Driver Advice Needed

[BHB4408]

Frustrated and embarrassed. I used to bracket race in high school and college. Nothing serious, but I did very well. I loved it. I wanted to teach my 18 year old son to do the same. I bought him a 2010 2SS with an Manuel 6, 100% unmodified, and took him to the track. I knew the car could run low 13's, and he did really well running a 13.09 on street tires at 107.

He bought a new truck, so I took the Camaro back and decided to begin racing again myself. I installed Kooks Headers and Exhaust, CAI, and bought 17" Race Star Wheels with Hoosier 10.5 Drag Radials, and MT Skinny's on the front. I then had it tuned by a local tuner who seems to do all the cars in the area, and set the 2 step at 3,000 rpms. I was expecting somewhere in the high 12's.

After all that, I took it to the track last night. My best time was 13.40? MPH in the 107 range. One time I hit 110 with a 13.49.

I'm hooking hard, shifting smoothly at about 6,000, and the car seems to be running really good. I "think" I'm doing everything I'm supposed to do.

What am I doing wrong? I look forward to any suggestions and advice.

Thank you.

[redirish]

What is your 60' time. It's really hard to get a good 60' time with a M6.

[Spec]

Suspension. You need to keep that 10's weak suspension from shaking that whole body. Recommend the Hotchkis Race Pack... like always. Especially the chassis brace, stronger endlinks/springs etc etc.

You add power and that stock suspension 10 car without any reinforcement loves to shake, rattle, and body roll.

Throw in a complete front/rear set of BMR bushings...

Chevy fine tuned the Camaro, for sure. This is why it does so well stock. But you add power and it loses that original suspension tune. All of a sudden, your springs and everything in between are working harder. Upgrade your suspension.

[BHB4408]

Thanks guys. My best 60 was 2.16. I never thought that adding the power and hooking harder would slow me down? Are you saying that because my suspension is stock, the car is actually performing worse than when my boy ran it at 13.09?

I appreciate your advice, and I will do exactly what you advised with my suspension. One more thing to add; before the headers, tires and tune were added, I ran it and was only able to go 13.56. That's why I think it might be a driver problem. When my son ran the 13.09, he even spun a little (no tire warm up). Could my slower times be caused by the weather being 90 degrees that day? He ran it in when it was in the low 70's.

I thought I would know how to make it go faster than he ran it his first time out. Frustrated and embarrassed.

Thanks,

[radar1972]

I'm in my 60's and my son is in his 40's. I guarantee that he would consistently post better times than me using the same car, whatever it might be. That difference would also be true for video games, etc.

[StingrayblueSS]

Originally Posted by BHB4408

Thanks guys. My best 60 was 2.16. I never thought that adding the power and hooking harder would slow me down? Are you saying that because my suspension is stock, the car is actually performing worse than when my boy ran it at 13.09?

I appreciate your advice, and I will do exactly what you advised with my suspension. One more thing to add; before the headers, tires and tune were added, I ran it and was only able to go 13.56. That's why I think it might be a driver problem. When my son ran the 13.09, he even spun a little (no tire warm up). Could my slower times be caused by the weather being 90 degrees that day? He ran it in when it was in the low 70's.

I thought I would know how to make it go faster than he ran it his first time out. Frustrated and embarrassed.

Thanks,

Weather has a lot to do with it. I'm waiting til it cools off to take temperature out of the equation

[BHB4408]

Thanks again. I'll get the suspension work done, and just concentrate on what I can do myself. Maybe it's just part of life that your kids can do something better than you. My son is a pro motocross racer, and he is very skilled at whatever he does.

I've watched his video a number of times. I don't think he's revving it as high on his shifts. What rpm level would be appropriate for a car like that? I'm shifting at about 6,000.

[CamaroFred]

Back in the mid-60's a cousin was driving sports cars professionally. A new guy showed up at the track and could not finish in the top half of the field although he had one of the finest cars available. He was complaining to another driver that something must be wrong with his car.

The man pointed to my cousin and said, "Ask George to drive it. He'll be able to tell you what's wrong." George won the next race by a considerable margin.

Very few owners will ever drive as hard as someone who isn't the least bit concerned about the vehicle.

[Tajefe Couple]

Maybe ask your son to give it another run with the new setup??? Seriously though back when I was a teen on the street out ran a bunch of older guys never should have. Yes I also got out ran by some as well. '66 Malibu I drove earned the nickname the Blue Ghost because I'd step on it and disappear. Ahh to be that young again!

[Joecruiser]

Originally Posted by radar1972

I'm in my 60's and my son is in his 40's. I guarantee that he would consistently post better times than me using the same car, whatever it might be. That difference would also be true for video games, etc.

58 and 24 here...he even shoots better than me and I taught him,.

[christianchevell]

There is in the manual a stock launch procedure that goes up in the 4k range when mashing in the pedal in first but its a real shock and most launch in 3 thousand ranges to not just wheel hop or hammer the thing..... And yes the stock trailing arms and toes are weak.....

one of the first things I did to kill wheel hop after my first build. I use a speed hut OBD 2 shift light and recommend you just learn to feel when its leaving harder in what gears, 1st to about 45 with the stock 3:45's then to third by the end of the run is what with 3:45s you should do at about 120's at the track, but the 1.6 range is good reaction time/ 60 ft.

I don't drag yet, your times are more badly showing need for practice and the fact you could be on stock tires with that ET; and basically a stock engine with tune and just headers is not that powerful.... The stock time for a 10 Camaro on zero to sixty times does put you to shame so practice up its as I recall a 13.0, and you have to take into account D A etc... and eventually a 12.7 is where the best are is stock for the fifth gen... https://www.zeroto60times.com/vehicl...-60-mph-times/

Your driving a heavy Chevy BTW So torque is what moves you, shifting in the 6k range when your about to hit the redline does not help you want to go for when your heavy chevys really moving in its power band more in lower rpms more with torque that is what moves you, once the torque drops off its just pushing the engine harder to try to make what its failing at and has to be built for.... You would if tuned also want to make sure the torque management is kicked to the curd as its a power killer, and if your driving with nannies.....MEH traction control is fine with street driving and I always leave it on but I have killed off torque management, traction control can help when you get fishy when you have mega torque take off down low, but for a stockish motor...MEH you may want to drive it like a old chevy; lay on the brakes heat the rubber overwhelming the rear brakes since you don't have a line lock, then hit it hard but not so hard you spin as spinnin aint winnin…… Good Luck. Your times are lame with out NOS and you should be launching above what you set a two step for..... And then you do not want to use above about a 125 shot to 150 shot as your hypereutectic and if your not tuned just right and "dynode" you may just kill timing trying to not explode and defeat yourself...……

NOS is a poor mans power maker that eventually makes the engine get old really fast..... way faster than anyone would like with stock rings and stock pistons, its a desperate mans power adder when not forged and tuned perfect IMO....



Hers a old tune from a 235/239 TSP cam on my 13 with a stock cube ls3 with CAI and longtubes and HFC its power band shows I shift before the 6k range which is really just a fraction of a second quicker.... So about 5600 I start dropping in torque with that motor, given that It takes reaction time I set the shift light to 5k because 500 rpm is reaction to hit it to the next gear, and I use a MGW shifter; stock is a real POS...… And heres a nice video from speed hut showing the camaro shifter light in a demo with cool tunes ...LOL good Luck.... https://www.speedhut.com/about-shiftlights.html https://youtu.be/VyP7UQ8TGxs

[Fred 6528]

Ah to be young again, some young guys just have a knack for being good driver. Is there much weight difference between you and him and the amount of fuel in the car, those add up. Is going to be hard to bracket race a M6 consistently, but it’s fun trying

[Tajefe Couple]

Originally Posted by christianchevell

There is in the manual a stock launch procedure that goes up in the 4k range when mashing in the pedal in first but its a real shock and most launch in 3 thousand ranges to not just wheel hop or hammer the thing..... And yes the stock trailing arms and toes are weak.....

one of the first things I did to kill wheel hop after my first build. I use a speed hut OBD 2 shift light and recommend you just learn to feel when its leaving harder in what gears, 1st to about 45 with the stock 3:45's then to third by the end of the run is what with 3:45s you should do at about 120's at the track, but the 1.6 range is good reaction time/ 60 ft.

I don't drag yet, your times are more badly showing need for practice and the fact you could be on stock tires with that ET; and basically a stock engine with tune and just headers is not that powerful.... The stock time for a 10 Camaro on zero to sixty times does put you to shame so practice up its as I recall a 13.0, and you have to take into account D A etc... and eventually a 12.7 is where the best are is stock for the fifth gen... https://www.zeroto60times.com/vehicl...-60-mph-times/

Your driving a heavy Chevy BTW So torque is what moves you, shifting in the 6k range when your about to hit the redline does not help you want to go for when your heavy chevys really moving in its power band more in lower rpms more with torque that is what moves you, once the torque drops off its just pushing the engine harder to try to make what its failing at and has to be built for.... You would if tuned also want to make sure the torque management is kicked to the curd as its a power killer, and if your driving with nannies.....MEH traction control is fine with street driving and I always leave it on but I have killed off torque management, traction control can help when you get fishy when you have mega torque take off down low, but for a stockish motor...MEH you may want to drive it like a old chevy; lay on the brakes heat the rubber overwhelming the rear brakes since you don't have a line lock, then hit it hard but not so hard you spin as spinnin aint winnin…… Good Luck. Your times are lame with out NOS and you should be launching above what you set a two step for..... And then you do not want to use above about a 125 shot to 150 shot as your hypereutectic and if your not tuned just right and "dynode" you may just kill timing trying to not explode and defeat yourself...……

NOS is a poor mans power maker that eventually makes the engine get old really fast..... way faster than anyone would like with stock rings and stock pistons, its a desperate mans power adder when not forged and tuned perfect IMO....



Hers a old tune from a 235/239 TSP cam on my 13 with a stock cube ls3 with CAI and longtubes and HFC its power band shows I shift before the 6k range which is really just a fraction of a second quicker.... So about 5600 I start dropping in torque with that motor, given that It takes reaction time I set the shift light to 5k because 500 rpm is reaction to hit it to the next gear, and I use a MGW shifter; stock is a real POS...… And heres a nice video from speed hut showing the camaro shifter light in a demo with cool tunes ...LOL good Luck.... https://www.speedhut.com/about-shiftlights.html https://youtu.be/VyP7UQ8TGxs

Do this!
Some of the best probably most helpful advice I've seen in a post. Not even a rant this time Christian Lol

[hammdo]

It's all about the 60 ft... Get that down. Suspension work will help that - toe rods, trailing arms/bushings, sub frame solid bushings to start - then 1LE lower control arms and the updated sway bar/links...

Then practice the 60ft ;o)

—Don