Advice on shaving a half second off my current ET's
12-03-2011, 07:43 PM
#1
Advice on shaving a half second off my current ET's I have a personal goal of running 10.99 with my car with it's current engine and trans setup assuming perfect track conditions. Right now the car runs consistent 11.50's at 118mph with 1.57-1.59 60's in a DA of +1500 to +2000. Raceweight is about 3400#. I have some thoughts of what I can do but I would appreciate some input or advice. BTW my car is a street/strip car that I race only occasionally and I don't want to gut it or go too crazy with it but I'm willing to change a few things on track day that could be easily reversed afterwards. Mods are in my sig.
My thoughts:
1. I want to replace my 10-bolt with a 12-bolt before it breaks. So I'd be going from a 3.73 geared 10-bolt to a 12-bolt with probably 4.11 gears. (With 26" tall tires I cross the traps just under 6000rpm now with 3.73's when I'm making peak power at 6250rpm so that is not ideal. The 4.11's should have me hitting ~6500rpm's with the same tires).
2. Pull the serpentine belt for a pass or two
3. Install 275# front springs in place of my current 300# springs.
4. Install lightweight k-member and drag racing oil pan while I'm at it.
5. Buy lightweight drag wheels and tires (Was running heavy Summit knock-off drag wheels previously along with heavy 8-ply M/T Sportsmans up front)
6. Run my motorcycle battery up front at the track only or move stock battery to trunk.
7. Running in a much lower DA.
On a perfect winter day at Atco, NJ (we're talking -2000 to a -1000 DA vs. the +1500 to +2000 DA I've been running in) do you think this get me anywhere close to my goal? I know it won't be easy given my restrictions but any advice/input/constructive criticism is appreciated, thanks!
My thoughts:
1. I want to replace my 10-bolt with a 12-bolt before it breaks. So I'd be going from a 3.73 geared 10-bolt to a 12-bolt with probably 4.11 gears. (With 26" tall tires I cross the traps just under 6000rpm now with 3.73's when I'm making peak power at 6250rpm so that is not ideal. The 4.11's should have me hitting ~6500rpm's with the same tires).
2. Pull the serpentine belt for a pass or two
3. Install 275# front springs in place of my current 300# springs.
4. Install lightweight k-member and drag racing oil pan while I'm at it.
5. Buy lightweight drag wheels and tires (Was running heavy Summit knock-off drag wheels previously along with heavy 8-ply M/T Sportsmans up front)
6. Run my motorcycle battery up front at the track only or move stock battery to trunk.
7. Running in a much lower DA.
On a perfect winter day at Atco, NJ (we're talking -2000 to a -1000 DA vs. the +1500 to +2000 DA I've been running in) do you think this get me anywhere close to my goal? I know it won't be easy given my restrictions but any advice/input/constructive criticism is appreciated, thanks!
12-07-2011, 01:53 PM
#6
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It's going to be tough to pick up 5ths. The weight reduction will help. Getting the car to launch better say a low 1.4 will net you maybe 2ths off your total time. Locking the vertor will help maybe .25-.5 of a tenth and gain some mph. Still looking at 2.5 ths. If you can hook in the better air you should be real close. I would stay with the drag radials if they hook. What else is done to the suspension. Shocks all the way around, relocation brackets, t arm etc. would help. Be carefull with the steep gearing and the 60e . 4.11's make 1st real short might run out of gear on the top end.
12-10-2011, 07:05 PM
#7
Some good tips so far, thanks.
The car is an auto so I think I want to stick to a 12-bolt. My 10-bolt hasn't skipped a beat in over 4 years of racing so I think a 12-bolt will be more than enough especially with only 400rwhp.
That's the plan, I may try a switch to Hoosier DR's as I've heard they may be a little stickier than the Mickeys.
As far as suspension I have drag shocks all around, lowering springs out back, 300# street/strip springs up front, non-adj. torque arm, lca's, lca brackets, adj. panhard and subframes. I think I could improve my suspension some with a rear anti-roll bar, adj. torque arm and maybe different front and rear springs?
I will have to figure out my converter slippage b/c the 4.11's could very well be a little much. Maybe 3.90's would be a better fit, I will have to look into that definitely.
Cutting a full tenth or so off my 60' seems like a real challenge but I really want to do whatever it takes to get it there.
The car is an auto so I think I want to stick to a 12-bolt. My 10-bolt hasn't skipped a beat in over 4 years of racing so I think a 12-bolt will be more than enough especially with only 400rwhp.
It's going to be tough to pick up 5ths. The weight reduction will help. Getting the car to launch better say a low 1.4 will net you maybe 2ths off your total time. Locking the vertor will help maybe .25-.5 of a tenth and gain some mph. Still looking at 2.5 ths. If you can hook in the better air you should be real close. I would stay with the drag radials if they hook. What else is done to the suspension. Shocks all the way around, relocation brackets, t arm etc. would help. Be carefull with the steep gearing and the 60e . 4.11's make 1st real short might run out of gear on the top end.
As far as suspension I have drag shocks all around, lowering springs out back, 300# street/strip springs up front, non-adj. torque arm, lca's, lca brackets, adj. panhard and subframes. I think I could improve my suspension some with a rear anti-roll bar, adj. torque arm and maybe different front and rear springs?
I will have to figure out my converter slippage b/c the 4.11's could very well be a little much. Maybe 3.90's would be a better fit, I will have to look into that definitely.
Cutting a full tenth or so off my 60' seems like a real challenge but I really want to do whatever it takes to get it there.
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12-18-2011, 10:38 AM
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It sounds like your going in the right direction..... maybe consider some 28" tires for traction . The M/T 295-55-15 works very well ..... IMHO Your biggest improvement will be in the wheel weight and the DA difference . Keep in mind The 12 bolt will work fine for a auto car but if you see a T-brake in the future go with a 9" . the dana 60 is the strongest but very heavy .......
12-18-2011, 10:50 AM
#9
A good set of wheels and tires will be noticeable. If they are track only, then get Moroso DS-2's or similar. Do not drive those tires on the street as you'll only get 500-750 miles out of them. On a 3.5" rim the wheel/tire combo will weigh 20-22lbs shaving 45lbs right there. An oddysey pc680 will shed another 20lbs off of the nose. Ditch the air filter for the hero pass. There's tons of weight hidden in our cars. How light you want it to be is totally up to you. For 1 good track pass, yank the passenger seat, pass seat belts, e-brake handle, rear speakers, rear seats/belts, etc, etc. If you want to go further then take out the door bars (goodluck putting them back in, lol), bumper supports, passenger air bag. Swap out your stock steering wheel for a nice Grant one, and shed 10lbs right there. All of those things I just told you will be around 150-200lbs.
12-18-2011, 12:58 PM
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The door bars are a PITA ! But are time well spent on a track only car , if this is mostly a street car dont worry about them , you will know what i mean if you ever get T-boned ! anyway they are inside your doors for side impact crash and will net about 30lbs for the pair . you will have to cut them out with a saws all or a angle grinder of some sort......
12-18-2011, 01:43 PM
#12
The door bars are a PITA ! But are time well spent on a track only car , if this is mostly a street car dont worry about them , you will know what i mean if you ever get T-boned ! anyway they are inside your doors for side impact crash and will net about 30lbs for the pair . you will have to cut them out with a saws all or a angle grinder of some sort......
12-19-2011, 02:31 PM
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Some good tips so far, thanks.
The car is an auto so I think I want to stick to a 12-bolt. My 10-bolt hasn't skipped a beat in over 4 years of racing so I think a 12-bolt will be more than enough especially with only 400rwhp.
That's the plan, I may try a switch to Hoosier DR's as I've heard they may be a little stickier than the Mickeys.
As far as suspension I have drag shocks all around, lowering springs out back, 300# street/strip springs up front, non-adj. torque arm, lca's, lca brackets, adj. panhard and subframes. I think I could improve my suspension some with a rear anti-roll bar, adj. torque arm and maybe different front and rear springs?
I will have to figure out my converter slippage b/c the 4.11's could very well be a little much. Maybe 3.90's would be a better fit, I will have to look into that definitely.
Cutting a full tenth or so off my 60' seems like a real challenge but I really want to do whatever it takes to get it there.
The car is an auto so I think I want to stick to a 12-bolt. My 10-bolt hasn't skipped a beat in over 4 years of racing so I think a 12-bolt will be more than enough especially with only 400rwhp.
That's the plan, I may try a switch to Hoosier DR's as I've heard they may be a little stickier than the Mickeys.
As far as suspension I have drag shocks all around, lowering springs out back, 300# street/strip springs up front, non-adj. torque arm, lca's, lca brackets, adj. panhard and subframes. I think I could improve my suspension some with a rear anti-roll bar, adj. torque arm and maybe different front and rear springs?
I will have to figure out my converter slippage b/c the 4.11's could very well be a little much. Maybe 3.90's would be a better fit, I will have to look into that definitely.
Cutting a full tenth or so off my 60' seems like a real challenge but I really want to do whatever it takes to get it there.
The T arm and drag bar should help. You could run dual air bags instead of the bar they help some ( cheap.) The 300 lb springs are ok thats what Madman recommends for mostly stock weight cars. 12 bolt will be fine. 4.11's if your making power out in the 6600 rpm range if not 3.73's would be better.
The 4.11's are also tricky to launch with on drag radials. The drag wheels are expensive for the gain you'll get. Going with the light weight battery , and removing the seats are a no brainer
I just bought a pair of the NT05R's, 285-35-18 they seem to be on par if not softer then the MT's. It will be a couple of weeks before the tracks open back up to test them. We are looking to run with the 18's all they way around basically just pull in off the street and go. No unbolting this or changing that. Putting the street into True street.
Last edited by 1lejohn; 12-19-2011 at 02:38 PM.
12-20-2011, 09:40 PM
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Sorry about the mix up ( joelster ) , i figured these were the same as 3rd gens door bars . I have'nt had the doors apart on my 2000 Formula because its 80% street car , but have bad memories of cutting the bars out of my old race car ! Lol !
Last edited by Scooter76; 12-20-2011 at 09:52 PM.
