93 mtx @ track

[38SHO]

welp took the car out tonight, first time for me at the drags

93 3.2 MTX, 3.0 cams, 8lb flywheel, 17" volvo wheels, 235-45-17 Pirelli P6 tires, catless equal length y pipe, borla catback

track was VERY slippery, it was like you were on ice or soaked concrete

and I had some bag axle hop going on when the tires spun, I either spun a lot of bogged it

not too happy with the times, but I guess the traps weren't too bad, next time I'll put on some 16's with stickier tires then my 17 all season pirelli's and try to fix the front end bushings up and go for a faster time!

my brother took some video, but once again he said he might not of gotten much.................... so maybe in a few days might have some video of some runs....

1st run spun real hard

R/T: .040
60': 2.937
1/8: 10.541
MPH:72.37
1000': 13.444
1/4: 15.873
MPH: 93.11

2nd run bogged

R/T: .205
60': 2.711
1/8: 10.338
MPH: 72.64
1000': 13.234
1/4: 15.662
MPH: 93.16

3rd run bogged, missed 3rd when sweaty hand slid off shifter

R/T: .209
60': 2.644
1/8: 10.288
MPH: 69.23
1000': 13.291
1/4: 15.774
MPH: 91.41

4th run spun

R/T: .243
60': 2.478
1/8: 9.907
MPH: 72.90
1000': 12.793
1/4: 15.212
MPH: 93.39

5th run, spun, axle hopped so bad it popped out of first gear, thought I broke the diff or an axle at first, when I finally got back into first.. I just rolled on the power again and didn't even have traction on a rolling start

R/T: .700
60': 3.11
1/8: 11.699
MPH: 70.62
1000': 14.661
1/4: 17.126
MPH: 91.90

 

[Huntervf]

welp took the car out tonight, first time for me at the drags

4th run spun

R/T: .243
60': 2.478
1/8: 9.907
MPH: 72.90
1000': 12.793
1/4: 15.212
MPH: 93.39

With better traction getting you down to a 2.2x 60 ft, I see this run being in the 14.8 range. Not too shabby, but for a 3.2 with a light flywheel I'd expect a bit more in terms of trap speed and ET. What's the altitude of the track & weather conditions during the runs?

 

[38SHO]

17' above sea level or so, about 88-90 degrees

the traps might come up with a better launch, I was spinning real hard, couldn't believe how slick the track was

we shall see

I would like to be in the 95-98mph range... might need to do some further mods

 

[SuperHO]

trap speeds are there...60ft times suck. slick track or not, time to work on your launch. how were you launching? what was your tire pressure? how bout shift points?

 

[38SHO]

35psi on all season 235-4517 pirelli's

i tried anywhere from 1800-2200rpm's on launch, hard clutch dump.. 7krpm shifts

it spun like crazy or bogged, can't see how it could find any middle ground with my suspension/tires/launch style, I normally launch @ 2k or 2.2k rpm's on the street and the thing hooks and goes, no way of that happening at this track

 

[K-Dawg]

Next time, try lowering your tire pressure and not dumping the clutch.

 

[Huntervf]

The higher temps could be pulling your performance down a bit. A 2.4 60ft time, while not great, really isn't too awful, so I don't see your trap speeds coming up too much with a better launch.

Try dropping the pressure in your front tires to 25 psi

 

[TRicker]

like said above, you should have been down around 20 psi to start, and the best strategy that i found on my SHO was to slowly engage the clutch for about ten feet, then hammer down. if it spins for more than a second, its gonna spin through first and second gear. if it wheel hops, you might as well let off

 

[SuperHO]

lower tire pressures. also, instead of dropping the clutch, try slipping it a bit to modulate traction. also, try to avoid going WOT until the clutch is completely let out and you're rolling. with a SHO, smooth inputs with the throttle and clutch are key.

 

[BlackonBlack89]

35psi on all season 235-4517 pirelli's

i tried anywhere from 1800-2200rpm's on launch, hard clutch dump.. 7krpm shifts

it spun like crazy or bogged, can't see how it could find any middle ground with my suspension/tires/launch style, I normally launch @ 2k or 2.2k rpm's on the street and the thing hooks and goes, no way of that happening at this track

oo well thats why. dumping the clutch is why. No wonder. try just slipping it alittle.

My advice, from my old man, was to act like ur at a stoplight and u just wanna get infront of somebody quickly. Then floor it when the clutch is out. It works for me and also IMO getting the clutch to grap very very lightly helps alot. Not enough to move the car, just holds it there. dropping the clutch works for RWD and Slicks not street tires.

 

[38SHO]

yeah I'll try to slip the clutch a bit more even tho its not really my driving style and see if it helps the launch, or instead of slipping it just try to get it going then nail it......

I'll try to get some better tires on a set of slicers and run 25psi, thats about as low as I feel safe going

and fix the front strut rod bushings/recievers(damn I must be ******* those parts! always breaking time for the moog fix)

gotta go back and get a 14!

it was hot and very humid out that night, plus there was hardly anyone there running, towards the end there were about 6 cars running including myself! The runs were back to back except for the 1st to 2nd one, I made the last few runs without even shutting off the engine

still had a good time and glad I broke the ice on going out there....

 

[Huntervf]

Considering it took me about 15 passes to get down to a 15.2 (95 MTX with a y-pipe and exhaust), getting there in four runs IMO ain't bad

My launch technique is actually very similar to yours. I never slipped the clutch; I'd hold about 2k and do a QUICK clutch release while at the same time dropping the gas, then I'd modulate the gas to find the best combination of traction and tire spin (figure it's cheaper to get two new tires than to replace a clutch!) Of course, that technique runs a fine line between bogging and spinning, but once I got the hang of it I could cut consistent 2.2x 60ft times.

I miss the dragstrip.

 

[38SHO]

yeah I had a blast, it was nice actually racing on a real track instead of the street, it felt right.....


they also apparently do road course racing at the same time as drag racing, maybe even every wednesday or fri/sat I dunno... be cool to check that out, weren't a lot of cars on there.... I'd say 5+ Porsches of various vintages and a 360.......

if I can't get the wheel hop problem solved I would feel slightly better about spinning.... I know my tension rod is loose, but this problem seemed to worsen when I installed ASFB's... maybe those are the cause, or maybe they just intensify another problem...

I also feel the same way about the clutch as you do, I cringe when I see people downshift into every gear comming to a stop.... lets see you just used your clutch pedal 3 or 4 times that you didn't need to every time you stop..... some people say this is to save brakes... I think whats easier, replacing clutch components or a brake job!

 

[SHOtime2511]

hmm your trap speeds seem a bit low to me.
our setups are close and im consistently 97-98mph.

any idea what your SHO weighs??
how about the Volvo wheels are they boat anchors?

 

[38SHO]

I think they weigh 23lbs

you have a different exhaust, but I think u were running at the drags with the borla correct?

you also have a ported intake w/ BBB's and UDP's also that I don't have?

the trap speeds seem low to me also......

 

[SuperHO]

downshifting while properly rev matching almost completely removes wear from the clutch. it's an art to master, but once you learn how, it's like shifting...it becomes 2nd nature. as for your trap speeds, you may be right about the heat and humidity slowing you down a bit. with a high mileage 3.0 with a few bolt-ons, i was trapping high 90s all night long. i'm actually curious to see if i could break into the triple digits now that there's a lower mileage 3.2 crammed in there. another thing you might could try is shifting to 3rd at around 6800rpm and then staying in 3rd through the traps.

 

[38SHO]

yeah but no matter how you do it, you are still disengaging the clutch from the flywheel and making it grab it again

also you are putting wear on your clutch cable, tob, pressure plate

hey do how you like it, but I'll do it the route that allows me to use my clutch 4 times less.....

there really is no benefit in doing extra downshifts......

 

[SuperHO]

say that when entering a corner at speed...anyway, back on topic!

 

[BlackonBlack89]

thats different^

DD=neutral when slowing down.

 

[38SHO]

yup, if u notice I said when comming to a light.......

back on topic!

thx guys for giving me some pointers and ideas

now I got some stuff to work for and hope to get some better times....