Hello fellow Camaro brothers, this is mt first time posting in this section on this amazing forum!
Today was my first day at the drag strip, which is US 41 drag strip in Morocco Indiana. Allow me to share my experience and ask for answers to my questions!
I have a full bolt on LFX camaro, which includes an axle back exhaust, CAI, high flow cats, and a Hurst short throw shifter. Accompanying that is a heavy set of 20' wheels, which is much heavier than the steelies.
Judging by my mods, I was hoping for low 14 second quarter mile times, and if i was lucky, possibly high 13's
Due to the fact that it was my first time at the strip, I knew I would have to make a couple passes to get the hang of it, the proper clutch release along with correct rpm. My first couple passes I was around the 15.5 mark at around 90mph. When I started to launch it properly without bogging it (at least i felt i was doing it properly in my mind, but i know i probably wasn't
) I was setting consistent 15 flat times at 93mph.
I found the sweet spot was to launch at 2500 rpm and smoothly but quickly release the clutch, and gently squeezing the gas until i gained traction. My TC was off, and i took it to redline everytime before i shifted. But sadly, I just couldn't break that 15 second mark
Note: I didn't do a burnout, didn't lower my tire pressure in the rear, and the humidity was around 85%. I know none of these things really had a great impact on my times, i believe I'm just a crappy driver
On my last couple passes, I finally started to figure something out. Isn't that how it always works? I know it is in golf
I started shifting around 6k rpm on my 2nd to 3rd shift, instead of 7k. The first time i did this, i ran a 14.97! Made me happy, but still miserable right?
On my last and final pass, I decided to challenge a supercharged miata which was running high to mid 14's. So for this race, i took my golf clubs out of the trunk, i don't even know why i had them in there anyways
and ran a 14.56 at 94mph with the 6k shiftand beat him by a few tenths
It was a really good night and I had the most fun i've had in a long time, now i just need to work on my launching! Have any tips for me fellow drag racers? I would greatly appreciate it!
Joe
*Here's a link to one of my passes*
http://youtu.be/xyV3-V8VKjo