well i went with the SAE club here on campus, had loads of fun, but everything else was horrible. I got to talk to a grand nat guy, and even the ricers, most of them were pretty cool. Actually everyone seeemed pretty cool, but i didn't run worth anything, literally. Although this was my first track experience, i expected better than what i got.

1 2 3 4

R/T 1.21 1.06 1.13 1.19
60' 2.56 2.53 2.59 2.67
330 7.56 7.46 7.50 7.57
1/8 11.73 11.60 11.61 11.68
MPH 58.93 59.76 58.93 59.00
1000 15.31 15.16 15.15 15.20
1/4 18.37 18.22 18.18 18.24
MPH 73.09 74.80 72.53 72.38


5 6
R/T 1.19 1.23
60' 2.51 2.59
330 7.44 7.47
1/8 11.58 11.57
MPH 58.62 60.40
1000 15.12 15.08
1/4 18.17 18.09
MPH 72.24 76.28


So in the end, the last run was the best, i'm thinking i could have hit 17's if i had run again. But also that last time was when i was manually shifting. my biggest issue was traction, i did a burnout in the burnout box (which another friend recently said i shouldn't do) band then i went to the line. But the problem was that off the line i woudln't get traction, then traction would catch, but when i hit the power band again i lost traction until close to the end of first gear
So hopefully next time i'll try it without a burnout box, and maybe i'll turn some better times. hopefully.

 

Whats the spec on your car? seem like your car may be WAY out of tune. Your trap speeds are not even those of a 17 second car... You got a manual? How are you shifting? Let us know, there's gotta be something way wrong.

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85 2.8L Sport Coupe 5-speed.
Mods: Hpertech chip and powerstat, MSD 6A-L, Crane fireball coil, Accel Cap and Rotor, Dynomax hi-flow cat and catback system with a dynomax magnum race bullet muffler on the i-pipe, K&N filterchargers, Gutted Air Boxes, 8mm Wires, Eibach Sportlines and Tokiko springs/shocks setup, Global west sub frames, Suspension techniqs front and rear sway bars, and good ole 88 IROC wheels with Kumo Ecstas on em!
"It's not the ricers, it's those damn V8's!"

Wins: 2000 V6 Accord, 69 302 Mustang, 2000 Auto VR6 Jetta, 89 Toyota MR2, 90 Civic Si, 76 350 Camaro, 2000 3.8 5-speed Camaro, ~68 Chevelle 350, 92 CRX Si, 94 MR2 non-turbo.

 

Don't melt your tired next time, just give them a hop to clear any debris off. Also, manually shifting is the only way to go with an automatic... 17's should be attainable with a 2.8 which I'm assuming you have. Before you get out there again, treat the car to a tune up...

 

i have never been to the track, but is it me or are the reaction times really slow? over a second??

 

Um no, It may feellike you are going faster but in the end you are not.
You are not manually shifting your auto you just not allowing oit to shift then allowing it to shift.
Unless you have doen some major work to get into the upper rpms there is no need to manually shift. Set you kickdown cable to shift wherer you get the best times and then you will run better. You have adjustment on you cable, the only way you need to manually shift is when you RPM band goes beyond that of you cable. Sorry, but many 1/4 mile test on TPI cars show this and they run better times shifting a 4200rpms and not the usual 4500rpm that the factory sets them at. So for the V6 I would start around 4500rpm.
You reaction time sucks, I think you need to powerbrake off the line so the car gets moving faster. Then yes no burn out on street tires, it does no good at all. All you want to do is knock the dirt off and get them about 10* hotter that track temp.
Your traction should be not be a problem with the times you are running.
I assume though you are running a peg leg rear.
Get a tune up and some more practice and you wqill get some better times, but forget about manually shifting there is no point


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89 Trans Am Turbo 3.8L All stock 43,000 miles #1053 of 1555

Past Thirdgen:
86 Trans Am w/ built 355TPI with SLP goodies and too much other stuff to List. One sweet *** car, wish I would have had a good enough Job to pay insurance on three cars so I could keep it, but for a 89 Turbo Trans Am w/ Low miles, I think I made the right choice!

 

I have the 3.1 V-6 and it seems like it has no power whatsoever over 5000 RPM's. Is there a safe way I can get it to shift at 5200 instead of 6200 at WOT?

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'91 RS 3.1
SSM SFC's
Energy Susp. Hyper-flex kit
GTA Sway bars
Clarion, Phoenix Gold, JL Audio, etc.
Pictures: http://albums.photopoint.com/j/Album...=13412261&f=0]
Quote: "If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten."
- George Carlin

 

Yeah, I definately agree; go around the bleach box next time. And street radials are supposed to lose traction if they heat up.. I don't do any kind of burnout at all at the track.

Oh, and REZ, that's inherent to the 3.1 being a "stroker" motor... a lower RPM powerband. To change the shifts, you'd have to modify the transmission- but it's not that bad. In the tailshaft is this thing called a "governor". It's got weights (and I think springs) on it that you can change. It controls your upshifts. B&M was one maker of such a kit...

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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l)

[This message has been edited by TomP (edited October 18, 2001).]

 

well the motor doesn't have much done to it. It's a new 2.8L block from Jasper, it's been bored .040 over, and the heads were worked a little bit. Besides that, its just a drop in K&N filtercharger and new exaust. Just looked at the exaust, it's 2.5in behind the cat, when they put the new exaust on they removed the 3" opening from the flowmaster and replaced it with a 2.5" one. Anyways, besides that its just the flowmaster. Another problem was that i had more than 1/2 tank of gas while at the track, plus sitting in line the car was running 220 or so.

oh, Kyle, i did powerbrake, but couldn't get traction outta the stupid pegleg. anywayz, i'll run again, but i've gotta check the cars tune and stuff first, and hopefully with some traction, i'll get some better times. we'll see.

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the 85 firebird, the first firebird that doesn't burn out....

It eats the pavement!!!

Nicole (my car):
2.8L bored .040 over
rebuilt 700R-4 w/shift kit and vette servo
3" I-pipe, with Flowmaster 80 series
2.5in. tailpipes into split tips (quad-pipes )
Loud Yes, Fast no. but a Turbo will fix that.

KILL LIST: (SHORT BUT GROWING)

Dodge Daytona (think a 2.2),Honda Acorda (2.0L),2000 Camaro (3.8L),1992 Mustang (V6),1987 Firebird (2.8L),80's probe (4 banin'),90's malibu,90's 4 door Saturn, (wow, that was a slow ride, even slower than me.),91 Celica GT conv.,Acura Integra, 5speed DOHC 4 cylinder. * 86-90 Pontiac T/A, 305ci. (might not have been running well, but i'll count it anyway.), mid 90's Ford Mustang GT 4.6L tags. (beat him in a turning contest), 3rd gen RS camaro( beat him by more than 2 cars), Celica GT (this guy was a crazy racer), 2000 honda civic (stickers, paint, new from facia, guages, no cat, with straight pipe, ... was a very good race, oh did i mention he had a 5 spd.
---came close----
1979 camaro (5.7),1981 camaro (5.7),1982 firebird (5.0) my tires spun, I coulda beat em!!! ,79 El Camino (350, lost by a door),96' Mustang, 3.8L stickshift. (caught him after my car downshifted.)

 

You think you have it bad... HA! I'm running high 19's. You're not depressed until you get that.

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2.8 mpfi
My only mod: Flowmaster 40 series
http://www.geocities.com/pita_j2000/...?1002261961590
PICS ARE UP!!

[This message has been edited by Black 86 'bird (edited October 18, 2001).]

 

Ok, I'll never suggest that again, but if I had an automatic I would manually shift it... I'd have to just so I could keep my sanity, my left foot is always trying to use the nonexistant clutch in autos and my right hand needs something to do... it's also got phantom-gearshift syndrome.

 

ditto

 

something is definentely wrong. When my firebird was stock i ran a 17. I have had lots of experience at strip, but not enough to shave a second and a half off my 1/4 times. And yes, next time go around the burnout box. not the side they sweep it out to though.


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1972 Chevy Chevelle "Malibu"
Hooker Headers, Flowmaster 40 series mufflers, accel 8.8 wires,Edelbrock performer intake Edelbrock Carb, Torque Thrust "D" wheels
Click here for my Malibu information
In Memory of #3 Dale Earnhardt

 

For faster R/t times, When you stage(get the 2nd set of yellow staging lights) roll another few inches farther. Also most drag strips when they have street nights or amateur drag nights they have the lights at.500. When the light start going, YOu'll have the stageing lights and then 3 yellow lights then green.. When the last yellow light is on, punch it, you'll get an almost perfect R/T(.500/sec).
I started to do this when i'm at the track, so far I rarely have R/T's over .650/sec.


Syxx

 

Hey.. don't get too down. Maybe there's a bunch of small things killing your performance, maybe the weather was bad.. I'm sure you can break into those 17s with a little determination and TLC =)

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'88 Camaro, forest green
LO3 305 TBI/700r4
Performance mods: MSD Coil
Audio mods: swapping system from v6 and building new fiberglass box

'86 Camaro SC, black /w silver racing stripes
2.8l MPFI/700r4 /w special 2nd gear delete option
Misc Mods: Cut air box, '83 Firebird spoiler.
Performance Parts: Accel 8mm wires, SplitFire plugs, Gabriel hijackers.
Audio Mods: Pioneer DEH-P3000, two 12" Optimus Pro Audio subs in hand-made enclosure each powered by a 260 watt Optimus amp. Working on shaving the box for weight.
My Homepage, with pics.