Mr.Slow

Coming back from a friends house, I was driving my buddies '03 lightning(intake only). He had been drinking so we decide I'll take us back. One thing leads to another and we meet up with a car group I usually check in on with my sti every few weeks. He is giddy to see how his lightning will compete. I talk to someone in a full bolt on(built tranny according to owner) '96 cobra. We give him a shot from 30. After three honks we take off. I jumped no more than a foot and by the time the lightning shifts the cobra is gaining. He continues to pull and by a bit over 100 he has about three cars and we shut down. We have a short dig race and it appears he might have messed up his launch so I won't count that.

A turbo 240sx appears and lines up. A short roll race turns in same results, with 240 just slightly ahead of the lightning. Now an early 90s clean, loud BMW coupe joins in. No idea what mods(no lie, we are on a big, empty road at 1 am). The three cars line up, me behind the cobra and they get ready to launch. The light turns green, I am staying far enough behind and let off not to catch the cobras bumper. The 240 blows the launch and the BMW hangs in there. By 80, I'm well past the 240 and have at least three cars on the BMW. The cobra pulled away and we all split up.

So, my friends only plans are pulley and tune. It's not too shabby for a truck and I can't wait to give it a run in the sti.

Mr.Slow

We also have a makeshift 1/4 mile in a back road closed off with a dEad end to the back of the car running. It's very safe with grass on either side and close to a half mile to stop with no way in.

It gives consistant times, is a tad down hill, and probably not track like conditions. But whenever we run, it's safe fun and whatever time we are getting, we tend to continue to get it. so it's a reasonable way to guage improvements from launching technique and performance modifications.

We go there with two new camaros. One is an ls3, the other is the auto version with that different engine. Also a bolt on mazdaspeed 6 and civic si follow.

I stall the stock converter a bit, on the third flash, I let into it. Minor wheelspin easily managed by letting off the throttle. as it hooks, I mash it. Out of three runs, I catch consistant 13.7(13.75 best). Sadly, our ls3 owner cannot launch and doesn't get the tires
hot before the run. He pulls a sad best of 13.9... The auto manages to ruin every launch too and runs the same. The si is on target with low 15s and the mazdaspeed ran high 14s...

toslow5o

iTrader: (4)

nice kills/deaths!

Sounds like an exciting night. I rarely encounter opportunities like this anymore

2SSARME

2010 SS are a bitch to launch. The stock pirellis like being warm, but since they cost a fortune to replace, burning them up is usually not on owners minds.

Mr.Slow

Not to mention these 1/4 runs are not track conditions and I've been launching a4s for years now. I can get the t/a to hit 12.8 shockingly with a set of 245s and a stock converter. Taking off from a dig there is nothing like a track... But Oahu has no track..

Thanks for the feedback.

AWDTBSS

Haven't seen many fast lightnings around here want to race one. Idk wat yr it was but there was a pulley, exhaust, and drs lightning at the track doing high 13s last Wednesday. Supriised I got him

Mr.Slow

Seems like a poor time. What's your elevation?

AWDTBSS

117 or something like that. Da was about 1796 to 1521 when I saw his times. Could of been an 99-01 they were a lot slower. But if anything shouldn't affect him much being boosted, hurt my times more.
Was about 50% humidity tho

madden

iTrader: (2)

I seem to recall one of the magazines testing a 99-00 lightning at 13.6 at around 102mph. I remember it because I saw the article displayed with a truck in a musclecar museum in Gatlingburg, TN ( I also remember it because my bolton LT1 formula only ran 13.8s ) It stuck with me because I saw it there in 2001 and was thinking that it was kind of strange to have a brand new truck already in a museum. I guess it was an instant classic

Trucks have come a long way since the 99 lightning (for example: 5.7 tundras, the latest 5.7 hemi ram, and the 6.2 LS trucks and the duramax) .... I still think the lightnings are way cool. I remember going to a local Fbody club meeting in Monroe, Louisiana around the year 2000 and saw a lightning there..... the LS1 Fbody owners had a lot of respect for this Lightning that only had minor boltons and ran high 12s.

AWDTBSS

nope the 99-01 did low to mid 14s they had different gears than the ones after and less power. still quick for a pickup. the other ones did mid to high 13s stock tho

Mr.Slow

Yeah, taller final drive ratio and less reliable. Think they made less power and had a more rough suspension.

madden

iTrader: (2)

I guess the 01 lightnings already had the 380 hp setup: http://www.fordlightning.com/

I'm certain that I didn't forget what I read and saw in 2001. At the time I had a 1994 LT1 formula with an Ed Wright tune, borla exhaust, moroso cai, and underdrive pulley, with stock 2.73 gears. My best pass with that setup was 13.8 and I read an article where a stock lightning ran quicker than my best pass. That's the kind of thing that you don't forget. Now I guess it could have been an 01 model or maybe an early 02 lightning but no newer than that. Either way, one of the rags tested a gen 2 before 2002 that ran better than my car did and it made me want to buy more mods for my ride And like I said before, with minor boltons even the 360 hp versions are 12 second rides:

http://www.musclemustangfastfords.co...ing/index.html


I'm a GM guy typically but lightnings are very cool and I think were the first electronic fuel injected supercharged v-8 offered in a regular production car/truck in the states. Kinda paved the way for the terminators, gt500s, and now the ZR1 and caddy for gm.

Even the 340 hp crew cab harley ran low 14s with more weight and less power:

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...ecs_price.html

AWDTBSS

ya they can be quick with mods, but those ones certainly werent. prolly not an aggressive pulley size and it was just catback no headers or anything. they are cool pickups for sure

ya u were right about the 01 having the more power, 99-00 i meant then. but heres some links
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...ing/index.html
http://www.insideline.com/ford/f-150...lightning.html
http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/reviews/rt1837a.shtml
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...ing/index.html
http://www.insideline.com/ford/f-150...lightning.html
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...t/specs_page_2

ScreaminRedZ

iTrader: (3)

Sounds like fun races!

I've always loved the Lightnings. My buddy had a nice dark shadow gray one that went 13.5 @ 100 all day long the one time he took it up to the drag strip. I wish he still had it as I think it would have been a sick run against my G8 from a dig (of course if he still had it then it probably wouldn't be stock anymore, )