Finally...went...to...track

[Frostbite545]

So yeah, the one on the left was my first ever 1/4 mile run against an older mustang. The one on the right was my better time, against some kind of acura hatchback that i beat.

I do have a question though. A stock Alero 3.4 V6 runs a 15.8, and i got a 15.395 with only a Dr. Speed CAI and some Yokohama V4 tires as mods, if u count tires.

Is this a normal gain, i mean, a half second off a 1/4 mile time just by adding 10 or less HP at the flywheel?

[BlackJack]

yup, and I might say that's a pretty decent gain overall. You have to put in serious power-adders to drop full seconds.

Keep in mind, forced induction will only drop about 2 seconds off 1/4 times with the limited tranny builds that most people are doing.

[AlbinoMonkeyRat]

2 seconds would be enough for him in that class! :)

Good job on the low 10's in the 1/8. I'm still trying to break into 10's...

(nearest quarter track is like 100 miles away.)

[Coupe]

I wouldnt say you gained anything from the CAI and tires....well the tires may have helped your launch.
GA's and Alero's run between 15.3- 15.9 stock. It depends on alot of factors. Some are just factory freaks. There have been a few GA's run 15 flat completely stock, not common but happens.

[Frostbite545]

So.....I guess I got a faster Alero by chance. :) Cool. After all, it was my SECOND RUN EVER, and my reaction time wasn't good (.588). Distracted by the people mocking my alero to my left, I launched At the green light...not 3rd amber like I was supposed to.

[AlbinoMonkeyRat]

.588 is still really good, considering that .499 is a foul. :)

[Frostbite545]

.499 is a foul huh? Is it just because they know u had to have launched before green if u get below a .5 ?

I thought i remembered reading about all these other people on this site who go for like .0-somethings as R/T.

(Oh, and I just remembered, it was freezing out that night, like 30-32 degrees. I think that helped my time a little.)

[freakout]

I might be wrong. But I think, the R/T has something to due with the different lights on the tree. They changed from incadesant to l.e.d.. If I am wrong please let me know!

[AlbinoMonkeyRat]

what kind of lights they use have nothing to do with it...it's when they light up vs when you go. With a slower car like mine, I punched it when it was on the 2nd (middle) yellow, and I get R/Ts that are between .57x and .62x. It's really a matter of technique.

[freakout]

Oh yeah good run with the car your r/t will get better. R/T used to be .500 perfect now it's .000 is what I wanted to clear up.

[AlbinoMonkeyRat]

no...a perfect R/T is .500

http://www.irwindalespeedway.com/dragstrip/site/howto.html

[Frostbite545]

I think the cecil county dragstrip doesnt care how low your RT is cause the mustang I ran against the 1st time had a RT of .284, and I saw no red lights...

Anyway, I will update this when, hopefully, I blow some Graduation money on S&S headers and a SLP exhaust this summer. My dream is to get into the 14s, even if its a 14.999, just to say I did it in an ALERO.

[Daytona]

Originally posted by AlbinoMonkeyRat@Apr 18 2006, 06:50 PM
no...a perfect R/T is .500

http://www.irwindalespeedway.com/dragstrip/site/howto.html
Quoted post


A perfect light can be either .500 or .000, depending on the timing system version the track is using. It used to be .500 at RP before we upgraded to the latest timing system 2 seasons ago, at which time .000 became a perfect light. The LED's didn't get installed at our track until a few months later.

You'll find that all tracks that run NHRA Division and National Event races will have .000 as a perfect light. Other tracks might still have .500 systems.

Now to totally confuse the matter, Pro Trees on the old system use .400 as a perfect light, but .000 on the new system. Why .4 instead of .5? No idea. But it's moot now in the new timing systems.

[Daytona]

Originally posted by Frostbite545@Apr 18 2006, 09:23 PM
I think the cecil county dragstrip doesnt care how low your RT is cause the mustang I ran against the 1st time had a RT of .284, and I saw no red lights...
Quoted post


Cecil County runs .000 as a perfect light. The .284 equates to a .784 under the old system.

[Frostbite545]

So, if I am understanding this correctly, my .588 at Cecil, because they use .000 as a perfect time, was prety bad right?

If so, I'm goin back like....friday, because its on. I need to know what I could do if I have a good RT.

[Daytona]

Correct, you're RT was pretty slow. RT's do NOT affect ET's, however. Reaction Times simply meausre how soon after the green light comes on that your car breaks the starting timing beam. The ET clock doesn't start until your car launches and breaks the starting timing beam.

In essence, you could sit there at the line for 10 seconds after the greenlight comes on and then launch and your ET will be the same as if you had made that same run the moment the light went green.

If you want to improve on your RT's, hit the gas and release the brake the moment the 3rd amber comes on. By the time your body reacts to the light and the car reacts to your foot the green light should be coming on as your car finally moves.

The more you race the more you'll learn how to time your launch. Each car and driver is different. My 12-second RWD Camaro required a different launch RPM, spot on the starting tree, and positioning at the starting line than my 16-second FWD Daytona. To further cut down your RT you could do like I do with my Daytona and that's to "Deep Stage", which is where you roll up a little further at the starting line so that the top Pre-Stage bulb shuts off. You run a greater risk of going red but if the sweet spot on the tree for your car dictates this you can do very well. Just remember that since you are starting further forward than normal staging your ET's and top-end MPH will be slower since you won't be getting as much of a running start before your break the beams.

For now, though, I'd say to hold off Deep Staging and just stage normally. If your car is an automatic trasmission, launch it at least 200 RPM below your stall speed. If you don't know your convertor's stall speed, then launch @ 1100 RPM. You never want to launch your car at or above your stall speed regardless of whether it's stock or highly modified. Follow this rule and your launches will be a lot more consistent and a little quicker. You might have to adjust you timing off the tree if you start launching at a different RPM than you're used to so worry about your launches first and then once you have that down pat then worry about where on the tree you need to launch to get those tight RT's.

[Frostbite545]

Sweeeeeet. Thanks for that. I will def. think about this the next time I go to the track. :biggrin:

Hopefully I get more than 2 runs in though. Its so unfulfilling.

[Spy]

there tends to be a difference too whether the tree is setup sportsman (amber amber amber green) or pro (amber green).... which also has to play on how they determine the "reaction" system.

[FormulaNERD]

yea, i'd race brackets @ sportsman, then get my ass handed to me later during the free for all because it was a pro style tree and i was used to running sportsman twice a week

[AlbinoMonkeyRat]

FYI: looking closely at my slips from saturday, R/T does factor in who wins in a heads-up race. I was racing a 3.1L Lumina. He had me most of the way down the strip, but I pulled ahead of him right at the end. his ET beat mine by .02 but my RT beat his by .03 so I won. (in heads up, everything counts. I crossed the finish line first and won by .004)

(also, that was my slowest ET, with my fastest mph...which I don't get...)

[Daytona]

^Changes in ambient, engine, trans, and track temperatures or changes in relative altitude (air quality & density) & humidity can play a part in why you might have a slower ET but a quicker MPH from 1 run to the next. Launch RPM and whether or not you spin coming off the line can create that disparity, too. Once you get more consistent in your launches and launch temperatures (engine & trans) you'll notice the run-to-run disparity begin to minimalize and the only difference being ambient weather condition changes making the car speed up or slow down.

RT's are an important factor only when racing another driver. When practicing or attempts at quick ET's, RT means nothing. Going head-to-head with another driver, whether it be a heads-up race or handicapped bracket racing with dial-ins, RT's can win and lose you more races than almost anything else.

[freakout]

Thank you for clarifying that Daytona. I haven't been down the track in 13 years.

[Thrawn]

Originally posted by Frostbite545@Apr 18 2006, 09:23 PM
My dream is to get into the 14s, even if its a 14.999, just to say I did it in an ALERO.
Quoted post


Right on :cool:

[Orion]

We should try and get a track meet together for Atco or somewhere else. I am game. Any one elses thoughts?

[jackal2000]

Originally posted by Orion@May 12 2006, 12:55 PM
We should try and get a track meet together for Atco or somewhere else. I am game. Any one elses thoughts?
Quoted post

once i move to dc in july, im game.

[jackal2000]

frostbite, i think the freezing temp had more to do with your time than either of those mods you have. run it again in the middle of summer and you will be higher 15's.

[Orion]

The freezing temps do. I went once when it was in the high 30's and ran a 15.3 with CAI and exhaust :P

[Thrawn]

Don't alot of tracks adjust what you would have run at a normal temp? Not like on the slip they give you--you get credit for running the time--but similar to adjusting for altitude?