Going to the Track Tonight-need advice

[96flmustang]

Gonna take my 94 GT stock to the track tonight for the first time. Its a 5 speed. What rpm should I launch? I'm really hoping to get in the 14s. Any advice will sure help.

Thanks,

Rob

 

[VertTireSmoke]

hmm i usually launched mine anywhere from 2500 - 3k. don't dump the clutch. feather it out until u feel it engage. take as much weight out as possible. back seat, passenger seat, spare tire, etc. lower the rear tire pressure to about 20psi. i am assuming u are taking street tires right? u don't need to do a big burnout if u are on street tires. ideally drive around the water box. the water will not help at all. if this is ur first time ever at the track watch a few ppl before you go up and see how they do things. most important tho man just have fun. ull get better with each time u go up there. and make sure u post ur times when u get back. hope i helped out a lil.

 

[96flmustang]

I used to take my 96 GT auto to the track but this will be the first time with a 5 speed. I'll take your advice. I will also post the times. I just hope they aren't in the 15's.

 

[Lightning Struck]

If your running on street tires you can about forget that 3k launch ;D ;D ;D. I remember when I had my 95 STOCK the best I could do on Nittos was around 1900 with a slip on the clutch. Good luck

 

[NotQuik]

I personally launch between idle and 1000 rpm....get's me by not great by it works. Post up and let us know how you do.

 

[96flmustang]

Ok guys, it was a bad night at the track. Horrible. I ran my car two times and had a friend who knows how to drive really well drive it once. When I drove it alone, I ran in the 16's! Crazy. I was pissed so I had my friend drive with me in the car who knows what he is doing and to learn something. It ran a 16.0 at like 86 mph. When I drove, I spun the tires quite a bit during the launch. Every pass of the night was in the 16's! Very embarrassing. My 96 auto ran better than this 94 GT 5 speed. I will post the details when I get home. Looks like I'm gonna have to get some nitrous soon. Can't go to the track with times like this anymore. What a let down.

Here are some excuses: 1. full tank of gas 2. car was pinging, needs tune up 3. spare tire, and extra passenger during 2 passes.

 

[TRUES97GT]

Don't give up on it! I started going to the track this spring and have had a blast! I had all the standard bolt-ons and 4.10s and ran a best of 15.2 at 92mph. There is still alot I can do to lighten the load, especially since I am running a convertable.

I get beat by other mustangs, cameros, etc, but it is nice to blow away the occasional ricer :thumb:

I am in the middle of a rebuild with ported PI heads, typhoon and 24lb injectors. I hope it will get me into the 13s.

Good luck!

 

[19mustang95]

im guessing you are from florida, what track did you go to?

 

[GDawg]

I suck on my launches. I spin horribly no matter what. I have a 2.7 sec 60' time. I tried launching at lower rpms but still take up to almost 3 seconds to get going. My solution....? 315 MT ET Street/Drag radials and then I'll still be dumping the clutch. I have some tires to buy and I'm going to change my springs out to a more favorable weight transfer.

I love racing even if my times still suck with this supercharger.

It's the best drug I've ever done... imp2:

 

[GDawg]

im guessing you are from florida, what track did you go to?

Florida...? He's lucky he doesn't live up here and race at the mile high city. We run almost a whole second slower than sea level... :-\

 

[Paul]

Ok guys, it was a bad night at the track. Horrible. I ran my car two times and had a friend who knows how to drive really well drive it once. When I drove it alone, I ran in the 16's! Crazy. I was pissed so I had my friend drive with me in the car who knows what he is doing and to learn something. It ran a 16.0 at like 86 mph. When I drove, I spun the tires quite a bit during the launch. Every pass of the night was in the 16's! Very embarrassing. My 96 auto ran better than this 94 GT 5 speed. I will post the details when I get home. Looks like I'm gonna have to get some nitrous soon. Can't go to the track with times like this anymore. What a let down.

Here are some excuses: 1. full tank of gas 2. car was pinging, needs tune up 3. spare tire, and extra passenger during 2 passes.

You don't need nitrous, you need practice. My 94 GT with gears and exhaust can 2.1X 60' on normal street tires at full weight. I've ran a best of 14.45 and most of them are in the 14.5-14.6 range. I rev the car to 2500 at the lights, and slip the clutch a little as I roll out of the lights. You need to roll the tires over a bit at the launch, but not spin the crap out of them. It's something that comes only with practice.

I made 10 passes one night, and 13 passes a few days later. By the end of it, I had my launch down pretty well. You should try doing the same.

Paul.

 

[ripper]

That extra weight killed ya. You need practice and get rid of the weight. I have a blown car and can feel the difference with another person in it. Do what Paul says and keep tryin. Lighten it up and go every week if you have to. Ive only been racing a yr but i go every week its open. If you can post up your slips these guys can tell you alot from them. That ping has to go. It will ruin your motor. I run like 1/2 tank of gas. That little extra weight helps plant me. Dont dump your clutch. I have d/r's and dont do that. Dumpin is for beefed up rears and slicks. Take off like your racing some guy on the street. The more you practice the less bog you will have. Less bog better 60fters. It is fun though huh. :dancing6: Dont ever be embarassed. Your there to have fun not make a livin LOL. The kid that takes his moms civic there and throws it in reverse instead of 4th will be embarassed enough for everyone :hammer:

 

[96flmustang]

Thanks for the advice guys. Its just a little frustrating but a lot of fun. I spend a little money on gears and exhaust on my last Mustang and got in down to 15.5 and it was an auto and convertible. I was hoping that a 5.0 and 5 speed along with a car lighter than my vert it would make a difference. Anyway
here are my times from last Wed.

Me driving/no passenger friend driving/with passenger
r/t........350 r/t.......638
60'.......2.621 60'......2.681
330.....7.365 330....7.061
1/8......10.924 1/8......10.533
mph......69.70 mph 71.14
1000....14.110 1000...13.541
1/4.......16.736 1/4.....16.072
mph......86.74 mph....89.33

 

[96flmustang]

I live in Orlando. The track I go to is in Bithlo called Speed World. There is another track in Gainesville that I hear is really nice but I haven't made the 2 hr drive up there yet.

 

[19mustang95]

I live in Orlando. The track I go to is in Bithlo called Speed World. There is another track in Gainesville that I hear is really nice but I haven't made the 2 hr drive up there yet.

you mean Spinworld. :hammer: that is the same track i go to, im only a few miles away from it since i go to UCF...i would recommend Bradenton out by tampa if you want to get in some good runs, probably the best track in Florida.

 

[96flmustang]

Can anyone look at my time slips and tell me what the heck went wrong? I know I spun a lot but my trap speed was pretty low too.

 

[ripper]

Thats the problem with both. Spin got ya a bad 60ft so your mph was low. He shaved 6 tenths off on the second run with you in the car. If you can get your 60ft down to like 2.1 your in mid 15's. Get some weight out, tune it, and your mph will go up and your et's. That 16.7 was your first ever race?

 

[96flmustang]

It wasn't my first race. I used to have a 96 GT Auto Vert that had 4.10's, exhaust that I would run 15.5's. I got rid of it because I wanted a 5 speed and a lighter car. I also hear that the 5.0's are cheaper to mod than the 4.6.

I was really hoping to get in the high 14's. I saw another 94 GT at the track that ran 14.8. He told me it was stock. My car does have 150,000 miles on it so I'm sure that has something to do with it.

I plan on going to the track again soon. After I get it tuned of course.

 

[scarface]

those 60fts are terrible! get some Drag radials man, doesnt seem like the track is prepped well.

 

[Paul]

Thanks for the advice guys. Its just a little frustrating but a lot of fun. I spend a little money on gears and exhaust on my last Mustang and got in down to 15.5 and it was an auto and convertible. I was hoping that a 5.0 and 5 speed along with a car lighter than my vert it would make a difference. Anyway
here are my times from last Wed.

Me driving/no passenger friend driving/with passenger
r/t........350 r/t.......638
60'.......2.621 60'......2.681
330.....7.365 330....7.061
1/8......10.924 1/8......10.533
mph......69.70 mph 71.14
1000....14.110 1000...13.541
1/4.......16.736 1/4.....16.072
mph......86.74 mph....89.33

Let's see if I can be of any help...

First off, I wouldn't spend any money on mods until you have gears and a trak-loc rebuild. That will have the most significant impact and be the best bang for you buck at this stage of the game. A set of 3.73s should work fine for you. I would do a short-throw shifter next.

Before you do ANYTHING, make sure you have a good tuneup in the car as well. It's got quite a few miles on it, so a good freshening is important. I just picked up my 95 GT coupe daily driver two months ago - it has 130K miles and here's what I did to it immediately after purchasing it.

Plugs
Wires
Cap
Rotor
Coil (probably not necessary)
Oil Change (10w30 Castrol, nothing fancy for me)
Oil Filter
Fuel Filter (very important)
Tranny Fluid
Rear Diff fluid (I had all new gears, t-lok rebuild, axle bearings, seals etc. installed. I used 75w90 Royal Purple synthetic)
PCV
Brake fluid (won't affect your track times, but it's nice to be able to stop )
Air filter (installed MAC CAI - not great but not bad. A stock airbox setup was unavailable)

My car runs between 14.4-14.6 normally, with full weight (zero weight reduction) and on 245/45/17 goodyear street tires. It traps 94 mph on nearly every run with the following mods:

Edelbrock Performer Intake
70mm TB
CAI
shorty headers
stock catalytic h-pipe (seriously)
flowmaster catback
short-throw shifter

I figure you should be able to get at least 91 mph out of your car the way it sits. If you can get a 2.1-2.2 60' time, that could save you nearly a second in your 1/4 mile times. If your track will allow it, ask them to have you "shallow stage". This means you will only pull forward until the first bulb is lit. This can give you an extra 7 inches or so before you break the beams and activate the time clock. Although it doesn't seem like much, this can help your ET, but it hurts your RT (which is irrelevant when you're just going for fastest time). Launch when YOU ARE READY - even if that is five seconds after the green light. The timeclock doesn't start until you break the beams and leave the line. This will give you ample time to make sure you are at the correct RPM that YOU want to launch at. It will also allow you to be more consistent in your launches.

Don't over-rev the car. Stock 5.0s (especially old tired ones) don't make much power past 51-5200 rpms. I think I had my best luck shifting around 54-5600 rpms. Play with it a little to determine what your car likes best. There is a huge disparity in your 330' times between you and your friend, yet he actually 60-footed slower than you. This means something is happening between shifts.

In short, practice, practice, practice. You'll be in the 14s before you know it.

Paul.