I could not break a 13 at the track, I know its because I couldnt get the right traction I needed. My best time was a 13.01. I have VR intake and LT headers. The car makes 373 RWHP and 371 RWTQ. Its on a 05 z51 A4. I want to be in the 12.5s what can I do to insure I get this time w/o a stall for now. It was a little scary when I was going down the track and the car shifted to second leaving me with no traction and the car getting sideways luckily I corrected it in time.
Is there good tires that fit the stock rims?

 

drag radials will help with traction. what were your trap speeds?

 

110 mph

 

I have a totally stock 07 z51 manual and it took me a few trips to the strip to get into the 12's... Here are some things to consider, many or all of which you probably already know, I will just include everything I can think of here for completeness:

1. stagging. you want to be as shallow as possible to maximize roll out.

2. track surface conditions. not really in your control, maybe try going to a few different strips, I did.

3. coolant temp. I recently learned that the ecm pulls timming if the coolant is too hot. Try to run with it at or under 200 degrees if you can.

4. air temp. Again the ecm apparently pulls timing if intake air temp is too high, and of course hotter air makes less power besides. Also, I am suspicious that running at night helps since there is no sun beating on the track or your hood... my best runs came long after sunset.

5. of course traction. My 60 foot times were poor, perhaps due in part to old hardened tires. You may have that problem too. I cannot do better than 2.10. However I ran 12's on a run with a 60 foot time of 2.20, so it can be done without a good 60 foot. Of course better/newer tires will help but if your like me you want to get a 12 with the tires you've got first... As for breaking traction at the shift, Hopefully that is not happening every time. What is your 60', eigth, trap speed, etc, and what tires do you have and how old are they?

6. I assume you are not running at any significant elevation, but if so that is obviously a major issue.

7. fuel. It is not at all clear the 100 octane will help. Many say it doesn't, I don't know. But I can tell you I did use it for whatever that's worth.

8. weight in the back. I did better running with a full tank. I think maybe the weight on the rear wheels helps traction enough to offset the weight increase.

9. Traction Control. I did better with it on. Others may have different opinions. Especially if your getting sideways I'd leave TC/AH on.

10. Tire pressure. I didn't play with this but of course many people do.

finally, in my trips to the strip I have seen several vette runs that were over 13 (and some of those were mine). My point here is that on a forum like this people naturally report their BEST time, not every time they get. The slower times don't get talked about nearly as much, which makes it seem like every vette in the world runs 12's every time down the track which is not at all the case. Anyone who's been to the strip knows the stagging lanes are full of people disappointed with their time, puzzling over why it isn't what they imagined. Those that are determined usually get the time they want eventually.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll get the time your looking for.

 

2.1 60 foot
8.5 1/8
I have the same tires the car came with from the factory haha. So there like 4yrs and 9 months old or so. The reason for that is i dont put alot of miles on the car I dont think ive ever had the tires replaced I could be wrong.
Elevation: 2,900 FT

 

You need headers and D/R's and a tune if you dont have one already that will get you in the mid 12's no problem. I ran 12.8 intake only with stock tires and d/r's dropped another .3 off of that. Then headers another .15 or so.

You launch needs improvment but tires will help that. with a 1.8 60' you will be in the 12's. Thats what I cut on stock run craps but mine werent that old either.

 

I do have headers and CAI and tune =[

 

2900 feet is alot of elevation! I would say elevation is the biggest issue you have. That is a good 60' for aged o.e. tires. Is that 373 hp number corrected to sea level? A good rule of thumb is -3% power for each 1000ft of elevation. For cars in the 13 second range, most correction tables will assign 1000ft of DA about .13 sec or more, so your elevation alone could easily be costing you around four tenths relative to sea level. I agree that with those power numbers you should have 12.5 ish, but if those are sea level power numbers, then a 13 flat at 2900 feet is not bad at all. Trap speed is a great indication of power and 110mph does not match up with 373 at the wheels... I bet at sea level that run would be about 12.6 at 114. I drove my car this summer at 6500 feet and it was very sluggish, it's a huge difference. I bet determination alone will get you into the high 12's at 2900 feet, but for a 12.5 I think you may need to be alot closer to sea level... or have very cold air....

 

I'm about where the OP is I have an 05 (A4) with Vararam CAI, and a Tune by Cartek.... I also run Micky Thompson DRs.

Everything else is dead stock rear, converter etc.. oh.. I have a 160 T State and a switch to run the fan with the motor OFF! I always make sure my engine temp is below 180 when I go to the line!! VERY IMPORTANT!

Also another poster said he ran with a full tank of gas, I think just the opposite.. I run with 1/3 tank gas weigh app 6 lb a gallon.. if you have an extra 12 gallons in the car your carrying 100 lb ..and rule of thumb every 100 lb will slow you app. 1 tenth.. I run as light as I can.. just get the right Tires, & you WILL HOOK, and NOT have to lug that extra weight..

Try running a 100 yd dash with a 50 lb of sand on your back same goes for a car!! the lighter the better!!

In much better Alt. 600' I ran 12.08 @ 115 mph my 60' was 1.883

1/8 mile 7.92 @ 90 mph .. Bottom line you need TIRES!!!!

 

Hey JPEE,

I'm right there with you on your 1/4 time.

I got 7.93 in the 8th and 12.15 in the 1/4 as my best time so far.This seems like a good place to ask this. I run invos on stock rims. Will going to DRs let you launch at a higher rpm? Where did you notice the improvement? This is a no brainer for MN6 guys but pretty good question for the auto guys.

For the OP deffinitly get tires. Even the invos shaved 3 tenths off my time in the 8th!! Not to mention made me more consistent.

Rod

 

Quick philosophical point... The question of how to get the most performance from your car with its current setup is different from the question of how to modify it to increase its potential...

 

Yes, to tires or not to tires... that is the question

 

You can't overcome elevation.

What are other C6s running there?

 

That is the opposite of what you want to do.

I try to run my car with 2-3 gallons max

 

What are some good d/r that will fit on the stock rims?
The car was tuned in dallas by LG so im sure those where the numbers it was making in Dallas.

 

There are no 19" drag radials.

You will have to get a pair of 18" wheels or 17" wheels and drag radials.

 

How much would that cost?

 

well i bought a set of 17" z06 replicas for around 250$ then i bought a set of nitto555r which were around 320$ then had to have them mounted and balanced which was around 25$..so you're looking at appox 600$ depending on which tires and wheels you go with..the nittos got me down to a 1.69 60ft..most people go with the mickey thompsons, i run a 275/40/17..Hope that helps bud..

 

you can overcome elevation by running at a lower track. This also allows you to try out a different track's surface conditions. When I went to Infineon near San Fran it felt like the starting line was covered in mayonaise, when I went to Famoso near Bakersfield I got much better traction and better times.

As for weight in the back I know this is counter intuitive, but when there is a traction problem it is possible, certainly not guarenteed, that this can help. I have seen tests by a chevy engineer with the C4 ZR1 where 300 lbs in the back had very little effect on e.t. but 300 lbs in the front had a much worse effect... We all have our own data points, I ran faster with full tank, and I did try it both ways (I have 3 yr. old runflats).

If you want to get the best possibile time before spending money and introducing new variables, you have to do some experimenting. If your convinced it wont go faster as is, or don't want to struggle for tenths, then mods is always the answer.

Maybe a little detail on you launch would help...
How much wheelspin are you getting at launch? Is the rear wiggling all the way to 60'? Have you tried the launch with and without brake torque? How much rpm do you get when you are brake torquing?

 

Were do you get Z06 17s for 250?
Also I dont brake torque I just do it from idle at launch.