Runnin' the 1/4 mile...

[Robotech]

Every month my Pontiac club attends Pontiac Drag Days held, up until now, in Palmdale, CA at the Los Angeles County Raceway (LACR). LACR is at 2,700 feet altitude. For those that don't know what this means simply put the higher the altitude the slower you go. Thus, for a run at LACR factor that an identical run at sea level is about .5 seconds faster.

Now normally I run my Grand Prix but it's been down with a bad head gasket so I went up to support the boys with the Sky. I figure if I'm going to be there, might as well send the Sky down the 1/4 mile too and see what it will do. I was betting that she'd run the quarter at about 80 mph and mid 16s.

The weather was nice and early on we had a bit of a tail wind. Track was well preped too since the big boys were there and you could actually see the rubber they were laying down smolder on the track. Mmmmm...love the smell of burning rubber and burt race gas early in the morning!

So off for my first run. I avoid the water box since I'm running streets and just do a little dry hop to get the crud from the pits off the tires. When I stage I bring the revs up to about 3,000 rpm and when the tree drops I slip out the clutch...

...and the car booooooooooooooooooooooooooooggggggggggggs. I crawl away from the line and just afte the 60' mark she finally realized I'm wanting to GO GO GO!

1st pass:
Reaction Time (RT): .069 (.000 is perfect)
60' Elapsed Time (ET): 2.643 (lower is better...this is a horrible 60' time)
1/8th mile ET: 10.855
1/8th mile trap: 65.668
1/4 mile ET: 16.770
1/4 mile Trap: 82.578

Well, I was right about where I'd be trapping but not the ET. It was a little low but the way the car launched I knew there was a LOT of room for improvement. Usually for every .1 you lower your 60' you lower your 1/4 mile ET by .2.

Next run I was working on just figuring out how to launch the car. I did everything the same but this time I raised the RPMs up much higher...over 5,000...and slipped the clutch out during the launch. The launch was better but still felt VERY sluggish.

2nd Run:
RT: .191
60': 2.515 (better...but still bad)
100' ET: 6.991 (including this for a reason)
1/8th ET: 10.654
1/8th Trap: 66.138
1000' ET: 13.757
1/4 ET: 16.553
1/4 Trap: 82.887

Like I said, this was pretty predictable when you look at the 60' vs the 1/4 mile time. .1 better in the 60', .2 better in the 1/4. But I felt I could get the launch down better.

I got to hot lap this time. Hot lapping means when you return from your run you go right back to the stagging lanes and go again almost immediately. It was a busy day so I was surprised I got to do this.

3rd. Run:
RT: .252 (again, focusing on the launch...)
60': 2.414 (a .1 better!)
100': 6.950
1/8 ET: 10.635
1/8 Trap: 65.770
1000': 13.757
1/4 ET: 16.568
1/4 Trap: 82.438

HUH? What happened to my .1 = .2???? I compair runs 2 and 3. Everything is faster...until 1,000 foot mark....they're identical! I actually ran slightly slower the third run even though my 60' was better. The only thing I can think of is either I lost a tail wind, picked up a head wind, or the car was getting hot because I hotlapped it and was loosing top end. These two runs really left me scratching my head because with the 50 or so slips I have sitting here at my desk this is the first time I've ever seen this. So I decide to do one more run for the day. Car has cooled back off so I'm hoping for somthing good. This time on the launch I rev the car way up to 6,000 rpms and will slip the clutch out to try and keep them there.

4th run:
RT: .329 (By this time I really could care less about this...)
60': 2.429 (not the best but close...still sluggish)
100': 6.944
1/8 ET: 10.616
1/8 Trap: 65.875
1,000': 13.724
1/4 ET: 16.540
1/4 Trap: 82.096

Quickest time but slowest trap of the day...which usually is the case when you're dealing with improving your 60' times but this still seemed odd since the time was still not signifigantly better than the run with the 2.5 60'. This SHOULD have been a 16.3 run or so but I'm guessing I had either lost a tail wind or picked up a headwind...I can't explain it any other way...but whatever the case I was really falling off in the back half. Could have been my shifts but they all felt about the same...and all were pretty quick.

So there you have it. Some 1/4 mile times from the track. On run three it was pretty bad...the car I was racing went 10.313! To give you a reference...he was starting to turn off the track at the last exit (there are three) when I was crossing the finish line...yea...it was bad. The cars on runs 1 and 2 ran 13.5 and 13.8 respectively...times the Grand Prix would have destroyed. The closest race was run 4. It was a Civic but he had done an engine swap. He ran 15.816. I got a jump at the line (His RT was .556...) but he caught me and outran me at every other mark. I was okay with that considering I just had the intake and exhuast to his engine swap.

[Ernest]

Good input, never having ran Serenity at the strip I was interested in N/A times, thanks It is a good comparision to my times with the R/L Hey Robotech, did you check my times on another thread? Good drivin' Bud!!!!!

[KimberlySky]

Sinister says she is going to leave the track stuff to her sister! Lol

[Robotech]

Her sister got a mud facial this afternoon...looks like it's off to the showers with KimSky tonight...at least to get the mud off...uhg...hate rain.

But that's fine, Elsie...KimSky's step-sister...is more the track girl anyway...

[Valistener]

So the R/L is a low 14 second car and the base is a 16.5 second car. Amazing what a little boost can do for you, despite 20% less displacement.

[Texas Red Line]

I used to run the quarter in 49 sec.

[Robotech]

Originally Posted by Valistener

So the R/L is a low 14 second car and the base is a 16.5 second car. Amazing what a little boost can do for you, despite 20% less displacement.

Note the track elevation. I'd say the base Sky is more a very low 16 second to very high 15 second car at a sea level track. With a better launch it is definately a high 15 second car at sea level.

To give you some idea of the difference elevation makes, the Grand Prix went 13.67 at the track I raced my Sky at. It's 60' time was 2.0987. I then took it with the exact same set up to Firebird in Pheonix, AZ which is about 1200 feet lower in elevation. There, with a 2.0984 60' (basically an identical 60') under identical conditions it went 13.413...a quarter second improvment just on elevation alone...and I was still at 1500 feet.

[XplosivePlushToy]

Originally Posted by Valistener

So the R/L is a low 14 second car and the base is a 16.5 second car. Amazing what a little boost can do for you, despite 20% less displacement.

Kappa turbos are capable of 13's...

My personal best was a 13.85 at 97.85 MPH, but changing shift points should be able to knock 2/10ths off that.

[compression]

How come the solstice runs 15.2-15.5 ? and the sky's run 16's ?

[Antonio]

Originally Posted by XplosivePlushToy

Kappa turbos are capable of 13's...

My personal best was a 13.85 at 97.85 MPH, but changing shift points should be able to knock 2/10ths off that.

Are you stock or modified? And could you clue is in your shift points and launch method.......thanks

[XplosivePlushToy]

I drive a stock GXP. I have about 4200 miles on it.

The hardest part of the launch is not tapping the rev limiter in 1st. That gear might as well not exist haha.

Anyway, I launch at 21-2200 RPMs with T/C off, and I've been just shifting right before redline.

I'm going to go back to the track and try shifting at 5500 to stay in the powerband a little more. I'll report back with that a week or so from now. Id like to try it before the 3" goes on.

[XplosivePlushToy]

Oh, and I have about 10 time slips ranging from 13.85 to 14.2 to prove it...if I ever get around to scanning them

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by XplosivePlushToy

Oh, and I have about 10 time slips ranging from 13.85 to 14.2 to prove it...if I ever get around to scanning them

I have timing slips to prove almost identical times with an Automatic

[XplosivePlushToy]

But you have the magnaflow

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by XplosivePlushToy

But you have the magnaflow

Your right, but I was running 14.07's stock, without any tweaking or tire pressure changes. I could have tweaked my stock R/L into the 13's I just raced as is. I have to say you ran great, would love to come up against you sometime at the strip, could be very interesting

[XplosivePlushToy]

Probably. I was SHOCKED when I ran a 13.85, because my previous run 2 weeks before was a 14.9 (with T/C on).

Nevertheless, these are some fast cars

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by XplosivePlushToy

Probably. I was SHOCKED when I ran a 13.85, because my previous run 2 weeks before was a 14.9 (with T/C on).

Nevertheless, these are some fast cars

Very good runs, Congrat's

[XplosivePlushToy]

Thanks. Good luck with that 3" Magnaflow (insert grumbling about Sky's always getting it first here)

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by XplosivePlushToy

Thanks. Good luck with that 3" Magnaflow (insert grumbling about Sky's always getting it first here)

Please keep me posted on your results and progress, and I will do the same. What was your 60' & 1/8 mile stat's?

[Robotech]

Originally Posted by compression

How come the solstice runs 15.2-15.5 ? and the sky's run 16's ?

Again, you just can't look at the times. What was on the Solstice? Was it the version without ABS, no A/C, Manual windows, cloth seats, no headliner, etc? The car may be a bit lighter because all that stuff isn't on the car.

Also what elevation did they run at? Could make a big difference.

What was their 60'? Like I said, mine sucked and a lower 60' with a good launch will lower your ETs too...usually.

Without knowing all that I couldn't tell you why.

[compression]