I went to the track for the 3 time ever, and first time to race. i was quite disappointed to say the least. heres why.

Conditions:

Temp was about 85-90 degress, mild wind, nothing huge, no humidity, car was running about 210*.

My first pass was a 16.1, i let off too soon at the end and then realized i still had more room and kept going. (remember, first timer ) i figured for sure i could get 14's.

heres my ticket on the second pass.

R/T: .590 (on a .000 perfect system)
60': 2.437
330: 6.739
1/8: 10.272
MPH: 69.86
1000: 13.292
1/4: 15.874
MPH: 87.53

So is this a typical time for a stock LT1? (with exception of SLP CAI). I was really surprized at the car being HIGH 15's, i mean, the honda boys were starting to talk some trash. I have the 2.73 gears (i know they dont help ) and 1K miles on a rebuild trans so no slipping issue at all with that. I smoked the tires in the water pit and had good traction leaving the tree. the tires chirped when i hit second, but not much to make a difference i'd think.

My friend said that i should manually shift my car (A4). he said leave in first, shift into second when i hit 4,500RPM, and repeat going into third gear. both passes i made, i just let the car shift on its own. i didnt want to try the other tactic at the time for fear of screwing something up.

So, i guess what im asking is, was my high 15's a normal time for a stock LT1? Would the manual shifting help me at all? If it would, what RPM would you recommend shifting at?

Thanks in advance for the replies. I probably wont be to able get back to this until late thursday night but will try to get on to answer and questions.

~Matt

 

It seems to me that you are leaving alot on the table in one way or another. Is something wrong with your car? I would imagine you should not have a problem getting mid to low 14's. Your 60 ft is poor but I imagine your running street tires. I've been trying to talk myself into buying new tires for a year now.

What are you reving your engine to? How are you launching?

You MPH seems to be really low as well. I think stock I was in the upper 90's.

~Jim~

 

Either the altitude is high or something is not right... A stock 1994 LT1 with a decent tuneup (no problems), on a decent track with decent air, should generally run 13.9-14.2 at 98-99 mph.

Clean or replace the air filter, change the oil, install a new fuel filter, put in fresh spark plugs and check or replace your plug wires. Work your electrical connections under the hood a few times to make sure they are all clean, clean your battery posts, take the junk out from below the seats. You may want to seafoam your top end as well.

The important thing is having fun but having your car in decent shape is also important.

 

I live in missouri so altitude i dont think is a factor since its pretty flat out here. we had a tune up at 62k miles, now at 69k. i just installed the new CAI about 200 miles ago. Oil was also changed about that time. (5W30 Valvolean semi synthetic and WIX filter) I was using street tires. I also launched from a dead stop, no stall or building up the RPM as the lights changed.

where should i put in the seafoam at, the gas tank?

should i try and build up the RPM's?

What type of plugs and wires would you recommend?

Thanks for the replies and taking the time to help.
~Matt

 

Make sure you are getting full throttle. Sounds like the carpet is bunched up under the pedal or a squirrel/Woodchuck/Prarie Dog is sleeping under it. 87mph is consistant with my 3700lbs IROC when it had 215hp...not too good. Please don't do mods until you've seen it done properly. Don't seafoam the gas tank. Don't pour sand in the intake to port it. MSD makes awesome wires. NGK TR5 spark plugs.

 

I've raced at Kansas City. The actual altitude isn't all that bad but, believe me, the heat and humidity in the midwest during the summer time is a killer. If you went back with no changes in October you could easily pick up 3/4 of a second. Plus, the gears are killing you. Stall the converter on the launch. Start at about 1500 and go higher on every run until you make the car spin then back off a couple hundred. With 2.73 it will never be great but it should be better than 2.6. Also, check for the prarie dog under the pedal... I like the sound of that.

 

our track is ~2500ft elevation and this was in 90* temps so my first time at the track i smoked through the 60' and ran:

60'-2.842
330'-7.096
1/8-10.372
mph-75.93
1000'-13.127
1/4-15.435
mph-98.46

Either your elevation is ~6000ft or your car isnt running right. it could be a lose throttle cable, bad injectors, fouled plugs, burnt wires, failing opti-spark, bad fuel pump. hopefully its not a spun bearing or blown head gasket. If it was just a bad driver(like my slip) your e.t. would be where its at but your mph should be mid-high 90's.

 

Also, your friend is wrong by saying you should shift into 2nd at 4800 rpms. the rpms in 2nd wont be as high, taking more time to build it up in the normal WOT range, making you run an even slower time. I would just leave it in D and stall it a little before leaving the line. Avoid the burnout box. On street tires, it doesnt help at all. it will just make them slimy, not sticky. plus if you roll through the burnout box, the back tires will get wet because the front tires were dripping water. like tnthub said, just have fun. ignore what those little faggy ricers are saying.

 

HAHA!

Thanks for all the tips. I was actually practicing stalling the car today. I'll look into the plugs and wires. I dont think the actual opti would be a problem as my car never stutters or seems to lose power at high output. Im also sure that its not a blown headgasket or bearing as this car has been in the family since new and was driven by my father. (Before i purchased it) He drives like an old man. Seriously! Im HOPEFULLY going back tomorrow and i'll make adjustments per what you guys said.

Thanks Alot!
~Matt

 

And make sure to check what AUTOROC said. Pull the intake elbow and have someone watch the throttle blades while you floor the go pedal. A bunched up floor mat or stretched throttle cable can keep you from going WOT. And it could even be your seating position. For racing I usually keep my seat a click or 2 closer to the pedals.

 

Thanks for that tips. there's a 75% chance that im going back today. its overcasting here so not sure if the weather will hold up. If i do go, there will be no floormat and i'll take out some of the BS in the trunk. i think i got some heavy duty jumper cables and a 4-way weighing me down in there. i'll probably yank out the spare for the time being. hopefully doing that and the stalling will put me closer to what i should be running.

Wednesday was suppost to be my day to show my stuff to my friend who has a stroked 383 Monte carlo. the only thing i proved was that his brother might beat me with his POS 350 cutlass. But, its all about the safety and fun and thats why we go to the track

 

Good old Dad might have put a govenor on the car.....uh oh

 

A clogged cat or crunched exhaust pipe will significantly kill mile per hour...

There will probably be someone at the track with a handheld weather station. Take a look at is so we have a basis for our comments.

ET is about shifting, MPH is about horsepower. Your MPH is low so I am thinking something is causing a power launch. Have fun, detail everything you can about your runs. Take notes. Becoming proficient is a process, not an event. Screw the people who give you crap.

 

I don't think there is anything wrong with your car. Because your 60 ft time is so slow your car doesn't have the time to get up to speed. Remember, every tenth off of your 60 is two tenths off of your 1/4. A more appropriate 60 will put your car in the mid to high 14's.

With treaded standard street tires you should drive around the water box entirely. You don't want even a drop of water hanging around in the tread blocks when you try to launch the car.

Your 60-ft time should be down in the 2.05 to 2.10 range on even the hardest street tires if the car is not spinning the tires. Mine runs consistent 2.05 60's on hard as a rock 440 tread wear rating street tires. You definitely have some tire spin if your 60 is in the 2.6 range or higher.

I leave off idle in drive and let the car shift on it's own. See where the car shifts on it's own and write down the different shift RPM's for each gear change. In stock form it may be shifting much below it's optimal shift RPM.

I have tuned the shift points with my Hypertech power programmer to get the RPM to 6000 in every gear at full throttle. Mine was shifting at about 400 to 500 RPM lower in stock form. It kept getting faster the higher I moved the shift point so I kept going until I hit the point where I wasn't comfortable pushing the engine any harder. I still have a completely stock long block with 93,000 mile valve springs.

Your high water temp of 210 will cause you to lose about three tenths over a 170 degree water temp. Mine did. Install a 160 thermostat and program the fans to come earlier and you will get a nice ET drop of about three tenths.

The 2.73 gears are a big draw back. Get a 3.42 rear end from the local wrecking yard and put it in there. You will be amazed at how much faster the car feels and how easy it will spin the tires on the 1-2 gear shift. Mine puts down about 20 feet of rubber on a 1-2 shift at full throttle on the street.

While you are at the wrecking yard getting a rear end look for an LS1 aluminum driveshaft. Big bang for the buck. I paid $46 for mine and got it and the 3.42 posi rear end out of the same car for under $300.

While you are putting in the driveshaft also put in a polyurethane transmission mount and torque arm mount. You would be amazed at how much power you are losing allowing these parts to flex and burn off rear wheel horse power.

With just the things I mentioned above, a cheap CAI and synthetic differential gear oil my car ran a 13.68 and yours could come pretty close to this. The more miles your LT1 gets on it the faster it will get. The fastest stock long block cars are in the 120,000 mile range or higher.

 

This is the only thing i disagree with, out of your whole post. Compare his timeslip with the one i posted from my first trip. my 60' is horrendous and even higher than his but look at our trap speeds. mine is much higher than his. i agree with Mighty, ET is about shifting/launch while the trap is about raw power.

To the OP: have you made it back with results?