Help me interpret these results.

[frankiesaysrelax]

I ran my bone stock '88 LX 5.0 5spd hatch on a dark stretch of road with the infamous G-Tech Pro. It ran a 15.50 @ 93.4. I would have expected it to be exactly one second faster. I also pumped some super unleaded into my daily beater Honda and it ran a 17.34 @ 78.8, also coincidentally exactly one second slower than what I had expected. (both cars are bone stock save for Dynomax exhausts)

Two thoughts immediately came to mind

1) The road I ran on is fairly flat and mostly straight but is on a slight grade. I'm guessing like a 5 degree angle uphill. It is obvious to the naked eye, you don't need surveying equipment to see it.

How much would this slow me down?

2) The road sees a lot of truck traffic and is very worn and beat up with many patched up sections. It also has a bit of sand and small bits of gravel upon its surface.

How much would this slow me down?

Would these two things add a whole second onto my 1/4 mile time?

BTW I am only maybe 25 feet above sea level, so that isn't a factor.

[anthonydalrymple]

Honestly? Take it to a drag strip & find out. You need something to compare the meter's accuracy against.
Secondly & I hate to say this..... But, odd's are it is not too far off from reality.
There's several "race prep" things to do to get maximum e.t. out of a bone stocker. Short belt it, ice the intake, remove the silencer, K&N panel filter, remove the front swaybar, remove all "extra" weight like the spare & jack, bump the timing to 14-16 degrees initial, etc.
The premium fuel may have hurt your e.t. by the way; higher octane equals a tougher time to burn. Unless you have the timing advanced 13+ or have high compression; it's a waste.....

P.S. This might help you out some.....
http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2000/08/lx/

[v8only]

I kinda agree that it's likely not too far off. Getting those "14" second stock timeslips requires more work then point and shoot, and most stock mustangs never see 14 seconds. Lots of different variables. take it to the track and let us know how close your gforce was.

[frankiesaysrelax]

We don't have any dragstrips on Long Island anymore. Leaving the Island during the day is somthing I don't do due to traffic, so going to a dragstrip is pretty much out of the question. What really blows is that West Hampton Dragstrip (Long Island Motorsports Park) is right around the corner, but they closed it for development after the 2004 season. I never went there because I never had a car that was quick enough for me not to be embarassed running it. Then when I got the 5.0 I was afraid of breaking it and not having wheels so I never went. Now I have the Honda so I can beat on the 5.0 but the track is closed. :evil:

Thanks for the Link and advice guys.

I know running up a hill definitely hurt my time. Its a simple matter of physics. I'm sure the crappy pavement & sand didn't help traction either. I wish I knew just how much.

BTW I ran premium as cheap insurance against detonation.

[Zap's 85 GT]

for your main point #1

Test the car going both ways. 5' up and then 5' down, then take the average between the two.

[frankiesaysrelax]

for your main point #1

Test the car going both ways. 5' up and then 5' down, then take the average between the two.

Thanks Zap :D Good Thinking :tu:

I have actually been tempted to do this, but the road is really trashed coming the other way. Lots of patches and holes. I was afraid that the car might bounce around too much and I might lose control and wreck.

I guess I really need to find a better road. :( Church Street is nice because it is rather desolate and in a commercial/industrial area.

[frankiesaysrelax]

My buddy that was with me said my run looked pretty good. No wheel hop but a bit of tire spin. When I got into 2nd the car got all sideways but I didn't lift and it straightened itself out by 3rd.

For the launch I revved it up three times, on the third rev I slipped the clutch pretty fast and mashed the gas to the floor while the clutch pedal was on its way up. For each shift I RPM matched, meaning that I let off the gas a bit while declutching, slammed gears, and tromped the pedal back to the floor as the clutch was engaging, kind of like how I launch but with minimal slippage. It all happens in the blink of an eye. I perfected this tecnique back when I had a hopped-up VW bug. I could get that pregnant roller skate to accelerate as fast as humanly possible. :twisted:

[fordfreak300]

I take my car out of gear before ever touching the clutch, I only press it about half way to get it back into gear. I drive tractor trailers so i am used to not using a clutch. But while racign I liek to use the clutch a hair to make sure I get it into gear. I lift my foot ever so slightly off the gas pedal as my car is carburated and i want that extra little bit of teh accelrator pump, With an EFi car my foot would never come off teh floor at all. It is called power shifting, good for about 2-3/10s off youu 1/4 time. 3/10s would put you into the 16 second mark.

[frankiesaysrelax]

It is called power shifting, good for about 2-3/10s off your 1/4 time. 3/10s would put you into the 16 second mark.

I tried power shifting once before and it didn't seem to be any better than my method, but that was just SOTP evaluation. BTW I ran a 15.50 in the 'stang, the 17.34 was in my little ricerburner Honda gasmiser.

Honestly, powershifting scares me, especially on a 220K mile T5. Plus what happens if I miss a shift. :oops:

I guess what I really need to do is somehow get to a real track and compare my method vs powershifting.

Thanks for the advice. :D

Oh yeah, I used to clutchless shift my VW all the time :twisted: . Never tried it with the T5 though.

[PNY XPRS]

Never underestimate the damage lack of traction will do to your ET.

I bracket raced my '86 weekly for a year and a half. During that time I got to know my car, and how it would run under any condition. I won enough money one weekend to afford a set of sticky tires (this was WAAY before Drag Radials) and even though I was dead-on consistant every run, when I put the new tires on, I picked up a solid .15 second.

Of you spun off the line and got sideways on the 1-2 shift... you probably lost a good .7 sec right there. As a general rule of thumb, each .1 second off your first 60' is .2 at the end of the run.

[BetterDays]

And people wonder why I hated the fact that I did not have gears in my car.
2.2 60'

[frankiesaysrelax]

Never underestimate the damage lack of traction will do to your ET.

I bracket raced my '86 weekly for a year and a half. During that time I got to know my car, and how it would run under any condition. I won enough money one weekend to afford a set of sticky tires (this was WAAY before Drag Radials) and even though I was dead-on consistant every run, when I put the new tires on, I picked up a solid .15 second.

Of you spun off the line and got sideways on the 1-2 shift... you probably lost a good .7 sec right there. As a general rule of thumb, each .1 second off your first 60' is .2 at the end of the run.

That's cool. Sure sounds like a lot of fun. I would love to win money at the track and buy stuff for my car.

Thanks for the info about getting traction. I assume that since I got sideways on the 1-2 shift and didnt straighten out until I grabbed 3rd, I must have been spinning them all the way through 2nd. Is this correct? Is there something I am doing wrong or is it just too much power for the tires & suspension?

[PNY XPRS]

That's cool. Sure sounds like a lot of fun. I would love to win money at the track and buy stuff for my car.

Thanks for the info about getting traction. I assume that since I got sideways on the 1-2 shift and didnt straighten out until I grabbed 3rd, I must have been spinning them all the way through 2nd. Is this correct? Is there something I am doing wrong or is it just too much power for the tires & suspension?

Not necessarily doing anything wrong. You were just overpowering the road/tires you were on.
Things that will help the lack of traction:
1. A proper dragstrip should be prepped with VHT and rubber that will help that situation tremendously.
2. You could also buy some sticky tires like Nitto or BF Goodrich Drag Radials. This is probably the best upgrade for the money.
3. Try to be a little less violent with the 1-2 shift. That might slow you down a little, but it will be less than spinning through 2nd.
4. Upgrading your suspension components (i.e.: Upper and Lower control arms, shocks, springs) will help your traction immensely... but it's expensive and tends to make your car a bit more "straight-line" oriented.


As for winning money at the track.. yep it was one of the highlights of that year for sure. I won 1st, 2nd, and 3rd that season for a total of $750. Paid for my Tires, exhaust, and gears!

[frankiesaysrelax]

Cool, thanks John.

I'm sure you are right about the road conditions. That road is really worn and beat up. At this point it is just a mosaic of little blue pieces of gravel worn smooth and accreted togehter by a grout of asphalt. Not much of a surface for my Dunlop radials to grip. :lol: I can imagine the difference between a beat-up old road and a nice VHT coated sticky asphalt dragstrip must be like night and day.

I'll keep your tips in mind about the 1-2 shift. Maybe pick up some drag radials too.

I guess what I really need to do is get to a dragstrip. I guess the closest one would be in NJ someplace. :(


As for winning money at the track.. yep it was one of the highlights of that year for sure. I won 1st, 2nd, and 3rd that season for a total of $750. Paid for my Tires, exhaust, and gears!

That rules. You must have been stoked. :evl:

[PNY XPRS]

Oh yeah.. I was pumped. I was screaming and hollering at the top of my lungs all the way down the shut down area and the return road.

I know there are a couple of major tracks in NJ. Atco and Englishtown. Maple Grove is not too deep into PA. I know there's a few outside the big city too.

[frankiesaysrelax]

Thanks John,

I'll have to look into this. The big problem for me is getting on and off the island which is a real pain. Also if I break something important at the dragstrip then I'm kinda stuck with a dead car and no ride home. :(

When I'm down in DE I know I can go to DelMar, but that is still about 2hrs away. 2 hrs away is about as far apart as two places can be and still be in the state of Delaware. LOL. I wonder if there are any closer strips in PA. When I'm down there I'm 20min south of Philly.

[PNY XPRS]

http://www.staginglight.com/links/trackfinder.html#NY

This does list this:
Long Island Motorsports Park
West Hampton, NY
516-288-1555
NHRA, 1/4 mile

not sure if this is near ya.

[frankiesaysrelax]

http://www.staginglight.com/links/trackfinder.html#NY

This does list this:
Long Island Motorsports Park
West Hampton, NY
516-288-1555
NHRA, 1/4 mile

not sure if this is near ya.

:cry: That track was 10min from my house. I was all set to go there and then I found out that it closed at the end of the 2004 race season and the land was sold to developers. RIP the oldest continuously operated dragstrip in the United States. :cry: :cry: :cry:

Thanks for the link though. :D

Looks like when I'm down in DE I'm 40 min from Cecil County Raceway in Maryland. I guess I could hit them up.

[frankiesaysrelax]

I ran my bone stock '88 LX 5.0 5spd hatch on a dark stretch of road with the infamous G-Tech Pro. It ran a 15.50 @ 93.4. I would have expected it to be exactly one second faster.

Hrmn, according to what I just read I guess a 15.50 ain't so bad after all

Quick Facts: All the previous years were warm-ups to the ’85. The car now sported a roller cam (a first) and headers (also a first). There were now 210 ponies under the hood, and for the first time, those faithful to the original cars were getting worried. In its April ’85 issue, Mustang Monthly tested the five-speed 4V 5.0. It was pitted against the best small-blocks Ford had built in the heyday—the Boss 302 and a 289 Hi-Po–powered fastback. The times were stunningly close. The ’85 posted a strong 15.62 compared to the ’66 Hi-Po at 15.49 and the Boss 302 at 15.33.

[frdfandc]

Not to bust your stones here, but your 88 should have went into the 14's. My best pass in my 90 LX 5.0 5-speed was a 13.80. This was with stock 2.73 gears, timing adjusted to 14 degrees, K&N air filter, flowmaster mufflers and swaybar removed all on street radials.

Not saying that 15.5 isn't bad, its just that there is alot left on the table. The very first time I ran my 90, I went 14.80. After approx 6 months of racing every friday nite, my times dropped down into the 13's.

You need to practice. I found that the best launch RPM was 1900. With popping the clutch, then matting the gas and powershifting.

[frankiesaysrelax]

Not to bust your stones here, but your 88 should have went into the 14's. My best pass in my 90 LX 5.0 5-speed was a 13.80. This was with stock 2.73 gears, timing adjusted to 14 degrees, K&N air filter, flowmaster mufflers and swaybar removed all on street radials.

Not saying that 15.5 isn't bad, its just that there is alot left on the table. The very first time I ran my 90, I went 14.80. After approx 6 months of racing every friday nite, my times dropped down into the 13's.

You need to practice. I found that the best launch RPM was 1900. With popping the clutch, then matting the gas and powershifting.

I agree, the '88 should run in the 14s - on a nicely prepped level dragstrip. This was on a thrashed gravel and sand covered patched up beat to heck road that runs slightly uphill. No VHT here, not even decent blacktop, LOL. I was wondering how much all of that would hurt my time. Thanks for your input and advice though. :) I figure if I can do that on a beat to heck old road, I should easily be in the 14s on a real strip. Too bad there aren't any near me. :evil:

[frdfandc]

AH, didn't know about the crappy track. That will do that. lol. Good luck in your search for better times.

[frankiesaysrelax]

AH, didn't know about the crappy track. That will do that. lol. Good luck in your search for better times.

Cool, thanks. :)