I've got data on 2 identical Z51 C6 A6's. About 50 passes combined on both of them and this is what I've found.

Bone Stock car temps maxed with no cool down. We were averaging 13.00-13.10

Bone Stock w/ 1 hour cool Down w/ ice. We were averaging 12.85-12.95

Bone Stock w/ 2 hour+ cool downs w/ ice. We were averaging 12.70-12.80's

Vararam intake only & No Cool down. Averaged 12.80-12.90

Vararam intake only w/ 1 hour coold own. Averaged 12.70-12.80's

Anyway with that being said. If we got the cars dyno tuned and the fans adjusted for a 160 thermostat. What kind of improvements do you think we could expect to see if any? I did a search for "tune" "tuning" couldn't really find anybody getting a tune on a basically stock car.

Also business partner got a nail in his tire, and is replacing it with some BFGoodrich non runflats. Just wondering if anybody has some results to share on non runflats vs. runflats in the 1/4.

Good story about a Thermostat. I recently put a thermostat in my car & my business partners car doesn't have one. Well there was zero difference at all in 1/4 mile performance with it. But we did a top end run up to 160mph (on a track of course). We started at about 40 or so and he got a tiny jump on me, pulling 1" every 5mph up to 115, caught it at 115 and at 125, car pulled past him like crazy up to 160. Bout 2 cars ahead when we stoped) Pretty ironic. Only thing we could say, is the thermostat kept the car cooler on the big end. Figured I'd share.

Thanks!
Jason

 

I also know TM can't be programed out yet in the A6. Mainly just looking at motor tuning, and cooling the car down so I don't race at coolant temps of 216..

 

I have had a tune only on an otherwise stock car and gained about 15 HP. I have since added the Vararam and picked up another 5HP or so, that is on the dyno. These gains are across the board. I can't get back to the track until the 29th but my best time to date is 13.04, this is stock. I expect that to improve a bunch.

 

Looks like the cool down definitely made a difference.

If you look at your times with the 2 hour cooldown and the 1 hour cooldown with the Vararam, they are the same.

But I can see how someone else would be lead to proclaim a "3 tenths improvement with the Vararam" if you had not observed as closely.

Seems like you can accomplish the same times bone stock as you would with the Vararam, simply by letting the car cool for another hour.

 

Yeah, I'd say overall I gained a solid 2 tenths and 2mph with the vararam. And you are right if you let your car sit for 2+ hours it would get the same results, but the problem is just that. It's hard to let your car cool for 2 hours.

Go to a 6p-10p test and tune and you'd get one pass at 8p and one at 10p and I like to go down the strip. Kinda why I'm wondering if I get the tune done and my car consistantly runs 180's instead of 215+ if wouldn't drop 2 tenths.

I also firmly believe if I brought my car to the track on a trailer and didn't drive 1.5 hours to get to the track that bone stock the car would run 12.5's on the first run and 12.7's the rest of the evening w/ minor breaks in between. The heat soak kills the car. Then take off .2 tenths additional for the vararam and bam 12.3's in a A6

 

some "Tuners" claim they can tune-out some of the heat-soak effect ... as I recall LGM performed a before and after type test on a C6ZO6, runing 3 dyno pulls back to back to back and showed that they had much less HP loss after car had been "tuned" than what was observed from 3 dyno runs back to back before tuning....interesting stuff.

 

Hmmm....my A6 has never been a 13 or even near it. My first pass with a filter and catback was a 12.5@113. And I know I didn't gain 5 tenths with an intake.

With headers I went 12.3 @116. I'm hoping to get a tune soon, I'll report my findings. I will say that with the headers I think it could benefit from a tune, lately it seems like it doesn't know what gear it wants to be in.

 

Even with a tune, the driver that want best possible ETs must appreciate that coolant temp has a significant effect on power output.

First full passes on my C6Z were hot lapped at coolant temps around 210-218. On the next pass I cooled the car down and hit the line at 185. I shed three tenths. Since then I've found best ETs at 170-180 coolant temp when staged. You can't reach that temp with just the fans; you must manage the temp to get there.

For a status check, you can turn on the ignition (press the bottom of the switch once) and set the coolant temp in the DIC.

Here is another data point: DynoTech Engineering Report on Temps

Ranger

 

I agree with your results.

I am expecting 0.2 and 2mph in the 1/4 from the Vararam when it gets here.

As far as these cars running hot:

I made 2 passes as soon as I got to the track, 12.99@107+ and 12.90@107+ on the 2nd hotlapped pass.

I then let the car cool down for 1&1/2 hours and ran a 12.57@110.67 on my 3rd and final pass.

Howard

 

True, but now imagine the potential results if one had the Vararam along with the 2 hour cooldown.

 

I ran my stock 12.4/12.5s on a cold day after having let the car sit for a while before every pass, cooler (but not TOO cool) is better.

 

Coolant temp is hugely important. By managing the temp you can gain power even when the weather is not cool.

Bone stock on DRs I've run
11.203 125.69 at a coolant temp: 195 and DA: -450 ft
11.204 127.55 at a coolant temp: 170 and DA: 1600 ft

So at a 2000' worse DA I still picked up power from a lower coolant temp. So I manage my water temps like a hawk, checking the DIC. I calculate the temp rise I'll experience from the time I unpark the car and move thru the lanes to the line and adjust the target unpark-temperature accordingly.

Ranger

 

Your tracks are playing a big part in your times. Come out to the west coast and try running those times. Even though my track sits at 150ft I have never seen a D/A of less than 1200ft, most of the time its at 2000ft.

 

Ranger at about what temp are you getting in line?

 

This is how I interpret these excellent data. The Vararam does a great job (in my opinion the best job) of getting the coldest air available for the engine. The cold soaks help the stock inlet a lot because the stock inlet pulls a mixture of outside and under the hood air. Ranger also pointed out how critical the coolant temp is. I will back this up with some dyno testing where with my stock car I lost 18 hp on a back to back dyno pull. After putting in a 160 stat a week later on a similar day (mid 90's) I ran 359 hp on the first pull and then 360 hp on the second pull.

 

That is what I have to manage and it depends on the layout of the staging lanes and their location in relation to the pits. The best situation is to be at the front of the line in a lane that just ran and to reach there at about 160. Then I can watch the progess of the other lanes while I shed temp and restart the car only when my turn come to actually stage. My four second 2-d gear burnout typically adds 10-12 degree to the coolant temp.

So you need to watch the temps and learn their ebb and flow based on your track's configuration. These are small points but running fast times takes accumulating these advantages.

Ranger

 

12.5's@113 is strong for an intake only. I've been wanting to play with launches and stuff and I think I can drop another tenth or two, but right now I'm just stalling to about 1k and launching. Just mashing the gas is too inconsistent for me. We've only been averaging 1.94 60's so there is a bunch of room for improvment.

Ranger: I agree regardless if you get a thermostat and tune for the fans that someone will have to manager their coolant temps. What I'm really hoping is that with the tune the coolant temp max will be 180's. So instead of starting the cooldown after a pass at 220, I'll start say at 190.

When you say DIC, your talking about the screen where you can normally scroll through all the options and stuff? I've tried a couple times to shut the car off and hit the accessories and it wont allow me to go through any of the options. I'm Probably doing it wrong, can you elaborate please.

Also, great job on your 11.2's in your Z06. I don't know how I'm goinig to wait for the new Blue Devil. But guess I don't have much of a choice since Z06's are still pretty hard to come across.

 

Here's how the 2006 works. With the engine off. Enter the car. The start button glows green. Press the bottom edge of the buttom. The start-up sequence for the electronics is run without an engine start. At the track, I keep the coolant temp in the DIC; so when the boot sequence reaches the end, the coolant temp is shown without the engine running.

Ranger

 

You act like we have -DA here all the time. Look at the DA on Rangers times, 1600, and that was when it was cool out.

I ran my 12.3 on a 75 degree day. Not scalding hot, but not cold out either. Also ran those times at different tracks, but it's cool. I don't even feel like arguing DA with the corvette nuts.

 

It was 82% Head Wind 12

Made 12 runs did not cool it down
Best 60 foot 2,005

E T 13.14

!/4 108.5

I love how it comes
out of the hole