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Vette drag racers inside

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Old 10-18-2003, 09:38 PM
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Default Vette drag racers inside

I'm a new Z06 owner and need to know how to launch these cars.I went to the track rental our local car club put together yesterday and had trouble 60 footing the car.I made a total of 14 passes and my 60's varied from a best of 2.08 to an ugly 2.23.The car is completely stock (450 miles) with a set of 315/35/17 nitto DR on the back.I was doing about a 6-8 second smoky burnout each pass.Launched at 2500rpm bogged,next pass 3200rpm slight bog hooked decent next pass 4000rpm dump spinning like crazy This IFS and DR racing is new to me,I could do a 6000rpm dump on ET Drags in my SS and cut mid-high 1.40's Any advice from you guys as far as parts or technique would be appreciated.On a positive note I hit every powershift cleanly and feel if I can get 1.8 short times very low 12's should be attainable.Best pass was 12.46@115.02.
Old 10-18-2003, 10:54 PM
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Default Re: Vette drag racers inside

I dont have any advice except that I know what you mean. I would think that having a little more gear in the Z06 would help. I'm putting in 4.10 gears in my coupe to see if it will make the spin more manageable.

I think the only option on drag radials or street tires is to let it spin a little without blowing the tires away for the whole 60'.

Eric
Old 10-20-2003, 12:21 PM
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Default Re: Vette drag racers inside

450 miles and you are drag racing it and doing smoky burnouts in it? That is a crime, remind me never to buy a car you own.
Old 10-20-2003, 06:35 PM
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Default Re: Vette drag racers inside

I wanted to get some baseline runs in.The car probably won't see the track again until H/C,longtubes and 4.10's.I like to break them in right.
Old 10-21-2003, 01:12 AM
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Default Re: Vette drag racers inside

Great thing about the 6 speed is you can get away with the 4.10's and not have to worry about highway driving! I guess the best advice i can offer is practice practice practice! If I am on street tires I have to pretty much box out of the hole. Thats why i just buy sticky tires. 4.10's and sticky tires... look out!
Old 10-21-2003, 04:29 AM
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Default Re: Vette drag racers inside

15 PSI.

Roll thru the water and pull up 1 foot from the edge of the water. (on the damp part of the concrete. 1st gear, rev to 6000, drop clutch, and gently rest your foot on the brake to stop rolling. Feather throttle to maintain 5000-6000 rpm. Look in the side mirror. Once you see smoke, count "1-Zora Duntov, 2-Zora Duntov, ... 10- Zora Duntov" then let go of the brake and ease out of the throttle. 10 FULL seconds. It's a long, long time. You are trying to get the tires hot and sticky. You should actually feel the car pulling down on the tires with your throttle pedal. You will have to apply more and more throttle to keep the rpm constant.

Stage quicky. Tires cool quickly. No "second chirp". Start out at 3500 rpm on a "so-so" track. You should be able to hear the rpm NOT SEE IT. Here's how you practice. Rev the engine to 3500, and listen. Close your eyes, let it go back down to idle, then try to repeat that music. Open your eyes and look. When you can hit 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, 3500, 4000, 4500, 5000, 5500, and 6000, you have become one with the engine grasshopper.

OK, getting back to the launch. Start at 3500 and fixate on the 3rd yellow. Try to turn it on by will power. There are no other lights on the tree. Just that one. The instant it lights, you are going to roll the throttle to the floor (Not stab it) and you are going to do the exact opposite with the clutch, just a bit slower. DO NOT drop it. Do NOT spend more than a fraction of a second without having the throttle to the floor. By 3 ft off the line, you will have the gas to the floor and by 10 ft, the clutch fully engaged. Unless the track is very sticky, dropping the clutch will bust the tires loose. You should not bog in the first 10 feet. If you do, raise the rpm by 500 and try again. If it spins, drop 500 and try again. Nittos will do better with a little bog than spinning.

IMO... I can cut a 2.1 on street tires on an unprep'd track at high altitude. Prepped is good to 1.9. I've run 1.8's on Nitto's (stock Camaro), and 1.6's on ET Streets.
Old 10-21-2003, 06:13 AM
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Default Re: Vette drag racers inside

McRat, you have way more experience than I do but I was under the impression that doing a burnout with regular street tires will cause them to get oily/greasy and not sticky???
Old 10-21-2003, 08:59 AM
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Default Re: Vette drag racers inside

He was talking about Drag Radials.

Buddy!
Old 10-21-2003, 09:54 AM
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Default Re: Vette drag racers inside

Mcrat after reading your essay it looks like feathering the clutch was the only thing I was'nt doing.I'm an experienced F-body racer,these cars are alot different to launch.
Old 10-21-2003, 04:25 PM
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Default Re: Vette drag racers inside

Butcher1 is the man, maybe Kevvie will post his techniques.

I think a 10 second burnout with drag radials is excessive, I'd do 6-7 seconds for the first pass, and then 5 seconds thereafter unless it's really cold out. I think generally a little wheelspin is preferable to a slight bog in a Z06.
Old 10-21-2003, 06:16 PM
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Default Re: Vette drag racers inside

He was talking about Drag Radials.

Buddy!
Yep, after re-reading, I saw that. J-rod could probably help here as well. He is one of the fastest in the almost stock category.
Old 10-21-2003, 07:37 PM
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Default Re: Vette drag racers inside

I'm checking on a set of 16x8.5 C-4 wheels for ET Streets tomorrow.I'm also going to due the zip-tie mod.If the C-4 wheels clear the rear knuckle I'm going to put some 26/11.5/16 ET Street on them and see what happens with a 6,000 rpm dump.With a high 1.7 60 I can get this car in the 11's.
Old 10-21-2003, 10:09 PM
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Default Re: Vette drag racers inside

Why bog the Nitto's? Because if you don't have them planted by 4500, they WILL spin violently into the limiter. Yes, in a perfect world bog slows you down, but not nearly as much as when you instantly bang the limiter 30 feet off the line.

While roasting the tires thru first and second is entertaining and a hella good fun, it does not make the runs much quicker.

Your mileage may vary, see your dealer for details, void in TX and NJ, does not include sales tax, this is a Prospectus and is not a offer to sell securities, professional driver shown on a closed course, do not attempt this yourself, condoms saves lives, and no refunds without a valid sales receipt.
Old 10-23-2003, 08:36 AM
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Default Re: Vette drag racers inside

I would definitely get away from the drag radials. They have such a harsh inital bite they making breaking output shafts very easy. Since I have invested in ET streets, I have not broken anything(knock on wood).
Phillip
Old 10-23-2003, 12:35 PM
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Default Re: Vette drag racers inside

Do those 16" C4 wheels fit with out having to grind anything?
Old 10-23-2003, 01:02 PM
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Default Re: Vette drag racers inside

Do those 16" C4 wheels fit with out having to grind anything?
No they don't fit without grinding.I got them to fit without rubbing but it took extensive grinding.The guy wanted way to much for them so I passed on the wheels.The 16 inch Firebird wheels requires much less material removal and since I already had ET Streets mounted on them they are currently on the car.I'm going to TNT tommorrow,hoping to improve on my times.
Old 10-23-2003, 01:10 PM
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Default Re: Vette drag racers inside

I've run pretty good with my car and here is what I would do:
I'll assume you're using stock size front tires , if that's the case DO NOT drive thru the waterbox! Drive around it and back into the front edge of the water. Put your car in second gear and dump the clutch at 3800-4000 rpm. Make sure your tires are wet when you try this. 2-3 seconds after the tires start smoking take your foot off of the brake and spin the tires for 10-12 feet , or as long as you want to still comfortably stop before the starting line. Roll the car into the pre-stage beam and stop. Wait for the other car to stage (if someone is in the other lane) then gently roll into the stage beam. Once the stage light comes on , push the clutch in just enough to stop the car from moving forward. Don't push it all the way to the floor. You will then need to slip the clutch just like McRat described. I would launch at about 4000 rpm with those tires , but I don't know how good your track is. You'll have to get a feel for it when at the track. I would also start at 18 psi in the tires and go from there. Don't go below 15 psi or you run the risk of spinning the rim inside the tire.
Old 10-24-2003, 10:27 AM
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I like J-Rod's method. ET Streets with slightly high air pressure, and a 6600 rpm dump. That Z06 of his launched like a ****, 1.6s I believe. Thats how he runs 11s bone stock.

Tony
Old 10-24-2003, 01:07 PM
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Default I have the solution

I can solve your problem. Trade with me. I have a 99 Camaro SS with a A4. I get 1.82 60' times. I will assume the pain of a 2+ 60' time for you
Old 10-24-2003, 10:02 PM
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A synopsis of my experience drag racing my Z06. Going from 12.716 to 11.933
Since the question comes up frequently in this forum, I thought I would post this. This is a compilation of my observations in running my car. From the first pass I ever made, up till I set my best pass to date of 11.933. If you have questions on what a Z is capable of, I hope that this will shed some light on what the car can do in anyone's (and I do mean anyone's) hands with a little bit of practice.

As soon as I can get my clutch issue squared way, I hope to get into the 11.80s now that the weather is turning cooler.

In just about any conditions a Z06 can run in the lows 12s with no sweat. In my first trip to the track I went a 12.7.


My car was dyno'd with 1100 mile son it at MTI it dyno'd 358 corrected HP. I have made 4 dyno pulls on the car two pulls on two separate occasions. The highest corrected number was 359 and the lowest was 357. So, my car isn't some factory ringer. It makes the same number everyone elses does.

Anyway, here is a logbook of my passes in my car. From the first to the fastest... You can also go back and search for my posts, as they are all in this forum...


Here is a copy of my first post on the car.

------
First Pass
I took my '02 Z06 to Houston Raceway Park to put some initial baseline passes last night. I picked it up Saturday, and had put 1100 miles on the car and made the first oil change, so I felt now was the time to go make the first shakedown pass. Due to oil downs and an emergency page from work I was only able to make one pass. But I was impressed.

The Z06 to me did not feel as fast as the clock showed when I picked up my timeslip. I think this is because the power comes on very smoothly and across more of the band than other small block cars I have driven. After just playing around on the street I figured the car to be a 12.90/107-108 ride bone stock, just by the seat of the pants feel.

I had driven a 98 Z28 with 400 miles on it (back in 98) and it went 13.09/107 bone stock. I was impressed then by the way the LS1 revved. The Z06 felt faster, but I wasn't sure how much. I went conservative on the first pass and left at 1100-1200 rpm since I didn't know how the car was going to hook on the stock radials.

I was racing a 2000 6speed TransAm on gas. My car bogged coming out of the hole since I left so easy, and the TransAM totally killed me. He missed third gear, and I was able to make up some ground, and he ended up beating me by about 2 car lengths.

When I picked up my timeslip I was fairly amazed. While it is obvious that there is a lot of room for improvement, as evidenced by some of ya'lls times, I felt alot better about the purchase of the Z after this.

3/OCT/2001

60' ... 2.159
330 ... 5.610
1/8 ... 8.355
MPH ... 90.69
1000 ... 10.716
1/4 ... 12.716
MPH ... 111.41

Just in looking at the 60' times. I feel confident that I can get the car to a 1.8 - 1.9 60' time. Which would indicate to me that the car should go 12.20-12.30 bone stock. I am sure that there is some more time once I get a better feel for the shift points. The car seems to pull all the way to the rev limiter. I found last night playing around on the street that it was real easy to bump into the rev limiter.

All in all though, I am fairly pleased with what I have seen so far.


10-04-2001 09:54 PM

----------------------------

Here is my second trip to the track about a week later. It was hot outside, but I am also still getting a feel for the car.


----------------------------

Drag Racing part Deux
I was tempted to drive to SA and watch the Viper vs. Vette show, but instead decided to go to HRP and flog my '02 and do some much needed testing.

I managed to get in 5 passes in 2 hours. The car at this point is bone stock down to the stock paper air filter. I had intended to have a light load of fuel, but instead ended up having a full tank of gas.

My first pass was at around 7pm and the last was at 9:15. Temperatures ranged from 82 down to 78 and the humidity was high +90% (In short, the air sucked). I really was more concerend with working on my 60' times rather than quarter mile times, as I knew the car would probably drop off from the last time I ran it. I also intended to play with shift points, etc... and see what did and didn't work.

My first pass ever in the car a few weeks ago was leaving just off idle and resulted in a 2.15 60' time and a 12.77@111 the air was cooler and the humidity was lower, hence the higher trap speed.

Best pass last night was a 2.041 60' time 12.667@110

Most everyone I talked with complained about the air quality, and how slow their cars were running. I raced a supercharged 93 mustang who beat me by two car lengths. He went an 11.88 @114 and complained because his trap speeds are sometimes as high as 121. I think he was ready to burn his car. He pulled me over and asked what my time was. I think he was mad because our race was so close, and he didn't pull on me on the big end. The he spotted the badges on the side of the car and went "OH, so thats a Z06, not just a regular 'vette" then he didn't feel so bad and put the can of gasoline and the ligher away and went to go get back int he staging lanes. I was playing with shift points on that pass and only went a 12.95 @110. Since he only beat me by 2 car lengths, I can only imagine how he would have felt on the next pass when the car went a 12.667 which would have put me one length in front of him. (I hate seeing mustang owners cry....)

Anyhow, a couple of observations. I am still working on getting a feel for the clutch. Best results so far have been to leave around 2000 rpm, slip the clutch and roll into the throttle. I am easing into the clutch too fast at this point and bogging the car on the leave slightly. I feel if I can control the release better, I can drop the 60' times significantly.

Leaving between 2500 and 3000 on the stock radials tends to lead to too much wheelspin for me.

If you are going to run your car at the drags shut off Active handling completely. I had mine in Performance mode. While doing my burnout the car moved a little sideways and the active handling kicked in ( I guess it thought I was in a slide) and shut down my burnout.

I played with the shift points and this is what I was able to determine.

Hitting the rev limiter at all seems cost about .1 seconds in a pass. So if you hit the limiter at all figure it costs you about this much. If you hit it in both the 1-2 and the 2-3 figure .2

Short shifting the car is quite detrimental to quater mile times. I played with a couple of different shift points and found that it seems to run best if you stretch them out right to the limit, but not past.

Third gear seems to be the killer. The car really seems to pull best in this gear. On one pass I short shifted third gear to fourth at about 5000. The car dropped to 13.33@108. I tried 5500 and the car went a 12.95@110. So, my advice in this department is to watch the tach in 3rd gear. The car seems to hang a bit at the top of 3rd, but hold 3rd as long as you can it is woth some E.T. I went all the way to 6000 on the 3-4 and the car went a 12.667@110.

I ran these passes with minimal cooldown and in bad weather to see how it should fare on the street. It appears to me that currently the only real problem in the car so far is with its drivers inability to 60'. So, I think I am going to borrow at set of 16" E.T. Streets for the next go around and see what the car can do if traction is not an issue.

10-22-2001 07:38 PM

----------------------------------

Here is my third trip to the track with the car. It ook around 10 passes at the strip to get the lanches figured out.

----------------------------------

12.350 @ 114 - Bone stock
I went out to HRP Friday night and made 4 passes on the car. As per the advice of Ranger and some of the other folks I dropped the air pressure in the rears to 22.

My first pass was right off the street with no cooldown. 2.20 60' with a 12.88@111

I used the heater to bring down the motor temp (it goes right down to 190).

Next pass I brought the revs up more, and worked on slipping the clutch a little more. 1.97 60' 12.41 @ 112

Next pass I cooled the car again to 190 went up to around 2800-3000 and bogged it slightly coming out off the hole ( still working on the release) the car went a 1.92 60' 12.35 @ 114

Last pass I blew the release and ended up with a 12.88 @ 111

I was impressed however that there is 3-4 mph on the big end depending on the launch. I am interested to see how a lower 60' time helps the cars mph.

Anyhow, thanks to Ranger and everyone else who is posting hints here. My quest is to get it into the 11s with no mods. I may try it first on some drag radials, just to see if it can be done, and then work on doing it on the stock radials.

Anyhow, take care.


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