Hey guys,

Thanks for reading. Here's the story. My boss wants to race my 86 iroc in his stock 2005 BMW M3 (the one with the SMG transmission, it's the competition package) at the local dragstrip 1/4 mile. I checked up some stats on his car and it looks like it does around 13.5 on the 1/4 mile... Now here's some bad news...

My iroc does the 1/4 mile in 14.5, which is what i managed to do last summer... I've modified a few things since and fix some issues, so it should be marginally faster. I had FULL tank of gas, shitty worn out tires that don't grip, and FULL street weight, with a reaction time of 0.96xx. So i'm thinking that my iroc can go a bit faster with some new sticky tires, along with some weight reduction... Although I have a 305 it is not stock, and alot of weight reduction has been done (too much to name), but this car is still 100% street I never did weight reduction in terms of 'taking out vital' components to the car (such as dash, door panels, seats, spare tire, etc.)

I weigh a good 200lbs, he weighs almost 300lbs... I'm thinking lighter weight and traction will help me with this one... I was going to go all out, removing all the seats in the car, the dash, maybe door panels, spare+jack, t-top bags, rear window shade, etc... Do you all think this will be enough to fight off the big bad M3? I'm rebuilding my tranny with super performance peices (putting a 2k down on this). Also doing an LS1 front brakes conversion from Ed Miller (1.2k with all the options). I'm also purchasing Spohn a-arms and new MOOG iroc springs... So right there I have more significant weight reduction / perfromance enhancements. I'm thinking I will have to get a good start to beat him...

Which leads me to the next part... TIRES. I run the stock 16x8 Iroc rims. What are the max width tires that can fit on the car, and what brand is the best??? And what pressure should I set them at (front + back). Also, if I put super sticky tires will I bust the diff??? Eaton posi, 3.73 motive, good ol' 10 bolt housing with stock 26 spline axles in good shape...

Also, my 305 tpi is NOT stock and i have 3.73 eaton posi in my 10 bolt. I am at 273hp flywheel and 354 TQ flywheel on a chassis dyno. This is on a stock tune... But my engine could get a lot more from a tune cuz i have heads, cam, bottom end forged, bored 0.030, ported intake, headers , exhaust, gutted cat, gutted airbox, + other stuff.. (check in my sig for a link to a page with all the mods). I'm doing all the tuning myself and am purchasing all the equipment from Moates.net and am getting the full equipment package (autoprom package, with zifs+chip)

With all this extra stuff I am doing do you all think I have a chance or should I just stay home and tell him his 80,000$ car will beat the 4000$ iroc? LOL kinda funny actually if i did beat him...

Thanks for the read and if y'all have any suggestions i'm open to all!!! (just don't tell me to drop in a ls1 or something lol)

Thanks!!
-Marc

 

first off, reation times have nothing to do with how your E/T or mph turns out. you could sit at the line for 5 mins and still run whatever you did even if you cut a perfect light. the timer doesnt start ticking til you hit the gas and trip the beams

driver ability will play a huge role in how well your boss's car performs at the strip. chances are, if hes never been to the track before, he wont run anywhere near what even crappy magazine drivers run. practice makes perfect at the dragstrip, especially if your boss's car is a stick (not sure if the M3s are manual only or not)

onto the tires. if it were me, id get a set of Mickey Thompson E/T Drag Radials. 255/50R16s should work fine (i think thats the size that would fit on your rims... if not, go for a 245). when you get your trans rebuilt, go with a 2600 - 2800 stall converter. with the 3.73s, the stall, and the DRs, your car will really hook at the track... probably put such a holeshot on your boss's car that itll make him so nervous hell screw up his launch and automatically hand the win to you. youve gotta practice this tho... even though your car is an auto and everyone says theyre just "point and shoot", it still takes some work to get the correct technique down

with these changes to your car, it sounds as though you should be able to squeeze out a high 13 out of it. you said your car ran 14.5 before... what was your 60ft and mph on that run? if you think you may need more than that, theres always nitrous. its cheap, easy to install, and it works WONDERS on TPI cars

 

Hey!

Cool about the reaction times.. I thought it started counting as soon as the light turned green!

The M3 he has is the SMG version... Some weird new 11k $ transmission that is kind of like a paddle shifter on ferrari's i guess... He just presses the button behind the steering wheel to upshift/downshift... So i don't think he could mess that up... And no he won't have taken the car to the track before our race... So he might have a disadvantage there.

The Mickey Thompson's I just saw on Hawk's they are 180 a peice.. No prob there only need two... Can I run those drag radials with my front tires that I have on now (245/45/16)? Or are the back ones too big?

As for the stall torque convertors... I am not sure as to how they work... May be a stupid question but if I rebuild the tranny with a say, 2600 stall torque convertor, what will that do? Can I launch at 2600 RPMs? And if so how would I go about doing so?

That run was my first run ever in my life and my only run... I ran against an LS1 Camaro (98-02 not sure which year exactly)... And he got 14.5, and I got 14.6... (I just found the time slip a few minutes ago, I mistakenly wrote 14.5, but I REALLY got 14.679!!)

Reaction: 0.927
I1: 2.238
I3: 9.434
MPH (I3): 75.342

E.T.: 14.679
MPH: 90.144

Not sure which one is the 60 foot time? I live in Montreal Canada so I don't know if the terms used are the same... I'm guessing 60 foot is I1 time at 2.238? Does that sound right?

Thanks again!
-Marc

 

looks like your 60 ft was 2.2, like he said before a higher stall converter will allow you to launch higher into the power band. I would also look into some suspension parts, if you don't have subframe connectors they are a must. if your going to take weight out of your car the general rule is every 100 pounds you take out will lower your et by .1 So if this is going to be a street car, just leave the interior alone, as it won't make that much of a difference

 

Sunds like your boss is just some rich guy. I doubt he knows how to drive. You should easily be able to take him. The driver plays a huge roll and in this case I cast my vote on you. I would just stick with getting slicks and not worying about the other stuff. Maybe do a bit of weight reducttion bt as stated above minor interior stuff won't be that big. Good luck and make sure to film as it and show us as he gets his *** kicked.

 

So you're going to completely gut your mid 14 second car and make it look like a ghetto cruiser to beat a mid 13 second M3? Go for it I guess.

Unless he REALLY can't drive you don't really have a shot in hell IMO. It's his race to lose, your only chance is if he really REALLY can't drive.

At the end of the day though he still gets to drive home in his M3

 

I'm gonna do everything possible to win this race.. Even if I have to take out the last 5lbs... Every little bit counts (i know, it's not going to make a huge difference but you never know).

Yes he is rich beyond all of our wildest reams but he just wants to prove to me that my car sucks even though I find third gen's are one of the most beautiful cars in the world (after fixing the flaws from the factory). I don't mind the daily bashing that goes on it will just add to the amazing feeling that I'll get when I rip him!

The suspension on the car is all new... Everything.. A-Z.... Beleive me I did everything possible... Frame conectors, tokico shocks, strut mounts, strut brace, poly everything, tubular LCA, torque arm, panhard bar, TDS wonderbar, LCARB, new steering linkage..
(check sig for mods, scroll down the page)

So my best bet is tuning and slicks / stall torque?? Does anyone know how can I launch on my automatic transmission? Not sure how to do that tho..

Thanks guys!
-Marc

 

put your foot as hard as you can on the brakes, and then add enough gas to the point where the brakes can't hold you anymore, thats what you launch at

 

So I guess I just have to test to see at what RPM the tires break free and stay at like 200rpm lower until the light turns green and then floor it right away? I'm thinking I should just slowly accelerate... I guess this requires some testing...

thanks guys! I'll keep you all posted.. Race won't be until may/june for sure.
later
-marc

 

Those E46 M3s have strait six screemers 343hp net,if it is a CSL it has 360hp and is a low weight version also a traction control system flip on/off system it could be negative for his acceleration 60footer though.
That SMG box is a semi automatic changing gears fast and it whont miss kind a bulletproof for bad rich drivers.
You whont stand a chance.........unless you install that NOS system

regards Mats

 

Sounds like on your 14.6 run you let off early. The 75+ mph 1/8th should be a 95 or so mph 1/4. You might have more in it with your driving being improved?

I would say this, if you really want you can strip weight and such to beat him. Or mod more, and if/when you beat him it will feel great. Just don't say your $4000 car beat his $80K car, because there is alot more to the price tag than straight line numbers, and those are the reasons he bought it... I hate that argument.

 

I have to agree. Ive driven M3's and they are wickedly fast. If I were you I would install NOS--thats the only way its going to beat him.

 

I have to agree with you, that statement I guess is more just a personal gratification. I wouldn't say it out loud i think it would actually look silly considering all the money that went into building up the car.

I will definitely get slicks... And maybe launch at 2500 RPM? Would that break the diff? And do you all think that would give me a chance at beating him only? I don't like the idea of NOS... Scary... How do I know if it will blow the motor? I know nothing about how it works??? Scary..

Thnx!
-Marc

 

Gotta love those 305 boat anchors.


You're

 

u need to worry about not making monetary or other type bets.
if youre scared of NOSS, dont even mess with it.

 

LOL @ Freestylezz... Come on man, it can't be that bad? It's 333 HP and 267 tq... That's not THAT muchmore than mine.. plus it's 3400lbs... My car is WAY lighter and he is 300lbs, im now down to 195 and losing more weight on myself
Rebuild tranny, more weight reduction, slicks, and more importantly.. Tuning! I think that's going to really give me a big improvement in terms of engine efficiency and horsepower... I got all the equipment for 520$ (shipped) from moates and i'm going to tune for all my mods (intake, heads, cam, exhaust)... I think that I can get way more power out of this engine. I know it 'was' a 305 but now it's a heavily modded over and I think that anything is possible!

Later
-marc

 

People have gotten 305's into the very high 12's. I'm gonna do my best guys I'll let you all know what happens. Thanks again for the help!

later
-marc

 

People have gotten them into the 10s and better haven't they?

 

Yeah I remember reading an article with a 305 getting someting like that but it was supercharged... But I meant N/A, no turbo or super, or NOS. Just all motor.

 

You should fix your suspension get different sway bars and etc. do some research my frined changed his suspension and he made the 1/4mile almost one second faster

 

My suspension is completely done A to Z... Except maybe I will change out the polyurethane tubular J+M lower control arms for one that's a mix of poly and rubber... For better traction and no binding.

later
-marc

 

also bc ur car is auto keep it outta over drive that will cut a couple tenths off your time them 700r4's bog bad when its shifting to over drive and u can tell i saw a guy racing his gta and he tried it not shifting into over drive and shifting into over drive and the time was like .3 higher when the tranny shifted or of course do a 5 speed swap lol

 

Hey,

Wow I forgot about this post... We didn't end up racing cuz we were too busy at work and other stuff... Since i've posted I've done numerous things to the car.. Namely, rebuilding the transmission by a professional builder. He has a good rep in Montreal and has been building them for like 30 years.

It shifts like mad but I haven't had time to go to the drag strip and test it... Next summer I am going to add Spohn adjustable PHB and LCR with del-sphere bushings to prevent bind, as well as new Eagle F1 GS-D3 tires (very good traction), and relocate the battery to the trunk... When I did a few runs this year I could not get traction with the first two gears... I only started hooking in 3rd ... LOOOOL..

Car is way faster with the new tranny I couldn't be happier. I think it'll make a huge difference... the thing jumps from first to second when ripping it (and squeels the tires from first to second too!)

I don't put it in OD ever when racing, heard it was bad to do... So I drop it in D (3rd) instead. Also, there are different pressures when putting in D and OD apparently.. That's what the tranny guy told me anyway..

Thanks!

 

Well, if you ever do race that BMW, good luck. You have maybe a .5% chance of winning. BMW's were afterall, the "Ultimate Driving Machine".

That's one of my many likes that I never mention, to avoid seeming like even more of a fool! I'm in love with Porsches, Ferrari's, BMW's. Such awesome cars.

 

If your going naturally aspirated w/your 305, then follow the old racing adage of light makes might. There is an Mazda RX7 here w/305-TPI swap that is running 11.0. Engine isn't stock, but then again it isn't all that worked either. Preston Smith got his 305 w/3.736 inch bore to run low tens with a supercharger (full weight vehicle, and then some) then he swapped to a 305 but with a 4 inch bore and ran low nine's with a turbo....