So I decided to go to GLD and see what I could run. Car was finally running strong after a couple of problems and I wanted to see if I could beat my previous best of 14.3. I was running consistent 99mph runs but couldn't break into the 13's

I know it's been said before but the CL definitely isn't a track car. I consider myself to be a great driver/shifter but I kept having too much wheel spin from the jump. I even lowered the tire pressure to 20lbs and while that eliminated wheel hop, I still spun as I reached redline in 1st. Slips are at home, I can post them later tonight. My 60ft times were 2.2 on my best runs.

I have pretty much every n/a mod. I also have Illuminas set on 3 all around and H&R Sport springs. I need either a supercharger or a different car because these 14's suck!!! Granted I could've driven the car a little more aggressively off the line but I didn't want to snap an axle. Already been through two of those in the last two years, but I do have 120k on the odometer so that could be why. If I do become boosted, I have stage 2 Gator axles that can be thrown on for better launches off the line

Me vs EVO
This was my best run of the night (14.1). I actually got the jump on him but his AWD pulled me in quick. He was heavily modded, he ran a best of a 12.8 for the night.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMweZPEzz50

Me vs SRT4
Another good run, but not great (14.2). I got the jump on him too and had him by half a car but by the end of 2nd he was pulling on me. Damn turbo's . He ran a best of a 13.9 for the night.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGzROAJjyuA

Me vs Vette
This was fun. I got him off the line too and held him off for a while. Not sure if he was playing with me or not because in the vid I noticed he tapped the brakes but that could've been incidental while shifting. I thought I was going to beat a Vette for a minute there
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu5K5V9Q-54

 

haha @ the announcer in the first video lancer vs.....umm i dont know what the car in the left lane is.....

im guessing the corvette couldnt get his tires to grip so he tapped his brakes to stop back end from coming out.

 

Do the 3.5! Then you'll have fun at the track! I've been pricing it out, and it's cheaper than i thought. I'll watch these when i get home from work!

 

I was thinking about it. Not sure if it's worth it though. The parts are cheaper than a s/c but you still have to pay for labor to tear down the block to install them. What are the gains, about 15hp and 20tq?

 

Yeah I'm mad the announcer played me like that. It was empty there, probably a total of 10 cars. I could get runs at will with no wait, you would think he'd know what the car is after the 3rd consecutive run

 

What engine speeds were you launching at?

 

That's one of my favorite things about owning a CL. Debadge and no one has any idea wtf you're driving. Hell even badged most don't even know what a CL is.

 

Speaking of tire grip... has anyone staggered larger front tires on our car?

 

Larger front tires could possibly help, as long as they are stickier.

Which brings me to my next question, what tires were you running?

 

Goodyear Eagle F1's all around.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....+F1+All+Season

 

I was revving modestly at about 2-2.5k. It's weird cuz I know the track is stickier than the street, but I've NEVER spun like that launching on the street. I'd have to rev to like 3k on the street to spin like that. I wanted to make sure I didn't bog off the line. The last couple of launches I ended up feathering the clutch (easing off of it slowly) but it didn't help much.

 

Actually, now that I think about it, I have an idea as to why I was spinning so much off the line. The first two times I was at the track I didn't have my suspension done. Now that it's stiffer in the back, there's relatively no squat in the rear anymore so the front tires dont rise as much, they're more planted, thus wheelspin
I may tag along w/ my cousin when he goes next week to run his Eclipse. If he does, I'll launch at a lower rpm and see if I can shoot out of there quicker.

 

hmmm good vids, runs nice! What mods do u have?

 

CT Headers, Icebox, P2R Spacers, RT Cat, UR stock size pulley, Progress Sway, H&R Sport springs, Illumina's set at 3 all around, Mugen mods. I think that's it.
Pretty much everything except a supercharger or 3.5 build.

 

Next time try launching around 1.5k-2krpms.

Also, the tires are nice, but they are all seasons. If you have the coin next time pick up a set of summer tires or you could go all out and get drag radials. Slicks would be over-kill.

 

Well Nupe is at 296hp and 267 tq with the 3.5. I do like the s/c idea though because you can always part that out easily if you had to. I figured it would cost about 3Gs to do the 3.5 labour and parts.
By the way i think your launches are good. You got a jump on some cars that i thought you wouldn't. What do s/c CL6's run....low 13s?

 

Wont be changing the tires unless I get rims but I hear your point. I'll definitely launch a little lower next time. I just want to pull off strong and not bog but it should work.

 

From what I read low to mid 13's. I dont know what I plan on doing yet. 3g's on the 3.5 build is a lot, but the s/c for the same price has a lot more potential. Just not sure...

Thanks about the launches, it's all about the reaction time. I still need to get better though

 

I had a 2002 Jetta with a K04 turbo, and it dyno'ed 298 WFTQ at 3200rpm. (But only 224WHP)I was constantly running 2.4 to 2.6 60 foot times. I finally took the tires down to 10 PSI and I could pull 2.0 flat 60 foot. It ended up knocking 4 tenths off my 1/4 mile.

Good luck next time at the track!

 

You could get the parts for the 3.5 build for around $1,000. It's relatively cheap, but it isn't that easy to part it out when you sell the car. I thought about this but decided to just drive it as is. It's got plenty of power for a daily. If I want to go fast, I hop on the bike or into my other car

BTW, I didn't mention this before, but the times aren't bad at all. This car is difficult to launch.

 

Nice, I'll see about lowering to 15lbs next time and see if that helps. Thanks

 

Yeah, the parts aren't the prob, it's the labor that kills you. If I could get everything done for $1k, it would be done already lol.

What's your other car?

Thanks. The suspension helped a lot during launches. I just have to see about spinning less off the line. This car definitely is not track friendly. I just figured w/ the mods I had done I could at least pull a 13.9. I think it's still possible though, this was only my 3rd time actually racing at a 1/4 mile track.

 

14.1 is a pretty good time. Looks like you had a lot of wheel spin. I'd recommend a set of Falken Azenis RT-615's for a daily use/track tire. I pull consistent 2.0 60 footers with them and even once got a 1.9.

I think your car is capable of high 13's. Just gotta keep at it and make some adjustments to your launch.

 

We'll leave that for another thread