hey guys i have a 1989 firebird formula with the 305 tpi with the automatic trans with shift kit on regular street tires. all i have is a low restrictive air intake and cat back 3 inch flowmaster exhuast and tb coolant bypass. it is otherwise stock. my brother wants to race me in his 1989 ford probe gt. his car has the 2.2L SOHC with the stock turbo and intercooler. it has a new intake and a header back exhaust. his turbo is rated at 9psi and he does have a 5 speed transmission. his car is rated at 150 hp stock and 195 ft/torque stock. i dont know what he has with the upgrades. he ran a best of 14.894et at 93 mph on front drag radials but he uses street tires off the track, and i have not brought my car to the track yet. i was wondering what i can do against him if we raced from rolls or digs. thanks

Should be a decent race actually. Both cars will fight for traction, and both will probably run similar times. Good luck.

I think the probe has you. The auto powered 305 TPI's had the weeker cam and only 190hp from the factory. those little mods and a 2.73 rear you have will hinder you. However I don't think traction will hinder you as much as him so I would try from a dig bc I think he def has you from a roll. You car is prob a mid 15 sec car on street tires he is prob still a low 15 sec car

i say it would be a good race. My bird with stock 305 TPI and 700r4 runs high 14's and low 15's on street tires

i HAVE A FRIEND with an 89 porobe gt not a terrible car. they get decent traction since u can fit a fairly wide tire on them for that size of car but, i still think u could hook as well if not better.

anyways i raced my buddys with a l03 msd ignition and 1.6 roller rockers he owned me....... pretty much at all speeds but mine was an old tired car for sure. i d bet he will edge you out but it should be a close race. throw a 50 shot on your car you'll win.

Thanks guys for the input. Maybe a NOS kit in the future? but i dont know. I look foreward to racing him once I finish installing my new heater core! I am confident I will beat him, but he has beaten alot of cars. My friends stock 4.6L 98 Mustang with a 5 speed, lost to him a few times but it was always a close race. However, I never raced my firebird before so it will be interesting! I will keep you posted!

the worst thing on you car is your gears...they kill you

im sure a set of gears..and full exhuast you will own him from a digg

what kind of gears and where can i get them? lol. and all i need is headers, y pipe and high flow cat to complete my full aftermarket exhaust that i plan on putting on when the weather gets warmer and stops snowing.

i would get either 3.42s/3.73s

yea..headers y pipe high flow cat and youll be set


all of the above a lots of money tho so lol

hummm... where do i get the new gears from tho? but i am going to do exhaust before gears any way.

get a free summit catalag..they have them in there..uhh thunderracing racing has them....what rear end do you have?

drum?
posi?
9/10 bolt?

don't use 3.73's on a TPI car unless you have a lot of mods and done to the intake area. The TPI will not flow good above around 5k maybe 55 with a good aftermarket setup. so 3.73's will kill you. go with 3.23 or 3.42 gears.

373s work great on my car...pulls like never b4

3.42 for gears. summit has them on sale, I do believe for $135. if you get these gears and your exhaust put on you can own him from a dig. your friends 4.6L Mustang isn't all that fast anyway. so I'm gonna say your current setup will be very close race

Those Probe GT's have a really small turbo from the factory and really can't make a ton of power without a turbo swap. My ex Girlfriend has a 89 GT 5 Speed with a cai, boost controller, and full 3 inch exhaust... still couldn't break out of the 15's...

i am not sure, i know the rear is stock.

pretty sure i gotta crappy 273 gear in my stock camaro 350. would a 342 gear do me well or a 373?

I know this thread is old but i finally raced my brother this weekend. this was my first time actually racing someone in my bird. i have an 89 formula with the 305 tpi, 3in catback flowmaster, k&n air filter and minor mods(tb bypass), gears and everything else is stock. i raced my brother in his 89 ford probe gt with the 2.2 inline 4 SOHC 11psi turbo 5 speed manual. His only mods were: intake, and a full exhaust. we did a 40 roll on the high way and started on 3 honks. we started even for about 3 seconds before he started pulling away when his turbo kicked in. i floored it and maintained about a 2-3 car length distance behind until about 90-100 mph before i started slowly gainging on him. i passed him around 125 mph then let off about 2-3 car lengths ahead, before he passed me again. after the race we stopped on the exit ramp and we talked about how it went. and i could tell you, being 16 and going 125mph with a screaming girlfriend in the car made my adreline rush so intense that i was shaking so badly. it was a crazy experiance tho! we will definatly race again. one of my friends with a 85 trans swapped carb 350 am wants to race next weekend.

i dont recommend a 16yold goin 125mph lol....but next time race him from a dig..and make sure u preload the converter

Seriously, was it really worth putting both of your lives in danger?

You have a lot to look forward to in life, don't piss it away on something like this. And don't put your or your girlfriend's parents through the pain of burying their kids.

Sounds like he was going a lot faster than 125. If you passed him, at 125, and then waited to be 2-3 car lengths ahead you must have been in the 135 mph range, not to mention your brother then passed you back?

Interesting race.

BTW turbos don't just "kick in", they are always "on".

Eh.. The world is overpopulated anyway.. Let him speed... But hey, if you do think you're gonna lose it & kill yourself at least try & aim for some illeagals on your way..

yeah, he passed me again after i let off at 125. he passed me after i let off when i was doing about 90.

HIS LIFE? what about everyone else that might be around? a slow moving car that moves in the wrong direction. you lose control and take out the front of some school at recess, or some weekend open area off the side of the road where kids play?
or hitting a dropped peice of furniture on the road, happens all the time but you can go around at normal speeds - usually. then you get to go airborne and where do you land.
fools like you kill other people and you walk away.
so do the rest of us a favor - GO TO A TRACK OR DRAG STRIP!

I no longer have to figure out why it insurance rates are so stupid for my son. He just turned 18 and can't afford insurance on his own. I was just enlightened.

Sounds like you need a re-stricter plate upgrade for your girl friend's exhaust pipe.