Help for first time drag racer
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 1,476
Likes: 1
From: Mt Juliet TN
Help for first time drag racer
I went drag racing for the first time ever and well I didn't do as well as I'd hoped. I thought if I posted my times someone might be able to give me some hints. Here are my two best scores. I was hoping for a 14.5 quarter mile but couldn't achieve it. My speed at the end was what I expected but 14.9 was the best I could do. Any thoughts on what I might try or is this the best my car can do for now? When should you shift your car? My peak HP is at 5000 rpm so I shifted at about 5200 and left it in 3rd gear at the end. Should I have shifted into fourth or shifted earlier? As always any advice is appreciated.
Launched at 1000 rpm
R/T .628
60 2.504
330 6.540
1/8 9.774
mph 78.12
1000 12.567
1/4 14.915
MPH 96.16
Launched close to 2000 rpm
R/T .533
60 2.393
330 6.416
1/8 9.690
mph 76.53
1000 12.542
1/4 14.911
MPH 95.95
Launched at 1000 rpm
R/T .628
60 2.504
330 6.540
1/8 9.774
mph 78.12
1000 12.567
1/4 14.915
MPH 96.16
Launched close to 2000 rpm
R/T .533
60 2.393
330 6.416
1/8 9.690
mph 76.53
1000 12.542
1/4 14.911
MPH 95.95
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 1,476
Likes: 1
From: Mt Juliet TN
Re: Help for first time drag racer (tworottiedogs)
Thanks. Ecklers sells the hood. It was a little more $$ then an L88 hood but I wanted to be a little different then everyone else.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 11,322
Likes: 1
From: Living in the Hartland
Re: Help for first time drag racer (TTop Tony)
I am suprised to find out the stinger isn't functional. Any plans on making it? Is the cowl portion funtion or at least open for airflow?
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 1,476
Likes: 1
From: Mt Juliet TN
Re: Help for first time drag racer (Fevre)
There is a cowl effect but not straight out of the box. You have to cut away a lip on the back of the hood and theres a crossbrace inside that you have to cut part of it off. Its not really that big a deal but I'm not sure how much air is actually getting inside. I don't know anyone who has built a "box" inside to seperate the air filter from the motor. I guess it could be done but not easily for an amatuer like me.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,526
Likes: 1
From: Harrison Township, Mi
Re: Help for first time drag racer (TTop Tony)
Your 60 ft. is killing you. a 2.0 60 ft. would put you right at 14.5. It's hard with street tires and a 4 spd. My best to date is 2.2 w/ the Vette. When you launched at 2,000, did you spin? It helped your 60 ft. by over .1 seconds, but you lost it all at the top end. If you're not spinning, I would increase your launch RPM until you begin to spin, then back off just enough to keep it from spinning. Did you shift at the same RPM? was your car hot? What was your RPM at the top end in 3rd.?
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 1,476
Likes: 1
From: Mt Juliet TN
Re: Help for first time drag racer (randy72)
My wheels did spin at 2000 (come to think about it they spinned at 1500 too). Maybe I should let the clutch out easier? I tried to shift at the same rpm each time but maybe a shift light might help. My tach guage is off by 150 rpm or so and its a bit difficult to be too precise. My car was getting close to 5000 at the end of the run. I let the car cool before every run so heat shouldn't have been too much of a factor. My peak HP is at 5k so thats where I shifted but I didn't know if I should shift before or after the peak.
VettePower - I bought the hood at Ecklers it was a direct bolt on no fitment issues.
VettePower - I bought the hood at Ecklers it was a direct bolt on no fitment issues.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,526
Likes: 1
From: Harrison Township, Mi
Re: Help for first time drag racer (TTop Tony)
If you're spinning, I would back the launch RPM down a little. I've found the best way with my 72 is to leave at idle, soft and then mash it once I'm moving...My 60 ft. times still suck though. Don't do a big burnout with street tires, they'll just get slippery. A little spin to clean them is plenty. Do you have a mech. tach drive? Mine bounces by 300 RPM. I bought an autometer tach w/ shift light to which I spliced in a connector so that I can remove it when not racing. I mount it to the column when racing. Since you know where your peak hp is, I assume that you've had the engine and/or car on the dyno. How quickly does you hp drop off? Mine is pretty flat for about 300 RPM after peak and then drops. As long as you are close to the hp peak when going through the traps, I wouldn't shift again. If it feels like it's slowing at the top end, then shift. Compare your et's at the second half of the track with a run that you didn't shift. If the 2nd half improves when you shift, make that standard procedure....Sounds like you need more gear... What are you running, 3.08's?
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 1,476
Likes: 1
From: Mt Juliet TN
Re: Help for first time drag racer (randy72)
Yeah I've got 3.08. I'm saving up for a paint job so new gears are off till next year. But I was thinking if I wound up putting 3.55 gears in I would definitely have to shift into fourth gear and wouldn't that make my times even slower??? I have the electric tach on mine but there just as inaccurate as the mechanical one. I think a shift light might come in handy.
I haven't dyno'd my car I'm just going by the manufacturers ratings. Sounds like I should probably take my car on some back streets and practice taking off with street tires.
I haven't dyno'd my car I'm just going by the manufacturers ratings. Sounds like I should probably take my car on some back streets and practice taking off with street tires.
Racer
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 371
Likes: 1
From: Nashville TN
Re: Help for first time drag racer (TTop Tony)
3.55 gears will increase your cruising speed on the highway by about 400 rpm. That's a lot. Lower gears may not improve the quarter times for a low-end motor. 3.08 gears with your low first gear is pretty good overall gearing for your motor.
Your,
Buddy :jester
Your,
Buddy :jester
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 1,476
Likes: 1
From: Mt Juliet TN
Re: Help for first time drag racer (stngry63)
As the Stones would say "hey you get off my cloud".
Is 2600 rpm that much better then 3000? Or better yet is 3000rpm that much worse then 2600. Doesn't sound to bad to me. Several cars from the 70's had those gears stock. Maybe a 5 speed tranny would be a better alternative :D
Is 2600 rpm that much better then 3000? Or better yet is 3000rpm that much worse then 2600. Doesn't sound to bad to me. Several cars from the 70's had those gears stock. Maybe a 5 speed tranny would be a better alternative :D
Racer
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 373
Likes: 0
From: Hartlepool, England
Re: Help for first time drag racer (TTop Tony)
IMHO a bit of wheelspin is not always as bad as it sounds. As we would say over here it keeps the engine on the cam. Before I rebuilt the my engine to it`s current spec I only had 200 rwhp but managed to run a best of 14.7. What I found was the more rpm on take off the better and I also hung onto third gear through the lights. If I changed to fourth it was slower. I would take off with about 4000 rpm on the taco and feed in the clutch to keep the wheelspin under control but the engine spinning in the power band, with this I could get 60` times on or below 2.0 seconds. This was on the standard steet tyres.
The only downside with this is that the clutch was shot after a few thousand miles. The first try with new engine wrecked the clutch all together, when I took it out the flywheel was blue and looked like someone had taken a burning torch to it.
<A HREF="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chevrolet-city/files/jpegs/At%2520the%2520dragstrip%5B1%5D.mpa" TARGET="_blank">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chevrolet-city/files/jpegs/At%2520the%2520dragstrip%5B1%5D.mpa</A>
J.
[Modified by JHL81, 2:27 PM 7/9/2002]
The only downside with this is that the clutch was shot after a few thousand miles. The first try with new engine wrecked the clutch all together, when I took it out the flywheel was blue and looked like someone had taken a burning torch to it.
<A HREF="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chevrolet-city/files/jpegs/At%2520the%2520dragstrip%5B1%5D.mpa" TARGET="_blank">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chevrolet-city/files/jpegs/At%2520the%2520dragstrip%5B1%5D.mpa</A>
J.
[Modified by JHL81, 2:27 PM 7/9/2002]
Racer
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 371
Likes: 1
From: Nashville TN
Re: Help for first time drag racer (TTop Tony)
My 5-speed with the 3.08 was a good combo on a 327 that revved easily and didn't make much torque. Now that I have the ZZ4, I'm wondering whether I could get by with a 4-speed. The ZZ4 has a lot of low-end and can handle big rpm drops between shifts. Also, I didn't weigh the trans, but the Richmond is quite a bit heavier than the Muncie that it replaced. Can anybody recommend software that can simulate quarter mile times with different engine and gear set-ups on different cars?
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 1,476
Likes: 1
From: Mt Juliet TN
Re: Help for first time drag racer (stngry63)
I'll trade you my 4 speed for your 5 speed :crazy:
I was wondering about that type of software too. Even if it was only slightly accurate it would be pretty handy.
I was wondering about that type of software too. Even if it was only slightly accurate it would be pretty handy.