CMMUSAF

I'm a newbie to the site although I like some of the information that I have briefly skimmed through.
I have a 01 Camaro SS with 16600 on the clock and a basic lid mod done otherwise all stock. I live in St. Louis, MO. The first time I took it to the track, my best results are as follows:

Weight in lbs: 3560 (stereo equip is heavy lol)
60 Foot: 2.198
1/8 Mile ET:9.398
1/8 Mile MPH: 78.85
1/4 Mile ET: 14.276
1/4 Mile MPH: 100.77
At Montgomery Motorsports Park on a summer night

I was pretty disappointed with my times as I lost to my buddies STI... of course I smoked the **** out of my tires and I wonder if their to blame? (I have Potenza's). Needless to say I want to get to low 13's and maybe inside of the 12's... where this car should be. I know there's no quick fix but what would you recommend? (beside taking out my stereo system... that's here to stay lol). Any recommendations or suggestions would be valued... specifically any places to have a true dual cat back system put on as a starting point as I am a rookie and don't want to fork it up! And yes this is my first true muscle car... nothing else counts!

camaroextra

iTrader: (10)

dont be dissapointed there are many reasons this could be

change your spark plugs.

answer these questions so we can help you better. . .
-how are you launching?
-what rpm do you let you clutch out at, how much were you spinning off of the line?
-what rpm are you shifting at?
-what was your tire pressure ?(you would be suprised at how much that matters for the front and rear tires, make sure your fronts are pretty full, and dont drop your rear pressure too much or the drag will defeat the launch)

CMMUSAF

Yeah I never thought to check the plugs... when I got it I had an extended waranty (back in Aug 04) put on her through 07 and the only thing they said they could find wrong was a lil break wear... lol but the plugs may have gotten grimmy since.
My launch that I experimented with ended up being rev to about 2/2.5 grand and let her rip out of first up to just over 5 where I would shift for each gear. Of course my best run was where I had mitigated the tire spins between shifts... maybe this was a slimy track? The tire pressure I had most success with on the day was (this was awhile back so a guess here) like 10 psi lower in back 5 lower in front.

00firebird

iTrader: (3)

i wouldnt lower the tire pressure on street tires. i did that and just got horrible results. leave them in the 30's

camaroextra

iTrader: (10)

i agree it creates too much drag. especially never lower them in teh front it will only negatively effect everything, your handling too. my car is automatic so im gona let some t-56 guys answer your rpm's at launch deal, but try and shift at 5500 rpm, i think the rev limiter is at 6 grand, the closer you can get to that withouth bouncing off of it the faster you will go.

also find some place where you wont get in trouble and just practice launching

CMMUSAF

Do you think the extra weight is affecting it that much? How much over stock am I (weight listed in my first post)?

camaroextra

iTrader: (10)

not much over stock with an adult driver. there are a few thigns you can take out, but most of it is in the back (backseat, spare tire) and those help your stock tires grip, the best way to lose weight is from the front, your car will transfer weight better and hook up.

EchoMirage

iTrader: (3)

Lowering air pressure only works with slicks, or drag radials. You should not lower pressure in regular street tires, no matter what anyone says. Fast and easy bolt ons that will free up HP are the lid, K&N, bellows, MAF, and the ram air/cold air intake kits, all available from SLP. As far as 'true' dual exhausts, many veterans on this site claim the only benefit to true dual is the sound, and not a huge differance in that. The cars already have 2 cats, stock. A good exhaust system will work fine, like the SLP loudmouth, with new Y-pipe. Just the intake and exhaust work will produce noticable changes in your 1/4 and street driving. Not to mention sounding great. They're all very easy to do, for any beginner with average tools and some common know-how. The BEST way to lower your ET is simply practice, practice, practice. With sticks, 90% of a good run is the launch and shift techniques. I'm sure with practice and no other modifcations whatsoever, you'll be deep into the 13s.

Super Speed

iTrader: (8)

It seems to me you need some good tires, I recommend a good drag radial then you'll see your car really shine!

'Trust'

iTrader: (24)

I dont think its your weight, your mph is low for the car, but you need to shift closer to redline than 5k, i've talked to many people who turn 14's their first time at the track, and by the end of the day they are closer to the right times. Seems you may just need some more time behind the wheel. Unless your tires are bald you should still run better than 14.xx, there isnt much differnce in street radials as far as traction, so i say keep practicing, and if your really concerned, get it dyno'd and make sure its putting out the right power.

RedRocketZ28

iTrader: (19)

Something is either wrong with your car or you just need more practice. Like stated above you probably need to hold each gear longer. My bone stock LT1 ran a 14.1 @ 100 mph with a worse 60' than yours and there is no way your car should be running those times. Good luck and I hope it's in your driving and not your car, haha. Practice!

KFK

iTrader: (9)

My .02. From my expirience .1 sec on your 60' is usually .2 on your 1/4 time. With a little practice on your driving a 1.9-1.8 60' should be no problem without changing any parts. If you took your 2.2 down to a 1.8 60' and still shifted the same that would give you a 13.2-13.3 which is right on the money. I have seen alot of people be too agressive on their launch and actually go faster coming out of the hole softer.

CMMUSAF

What would you recommend I launch at etc? How long should I run er before I shifting? 5500? Is letting out some air in back worth it?

KFK

iTrader: (9)

It is always best to stay consistant as possible for testing purposes. Shifting: I think this is to be determined later, keep shifting the same until your 60' improves. Tires: On street tires I run the lowest PSI that gives a constant contact patch. If your air pressure is too low your rubber marks will not be even all the way across. It will look like your sidewalls are leaving marks. (exagerated) As far as your launch don't do a big burnout on street tires they will only get greasy and loose traction. Just turns them over enough to clean-up, usually not much smoke. Then just practice. You want no tire spin but you want to try not to bog the engine. Probably don't pop the clutch at the line .

Swang

iTrader: (3)

peak power on an LS1 is 5500-5600 rpms, so you should not be shifting until then. i thought your launch rpm was a little high. but then again, i dont have a track to go to so its all street. i usually go about 22-23 hundred and feather the clutch out.and stick my foot into it. and as stated, practice is what will do it for you. dont lower your air pressure until you get slicks.

andypdbz

iTrader: (1)

hmm, i usually launch at 2500 at the track, but i dont shift till 6K
not sure if this is bad, but i get good times...

BlueSix

Shift the car at 6K, your problems will go away.

catfSSh

iTrader: (1)

driver mod as people call it, just practice.

GTObsessor

iTrader: (2)

yep. also, I wouldn't reccomend the SLP Bellows - they've been proven to not be worth the money and mainly appearance (if you want the look, look up the home depot solution - same thing just a little fabbing your part). Also, I wouldn't go with SLP Loudmouth if you're gonna go with headers ever. True Duals do have their disadvantages, especially if you're lowered or going to lower your car but bang for the buck in terms of performance, if you get the right price, it can not only sound better but perform better than a very efficient y-pipe setup. Even myself with the options i was looking at (LT's, TSP catted Y, magnaflow/hooker catback) - i was looking at only about a $200 differance with the low-end stuff to get True Duals that would support anything I'd wanna do to my car later). This all depends on what you plan to do with the car later - if you're gonna keep it stock, Loudmouth sounds good.

As for driving, it's all in the launch - PRACTICE - A LOT!. When shifting, I shift at 6k every time and try to shift as fast as possible without screwing something up - this will take a little experiance and plz don't powershift and blow ur tranny... one mistake and it's over. Sticks at the strip require a lot of practice and fine-tuning on the driver's end but they're fun as hell on the street . Good luck.

SlowBlueFormula

Damn. Now I don't feel as bad.