car a little bit. Low temperature, too, if possible (race in the cool evening air). You'll pick up a couple mph through the traps a improve a couple tenths, too. If you're serious about drag racing (or will do it at least a few times a year), get an aftermarket torque converter. Just doing that dropped 3 tenths of my launch and ET's - awesome bang-for-the-buck and so much more pleasant to drive around town (mine is a daily driver).

 

Why would the OD make any difference, when you're not even getting to 5th if it's floored?

 

I beg to differ... with 4.10s my car is sreaming in 4th at the trap with it out of OD, it pops into 5th before the trap with the OD in.

I can run twice back to back with the OD in and out, I lose about 3 tenths with it engaged.

 

Ah, ok. Thanks for clarifying. I forgot to account for a gear swap. I was only thinking about stock gears.

 

Just out of curiosity was was the 1/8 on the slip????

 

I finally got it scanned. Please pay no mind to my senior moment R/t

So, just to follow-up, leaving o/d off will net me a better ET? even w/ 3.73s? BTW, they paired me with a '02 Viper.

 

I, too, have 4.10's with an automatic. However, I have to let my car shift into overdrive (5th) in the 1/4 mile as 4th redlines about 200 feet before the end of the track (I use a short drag radial, 275/40/17 BFG). I've run it with and without overdrive, and my car is quicker using overdrive. Each car and setup will respond differently, so there is no one-size-fits-all answer here.

 

Wow, the barometer was only 29.47??? That's very low so I put the data from your run (track elevation is 178' above sea level, 29.47 barometer, 68*, 0% humidity, and your 1/4 ET and MPH) into a Density Altitude calculator to see what your car would have run at sea level in good weather and it would have been: 13.63 @ 101.72, which is more in line with an automatic GT.

 

Interesting indeed... you are right every set up is going to be a little different.

I have the same size MT drag radials which are 26" dia. too. Did you tighten up your shifts in your tune?

My finger is poised on the OD button, as soon as my front end hits the timer I pop it into OD, the car sounds "relieved" when 5 engages. I have no idea what RPM I am turning because the Ford tach is in a crummy location. I just installed an aftermarket tach on my dash that I can see, so I am going to monitor my shift points and RPM at the far end. I go to the track June 26, so I will see then.

 

First thing you should do is take care of your traction issue...get some good sticky tires!

With just the tires, a really aggressive launch and some good weather....im predicting you will run Mid to low 13's



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