First time at the track :)
05-31-2007, 08:30 PM
#1
First time at the track :) Warning: Long, rambling post 
I ran at the track for the first time ever last night at Lebanon Valley. I had the itch to go since I went to the rental day last Friday to watch other people run, so yesterday I decided to drop everything and duck out of work early to got to Wednesday night test and tune. I had a great time. I got there early, there were just a few cars waiting at the tech booth. We shot the **** for a while and checked out each other's cars. Met lots of cool people last night. Talked to one guy for a while that had an LS1 Z28 that he had recently picked up, he was still waiting for the lid he ordered to show up. He was running a cutout, sounded killer.
I knew I would be nervous when it came time for me to run, I kept telling myself over and over again to make sure the fans were on and the traction control was off because I was sure I would forget. So they wave me up, I did a quick burnout, eased up and lit the stage bulbs, brought the revs up a little, green light and we're off. I didn't try to launch super hard, didn't want to blow my first run. The car felt good, chirped second, nothing blew up. I got to the time slip booth, and the guy kindly reminded me to roll up my window next time. Oops. I did manage to forget that.
I look at the time slip fully prepared to see that I just sucked ***, but instead I see a 14.161 at 97.85 mph. I was thrilled with that, considering it was my first run EVER, on a hot afternoon no less. I got to make six passes last night, here are the numbers:
1st
14.161 at 97.85 mph w/ 2.208 60'
2nd
14.206 at 97.96 mph w/ 2.161 60'
Odd, the 60' and mph were better, but the et was higher.
3rd
14.448 at 97.02 mph w/ 2.253 60'
The car didn't feel as strong on this run, not sure why. I tried doing a bigger burnout on this run, but as you can see the 60' was worse, I think smaller burnouts are the way to go on my tires.
4th
14.236 at 97.79 mph w/ 2.23 60'
5th
14.102 at 98.52 mph w/ 2.182 60'
This was my best et. It was at 8:51 pm, obviously the cooler air was helping.
6th
14.178 at 98.99 mph w/ 2.374 60'
I spun on this launch. I wish I hadn't, the car was obviously coming to life as the temperature dropped. Even a 2.2 60' would have given me my best et. This is all with regular *** street tires.
Overall I was really happy with the results. Bottom line, the car is runnning strong and performing exactly as it should. I was afraid it would run mid 14's and leave me wondering where the gremlins were hiding. Gotta hand it to GM here, a ten year old car with fifteen year old engine design and 78,000 miles still runs like a champ. I also would be willing to bet stuff I learned right here on LS1tech gained me at least a tenth. Between a manual fan switch to keep the engine cool and the catch can and valve cover breather filter to keep oil out of the intake, the engine can do it's job without having to fight against excess heat and reduced octane.
Here's a breakdown of who I raced..
1st run: I was up against a red Chevy Monza sporting a giant hood scoop and a 396. Me and some other guys were drooling over this car in the staging lanes. The owner was a real cool guy, kind of a grizzled veteran with a really salty personality. We were joking about not wanting to line up with him. Somehow I drew that hand and got my *** handed to me with an 11.2 at 120.83. And he wasn't even spraying since he couldn't run slicks that night.
If you've seen this car at LVD, you know just how nasty it sounds. Awesome car.
2nd run: I lined up with a Nova that ran 12.909 at 106.37. I'm not sure what it had, didn't get a chance to check it out.
3rd run: This time it was a yellow Mustang GT. I thought I might get my first win of the night unitl I saw him purge the bottle.
Still, he needed a 75 shot to beat me! 
He ran 13.6 at 103.72.
4th run: A Fox body Mustang. Don't know what he had. Went 13.674 at 102.98.
5th run: I looked over and saw an Integra and thought "woohoo". I wasn't wrong. He went 16.245 at 86.26.
6th run: This was the most interesting. I was matched up with a WRX. This is a car I definitely want to know I can beat. When we launched, I reacted quicker but he pulled a 1.908 60', and the end result was that we were about even going down the track, almost like we had gone from a roll. We stayed neck and neck for what felt like forever. All the while I'm thinking "come on car, you can do this, come on...". Sure enough, just as we are nearing the finish line I start to pull him just a little. That was defintely the highlight of my night. It was like the car just reached down for a little something extra right at the end. Officialy I won by .01 seconds.
He actually had a better et than me at 13.95, but couldn't touch my trap speed with his 95.39. If I had pulled a really good 60' I might have beat his et too.
Sorry for the long *** post. Long story short I had fun getting my track cherry popped, and I'm happy to know my car is doing what it is supposed to. Next up: a good 60' on the last pass of the night and a 13.9xx
P.S.-For anyone who is curious, I had my GPS receiver with me last night and I checked the altitude at LVD. It read 612' above sea level. Anyone know how to determine how much altitude effects your times?
I ran at the track for the first time ever last night at Lebanon Valley. I had the itch to go since I went to the rental day last Friday to watch other people run, so yesterday I decided to drop everything and duck out of work early to got to Wednesday night test and tune. I had a great time. I got there early, there were just a few cars waiting at the tech booth. We shot the **** for a while and checked out each other's cars. Met lots of cool people last night. Talked to one guy for a while that had an LS1 Z28 that he had recently picked up, he was still waiting for the lid he ordered to show up. He was running a cutout, sounded killer.
I knew I would be nervous when it came time for me to run, I kept telling myself over and over again to make sure the fans were on and the traction control was off because I was sure I would forget. So they wave me up, I did a quick burnout, eased up and lit the stage bulbs, brought the revs up a little, green light and we're off. I didn't try to launch super hard, didn't want to blow my first run. The car felt good, chirped second, nothing blew up. I got to the time slip booth, and the guy kindly reminded me to roll up my window next time. Oops. I did manage to forget that.
I look at the time slip fully prepared to see that I just sucked ***, but instead I see a 14.161 at 97.85 mph. I was thrilled with that, considering it was my first run EVER, on a hot afternoon no less. I got to make six passes last night, here are the numbers:
1st
14.161 at 97.85 mph w/ 2.208 60'
2nd
14.206 at 97.96 mph w/ 2.161 60'
Odd, the 60' and mph were better, but the et was higher.
3rd
14.448 at 97.02 mph w/ 2.253 60'
The car didn't feel as strong on this run, not sure why. I tried doing a bigger burnout on this run, but as you can see the 60' was worse, I think smaller burnouts are the way to go on my tires.
4th
14.236 at 97.79 mph w/ 2.23 60'
5th
14.102 at 98.52 mph w/ 2.182 60'
This was my best et. It was at 8:51 pm, obviously the cooler air was helping.
6th
14.178 at 98.99 mph w/ 2.374 60'
I spun on this launch. I wish I hadn't, the car was obviously coming to life as the temperature dropped. Even a 2.2 60' would have given me my best et. This is all with regular *** street tires.
Overall I was really happy with the results. Bottom line, the car is runnning strong and performing exactly as it should. I was afraid it would run mid 14's and leave me wondering where the gremlins were hiding. Gotta hand it to GM here, a ten year old car with fifteen year old engine design and 78,000 miles still runs like a champ. I also would be willing to bet stuff I learned right here on LS1tech gained me at least a tenth. Between a manual fan switch to keep the engine cool and the catch can and valve cover breather filter to keep oil out of the intake, the engine can do it's job without having to fight against excess heat and reduced octane.
Here's a breakdown of who I raced..
1st run: I was up against a red Chevy Monza sporting a giant hood scoop and a 396. Me and some other guys were drooling over this car in the staging lanes. The owner was a real cool guy, kind of a grizzled veteran with a really salty personality. We were joking about not wanting to line up with him. Somehow I drew that hand and got my *** handed to me with an 11.2 at 120.83. And he wasn't even spraying since he couldn't run slicks that night.
If you've seen this car at LVD, you know just how nasty it sounds. Awesome car.2nd run: I lined up with a Nova that ran 12.909 at 106.37. I'm not sure what it had, didn't get a chance to check it out.
3rd run: This time it was a yellow Mustang GT. I thought I might get my first win of the night unitl I saw him purge the bottle.
Still, he needed a 75 shot to beat me! He ran 13.6 at 103.72.4th run: A Fox body Mustang. Don't know what he had. Went 13.674 at 102.98.
5th run: I looked over and saw an Integra and thought "woohoo". I wasn't wrong. He went 16.245 at 86.26.
6th run: This was the most interesting. I was matched up with a WRX. This is a car I definitely want to know I can beat. When we launched, I reacted quicker but he pulled a 1.908 60', and the end result was that we were about even going down the track, almost like we had gone from a roll. We stayed neck and neck for what felt like forever. All the while I'm thinking "come on car, you can do this, come on...". Sure enough, just as we are nearing the finish line I start to pull him just a little. That was defintely the highlight of my night. It was like the car just reached down for a little something extra right at the end. Officialy I won by .01 seconds.
He actually had a better et than me at 13.95, but couldn't touch my trap speed with his 95.39. If I had pulled a really good 60' I might have beat his et too.Sorry for the long *** post. Long story short I had fun getting my track cherry popped, and I'm happy to know my car is doing what it is supposed to. Next up: a good 60' on the last pass of the night and a 13.9xx
P.S.-For anyone who is curious, I had my GPS receiver with me last night and I checked the altitude at LVD. It read 612' above sea level. Anyone know how to determine how much altitude effects your times?
06-01-2007, 01:16 PM
#5
ya had fun, that is #1. Car sounds like it didn't let ya down, I knwo you weren't expecting times that good form it, anytime that happens, it always makes for a good day.
I'll bet a good set of tires is all it will take to get into the 13's without a problem... and knowing how stock the rest of the car is... there's lots to be gained from doing a little.
I'll bet a good set of tires is all it will take to get into the 13's without a problem... and knowing how stock the rest of the car is... there's lots to be gained from doing a little.
06-02-2007, 10:49 PM
#6
Awesome runs! Definitely get drag radials first. After that a full exhaust will do wonders for you.
I just bought a stock 1996 TA 'vert today that I'm gonna have to get to the track soon
I just bought a stock 1996 TA 'vert today that I'm gonna have to get to the track soon
06-03-2007, 12:20 PM
#7
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Those times are real decent. I had a '94 LT1 Formy and it ran crappy in this kind of weather but picked up a lot in the cooler weather. With a 2.0 short time in cooler weather you'll run a 13.8 @ 99-100....
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06-04-2007, 10:29 PM
#8
Thanks for all the comments guys. Nice to see a slow *** LT1 still gets a little respect around here. 
I think what I want to do next is try to get a 13.9 just as it is now, with a little practice launching and a cool night it should be do-able. I'm reluctant to try drag radials though, I don't think I want to put the stock tranny and rearend through the abuse of hard launches and break something. Obviously I should do SOMETHING with the exhaust, I'm debating whether I should go with a decent catback or a cutout. An electric cutout would be fun.
I was looking at the weather for Wednesday and it shows a high of 68 and a low of 45!
If the rain is gone by then (and it should be) I might have to head back for round two.
I think what I want to do next is try to get a 13.9 just as it is now, with a little practice launching and a cool night it should be do-able. I'm reluctant to try drag radials though, I don't think I want to put the stock tranny and rearend through the abuse of hard launches and break something. Obviously I should do SOMETHING with the exhaust, I'm debating whether I should go with a decent catback or a cutout. An electric cutout would be fun.I was looking at the weather for Wednesday and it shows a high of 68 and a low of 45!
If the rain is gone by then (and it should be) I might have to head back for round two. 
06-07-2007, 09:18 PM
#11
Went back last night and got my 13.9 
Three of them actually: 13.955, and two runs of 13.982 (what are the odds of that?) Traps speeds were higher too, on the 13.955 (first pass) I trapped 98.93, and it went up with each run, 99.1, 99.37, 99.4, 99.55.
Traction was hard to come by later in the night. I don't know what happened on my last run but I went 14.934 with a 2.663 60'.
It didn't FEEL that bad, and it still trapped 98.35. My best 60' times were around 2.16, same as before. I might have been able to trap even higher, but when I ran at 99.55 the track was already going down the tubes, and when it shifted into second the car started to go sideways! I had to let out for a split second to save it. It scared me at first, but then I was just pissed that it messed up my run. Ended up with a 14.301. Except for those last two, my worst et was 14.116.
My first three runs were all against a Lexus IS330. When I was looking at it in the staging lanes I saw the nitrous lines and thought I was gonna get spanked, but all he could do was mid 14's at about 95. Gotta love that American muscle.
I'm going to let the car have a break from the track for a while now; it did what I wanted it to do and I'm happy with the results. I also cleared some hurdles in the 1/8 mile: an et in the 8's and a trap of over 80 mph. I dont think it quite has enough to trap 100 in the 1/4, but if I want it to it wouldn't be difficult to get it there. I'm still amazed at what a ten year old, full weight, nearly stock LT1 can do. It may not be the cream of the crop, but it moves.
Sorry for my endless babbling, I'm still a track noob.
Three of them actually: 13.955, and two runs of 13.982 (what are the odds of that?) Traps speeds were higher too, on the 13.955 (first pass) I trapped 98.93, and it went up with each run, 99.1, 99.37, 99.4, 99.55.Traction was hard to come by later in the night. I don't know what happened on my last run but I went 14.934 with a 2.663 60'.
It didn't FEEL that bad, and it still trapped 98.35. My best 60' times were around 2.16, same as before. I might have been able to trap even higher, but when I ran at 99.55 the track was already going down the tubes, and when it shifted into second the car started to go sideways! I had to let out for a split second to save it. It scared me at first, but then I was just pissed that it messed up my run. Ended up with a 14.301. Except for those last two, my worst et was 14.116.My first three runs were all against a Lexus IS330. When I was looking at it in the staging lanes I saw the nitrous lines and thought I was gonna get spanked, but all he could do was mid 14's at about 95. Gotta love that American muscle.
I'm going to let the car have a break from the track for a while now; it did what I wanted it to do and I'm happy with the results. I also cleared some hurdles in the 1/8 mile: an et in the 8's and a trap of over 80 mph. I dont think it quite has enough to trap 100 in the 1/4, but if I want it to it wouldn't be difficult to get it there. I'm still amazed at what a ten year old, full weight, nearly stock LT1 can do. It may not be the cream of the crop, but it moves.
Sorry for my endless babbling, I'm still a track noob.