Traction and gears, finally.

[Bestangyet 07]

It has been awhile since my last post here, but I have been reading a lot. So I took my car to the drag strip for the first time a few weeks ago and I was really unhappy with the times I was pulling. I figured that a supercharged car would do better than mid-13s. Of course I was spinning out of the hole to the tune of 2.40 60ft. times. I finally lowered my best to a 13.05 @ 109.22 with a 2.10 60ft. I had to walk the car off the line and then nail it. I have been entering in the street legal series at Rocky Mountain Raceway here in Utah. I am getting 4.10s installed at the end of the week, to replace the 3.31s, and I purchased a set of 26x11.5x17 MT ET Streets. How much time should I be able to cut from my run? The density altitude hovers between 7000 and 11000 ft. here.

 

[psfracer]

holy crap-----did you read that Don W? East coast guys. 11000 DA? JHC! Only better is if you tell me in addition to that DA, the track isn't prepped either.......

Well, you should be able to get your 60' at least in the 1.8 territory with 4.10s and a good DR, so that alone would drop your ET another 3-4 tenths I would think.

 

[Miracle]

I know how altitude is... I am stationed in Colorado, and going back to TN took nearly a FULL SECOND off my 1/4 mile times.

 

[Bestangyet 07]

The track prep here is not bad, but I wouldn't call it stellar. A lot of the locals say RMR stands for "rarely means racing". 11000 DA is obviously the worst case , but it is usually 6000-9000. My best run was at 6750 DA. It will not stop raining so I am just hopeful this Friday is clear. The MT Streets should get the job done. Now I just hope the driveline can stand this abuse.

 

[Bestangyet 07]

Just got back from the strip. Lesson learned tonight, never say something stupid like,"now I just hope the driveline can stand this abuse". Sure enough it gave up. 1.88 60ft. [email protected]... There has got to be more in this car.

 

[TexasKyle]

I'm not sure what's up then. Im at less boost and an auto. Car ran a 11.99 on its first night at the track with M&H Racemaster's 275/45/18. That's a 28" tire, and I still have the stock 3.31's in the car.

I know the DA is killing you, but I wouldn't expect it to be That much.

 

[Bestangyet 07]

I am having a hard time believing the air is that bad also. I had a big jump off the line, and the car hooked going into second. I never felt it lose grip. I actually expected it to pick up at least 4-5 tenths, I picked up 3 tenths right off the line. The DA was 5900 ft. on that run. By comparison a mostly stock G.T. was running 14.60@ 95, same wheel and tire. I think something is wrong in the tune and I need to get the car on a dyno. When I turn on the air conditioning in fifth gear the car falls on it's face when applying the throttle. Something is not right.

 

[duece05]

I saw the same thing at the track this past Sunday, pro charged '03 only running 13.30's. I was running low 13's (13.05-13.002) in 100+ temp. THere has to definitely be something wrong with your tune. Most of the supercharged cars I have seen run (and that is by all means not everyone) ran somewhere in the 12.40-12.60's.

THere was an '89 retired DPS car N/A running high 12.60's

 

[Bestangyet 07]

So it has been two weeks since I posted and I am no closer to an answer. This car is really pissing me off. I am asking anyone who reads this for input. Two examples. I let out the clutch and go wide open throttle, shifting at 6200 rpms. First gear feels fine, second is the same, third gear starts falling off, grab fourth, even less power. No pop, no hesitation, very slight feeling of misfire. Car is slow on the top end of the track resulting in bad times. Example # 2, getting on the freeway. Let out the clutch accelerate with less than one quarter throttle, shifting at 3000 rpms. First and second gears are fine, third gear a little weak at the end, fourth gear starts sputtering at 2800, fifth gear is fine to 2500 and then the car starts jerking, hesitating, and backfiring through the exhaust. If I let off just a little the stumbling stops, and the car picks up speed with no problems. But give it the slightest squeeze and it starts again. Below 2500 rpms in fifth I can mash it and it pics up fine right to 2500 and then it starts. I have no CEL on, and no codes are present. I have pulled and cleaned the MAF sensor, pulled and gapped the HTO's to .030", and changed the fuel filter. The plugs were the cleanest I have ever seen at 23000 miles. I don't know the a/f ratio, because I don't have a guage. But the live data capture I did showed + 25% short term fuel trim @ 3000 rpms. Fuel pressure stayed at 38-40 psi. from 2000 to 3000, and voltage stayed between 13.90 and 14.10. Cat. temps soared to 1700 deg. F. Sorry for the long post, but info is the key to solving the mystery. Anyone?

 

[Bestangyet 07]

Autolite HT0's suck. It was the plugs the whole time. Wicked misfire, and no power under heavy load. Now let's see if Autolite will stand behind the five year warranty. The plugs only lasted 11,000 miles. JHC! Got a new best time on Friday, 12.76@ 103.28 on the brakes for the last 100 feet or so trying not to break out. Broke out anyway. I did manage a 1.769 sec. 60 ft. I think the stang is good for a 12.30 or better if I can get it in some cooler air. To do that I have to do better than the second round of eliminations though. Nice race Grampa-Stang.

 

[06vistabluegt]

Autolite HT0's suck. It was the plugs the whole time. Wicked misfire, and no power under heavy load. Now let's see if Autolite will stand behind the five year warranty. The plugs only lasted 11,000 miles. JHC! Got a new best time on Friday, 12.76@ 103.28 on the brakes for the last 100 feet or so trying not to break out. Broke out anyway. I did manage a 1.769 sec. 60 ft. I think the stang is good for a 12.30 or better if I can get it in some cooler air. To do that I have to do better than the second round of eliminations though. Nice race Grampa-Stang.

Nice run, glad to hear you got it worked out.

 

[grampa_stang]

I wish my dial-in was in the 12's. What really sucked for him was..that run happened to be his best ever and he had to hit the brakes when he went by me. It'll all come together.

 

[TexasKyle]

Autolite HT0's suck. It was the plugs the whole time. Wicked misfire, and no power under heavy load. Now let's see if Autolite will stand behind the five year warranty. The plugs only lasted 11,000 miles. JHC! Got a new best time on Friday, 12.76@ 103.28 on the brakes for the last 100 feet or so trying not to break out. Broke out anyway. I did manage a 1.769 sec. 60 ft. I think the stang is good for a 12.30 or better if I can get it in some cooler air. To do that I have to do better than the second round of eliminations though. Nice race Grampa-Stang.

Cool beans. Glad you got it worked out. Now, go and do a full out run and let us know what that thing will do! 60ft is much better, and I bet you can work on that and get it lower too.

 

[Bestangyet 07]

Tomorrow night will be the test and tune at RMR so maybe I can knock down a good one. Hopefully they don't try to boot me for not having a driveshaft safety loop in place. I am trying to fabricate one. I am kind of curious if anyone else has had a problem with the HT0's like what I experienced. I am from the old school of spark plug reading, you know, pull them, inspect them, re-gap them, put them back. Now I will test them for resistance and continuity every time there is a concern. WE LIVE TO LEARN.

 

[Bestangyet 07]

Drive shaft safety loop problem solved. It only took about an hour to make one in the garage tonight. It cost about $15.00 to make. All 3/16" thick, 2" wide flat steel. Now I just need some good air, although that is not likely to occur tomorrow. Temps should be around 95 at four when the track opens.