since im still having trouble with my 1/4 times (cannot break 15's), i wanted to give u a perspective on what settings i used and ask about some minor tweaking that could make a difference in the longer run:

last Friday, the temps were mid 50's with about 60% humidity (not that great, but can't change that)

-tire pressure @ 34psi (all 4)
-CAI filter never recharged...currently have less than 10K miles on it
-fuel mappings on the conservative side since i don't drive during the week, and even on weekends i drive at low RPM's
-spare and jack taken out
-i weigh 215 (yes, i'm trying to lose some weight )
-i take only the driver's side road lamp out to get more air to the filter
-i take the front license plate off for increased aerodynamics
-i usually run with about a half a tank of gas

My proposal for tweaking, and please correct me if i'm not accurate enough:

1. Tire pressure: ok, so the lower the pressure, the more grip u have the potential of getting, however less pressure slows times down...so my theory is lower the pressure enough but not sacrifice speed...i'm thinking front tires ONLY lowered to 30psi and rears keep at 34psi, maybe even higher

2. CAI and fuel mappings: based on Mercury's findings after recharging his CAI, i think i should recharge mine...i also need to rework my fuel mappings...since i commute to work via train during the week, i drive my car a mile every day...and on the weekends, i am aggressive, but my RPM's are still low from cruising on the highway most of the time...for the past 3 days, i've been EXTREMELY aggressive whenever i'm driving...this morning, the car felt really peppy, and it wasn't even warmed up...this in contrast to the car feeling sluggish in the morning...so after recharging the filter, i think i should disconnect the battery and reset my fuel mappings to b much more aggressive...granted, my fuel economy will go down, but i think it's worth it in this experiment

3. Spare and jack: that's a no-brainer

4. My weight: again, no brainer

5. Road lamps: it's been brought to my attention that taking out the road lamp may b working against me...the theory is correct (allow more air to access more of the filter to give better performance), however i never considered the drag issue...is it possible the car has more drag with the road lamp out??? is it also possible i'm hurting myself keeping the right side lamp in and the driver's side out?? i would like to set up a comparison where i do 1 run with both lamps in, 1 run with both lamps out, and a third 1-and-1

6. License plate: another no-brainer

7. Gas tank: i think i should definitely run with far less gas than half a tank...1/4 tank or less seems ideal

so after examining my driving settings, i think there is clearly room for me to dip well below the 15 second hurdle (BTW, my best time to date was a 15.034)...if i dial in on the right combo of settings above, what do u think my potential 1/4's could b???

thanks for all the help guys...sorry for the length of post

 

WOW....You guys take this racing stuff pretty seriously don’t you.
I’m not a drag racer, but I have a couple of opinions.

Weight:
Gasoline weighs 45.9 pounds per cu ft or 6.14 pounds per gallon.
So a FULL tank (17.2 gallons) weighs about 106 pounds.
Your HALF tank weighs about 53 pounds making THAT more important then your waistline.

Airflow:
I really don’t think the lack of the ONE light housing is going to effect airflow that much on our cars at these speeds.
I think the additional flow to the CAI would be more beneficial.

Shawn S

 

I don't think the road lamp will cause enough of a drag issue to leave it in.

 

I would love to see time of a lowerd TLS with a bodykit v Lowerd TLS without bodykit.

 

so if the tank is 1/4 or so, that's an extra 26/27 pounds i save vs. last Friday's 1/2 tank...that's a good start

 

Fuel weight adds alot! Remember i did my fast run with 4 gallons or so?

 

I weigh 215lb too.
I have only a CAI.

I never broke into 14sec. Best time is 15.1 @92.4

So you are not the only guy, . I am planning on going to the drag racing this weekend if the weater is nice....

 

Maybe we should have a heavy weight division

 

that's pretty fast for a 15.1...i was getting 15.0's even at 90-91MPH...u gate-shift???

 

Best times are with D1>D2>D3 just keep watching the Tacho...

Shift at 6800-6900 (Redline)!

 

and u live up in NH, which surprises the hell outta me...u should b gettin 14.6's/14.7's EASY with how cold it is up there at night!!

 

My runs where in July... Temp 83+ at 9:00 PM... Now next Saturday, The day is forcasted to be in low 40 upper 20.

 

o, ok...that explains it then...THANKS FOR TELLING US SO SOON YA JERK!!

 

scooter...when your tires are inflated to 34 do you get any wheel spin..???/if its only alittle...try this inflate to 40 all four...if you get too much wheel spin you can always let some out...what im getting at is based on the last topic you posted like this...your roll diameter is larger than stock...that is creating more drag..and if the tires are under inflated that will make it worse...but there a trade off for launch...you want little wheel spin but not so little that you boog off the line....good luck...my self im lookin to break into the 13's

 

what's the altitude at the track where you run?

 

Not too high. I ran at the same place and broke 15. It's near the Jersey Shore so it isn't Denver or anything.

 

gotta b more humid since it's near the water!!!

u got lucky catching a night that was frigid!!!

 

Is anyone going this Friday night???

 

Run 1/2 tank of gas because on lanuch gas go to rear of tank and fuel pump is up front car will lay down.
Run 28# in frount and 40# in rear shift at 7100rpm tor the car at1700rpm and heat the tires before you get to staging DO NOT GO INTo WATER THEY ARE NOT SLICKS

 

HUH? Somebody knows their shit!

Nick

 

1 word = HEADERS

(or RES, should it ever come to be)

 

I understand HEADERS and RES, ya with that ure in the 14s, I always am

 

Zapata got 14.6 with intake alone, Mercury got 14.8 with intake alone in mid 50's with 60% humidity...that's good enough for me.

i already discussed with Zapata running 28-30psi in fronts with 40+psi in the rear...im also going to try removing the upperstrut tie bar...this is in addition to taking out the spare and jack, keeping the gas down to at most 1/4 tank, and personally losing some weight

 

I'm no FWD racing expert, but here's some tips that will work on all cars:

1) Weight. Lose all you can (from the car). Floormats, Gas (run with 1-2 gallons), spare, jack, CDs, loose change, everything

2) Get in a good seating position, most likely higher up and tilted more toward the dash than you would in "normal cruising"

3) Give absolutley no regard to reaction time.

4) Stage your car "in the groove" and hopefully you can manage to follow a high HP car with slicks to lay some rubber/heat down for you.

5) Concentrate on driving straight down the track. Sounds simple enough, but I see guys throw away pieces of tenths all the time by not staying straight down the track.

What track are you running at? ATCO? Englishtown? Altitude/weather aside, some tracks are just better than others.

 

Englishtown...past 2 times there it's been pretty humid!!