What should i expectfrom my ATX?

[ryan21288]

Ive been searching and i can't really find any definitive times. Im going to be going to the drag strip soon and want to know what to expect from my 95 ATX. Only mods are Taylor 8.2mm wires, a K&N filter and hopefully by that time a cat back exhaust and a bigger tranny cooler. The car seems to be pretty healthy. Also any suggetions on how to get the best time. I was going to lower my front tires down to around 20psi. Should i leave it in drive or from what i read in a post after the 1-2 shift put it in second and wind it out so it doesnt shift early into 3rd.

 

[SuperHO]

honestly, i wouldn't expect much better than a low 16, high 15. i wouldn't worry too much about lowering air pressure unless you're actually spinning coming out of the hole. avoid the water box at all cost unless you're running drag radials or slicks, turn off your ac, and take out anything you won't need...cd's, spare tire and jack, the 30lbs of accumulated crap piled up in the back seat, your sub box, all the change in your ashtray, the passenger seat, if it's power, and take a healthy dump before you go, cuz every ounce counts.

 

[hawkeye18]

+1 on weight. Without suspension and power mods (and no, that K&N filter is not a power mod) the best you can hope for is a ~15.8. If you take all the weight you possibly can out (and get a body wrap right before the race) you might eke out a 15.6-15.7. Your best bang for buck mod is going to be... tires. Yup. The stickier your tires are, the higher you can torque brake without breaking the grip at launch. That gives you a better 60' time (my best is 2.18) and that gives you a better ET.

If you really want to get better times, work on the suspension. Less squat at launch = better times. My best time was a 15.49 with tokicos/eibachs and not a whole lot else (that makes a difference for dragging). Oh, and if you really want to set your tranny up for dragging, get a TwEECer. Bet you didn't think you could chirp second AND third with an ATX? You can with one of those. Ask me how I know.

 

[ryan21288]

+1 on weight. Without suspension and power mods (and no, that K&N filter is not a power mod) the best you can hope for is a ~15.8. If you take all the weight you possibly can out (and get a body wrap right before the race) you might eke out a 15.6-15.7. Your best bang for buck mod is going to be... tires. Yup. The stickier your tires are, the higher you can torque brake without breaking the grip at launch. That gives you a better 60' time (my best is 2.18) and that gives you a better ET.

If you really want to get better times, work on the suspension. Less squat at launch = better times. My best time was a 15.49 with tokicos/eibachs and not a whole lot else (that makes a difference for dragging). Oh, and if you really want to set your tranny up for dragging, get a TwEECer. Bet you didn't think you could chirp second AND third with an ATX? You can with one of those. Ask me how I know.

Well on the weight part theres really not much added weight. I dont have a sub box or anything heavy so the only things i would have to remove are the spare jack etc and yes i know the K&N is not a power mod lol. Neither are the awful fart cans that are on the car right now I am however worried about the tires. I have a set of crappy firestone affinity tires on the front of the car. Hopefully i can pick up a set of decent tires soon. If i torque break too much it just rips tire. The suspension however is the least of my worries. Its not aftermarket but its got brand new struts in it so the car doesnt dip much.. Im hopeing the car will run closer to a 15.7. As long as i can get good at launching the car i feel confident that i can get there. I was also thinking about picking up a set of 3l intake cams but im not sure if i would need a tune for that.

Oh and i would love a tweecer but i think im gonna save all the major performance stuff for when i get my MTX.

 

[hawkeye18]

The TwEECer will work on whatever car you put it on...

 

[somedude_001]

+1 on weight. Without suspension and power mods (and no, that K&N filter is not a power mod) the best you can hope for is a ~15.8. If you take all the weight you possibly can out (and get a body wrap right before the race) you might eke out a 15.6-15.7. Your best bang for buck mod is going to be... tires. Yup. The stickier your tires are, the higher you can torque brake without breaking the grip at launch. That gives you a better 60' time (my best is 2.18) and that gives you a better ET.

If you really want to get better times, work on the suspension. Less squat at launch = better times. My best time was a 15.49 with tokicos/eibachs and not a whole lot else (that makes a difference for dragging). Oh, and if you really want to set your tranny up for dragging, get a TwEECer. Bet you didn't think you could chirp second AND third with an ATX? You can with one of those. Ask me how I know.

I have never got my ATX to chirp third. I think I have too much power for the clutches to grab fast enough to break traction. NO2 is a ATX's best friend they are pretty slow out of the box but I know of a local SHO guy that sprayed his car for years and it ran 14.0 on street tires with spray being his only mod. after about 3 years and over 100K the tranny gave up though.

 

[nscottp]

mid to low 16s, high 15s.. rock it in drive, and dont relive air pressure. it wil slow u down on the back half the track, ur trap speed wil suffer and it wont help u alot off the line.
if the tires brake lose keep on it tires will stick when car shifts, or gains speed
worry about the launch not shifting your auto, if u wanna ship by a mtx...lol
good luck and have fun!!

 

[SHObill]

Mmmmm
I ran my 95ATX 4 times down a local strip a few years back. It's stock cept for a SuperChip & I did lower the frt tire pressure & used spring blocks in the rear springs. first run was a 15.845, second was a 15.531 & the last two were 15.454 & 15.439. It was running about the same lower times as the MTX's there-just more consistent!!

 

[Huntervf]

Mid 16s? Yeah... if you're on 5 cylinders at 10,000 ft. elevation

Healthy, stock ATX cars should run mid-to-high 15s at low altitude with a good launch. Of course, track and weather conditions can make quite a difference.

 

[somedude_001]

I would love to see someone run a big shot of nitrous on a ATX and run 12's. firm up the shifts and run a larger fuel pump. 150-175 shot =win

 

[expy916]

Like someone already mentioned, spring blocks in the rear, and they also sell these things that can either be used to lift or lower, put them on the front and lower it. You can find them at autozone for 10 dollars.

 

[Ian Macoomb]

Don't bother dropping tire pressures unless you're spinning like crazy off the line. Us V8 drag guys have found that you want a bit of wheel spin off the line to prevent the car from bogging. In fact if it's hot out I pump the tires up to max pressure.

Run with as little fuel as possible (bring a jerry can). On my V8 I also pull the daytime running light fuse (it's actually pulled permanently now) and the SARC (Semi-Active Ride Control) fuse which reduces the power steering output (cheap UDP's).

Also heat is your enemy. The colder the weather the better. The V8 seems to be more heat sensitive. I allow a long cool down with the hood popped to avoid heat soak. I even push the car down the staging lanes or try to run when there's no line up.

Doing this is how I managed to squeeze a 14.9 nearly stock out of my old engine.

 

[Toolman]

What can you expect if you take your ATX to the strip???
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a busted SHO.

 

[SeanMc]

Put some suspension on it and go enjoy the twisties . Drag racing is FTL :theyareontome:

 

[93rev2sev]

What should i expect from my ATX?

A 15.5 quarter mile timeslip and a large repair bill.

 

[somedude_001]

have faith in the ATX. at least they don't puke diffs often.

 

[SHOspazz92]

have faith in the ATX. at least they don't puke diffs often.

I would bet less MTX's puke Diffs then ATX's blow up all together.

-Sam

 

[hawkeye18]

I would bet less MTX's puke Diffs then ATX's blow up all together.

-Sam

Let's not forget how much MTXs strip out third gear, and snap CV axles. ATXs do neither. I think a better way of saying it would be that yes, ATXs fail more often, but the failure far less often results in the complete destruction of the transmission; usually a rebuild will fix an ATX.

 

[SHObill]

I would bet less MTX's puke Diffs then ATX's blow up all together.
-Sam

Ahh, but add clutch disk slippage, PP straps, PP fingers & throw out bearings along with Hawkeyes list & MTX failures greatly out weigh ATX failures!

 

[Huntervf]

That was my wife's FIRST EVER 1/4 pass in a SHO. My WIFE

After another 7 passes or so I got that down a 2.19 60ft on street tires and a 15.04, before driving the 160 miles back home.


In a 95 ATX that only had a chip and a dynomax cat-back

Running the MTX cars down the strip are a ton of fun... moreso than running the ATX. But over the course of 10 years I've had to rebuild THREE MTX transmissions to ZERO ATX transmissions...


****. Now I'm screwed.