First time at the track.. Not very impressed

[zacritz929]

Well I went to Norwalk last Friday night and had 4 runs in my 94 ATX. The car is stock with brand new tires and has a decent exhaust leak. It was pretty warm and humid out so Im sure that slowed me down a little bit too but my times were still crappy.

here is my best pass

r/t .145
60' 2.482
330 6.875
1/8 10.412
MPH 70.12
1000 13.433
1/4 16.010
MPH 87.62

I was expecting like a 15.6 pass and was dissapointed when my first time down I went 16.4. Im gonna get Summit Turbo mufflers a k&n air filter and new plugs and wires. What should i expect then?

 

[SLOWSRT4]

that's probably normal for the car. the way people talk about the car, everyone expects they'll run low 15's with auto's and mid 14's with a stick, and it's just not true. runs like those are the exceptions. was it your first time at the track? i know my first time at the track i ran a 14.1 in my srt4 and i was very dissapointed. but after more runs, figuring out what i was doing wrong and what not, i dropped my et like nothing.

 

[zacritz929]

ya it was my first time ever down the 1/4. you cant really drop your times with an AT can you?

 

[98TRSHO]

Didja just stomp on it out of the hole from an idle or did you brake torque it to launch? That'll sometimes make a difference....but like you said, it's hard to screw up drag racing a FWD ATX....just point and shoot.

 

[SuperHO]

Sorry...that was sposed to be me....


yeah, my first time at the track with my 92 MTX was emberassing.......still kinda is...

 

[AREA 91]

Did ya ever run a 15.2 at 106MPH?

 

[SLOWSRT4]

i ran a 14.188 at 112.57mph, with a 60' time of 2.862!

 

[zacritz929]

Didja just stomp on it out of the hole from an idle or did you brake torque it to launch? That'll sometimes make a difference....but like you said, it's hard to screw up drag racing a FWD ATX....just point and shoot.

I brake torqued it and launched at about 2300 I think. I didnt spin that much. Im going to get some maintenance done and go back and see if my times get better.

 

[Racer X]

that's probably normal for the car. the way people talk about the car, everyone expects they'll run low 15's with auto's and mid 14's with a stick, and it's just not true. runs like those are the exceptions. was it your first time at the track? i know my first time at the track i ran a 14.1 in my srt4 and i was very dissapointed. but after more runs, figuring out what i was doing wrong and what not, i dropped my et like nothing.

16s is not normal for a SHO, ATX or otherwise.

The exhaust leak is playing a big part in your ET, as I'm finding out that these cars are very sensitive to changes in the exhaust flow in regards to leaks and such. I would repair that first, catch up on whatever other maintenance needs to be done, and try it again.

FWIW, my SHO before the swap ran a 14.9 according to a G-Tech (yeah, not exactly accurate, but close enough.)

Get those issues fixed, and run again and let us know how you made out.

 

[Stew]

I hate G-Tech times, there are far too many factors in how they read, a little down hill and your times seem silly fast.

 

[PAracer]

Did ya ever run a 15.2 at 106MPH?

I did a 14.9 at 97.6

I could not get the car into gear with that Mobil 1 fluid. I was just jamming the thing into the gates. She did come to life once I got it in a forward gear, though. I did find that at the time that I was driving the car without the wideband, it was way too rich. Before I started tuning, the display would read 'rich' whenever I went WOT. No juice for me; just mods and weight redux. At this point, I have no idea what the car is capable of.

My first ever drag run was a 14.932 @ 93.66. I guess the atx really does drag nicely. I miss those days of consistantly fast times. Once I started modding past easy bolt-ons, the car slowed down.

 

[Angus Trim]

Well I went to Norwalk last Friday night and had 4 runs in my 94 ATX. The car is stock with brand new tires and has a decent exhaust leak. It was pretty warm and humid out so Im sure that slowed me down a little bit too but my times were still crappy.

here is my best pass

r/t .145
60' 2.482
330 6.875
1/8 10.412
MPH 70.12
1000 13.433
1/4 16.010
MPH 87.62

I was expecting like a 15.6 pass and was dissapointed when my first time down I went 16.4. Im gonna get Summit Turbo mufflers a k&n air filter and new plugs and wires. What should i expect then?

There are a lot of things that could affect the et, make it disappointing. If the struts are worn, could scrub time, if the alignment is off, could scrub time, if the tire pressures are off, could screw things up.....

Spark plugs, yeah.....I'd check all of the maintenance things..... has the car had the "60k"? If the valve adjustment is off, could factor into things too.....How is the tranny? All of these things could factor in.........

 

[zacritz929]

There are a lot of things that could affect the et, make it disappointing. If the struts are worn, could scrub time, if the alignment is off, could scrub time, if the tire pressures are off, could screw things up.....

Spark plugs, yeah.....I'd check all of the maintenance things..... has the car had the "60k"? If the valve adjustment is off, could factor into things too.....How is the tranny? All of these things could factor in.........

No 60k that I know of. Ya Im gonna start with some suspension work and the inexpensive maintenence like Plugs and wires. My tranny does act weird, it shifts somewhat hard and its winds down slowly for a second or two when I let off of the gas like a MT car. Is that normal for the AT? Another thing is my exhaust smells funny. Would this just be from the leak in my Exhaust system?

 

[Angus Trim]

No 60k that I know of. Ya Im gonna start with some suspension work and the inexpensive maintenence like Plugs and wires. My tranny does act weird, it shifts somewhat hard and its winds down slowly for a second or two when I let off of the gas like a MT car. Is that normal for the AT? Another thing is my exhaust smells funny. Would this just be from the leak in my Exhaust system?

I thought about this before responding.....and I thought maybe I should respond somewhat in an unpopular vein.....

I don't believe in "factory freaks". I do believe in metal fatigue and wear and tear.... With something like these cars when you see ranges from 16.4 sec to 15 flat, there's something goin' on here. And I don't believe the quicker cars are something freakish, in this case, I believe that's what a good car, well maintained and up to date on its maintenance should run.

There's so many things that could cause the "loss of power".... if we're looking at trap speeds of 92 to 93 as what a good stock gen 2 ATX should run, then 87 mph is a loss of 40 to 50 horsepower. That could be loss in the suspension, it could be a torque convertor that isn't working that well in the top end anymore..... It could be the tuneup.... it could be any and all of it.... or worse yet.........

In the late winter/ early spring of '73, I started my bracket racing "career" in a well worn 1968 Buick GS 400. That very first day, I posted a 14.89 at 91mph........ and I was somewhat disappointed.

The next weekend, I could only go 15.40, and had no idea what the problem was........

That next week number 7 rod went thru the side of the block....... the rod bearings gave up.........

So, if it was me, I'd check all of the maintenance things before going out to the track again. And further, if this SHO is going to be a Boulevard Battler as well as an occassional bracket car, I'd make sure I had other transport too.

93,000 miles may be "low mileage" by today's standards. But that's a heck of a lot of miles, and they may all have been hard miles. The car's about to turn 13 years old, so things like "metal fatigue" are now factors to think of.......

Yep, I'd go ahead and replace the bearings pretty quick..

Buying a SHO as an inexpensive "go fast" car can be done today, but a lot of times there needs to be some real money spent to get one of these ready for heavy duty use.........You may want to check your budget.......

 

[Huntervf]

As is been stated, any SHO should be running 15s if it's been maintained properly with a good-average driver, unless you live at higher altitudes.

My 1st ever pass at the strip was 16.5, and once I learned how to properly launch the car (it was an MTX) I took that all the way down to 15.2. My wife's first time at the strip (in a near-stock ATX) was 15.17 so yeah, the cars are certainly capable, but maintenance and skill play a big role.

That being said here's my timeslip analysis for you

2.48 60 ft = slow out of the hole. With an ATX you should be able to get pretty consistent 2.2's without much trouble providing you have decent tires and a healthy car. Sounds like you launched like you should, brake-torquing the car, but you either got a fair amount of tire spin or the car just slipped & bogged out of the hole. Or maybe you didn't get your right foot down quick enough. Another thing to consider is your suspension... this part of the run will really be affected by an older, softer suspension. It allows for more weight transfer to the back wheels, causing your car to sqaut in back. When that happens, not only do you take weight off the front wheels (which will let them spin more instead of grip) but you're also taking energy that could be used to propel the car forward and instead pushing the rear end into the ground. How squishy is your suspension? In any case, take that 2.48 down to 2.22 and you'd be seeing a mid 15 pass.

10.41 @ 70 at the 1/8 = Slow E/T but a decent trap speed. This can also be reflected a bit by the 60ft time, but a healthy ATX should be in the high 9's to low 10's with a trap around 70. You mentioned possible transmission problems, if it's slipping or not shifting at the correct RPM's that could account for the slower time. Did you shift the car yourself, or did you let it shift? It's been my experience that, on a stock or lightly modded ATX, it's best to let the computer do the work for you.

16.01 @ 87 in the 1/4 = Slow numbers on both sides. Seeing an 87 trap speed after 70 in the 1/8 tells me the car just isn't getting it done up top. It's not what I would call really bad, but a trap right around 90mph is typical for a healthy car. Once again, consider your transmission as I believe you get the 2-3 shift after the 1/8 mark.


Overall, I don't think your car is down too much on power. Perhaps a little bit, and your exhaust leak could be part of that. A 60k with fresh plugs & wires and a complete exhaust system may give you an extra MPH or two on your trap speeds, but I believe that your troubles like more with suspension and transmission problems, and just old-fashioned practice with launching.

 

[sVtVenom97]

No 60k that I know of. Ya Im gonna start with some suspension work and the inexpensive maintenence like Plugs and wires. My tranny does act weird, it shifts somewhat hard and its winds down slowly for a second or two when I let off of the gas like a MT car. Is that normal for the AT? Another thing is my exhaust smells funny. Would this just be from the leak in my Exhaust system?

You said your exhaust smells funny? Does it smell like sulfer, or rotten eggs. If thats the case, you more than likely have clogged cats. That will put a BIG drain on 1/4 time. Check those out too

 

[zacritz929]

As is been stated, any SHO should be running 15s if it's been maintained properly with a good-average driver, unless you live at higher altitudes.

My 1st ever pass at the strip was 16.5, and once I learned how to properly launch the car (it was an MTX) I took that all the way down to 15.2. My wife's first time at the strip (in a near-stock ATX) was 15.17 so yeah, the cars are certainly capable, but maintenance and skill play a big role.

That being said here's my timeslip analysis for you

2.48 60 ft = slow out of the hole. With an ATX you should be able to get pretty consistent 2.2's without much trouble providing you have decent tires and a healthy car. Sounds like you launched like you should, brake-torquing the car, but you either got a fair amount of tire spin or the car just slipped & bogged out of the hole. Or maybe you didn't get your right foot down quick enough. Another thing to consider is your suspension... this part of the run will really be affected by an older, softer suspension. It allows for more weight transfer to the back wheels, causing your car to sqaut in back. When that happens, not only do you take weight off the front wheels (which will let them spin more instead of grip) but you're also taking energy that could be used to propel the car forward and instead pushing the rear end into the ground. How squishy is your suspension? In any case, take that 2.48 down to 2.22 and you'd be seeing a mid 15 pass.

10.41 @ 70 at the 1/8 = Slow E/T but a decent trap speed. This can also be reflected a bit by the 60ft time, but a healthy ATX should be in the high 9's to low 10's with a trap around 70. You mentioned possible transmission problems, if it's slipping or not shifting at the correct RPM's that could account for the slower time. Did you shift the car yourself, or did you let it shift? It's been my experience that, on a stock or lightly modded ATX, it's best to let the computer do the work for you.

16.01 @ 87 in the 1/4 = Slow numbers on both sides. Seeing an 87 trap speed after 70 in the 1/8 tells me the car just isn't getting it done up top. It's not what I would call really bad, but a trap right around 90mph is typical for a healthy car. Once again, consider your transmission as I believe you get the 2-3 shift after the 1/8 mark.


Overall, I don't think your car is down too much on power. Perhaps a little bit, and your exhaust leak could be part of that. A 60k with fresh plugs & wires and a complete exhaust system may give you an extra MPH or two on your trap speeds, but I believe that your troubles like more with suspension and transmission problems, and just old-fashioned practice with launching.

Thanks for the analysis. I let the car do the shifting.. In the next month Im going to get plugs, wires, fuel filter, sway bar links, hopefully some new springs and get my exhaust fixed with Summit turbo muffelrs on the back.

And fo the exhaust, Ya it smells like sulfur. Im guessing I need a new Ypipe? Arent the ypipes for the ATX pricey?
Thanks for all teh help guys!!

 

[SLoW_SHO_316]

I hate G-Tech times, there are far too many factors in how they read, a little down hill and your times seem silly fast.

Actually if you're going downhill G-tech times will be slower than what you would normally get. And to be honest, the G-tech pro works very well. I wen't to the track last year with my cousin and his 6spd Ls1 Camaro. He's got a gtech pro and the times between the two were within .1 every time. The traps on the Gtech were about 1-2mph higher though.

 

[SeanMc]

With my knock sensor out of wack (which is most likely causing a lot of the next condition), pinging like a bitch, not having full fuel pressure, untuned, tires that need rotating, 80* with a bit of humidity (it felt like 90) and with me in the car, I ran a 10.3@70 with a 2.3 60ft in the 1/8th. Your times are pretty normal for a stock ATX. Knock sensor is getting fixed this weekend, and the tires are getting rotated this week. I may go and run again next week. OMG I may even have my intake!!!

 

[thecrew2999]

Did ya ever run a 15.2 at 106MPH?

nice lol