Not to happy with my first drag strip day! :(

[Bob Cosby]

Originally Posted by Nemisis

Practice, practice and more practice...lower air pressure a little more. Idk what the density altitude was but with air temps between 88-91 im sure that hurt as well. What was your 60'?

This. EVERY part of your timeslip will improve with traction and better air.

[Nemisis]

Yes, when cars run here at our drag strip people are usually like wtf!?! Our elevation and temps are awful for drag racing, 3400' and the da varies around 5500', sucks for racing. Learning how to drive a stick is everything.

[2010 SSRS]

Get a set of Hoosier QTP's and you will be very happy next time you go to the track

[74z28]

Finally figuring out what the Ford guys have been battling since the 03 Cobra.

[tandtperformance]

dr dr dr dr dr

[FNBADAZ06]

Personally, I think people will need to start data logging their cars at the track.
While 60' times can play a BIG part in ET, the MPH at the 1/8 timers just seems low for these cars. I would expect mid to low 90's at worst.

I'd be interested to see what kind of timing these cars are running, and to see what if KR is coming into play.

[Butcher]

Originally Posted by BonestockZL1

Went to Maple Grove tonight and ran a best pass of 12.85 at 111 with the TC on. Any other mode it just smoked the tires. Hit second on one pass with everything turned off and almost stuck it in the wall. Not to happy with how easy these tires break loose. Aired them down to 25 psi and still broke crazy loose.

The temp according to the car was between 88 and 91. I'm pretty sure there was a lot of timing being pulled out. My buddy ran a 12.90 with his lightly modified SS with stock tires. He spun way less than me. I was only leaving between 1500 and 2000 RPMs.

Looks like I need a set a drag radials. My car is a manual.

What tire pressure did you start at? What was the suspension set to? Were these runs made during the day, or at night?

It sounds like there wasn't much track prep that day. If you made your runs during the day, the track may have been too hot to get decent traction. I would not run only 17 psi in the tires. These tires are not designed to "work" at that pressure. If the tires do stick to the track, you may have another problem. At 17 psi, you are getting close to the point that there isn't enough pressure to keep the tires seated on the rims. At that pressure, the wheels may start spinning inside of the tires. Try to be careful.

Your car weighs over 4000 pounds, with you in it. The heavier a vehicle is, the more pressure you need to maintain a good contact patch. If I were you, here is what I would do. Disconnect or remove the front sway bar (this will help weight transfer). Set the front tires to 50 psi (reduce rolling resistance). Set the rear tires at 36 psi to start. Make a couple of runs and see if this works. If not, drop down to 32 psi and make a couple more runs. If things don't improve, you might want to try 38 psi. Do a decent burn out. I would back the car into the front edge of the water box. That will make it easier to start your burn out. That will also put less stress on the drive-train. Make sure you are lined up "in the groove". You want to be in the darkest area of your lane, right in the center. You will then have to modulate the clutch release and throttle application to match track conditions. I won't get into shifting, because most will disagree with me. However, based on what you have said, I wouldn't powershift your car on this track. You will want to shift as quickly and SMOOTHLY as possible to avoid upsetting the car. Good luck! Let us know what works for you.

[Blown355]

Originally Posted by FNBADAZ06

Personally, I think people will need to start data logging their cars at the track.
While 60' times can play a BIG part in ET, the MPH at the 1/8 timers just seems low for these cars. I would expect mid to low 90's at worst.

I'd be interested to see what kind of timing these cars are running, and to see what if KR is coming into play.

I was getting 5 to 7 degrees knock retard in each gear.
12.8's@114.

[FNBADAZ06]

Originally Posted by Blown355

I was getting 5 to 7 degrees knock retard in each gear.
12.8's@114.

OUCH !!!!!
That explains that.

I mix Sunoco GT 260+ (50/50) with my 91 Shell pump gas, to eliminate any chance of KR due to fuel octane.

Sounds like you need to do the same.

[Blown355]

Gonna put a 9.1 inch crank pulleys on it, and take it up to ADM to have them tune it.

[Blown355]

Knock happening right at 4700 rpm. Looking at my dyno run, thats where the a/f ratio is at 12.5:1. Way too lean from what I'm told.

[BonestockZL1]

Originally Posted by Butcher

What tire pressure did you start at? What was the suspension set to? Were these runs made during the day, or at night?

It sounds like there wasn't much track prep that day. If you made your runs during the day, the track may have been too hot to get decent traction. I would not run only 17 psi in the tires. These tires are not designed to "work" at that pressure. If the tires do stick to the track, you may have another problem. At 17 psi, you are getting close to the point that there isn't enough pressure to keep the tires seated on the rims. At that pressure, the wheels may start spinning inside of the tires. Try to be careful.

Your car weighs over 4000 pounds, with you in it. The heavier a vehicle is, the more pressure you need to maintain a good contact patch. If I were you, here is what I would do. Disconnect or remove the front sway bar (this will help weight transfer). Set the front tires to 50 psi (reduce rolling resistance). Set the rear tires at 36 psi to start. Make a couple of runs and see if this works. If not, drop down to 32 psi and make a couple more runs. If things don't improve, you might want to try 38 psi. Do a decent burn out. I would back the car into the front edge of the water box. That will make it easier to start your burn out. That will also put less stress on the drive-train. Make sure you are lined up "in the groove". You want to be in the darkest area of your lane, right in the center. You will then have to modulate the clutch release and throttle application to match track conditions. I won't get into shifting, because most will disagree with me. However, based on what you have said, I wouldn't powershift your car on this track. You will want to shift as quickly and SMOOTHLY as possible to avoid upsetting the car. Good luck! Let us know what works for you.

I started at 30 psi, with the suspension set at PTM 2. 3 runs were made between 5:15 and 7:00 while the sun was still out. The last 2 were at night.
The last 2 I used PTM 5. Maple grove usually has a very well prepped track.

I did weigh the car after my first pass. 4295 with me in it. I race all the time, but with auto cars. I really just wanted to see how close I could get to the claimed 11.99 with just the way the car came from GM. I don't think I will go to the track again without DR's. I can't see sending my 900 dollar rear tires up in smoke all the time.

Thanks for the input!

[BonestockZL1]

Originally Posted by 2010SLVRBULIT

if you're going to drag it, why not invest in proper tires?

I am going to invest in proper tires, I just wanted to see what it would do right from the factory!!!

[AquaSSRS]

Drag radials!
So the DA was 2153.
I had the lightly modified SS (see sig). Actually Maple Grove did not do a good job at track prep last night. My best was a 12.96 at 111.18 with moderate wheel spin off the line. My 60ft was a terrible 2.15. I was running the stock pirellis. I was launching between 2500 and 3000 rpm. Good trap speeds. I will also be investing in a set of drag radials. No facepalm required.