1st Time Drag Racing Wed, few Q's

1981gMachine · 08-17-2009, 11:58:10 PM

Me a few co workers and friend are heading down to cecil county raceway wed after work for test & tune. I'll be racing my camaro, buddy will be racing his harley night train, boss will race his 87 grand national, one co worker with his modded Iroc and another with his SVT supercharged focus.

I have a few questions and wonder if my guess for et is in the ballpark.

- Car has 300hp at the wheels with 350 torque.
- TH350 with shift kit
- 3.55 gears
- I'm thinking the weight would be 3500-3600 with me in the car. I weigh 135, car has no interior, and a few lighter components then stock.
- Goodyear Eagle GTII's 275/60/15
- Running 93 gas which is ethanol free
- Disconnected my power steering belt for a couple free horses
- Switched to 10/30 race oil over 20/50, so I would think that would have free'd up a hourse or two.

I'm thinking between a 13.1-13.5 for the et

Few questions for setup.

- I have coilovers front and rear with adjustable stiffness. I'm thinking I should have the rear at the softest and the front at the stiffest to help with weight transfer.

- What tire pressure would be a good ballpark to start at. I believe I have 37 in the rear right now. Should I bump up my front tire pressure to reduce resistance?

- Is there any free hp to gain from taking off my old air cleaner and running it without?

Any tips to help me net the best possible time for my setup?

thanks

vegas1974z28 · 08-18-2009, 02:39:26 AM

I'm thinking between a 13.1-13.5 for the et

if you can get a 2.0 60' you should trap 104mph.

please post back your results

1980z28fromhell · 08-18-2009, 02:52:12 AM

I would say leave the car alone and work on getting used to staging and cutting a good light .. see how much you can stall it up without blowing the tires away.. then try to get consistent so you can dial in and maybe make it thru a few rounds of eliminations..good luck

SR79 · 08-18-2009, 04:14:37 AM

As far as your shocks, you might soften the rears up a bit from your normal driving, but just see how the car acts and go from there. Ours actually picks up with them stiffer, since everything is more controlled off the line. We back them back off a click or two to get it back comfortable for the drive home.

But most importantly, have fun, and focus on consistent driving first and foremost.

dynobrat · 08-18-2009, 04:48:48 AM

don't drive with the air cleaner off it's not worth taking the risk

it sounds really fun!! I would love to do what you'll be doing. If I were you, I would just be cool about it. I wouldn't do anything to the car, just go and have a good time don't worry about squeezing the numbers, or impressing anyone. You can do that after you figure out where you're starting at. I've never done anything like that but would like to. Have fun and don't break anything

sponge003 · 08-18-2009, 09:53:50 AM

Just get used to the starting tree, staging etc. and the general flow of things at the track.

First time out its a lot to remember.

MOST IMPORTANT!! Have FUN!!

Dont worry about your times yet, just have a good time!!

Mwilson · 08-18-2009, 10:58:31 AM

Im thinking 2.3 60's and 13.0-14.5, 300 rwhp outta be a low 12 sec car with some DR's, you should borrow some slicks or dr's. I always hook great on the street with street tires but the track is a different story for some reason.

Cataldo · 08-18-2009, 04:12:13 PM

I bet you'll run mid-high 13's play around with the air in your tires, I run 26psi at the track in my 275/60R15 BFGoodrich Radial T/A's. The burn out box might not be the best way to go as well.

BlackDog82 · 08-18-2009, 06:03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sponge003

First time out its a lot to remember.

just-remember..... the only guys who became 'legends' their first time out probably went-agricultural, or killing innocent cones.....

Quote:

Originally Posted by sponge003

MOST IMPORTANT!! Have FUN!!

"..... must-breave.....

..... in-tru-nose, out-tru-mouf....."

STAY-SAFE, and report back here with your results!

1981gMachine · 08-18-2009, 08:28:54 PM

I put the power steering belt back on for safety reasons. Would never be able to correct my steering quick enough with a de powered box.

Hoping the weather holds out for tomorrow. Looking bad for the hrs we'll be down there. If we get rained out it'll be next wed.

Gonna need some focus factor to stay focused tomorrow at work. In my head it'll be going, "drag drag drag drag..."

justincmorris · 08-18-2009, 10:03:09 PM

trick to street tires is to roll out at the line easily than at about 40-60 feet out stomp the gas so your street tires don't spin all the way down the track. Also, PS with the belt off is fine for drag racing. The people who wreck their cars in drag racing often over-correct their vehicles when the car gets squirly you barely turn to correct it and let off the gas. Whatever you do, do not slam the brakes or yank the steering wheel. FYI, I drive my car on the street and track with a PS gear box with no pump because I don't have the funds to put a manual box or rack and pinion in.

1981gMachine · 08-18-2009, 11:01:20 PM

I have a manual box but am waiting to put it on. It's been 5years and I'm soon to do what I've wanted to do for a long time. It's like Christmas eve, lol.

justincmorris · 08-20-2009, 04:49:19 AM

so what did ya run post times please

1981gMachine · 08-20-2009, 09:46:12 AM

Got back late last night, and now I'm off to work. I'll post slips after work. The best I could do was a 14.3. Ran 7 times with 4 of them being a 14.3. Bad brakes didn't allow me to hold much of an rpm at the line. Had zero wheel spin issues. Post more details later, gotta grab food.

Mwilson · 08-20-2009, 10:39:57 AM

300 rwhp shoulda been mid to low 12. You may need to work on the launch and shift points. what was the mph? I woulda stalled it about 1,500 rpm and mashed it when it was time to go.