Ok guys I have a question. Heres the situation:
I have an 05 GT stick, my buddy has an 03 Cobra

I have JBA headers, WMS intake, Diablo tuner, CCM 60mm TB

He has : Steeda CAI, Full bassani Catback exhaust, Diablo tuner

When we have raced, the outcome is he is just a car length in front of me.

I'm ready to buy more mods. Winters here though lol

 

I would get some lower control arms which are a realtively inexpensive mod that helps to elimitate wheel hop and you can launch a little better. You also might want to do underdrive pullies to get a few more horses. I would say though your best bet is gears. Put in 4.10s and if he only has one length on you you should beat him no problem.

 

the 03 Cobras weren't blown yet, right? Just curious.

Ohh, nevermind. If he has a CAI I guess the answer is no.

 

03 cobras are blown.

 

yeah they are blown like Sonic said. So if he's only 1 car ahead of you thats quite a bit and it all depends on the mph you were at. I raced a guy with 500 hp at the wheels and he pulled on me by about 1.5 car lengths to 100 mph but thats almost 1.5 or more seconds in the qtr mile. Thats quite a bit if you think about it and even more when you get to 150.

 

Rule of thumb: 1 car is about .2 down the quarter.

 

100mph is 146.7 feet per second. So, 1/10 second is just under 15 feet. The Mustang GT is about 15.6 feet long. So in this case, a closer rule-of-thumb would be: 1/10sec = 1 car length (at the end of a quarter).

 

I should have added 12 second cars as a disclaimer. Most 05 GT's will trap more than 100 mph. A 500 whp car should trap 120+. Klassic's car should trap similar to what my car.

 

Given equal drivers, that is an impressive outcome for you. '03-'04 Cobras are very fast stock and with minimal mods they become stupid fast. He has at least 100 rwhp on you. I'd love to think I could hang with a SC'd Cobra through 1st and 2nd gears, but after that I would expect them to run away from me. Way to hang!

 

OK, let's see...

120mph is 176 feet per second. So, 1/10 second is 17.6 feet. The Mustang GT is about 15.6 feet long. So in this case, a closer rule-of-thumb would be: 1/10sec = 1.1 car length (at the end of a quarter).

Or,

150mph is 220 feet per second. So, 1/10 second is 22 feet. The Mustang GT is about 15.6 feet long. So in this case, a closer rule-of-thumb would be: 1/10sec = 1.4 car length (at the end of a quarter).

Now... let's look at your original "rule of thumb"... 1 car length = 2/10 sec:

15.6 feet/0.2 sec = 78 ft/sec = 53mph

 

I know the formulas. They don't factor in acceleration . Half a car length isn't a large distance over 1320 feet though. 2 cars is from my experience at the track.

 

I don't think you know what you're talking about.

The math doesn't lie... 100mph is 100mph, regardless of how long it takes you to get there. Not to mention, top speed is measured in the last 60 feet of the track, where very little accelaration is happening. It's nearly constant velocity by then over that interval.

If 2 car lengths is your experience, then your are going 53mph...

 

I would say the same about you. Do you not understand drag racing? You aren't factoring in ET into the equation. My point which is; A 15.0@100 car will be far behind a 14.0@100 car. Your equations don't factor in acceleration, end of story.

I remember now, you are the same guy whom recommended to heat up street tires for drag racing:
http://www.svtcobraclub.com/TechApplicatio...drag_racing.htm
http://groups.msn.com/EXTREMEStreetRacingI...urwebpage2.msnw
http://www.mustangmonthly.com/howto/71018/
http://www.moparstyle.com/racing/dragstage.htm

 

OK, that example (14.0 vs 15.0) proves the math I stated still works perfectly (assuming both car had the same reaction time). I say one full second behind is ~10 car lengths (i.e., 1/10 = 1 car length @ 100mph). But, according to you though, it would only be 5 car lengths (2/10 = 1 car length). So that slower car will travel those five car lengths in a second, which is 78 ft/sec... i.e, 53 mph. Yet you just said it was going 100mph. Sorry it doesn't add up.

There are many things that play into the margin of victory in a drag race (reaction times, 60' times, traction, etc.). But, that was not the issue posted above. It was specifically stated that at 100mph, the two cars were 1.5 car lengths apart. Someone said that was 1.5 seconds, and then you claimed that 1 car length = 2/10. I pointed out that at 100mph, 1/10 sec = 1 car length. That is an undeniable fact. All I am saying is that for a "rule of thumb" as you called it, 1/10 = 1 car length is more correct that your 2/10 = 1 car length (at 100mph).

Believe what you want, I've stated my case on the subject.

Oh, and yes, I have indeed stated that my Nitto 450s hooked much better after a good burnout than they did without. That was proven to me by over 200 runs at the track. And I didn't recommend everyone do it... I said that every should try multiple ways to see what worked best for them.

 

Don, Jason, you realize you're arguing about a tenth of a second here, right?

At the drag strip and street, it's all relative. I've got the jump on somebody at the lights, and beat them to the other end by a couple of car lengths, and still had a higher ET because their reaction time sucked. I beat him light to light, but he covered the distance faster. It's all relative.

Please, no more math lessons.