Ok first of all, Please no flaming, but more than welcome any advice.

Well Last year I bought a 97 c5 with lots of problems, main problem was the transmission not shifting out of 2nd, and other electrical issues. Three tranny builds later and finding a good core tranny, now works great, it was built by Maxwell Transmission, supposed to hold 700 hp. most electrical issues are now solved.

Now I am a pretty hard core drag racer, and Recently sold my Partnership of my performance shop. I have been drag racing bikes and imports for past 24 years.

Well last year after i got the c5 running correctly I drove it for 3 or four weeks, well one night after i closed up shop, I headed home, I have to cross the Mississippi river on I74, I pulled onto the on ramp and stepped into it. Free of on coming traffic, I pulled into passing lane, passing a truck, the car shifted and lost traction and was stopped with the truck up on my front bumper. so in the next month I replaced right doghouse, fender, front bumper, and hood. and was ready to go again. Ok lesson learned right? So now I have been driving on streets alot milder. and started taking it to the track.
I raced it with the best time being a 13.05 something like that. I added a true 100 shot of nitrous tested on dyno before and after. With nitrous the car ran 12.34. My shop also sponsored the local tracks Midnight Mayhems, well the last one of the year it was about 2:30 am and I ran the c5, about the 1/8 mile, it shifted into second (the tranny shifts really hard into second on street it chirps the tires impressively ) well it shifts, chirps tires, then breaks traction, car starts to spin out of control and into other lane and then ends by hitting the wall.

Ok ended the season embarrassed and broke.

Now over the winter I turbo charged the c5, built the turbo kit myself. and had my old shop tune it. I have gained 60% more horsepower. and its getting finished at the body shop, getting ready for race season again, and summer fun of course.

Now after you have read some background, my questions are, is this a common thing, are there things I can do to prevent this from happening again? Am I doing something wrong? I know I am not used to driving rwd, everything I have raced in cars have been awd. but I have been driving fast cars of all types for many years. I have to say I am intimidated by this car and I know I shouldnt be.

Another side note the tires are Goodyear f1s that look brand new. I am currently looking for some drag radials, or slicks which should help. I hope.

Please help, all advice is greatly appreciated!!
Thanks in advance!!
Trent

 

Ok, here's the deal, you basically have an ENGINE with a car attached. I am also fairly new to the Vette. I have done what you have and am now learning moderation. No I did not crash. But I have floored it at about 40 - 50 mph and had it fishtail and I thought wow, I did not think it would do that..This is on a base C5 A4. What you have done is added more ENGINE to the attached car. So what you have learned has to be relearned about handling the car, akin to breaking in a wild horse.
Also your performance tires are probably summer tires and the temp was not summer temps so the tires did not have the proper traction as they should have.
Don't worry though, we are not the only ones flying around and off roads, newby's to Lamborghini's and other exotics with high power are doing it also and it costs them more to fix.

 

And you ran a performance shop?

 

I guess that means I should be smarter or more experienced with vettes? I guess I thought is was the person who didnt ask the questions, that was the fool. (yeah I feel foolish enough though, just trying to figure this all out) how does that saying go, Live and Learn. I am 44 years old I still learn new things every day.

 

You should know something about tires and practicing in a car so you know where the edge is.

 

Not bashing, flaming or whatever, but really, you couldn't handle the power of a stock corvette and your answer was to increase the power by 60 percent? Seriously?

 

it was stock power first time I wrecked it yes, second time was with a 100 shot of nitrous. but keep in mind I did not know that the the tranny was going to hit so hard this was the first time I floored it, and let it shift at that level. I was shocked. but it did what it is supposed to do, shift hard. It was my fault I know this.

horsepower is what I do. I make fast cars faster. My last import was an eagle talon and pushing 733 whp with 43lbs of boost on e85.

This corvette is my first auto car. had it been a stick shift things would of been a whole lot different.

 

I am pushing 60 lifetime mechanic,dragracer,streetracer(younger days) had many hot,fast street cars.in the mid 80's my street car was a 69 SB camaro 11 ohs motor 10 oh's with N2o bought my first new car an 03 z/06 for all it's handeling prowess I soon discovered this car is definately a handful this car will come around in a new york heartbeat having experience with an overpowered car I knew to practice restraint my advice put the very best rubber on the car.... most HP tires f/the vette are "summer tires"and are horrendous in cold weather so cold weather beware.For spirited driving and racing MT ET street radial IIare the only tires that will harness that beast IMHO... other tires work BFG DR ,NITTO BUT Mickeys are the best .if a stick I wouldn't power shift on street tires I did it oncethe car was sideways in an instant to sum it up this is the best car I've ever had will do whatever you command it to do but like Sigfield and Roy you don't practice restraint and give it respect the savage beast will devour you

 

Your right I should. but when you work dusk til dawn wheres the time?

 

I kept reading thinking there was a punchline coming.......

I'm not sure why you would try to run street tires at the drag strip, after installing a turbo set up..... that was just silly.

It's probably a blessing in disguise, because I see no mention of a differential upgrade........

Good luck.....

 

Only you can answer that question........fail to plan.....plan to fail.

 

your right, since then I sold my part of the business to free up some time.

hopefully now....... I have fun to plan......and plan to have fun.

 

you can start by getting yourself some real tires
i mean street tires. Nitto 555R's or maybe even some M&H drag radials (for the street)

after having experience the difference between "stock performance tires" and what im going to call "real tires" (sticky nittos and the like)... i will never skimp on tires for a performance vehicle again.

maybe im just ignorant,
but i fail to see how a little tirespin can lead into a wreck unless you sit there with your foot SMASHED on the throttle while youre STILL getting sideways and you fail to COUNTERSTEER (power oversteer?) l
...ike should be natural to anyone who has driven a powerful RWD car

i just cant imagine a 350bhp car getting totally sideways at just from a hard shift at 60mph.... that doesnt even sound realistic

maybe stick to AWD-easymode cars if you dont wanna pony up for some good tires and spend the time practicing driving?

 

after car is out of body shop, Tires are the first thing on my list. maybe even before. but I am looking and apreciate all the comments from everyone.

 

On a 97 it isn't very common to break the rear wheels like that when driving on the street unless you have turned off the traction control. With traction control off you can get the response you got with any moderately powerful rear wheel drive car that has a limited slip rear axle. When you spin the wheels on a front wheel drive car all you lose is some directional control ability and you have to be careful of torque steer. When you spin the wheels on a rear wheel drive car with limited slip axle you lose all steering control because the back wheels are to a car as the keel is to a boat. The back end is going to slide in the direction of least resistance. You can counter steer to try and keep the front wheels in front of the rear but you have to practice to do that. As Darrel W. says you have to chase the rear and can sometimes run out of room when you are chasing it. If the car didn't have a limited slip axle then only one rear wheel would break loose and the other would provide enough stability to keep the rear from stepping out. You should try driving a limited slip rear car up an icy hill sometime. The back end of the car will swing from side to side as you climb the hill.

Bill