First, I must apologize, I know I promised to go to the track with just the coils to try them out, but my CF driveshaft arrived Friday night. When I pulled it out of the box, the ujoints were quite stiff. I was going to take it to the track and make passes with just the coils, then change the driveshaft and make more, but I didn't want to bolt on a new driveshaft with stiff joints and go blasting 120 mph down the track.

So I threw it on and went driving. After a while, I started to play, I noticed it was harder to spin the tires in first and impossible to get anymore than a chirp out of second. Right away, I thought I had lost power. And I am getting new noises inside the car, nothing bad, though.

To the track. My first run was an easy launch, the end result was 11.85 @ 118 mph. No increase in trapspeed whatsoever, but my first ever sub 1.8 60ft at 1.777. There was no second gear wheelspin at all which has been haunting me since the h/c swap. I also noticed, that when I let the clutch up in first, the tires didn't even bark, and, instead of bogging, the motor just pulled itself into it's rpm band and away I went.

I continued to launch a little harder each run, until I finally broke into 11.7s with an 11.78 @ 118 mph with a 1.752 60 ft.

The car ran 4 11.78s in a row with my best being 11.782 @ 118 with 1.770 60 ft and a bark in second gear.

I changed absolutely nothing else on my setup, still using Nittos on 17 psi just like always, heating them up for the same time. Before, I had to do everything just right to get below a 1.88 60 ft and I had to often backpedal a bit in second to keep off the rev limiter while I was spinning in second. My traps when I had to ease off were low 117s. launching with a 1.7 60 ft is now child's play, (though I am still easing it a bit, but that seemed to be the most the tires were going to hold) and having a motor that no longer goes into a huge hole if you fail to keep the rpms up is a big help as well. No more second gear wheelspin is awesome!

You could say that it was just a good track prep, but it behaves the same way on the street. Plus, good track prep isn't in my local track's vocabulary

I can't say horsepower increased, unless my ujoints are still stiff and holding me back. with the extra vibrations and noise I have been getting since the driveshaft install, I will be pulling it out and checking them.

Obviously, my better 60fts aren't due to the coils, though I had 2 runs where I let the rpms drop to a point where it would have bogged before, but didn't. I still managed 1.77 60fts.

Not sure how this driveshaft would have helped me hook, don't flame me, I am just stating facts.

Since I am now running 104 no-lead and these coils, I might gain some with a tune? Maybe Bob can find out for me

I am pleased, I don't know what part helped what, but, in an entire summer of racing, my average was 12.1 @ 118 mph and my previous best all summer way 11.91 @ 118 mph. My next best was 11.98 at 117.75 mph I am now averaging 2 tenths quicker than my previous bests.

 

ttt...

For those who are interested

 

Hi

I have been reading your postings with interest. I was excited when the MSD coils were first advertised. I have been waiting to get some input from the first users.

I have used capacative discharge ignition in the past (older V8 engines) and the benifits were less frequent plug changes, smoother revs, more torque and lower emissions. Untimatley these benifits may not be important to some, but it sounds like you are definately enjoying driving your car more now, with the coils. That is the main point I think.

JA

 

Thanks, I certainly am enjoying the car more now. And the fact that the car will now pull itself into it's rpm band instead of bogging, should show more tourque.

The motor does run better, even if it didn't increase my traps any.

The jury is still out on the driveshaft. It does vibrate a little, like it's not balanced properly, and the noise I get now is more like a rumble, like I have a bad bearing, in one of the ujoints maybe?

If I have to, I'll pull the ujoints out of the old driveshaft and see if these are better. Then race again next Saturday :-)

 

Hi

Good luck with the drive shaft.

JA

 

Hi

Further thoughts:
Make sure the front/rear pinion flanges align with each other.

Twist and/or move the ujoints up/down. There should be no movement at all. Make sure bolts/nuts are tight.

You can also try rotating the entire driveshaft 180 degrees.

If it is the driveshaft, the vibration will happen at different RPMs in different gears. If it happens at the same RPM in every gear, look elsewhere.

JA

 

Good points, I thought of rotating the driveshaft 180 degrees, I think I will also remove the preload spacer from the poly trans mount I have. This thing raised my transmission up so high, that my shifter is now lightly tapping on the console I've had the console pulled away from the shifter to stop this. The instructions said it was for preload, and not to install the mount without it, but having the tailshaft up so high might be part of this problem.

I don't think the balance is off, it the vibes will start at certain speeds, then get worse as I increase speed. What gear I'm in doesn't seem to matter. This vibe feels more like a bearing rumble and has actually gone away a couple of times while I was cruising. But as soon as I gave some throttle to increase speed, it came right back. Why can't anything just bolt up and work without a hassle

 

Man, your times are a droppin! Great mph too! You might want to ditch the nitto's and go with a set of M/T drag radials, as your times would probably drop even further.

Too many variables thrown together to say what is helping the most though. Cooler fall weather, MSD coils, carbon fiber driveshaft, more drag strip experience. The main thing though is that the car is getting faster, just have to get the vibration worked out. Bob

 

Actually, I ran my best trapspeeds in the heat of the day, it got to about 74! My traps were high 118s in the middle of the day in August, when it was in the 90s. When it cooled off later in the evening to 70s, I was low 118s, so if anything, my car loses power when it gets cooler.

I've run when it was in the 50s, my traps were no better. My car is wierd, everyone else gets faster, I stay the same. Makes for a good bracket car though.

And, yes, Bob, I will be getting either M/T ET streets or Hoosier Quick Time Pro DOTs, but it's too late for this year, will have to be in the spring.

 

Hi
Do a search on this forum and you will find alot of info
on using poly tranny mount without the spacer. That is the way almost everyone uses it.

Good Luck JA