More on track...

I just cant stop thinking about how i can approve myself at the track. I was thinkin alot about what you people were saying and alot of it makes sense(i.e the learning how to shift good part). I think over the winter money is going to allow me to add more stuff to my car...im defintly going to go the suspension/slick route and practice my "speed" shifting. Here are some 4 of my better track times(when i didnt miss a shift ;) ) and i was hoping that by lookin at these times if you could tell me what i can approve on. And yes...my launches were horrible

Run #1-

60 foot - 2.337 1/8 - 9.428 1/4 - 14.504 MPH - 91.71 My first run up...didnt even do a burnout cause i was afraid of stalling or hitting someone lol. shifted somewaht fast...i didnt think this was too bad of a run actually. Used 5th gear...the only time i used it

Run #2-

60 foot - 2.144 1/8 - 9.162 1/4 14.171 MPH - 98.51 I was very happy with this 1:) Did a burnout for a few seconds hit all my shifts as fast and hard as i could. Although i think with slicks i could have easily have seen a 13 cause when i launch i just feathered the clutch hoping not to spin out

Run #3-

60 foot - 2.271 1/8 - 10.115 1/4 - 15.447 MPH 94.03 Ok, very bad, wanted to power shift to see if i could gain anything, wound up missing third. My question is thought why is the MPH faster then run #1 but slower??

Run #4 -

60 foot - 2.142 1/8 - 9.178 1/4 - 14.168 MPH - 98.93 Best time of the day. Hit all my power shifting gears. Everything happened very nicely actually.

Some questions are as follows, what can i tell by those runs? What besides slicks could get me to see a high 13? How come when i didnt use 5th gear it went slower..is it better not too? If it isnt how can i change the car to accelerate faster to use 5th?(i have 3.73s now) I cant think of anything else, just got home from work... lol thanks in advance

Reply to
joe
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Joe,

Your mph gives the best idea of what your car is capable of. The first thing you should do, before throwing gobs of money at it, is get the most out of what you've got.

Traction is vital for low ET's. If you don't mind swapping tires at the track, get a set of slicks or dot slicks (I like the Hoosier QTP's). A 26" tall version is good for the Mustangs (I didn't see what you have, I'm assuming a 5.0???).

Once you've got traction, you don't have think about anything other than the launch when the lights start coming down. You will probably find that you'll have to come out of the hole harder with solid traction or you may bog. Think about how you have to "pussy foot" it out of the hole. Now change that to a hard 3500 rpm launch with no traction worries... your 60 foot time will go down.

Once you've got that, you can concentrate on your shifts. If you're going to be banging them hard, get an aftermarket shifter with positive stops. Otherwise you'll find that your car doesn't want to go into gears anymore (bent shift fork, etc...). Now that you can shift hard, find your best shift points. It isn't always higher to go quicker. This is where you'll have to do some experimentation.

With your car doing 98+ mph, I think you should be able to see the mid/high

13's (13.7 +/-). This would take a pretty optimal run, but it could be there. Your 2.14 60 foot times are decent on a street tire. I could get 2.0's with a couple of my notches. But with sticky tires, you should be seeing 1.9's (or better). Mathematically, that alone would put you into the 13's. But also having quicker 60 foot times will give you an advantage the rest of the way.

You don't want to be using 5th. It's not a performance gear, it's designed to keep the motor turning low rpm's at freeway speed. At the track, pretend it isn't there. You want to be turning your max rpm as you cross the finish line in 4th, essentially. If your optimal shift points are around 5500 rpm, that would be a good place to be crossing the finish line in 4th.

Steve BBB on a stand.

Reply to
A Guy Named Steve

If he has a 5.0 with a 5 speed and the stock gears, there is no way he would be crossing the finish line in 5th gear and still be running low 14's. I think he has a 99+ model.

Don Manning

Reply to
2.3Sleeper

OK, I guess I'm a little confused. I thought he only used 5th on the run that was 14.5 @ 91 mph? He said that he has 3.73's BTW.

Steve BBB on a stand.

Reply to
A Guy Named Steve

Reply to
joe

I'm gettin' in on this a little late. How about a complete rundown on your car, mods, shift rpm's, location, etc. Seems to me that 14.17 for a '00 Vert with 3.73's isn't too shabby, depending on what track you were running at. The 2.14 60' is respectable on street tires for most tracks as well.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tom

1998 GT Coupe 5-spd. Bright Atlantic Blue K&N FIPK, Tri-Ax, 3.73's, FRPP Coated Shorties, SpeedCal, P&P 2K Heads, 2K Intake, Bassani X-Pipe and Cat-Back, Subframe Connectors, JMS Chip, Eagle Alloy Wheels
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Reply to
bluestang98

Those numbers aren't bad... first thing you'll want to do (as a few have already stated) is work with what you have right now. Learning your car as it is right now is the best thing you can do for yourself at the moment. I do not recommend investing in any "go-fast" parts yet. I'd work on getting a new shifter (I use a Steeda Tri-Ax short-throw shifter w/ bolt stops and LOVE it--$170 shipped on eBay). Some sub-frame connectors will help your car avoid twisting on the launch and gain a little more traction.. as well as a strut tower brace will help your car feel tighter as well. Even though they aren't "go-fast" parts they'll definitely help you drive your car better. First part I'd buy (and I'd get one SOON) is a Steeda Tri-Ax shifter... this will prevent you from bending shift forks.. which you do NOT want. I plan on getting some sub-frame connectors & a strut tower brace put on my car as a christmas gift to myself ;D. Anyway... have fun with your car.. but don't forget maintenance ;D.

-Mike Dark Green 98 Mustang GT

Reply to
<memset

Just for clarification purposes....

Since Joe has an '00 GT, a Tri-Ax with stop bolts would be a very wise choice - it'll keep his transmission much happier. However, if Joe had a late '01 or newer GT, the stop bolts should be removed as the Tremec has built in shift stops to prevent damage to the shift fork. In any event, I'd suggest one merely because it'd be easier to hit the gears. Joe is unfortunate enough to have the same T-45 that I have in my '97 Cobra... which is dying a slow, painful death. The second gear synchro is notoriously weak in these transmissions... powershift at your own risk.

A strut tower brace is something typically removed from a drag-oriented car. It'll help in the twisties by keeping the shock towers from flexing, thus changing your suspension geometry greatly... but in a straight line, it's just added weight at these speeds.

Subframes will keep the car from twisting at the strip and make it feel more solid.. inspiring a bit more confidence and perhaps even adding an extra bit of handling for a road course. This comes highly recommended.

Another suggestion is to not do a burnout on street tires. Tires that aren't made to do burnouts on will probably hinder your efforts to hook up more than anything if you do one. The water from the water box and the rubber heating up usually creates little pebbles of hard rubber that stay on the track or stick to your tires... giving a ball bearing effect when you try to launch. What's typically recommended on street tires is that you drive around the water box if possible and then do a quick dry-hop to kick the stones and rubber bits off of your tires. I found that worked much better for my snake... you may find differently. I suggest getting a pair of Nitto or BFG drag radials and put them on right before you go to the track... unless you have a buddy that will go with you in a truck, then buy some slicks and put them on at the track. Regardless, mount what you buy on a different set of rims (preferrably the smallest rim size that'll fit your rear brakes) and only use them at the strip. You can drive the drag radials to the strip and back legally, but they don't work in the rain at all...

The 60' times you pull on street tires are pretty good... I've barely been able to break that in my Cobra with Nitto drag radials. I'm still learning. Dropping the clutch at 4500 RPM is pretty exciting though and kicks you back quite a bit... ;-)

JS

Reply to
JS

I've got a T-45 tranny too.. when something with it goes wrong again (major) I plan on tossing it & getting a diff. tranny.. what do you recommend? Tremec 5-speed?

-Mike

Reply to
<memset

Depends on what your budget is. I'm eyeing up the T-56 from the '03 Cobra. I'm pretty sure that's the same spec transmission they throw behind the Viper and Z06 Corvette, so it'll probably do just fine with 305 horsepower and minimal bottom end torque. Now that they threw it in a Mustang, all of the parts are readily available to swap it in... it's just a matter of cost now.

Otherwise, you may be able to get a Tremec trans out of a later Mustang to drop in. I'm not sure if they make kits to put the Tremec 3650 or the TKO into newer Mustangs due to the longer bellhousing....

JS

Reply to
JS

Well what would be a good tranny for "average" price for a 98 Mustang GT that probably will never get past 400hp in its life that will be a RELIABLE tranny? I can always save up for the transmission just as long as it's a worthwhile investment. Btw.. I appreciate your responses =).

-Mike

drag-oriented

Everything

Reply to
<memset

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