OLD_GOAT

First of all, this will be at Royal Purple in the Houston area. The track is usually well prepped and the DA should be between -500 to -1500. The bad thing is that the track will be packed, and I may only be able to make 3-4 passes.

My car is a 2015 auto Z51 coupe, none magnetic ride control.

At the bottom of this post, I will link to my primary trip to the track back in 2009 in my bone stock auto LS3, none Z51, but with Z51 gears. The way I did this was to make the first pass more of a careful one, instead of ***** to the wall. Actually the night went real well, well enough for me to get #4 in the bone stock list, however since then I've moved down to #8.

Outside of a quick 'goose' to get the car in passing gear, I haven't done any hot rodding at all.

I did get some coaching from the guys in the C7 section and for those who sent me PM's, I'm grateful for the time they spent trying to help me out.

I will go to the track with about 1/4 tank of Shell Premium and the only prep I will do is lower the air pressure to around 25 pounds. I will go around the water and do around a 3-4 second quick burn out, then stage, then launch on the last yellow. I'm real comfortable with the normal launch procedures with a bone stock car. No paddling, will be in track mode, and turn off launch and traction controls which should put me in competitive driving mode.

The one question I really have to ask is this..........on page 9-46 under automatic transmissions there are two bullets.

. The brake pedal must be firmly pressed to the floor, similar to a panic brake event

. The accelerator pedal is rapidly applied to wide open throttle. If the vehicle rolls due to WOT, release the throttle, press the brake pedal more firmly, and re-apply the accelerator to wide open throttle.

OK, I get all of this, except for one question. What is the amount of time before I press the accelerator to the floor, and then launch. Do I do this when staging or as the lights start to go down?

Edit, I found this posted by Mike Campbell in another thread I was posting in, and it appears to answer my question for me.

If anybody has any other thoughts, please feel free to add, however I need Vette Racing class 3, not 101.

Here is a thread from my first Vette trip to the track back in 2009.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...impressed.html

11B250

you'll have 2 staging lights. you're gonna trip one, then the 2nd one. when those trip (you should already have launch control enabled) you're gonna get on that brake 110%. you're then going to SMASH the throttle (if you don't do it fast, it won't work) and wait. once lights go green, let go to the brakes.

it's common not getting the timing right. so I would say for the 1st few tries, don't worry about your reaction time. time doesn't start until you move. let the lights go all green, then you can launch 10 seconds after... who cares?

it has been shown this car likes to launch on auto from idle or like 1300 RPMs. auto guys that do this can chime in on that...

OLD_GOAT

By the way, here are my goals.

22 hours out, the DA is -1000 and it should be the same tomorrow. I'm concerned about strong winds from the north, which creates a strong head wind. It may also get pretty humid.

Again, first ever time to really run the car hard.

Break into the 11's. Odds are 90% that this will happen.
Run between 11.98 and 11.80. Odds are around 75% that this will happen.
Run between 11.79 and 11.60. Odds are around 40% that this will happen.
Run between 11.59 and 11.40. Odds are around 10% that this will happen.
Run faster than 11.39. Odds are around 1%.

Bottom line, anything in the 11.7's or better would be great. Not getting into the 11's would really **** me off.

For the record I'm basing my estimates on this. Add weather, A8, good track and prep. Without this list, and without the knowledge of some of the drivers on this site, I would have never imagined to see so many 11's on a bone stock on stock tires list.

**************************************** ******************

The C7 Fast List
Last Updated: February 10, 2015

==================
Bone-Stock on Stock Tires
==================
Rank~~ E.T.~~ Trap~ 60'~ Driver~~~~~ M.Yr. Details
1~~~~11.372~~119.94~~1.623~wfarmer.z~~~~ '14 A6 Z51 (Post#275)
2~~~~11.377~~122.91~~1.71~brent eb02~~~~'15 A8 2Lt (Post#212)
3~~~~11.496~~118.96~~1.683~SNORMAN~~~~'1 4 A6 (Post#4)
4~~~~11.585~~120.08~~1.716~VNAMVET~~~~'1 4 A6 Z51 NPP (Post#21)
5~~~~11.743~~119.05~~1.745~jrwood~~~~~~' 14 A6 non-z51, with NPP, Used launch control (Post# 84)
6~~~~11.889~~118.31~~1.795~Fore58~~~~~~' 14 A6 Non Z51 Convertible (Post#254)
7~~~~11.947~~117.17~~1.806~The Rock1~~~'14 A6 Z51, 2LT, no NPP (Post#364)
8~~~~11.955~~119.62~~1.919~Kyle Lemish~~~'14 M7 non Z51 and no NPP (Post#13)
9~~~~12.074~~116.79~~1.928~jb306y~~~~~~' 14 M7 Non-Z51, M7, NPP, launch control (Post# 85)
10~~~~12.164~~116.31~~1.938~Greg Quillen~~~'14 M7 Z51, Has NPP (Post#15)
11~~~~12.217~~116.88~~1.978~nfcooper~~~~ ~'14 A6 Z51 MR NPP Track sport2, launch off idle
12~~~~12.573~~112.73~~1.996~Baron7700~~~ ~'14 M7 Z51 NPP stock tire psi. Track mode, full traction on.

yell03

Good luck!

Don't forget to post up on the C7 Fast List.

Many other A8s have run, most are running 11.8-11.9@118-121, but for some reason they are not on the List?

VNAMVET

After your burnout, stage your car, light top yellow, gently inch forward and light bottom yellow. Your left foot is on brake, right foot just resting on gas.

As soon as you light up bottom bulb, just wait until last yellow comes on and floor gas and let off brake simultaneously. The only bulb you're focused on is that last yellow above the green.

Have fun.

OLD_GOAT

Well, I'm not a happy camper, but I'm not pissed off either. Before I get started with tonights action, let me tell you guys a bit about myself. For one thing I set the bar high. In my past I held #1 spot on two occasions for bolt on GTO, I held #1 spot on bolt on G8 GXP, and my 2009 bone stock Vette was at #4 for awhile but by now I'm at number 8. My bone stock 2013 Mustang GT had a best of 12.7, which probably put it in the upper 25%. I'm not the greatest racer in the world, however I'm proud of my past accomplishments.

Lately I took our 2014 Charger SRT to the track and turned in a bone stock 12.48. I did this within 3 runs. Outside of the bolt on cars, my MO has always been racing in great weather, and ease on the pedal, and ease out of the hole.

Tonight was a whole different ballgame. I did what some of you guys suggested, which was quoted by Mike Campbell in a earlier post in this thread. For years, it's been ease out of the hole, tonight it's power brake like your life depends on it, then floor it on the last yellow.

The DA was about as mine shaft as we will get in the Houston area, right at -1160 when the racing started.

My first run was really a non-item as it was a 12.19@117.68 with a 60 foot of 2.085. My mind was going a million miles an hour........car in track mode, hit the TC button twice, keeping in mind how to launch, so I forgot to turn on the PDR and get a video.

I turned right around and got a video this time for run #2, which was my PB of the night. Perhaps some of you guys can pick up something I may have done wrong in the two videos I'll post. The first is the 11.91 run.

By the way, the time slip is what it is, however if you look at the PDR video, it's way off. Yes, these are both from the same run.

Car with me in it.........3600 pounds.




Here is one of my other runs, not sure with the time or mph was, just one of several blown runs. Most around 12.4 and 12.8.


More to come, and at this point I won't concern myself that much with the DA, I need more practice launching and getting toward the 11.6 and 11.7 area. I also probably need more miles on the car. Except for the 2009 Vette, all of my cars ran a lot better when they reached 3,000 miles.

One good thing, no doubt I had the best looking car at the track........yea me.......



At this time, I don't deserve having this license plate, but better days are coming.

CDH76

In watching the video it doesn't seem like you pegged the throttle to setup before launching? RPMS went to 2k?

Nice color! I have a LB on order, TPW 03/16!

OLD_GOAT

LB is a beautiful color.

Yea, I know what I was coached to do, however as I stated, my MO is to ease into the throttle and off the brake. Even when I had a 2013 Mustang GT manual, I never launched it over 3000 rpms.

Also, and I know the Vette is a whole another car outside of what I've owned, the Mustang GT, 2005 GTO, 2009 G8 GXP were notorious at wheel hopping. Naturally when you launch at 3000 you expect some wheel hop, when you launch at 5000, I can't even imagine the wheel hop I would expect. Perhaps enough to break the rear end. So, I took all of this into consideration. One thing I never considered is that I'm smarter than the guys in the top levels of the C7 fast list, or smarter than Mike Campbell or the instructions in the Corvette manual.

No doubt I was probably being over cautious with my new car, but that's to be expected.

Due to one of the few nights a year we have mine shaft DA, I was also putting a lot of pressure to make good runs during the night, and get while the getting was good.

yell03

Great job getting in to the 11s your first time out.

People don't realize how hard that is to do, especially on stock tires.

speedyjoe

I have a 2015 aw a8 phx az weather not good went 11.60 122 all stock love these cars

Fore58

122 trap speed is crazy fast for a stock A8.

Mike Campbell

Actually you did great considering the miles and your seat time in your car. But, both times you really didn't seem to "flash" the trans. What I've done and also as reading Snorman's and other tips is when you stage and light up the second" stage" light, push in the brake 110% and quickly floor it and let off. Then let it go back to idle while counting the yellow lights and mash it on the green. What this does, and it works better than my C6 which I'd jack up to 1200 rpm, is sets the torque converter and really helps your 60 foot time. BTW even though I said mash the throttle I run it heel to toe down which really feeds it which looked like you did on your second video. For some reason the C7 seems to get better 60 ft. times by doing this than jacking it like my C6. This has worked best for me, The biggest problems I've had has been not my launch but when the trans shifts 1-2 and 2-3 I'd brake loose and have to let off. I attribute that to the track prep and too many people going thru the water box that shouldn't. I can say this that all the times I ran at Englishtown the crew would wave you off if you went thru the water with street tires. It's stupid and dangerous.

Fore58

Hey Campbell.....that technique would work but the problem is that the track has to be well prepped. And that is probably the only way you could get a low 60' time out of the A6/A8. I was at Bradenton Feb 12th when Jeremy ran his 9.87. The track was well prepped, however I just decided to stick with my one technique for the night......1500 rpm and roll on the throttle. There was no spin and actually the car somewhat bogged on me. That was probably my chance to go with the technique you have mentioned. Having said that, I am not satisfied with my ET until I lower my 60' time in stock form.

Note: Actually the same technique" VNAMVET" is using. That's probably as good as it can get at Bradenton Motorsports when well prepped. VNAMVET is the quickest in this area as far as I know.

Mike Campbell

From what I've been told Bradenton is usually well prepped. If I get up there this spring I'll try both techniques. Yours worked well with my A6 C6.

OLD_GOAT

Cousin, I figured out what I did wrong. I guess I took your post too literally. Your comment in bold letters, I was thinking that after going through pre stage and stage, when the 2nd light lit coming down the tree, to floor it. After reading your other comment in this thread, it seems to mean that when the stage yellow lights come on to floor it then let off.

This is what I'll do next time. Hopefully it will work better now that I understand what you were trying to say.

I also am wondering how I can cross the finish in 4th, versus 5th. Perhaps raise the rev limiter when the car gets a tune (winter 2015). Are the Z51 gears 'that' valuable?

yell03

How were the breakdowns, 60' ,1/8, and 1/4?

Why is nobody putting these on the C7 Fast List?

Higgs Boson

Has to be posted in the Fast List thread.....

Fore58

I know......it beats me. Should be plenty of A8's out there. What I should also note that it probably takes just as much effort to obtain a low ET as the A6's. The numbers I am seeing are fairly close. It's just that the A8's traps more it appears. By the way, my last time out on Feb 12th was 11.89@117.92 1.782 60'. A C7 A6 identical to mine convertible also was doing 12.50's. So I was happy with my time for the night.

OLD_GOAT

Also, I'm a very careful driver on the street. I work for a major company in the Houston area and I have a company truck issued to me. This being said, I drive very carefully, never hot rod or race the car. If I go past 4,000 rpms in any given week, that would be highly unusual. Does this car have some sort of 'memory' that the computer kind of sets itself up by the average daily driving? I remember when racing my 2005 GTO at the track, I was told by one racer who knows his stuff, to remove one of the fuses at the track for around 30 seconds, as it would reset some sort of 'memory'.

ajrothm

Good to see you're back out there in a Vette! Gorgeous car! No doubt you'll wittle the ET down. Better do it in the next month while we still have this killer air..

Btw, we still have the SBM G8...