I know the topic is very broad so let me explain. I was at a private track racing yesterday and I am still confused about this certain race.
I have an 06 a6 c6 with an intake, arh 1 7/8 headers, tune, ported throttle body, thermostat, plugs and wires,
The person i raced has an 06 z51 m6 c6 with basically what i have except for headers from what i saw and know.
We raced on a private track rolling at 60 Mph upto 120 mph 3 times and the first he was able to pass me and 2-3 i was infront but i can tell he was starting to overturn the race. So how is that possible from what I understand i should have been infront unless i am missing something or have misunderstood something does anyone have any idea? Or is my car just that bad?
Thanks guys, i am not trying to start any a6/m6 debates and was under safety during those runs.

 

Different gear ratios and starting at 60 he didn't have to shift as much would be my guess.

 

All things being equal, IF (and that is a big IF) the straight drive vette driver shifts correctly, it should slightly pull the auto, because there are more drive train losses with an auto than a manual trans, if everything else is equal.

The reason vette drag racers like autos is that it is much more consistant than a manual. Notice that most road course vette drivers out here use manuals.

 

I even peeve off Z06 and ZR1 guys, by jumping the gun when they continue to mess with me on the interstate, because between 60 to 130, that is the sweet spot for the Z51 and Grand Sport manual gearing.

 

He was smarter than you about picking the rolling start speed or you were dumb if you picked it.

 

That's a nice way for you to put it.
Anyways I usually do 50-120,
Different intakes, he doesn't have headers and I do, he keeps up pretty good but then would probably pass me if we kept going.
I do not understand how lol.

 

What intakes? Probably doesn't make a huge difference, but it could make a small one.

Manuals do tend to dyno a bit higher, and really every car is a little different. Gearing is different in the auto and the manual as well.

 

he probably has headers too

 

At 60, you're halfway through 2nd and requiring a shift to 3rd fairly soon vs him at the early part of 2nd and have the full use of that gear before a shift. Advantage to him.

At 50, you would have been at the start of 2nd gear vs him either at the end of first and requiring a quick shift to 2nd or him well below the power band in 2nd. Advantage to you.

At 40-45, your advantage would have been much larger.

The only driver skill of importance for roll racing is knowing your opponent's weaknesses vs your strengths and how to utilize them. That's what he knew and you didn't.

If he had a true CAI, such as a Vararam vs you with just a different filter box, such as a K&N, then he could get more air in easier, especially as the speed increased. Your headers only let air out, so they're only better if you can get the air in first.

 

Definitely better way to put it than the first time.
But at 100-110 he starts to pick up and catch up.

 

The C6 Z51 almost matches the C5Z06 in performance. Gear ratios are identical, weight is close and power bands are pretty close. If I was a Z51 manual driver starting a roll race at 50 I would be in 2nd gear as I would be on the rev limiter or very close to it in 1st. 50 mph in 2nd gear puts the Z51 into a very nice sweet spot in the rpm curve although would have to shift to 3rd around 65 to keep from going to far past the HP peak. At 70 the engine would be on the stock rev limiter if not tuned higher. 3rd gear in a Z51 is the real sweet spot (as it is in a C5Z06) as the ratio is great from 60 to 95 hitting the stock limiter just over 100 mph. The big problem is the shift to 4th which falls into a big ratio gap and lets the rpms drop too far below peak HP in 4th which kills acceleration.

Starting at 60 I would probably go with 3rd gear as it would avoid a shift which would make up for a little less dig from 60 to 65. An A6 would have a hell of a time beating the car through this range. However, once the shift to 4th comes the auto would have an advantage due to the rpm drop of the manual car so if he can be close during the early part will pull ahead in this range. Once the speed approaches 110 mph the manual car will be back in its rpm sweet spot and the advantage switches to it if it can catch up by the time the speed gets to 120.

I haven't done any so called roll racing but I have driven off from plenty of corners in a C5Z at 60 mph using that scenario and easily powered past C6 A6 Autos that were being driven by competent drivers.

Bill

 

Thanks for the information, seems like I should go with 50-110 at the next event if we end up showing up.

 

That's because they don't know how to drive or they don't know their car.

 

Take this guy from a dig. You'll probably kill him.

 

How do yous think i will do against a '14 camaro 1le with headers intake exhaust and a tune?

 

go ahead and try him and let us know the outcome.

 

For f**ksake the harmonic balancer went out and is eating my engine and oil pan.

 

Perfect time for a cam swap......

 

I don't like carrying on on the highway, so I just do it to get them to quit messing with me. They would pull me if I didn't get the jump on them.

Try it with one of your buddies in a safe place though. Even the 350 HP C5's are hard to catch, if they punch it first, up to the triple digits.

 

just do varying speeds so one guy doesn't keep the clear edge time and time again. a guy that knows his car will always choose speeds that favor his setup.