Time to eat some crow I suppose... Please remember I am new to
track racing (as is my wife). As requested, here are the results of my comparison between the DS Predator 91 oct tune and a DS modified stock tune. I guess the purpose of this post is to give everybody a point of reference. My car is but one of thousands out there and I'm sure each owner has had different experiences and faster and slower times. My car is a 2009 RT with Corsa catbacks, DS Predator tune, catch can and CAI. Michelin Pilot 255/55/18s on rear, stock 18s on front. Again, I am a beginner at this more formalized version of racing other cars (obviously).
These time slips are from 15 April at Firebird Raceway, Chandler, AZ. If anyone stayed late after the Camarofest activities ended for the day, you may have seen me out there. Firebird elevation is 1243 ft above sea level. I ran 10 runs: 5 with a modified stock tune and 5 with the 91 oct CAI canned tune (9r28 crom). Modified stock tune had fans set for Jet 180 t-stat, firmer shifting, MDS off, throttle control set at "0". Engine temps prior to each run were approx 190-194 degrees, outdoor temp around 70-80 degrees. First run was at 6:11 pm, last at 9:52 pm. I'm car 1111 (1st run) and 72 remainder.
Modified Stock:
91 oct CAI tune:
I've also attached a link to my times from a week previous, racing my wife in her 2010 GT Premium with CAI (built in) and DS Predator. She's in car 270, I'm in 271. She's new at this too.
Back to 15 April: All runs were with trac control OFF and I reduced the rear tire pressure to 28 psi. We only get 91 oct gas around here and I've been told octane booster isn't so great for your car, so I simply use the 91 tune/gas. I did find that the tires (street) hooked up better at 28 psi than the previous week at 36 psi.
Launching: I quit power braking and raising the rpm's. While this may work with slicks or drag radials, it does not with street tires. Instead, I simply went straight from the brake to the accelerator and tried not to floor it so quickly. I "rapidly" eased into it so to speak. I drove around the water and not through it (quit doing the burnouts).
I also learned (for me) to stage (stop) right when the 2nd staging light came on. When the countdown began, I would release the brake and begin accelerating when the 2nd yellow came on (I figured that out on my last two runs - see the R/T times drop).
In all honesty, I believe that by applying what I've learned to driving the GT, the 2010 GT is quite comparable to the RT and other cars with similar power to weight ratio's. Anyway, I'm hooked on track racing now - so's the wife. Hopefully those times will come down sooner than later. Also, here's a link for working out the DA factor:
http://www.dragtimes.com/da-density-...calculator.php
Have fun with this.