Cosmic Vette

I wonder what kind of times you could turn with an automatic with paddles that could be programmed like the M5s?

C5pilot

Congrats Ranger!

355Spider

Ranger,
Where do you get a number like density altitude from? I've never even taken that into consideration.

Way back when this car first came out I thought that it might hit 9s with just motor gears and slicks and everyone called me crazy. I might not be so crazy now.

Ranger

I raced my 2002 Z06 from March to December 2002 and was frequently asked on the forums, "What was the weather on that pass?" I grew weary of asking around at the track about the Density Altitude. Only a some of the fast crews knew what DA means and few that did had a measurement device.

So I bought a Tag Systems "Command-Air" hand-held weather station which cost about $440 shipped. It shows the air temp, absolute barometer, and humidity and from them calculates the DA.

The newest model adds other readings as well (such as water grains, dew point.... I use mine strictly for logging the DA on my passes so that I can better understand the effect of weather factors on my performance.

I should note that I do my weather collection out of the sun and only once the instument has reached equilibrium with the temp and humidity. That usually takes about 15-30 minutes after arriving at the track. Until then, the readings aren't reliable because the instrument was heat-soaked or cold-soaked.

Use of a weather station has not improved my driving but has helped me understand which days are best spent away from the track.

Ranger

ronsc1985

Anyone who is serious about getting decent weather readings needs to have a model with an internal fan such as those from Computech. The ones without a fan to draw air into the measurement sensors are fairly useless as their response to weather changes is extremely slow. The decent ones run the fan and keep running it until the sensor readings stabilize. This usually takes a minute or two.

As a side note most all the weather stations do a poor job of predicting performance changes when the dew point is relatively high and the ambient temperature is within 10-15 degrees of the dew point. This has to do with the phase change from vapor to liquid as you evaporate fuel and the change back from liquid to vapor in the combustion chamber.

For those whose only interest is running in cool weather to minimize ET's this is of little or no concern. For those who enter races year round it is a factor in the summer months depending on where you live.

J-Rod

Congrats Ranger. Its awsome to see the bar being raised/lowered. Congrats on some excellent times... I expect you'll better them before this is all done.

Ranger

Thanks, J-Rod. Hoping you'll hook up with blu at HRP and make a few passes in his car and PM me impressions of the clutch and the first 330'. Seeking any suggestions you may generate that might give alernative techniques for dealing with the clutch and Torque Management, which bedevil many of us.

Ranger

Mopar Jimmy

ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE DRIVING and AWESOME car. 10s on a 100% new Corvette with drag radials only is an INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENT<especialy on a manual tranny car.

YOU ARE THE KING OF THE 1/4 MILE STOCK CORVETTE SUPERCAR FOR SURE and first to get to that magic number with a bone stock C6 Z!!

minytrker

Just wanted to say WOW what great driving. It just goes to show what true driving skills can bring out in a car. I also wanted to say thanks for taking the time to write all the great write ups and pointers you have came up with on drag racing. Thanks again.

Hatdude

Great job! ::drool::

Johnny Por'sha

I believe in your original post you said you have about 50 passes. If you have accurately collected the data, you could quickly do a Design Of Experiment (DOE). It will tell you statistically which factors have the most impact. If you've been good about doing 2 inputs (like 25 psi vs 30 psi) you could do up to 8 factors on the number of runs you currently have. You'll not only determine which factors are the most important but it will give you 'best case' data as well.

Paul

Ranger

^^^

I've approached racing my Z06s much like a extended series of semi-controlled experiments.
(1) determining the key variables the driver controls
(2) developing techniques the car rewards
(3) learning the impact of weather and track conditions
(4) collecting and analyzing data from my passes
(5) generating procedures for self improvement

Like any sport, fast driving can be learned but having a coach gives quicker and sustained improvement.

I'm planning to distill the essence of these successful approaches into fast driving DVD oriented on Corvettes but applicable to other high-performance, manual transmission cars. Stay tuned....

Ranger

jbfl

Ranger,

What is or would you estimate to be your best 1/4 time/mph with T/C and A/H on and running EMTs?

TIA,

jb

Ranger

I make passes in Traction System-Off mode, one push of the console button (yields TC off and AH on in its aggressive form). Would not want to have the Traction Control routine kick in on launch and the shifts; that would spoil any fast pass.

My current best pass on F1SC EMTs (stock tires) is shown in my signature. I've estimated elsewhere in this thread that the bottom is likely to be about 11.15 under favorable conditions; hope to try that again someday.

Ranger

WayneCar

Ranger,
Congratulations on the great runs. You may have mentioned
this in other posts, but what is your best trap speed in your
C6 on a "average" day with + ~1000'-1400' DA? Also, have
you raced the car in any really bad weather day(DA over
+2500')? If so, how much effect did that have on your trap
speeds? I really appreciate your detailed posts, especially
the break-outs of all the splits. They really show what an
incredible performer the car is in stock form.
Thanks
Wayne
Edit: Would you mind posting 1/8th and 1/4 mile traps? Thanks!

Ranger

Trap speeds at the 660' and the 1320' are directly related to how well the pass is driven. Highest traps always occur with the greatest proportion of the run
(1) performed with the clutch out (fast shifts)
(2) at the highest average horsepower delivered (ideal shift points)
(3) traction delivered at the rear wheels

Weather is also a factor. But the driving is deterministic.

It is not just the density altitude, but its component that matter most. But that's a story for the DVD.

at 1800' DA the car ran 101.95 127.56 on a soft 1.84 launch.

At 825' DA the car ran 103.48 128.82 on a bogged 1.80 launch.

At 825' DA the car ran 101.52 128.58 on a bogged 1.80 launch

At 700' DA the car ran 102.49 127.94 on decent 1.78 launch

at -850 DA the car ran 102.61 129.50 on a solid 1.67 launch

Driving quality, launch, traction, shift speed, shift points, then weather.

A perfectly driven pass at 1600' DA will give faster traps than a well-driven one at -800' DA.

This isn't the case for race cars on slicks with automatic trannies/converter etc. But nothing a C6Z does is automatic. It's all up to the driver and the techniques.

Ranger

WayneCar

Thanks Ranger. I agree that DA is only one factor, but it
is great to see a well driven stock Z06 can hit nearly 129
mph on a fairly typical day. Actually, its close to amazing.
Congrats again,
Wayne

JenkinsComp

Ranger, that's simply amazing, you're the new Zora!



People over this side of the pond are stunned with the time you've run. Well done mate!

Ranger

Chris, happy to provide a point of reference for making the Z06 case. But you seem to do well at that yourself putting on displays at the drag strip, opening the eyes of those normally focused exclusively on continental offerings. Good luck with your Z06.

Ranger

TexasRedLT4

Just wanted to add my congratulations to this thread and thanks for all your comments and tips. Always enjoy reading your postings!