sleeper
Former LOD President
I went to the strip this weekend, the crappiest one within driving distance. Lapeer dragway. A dirt parking lot, the only thing paved is the strip (that might be debatable) and the return road. And you have to go to the snack hut for your time slips, which means you have to go on the dirt for your time, get out of the car, etc. It wasn't that busy though, i got at least 10 runs in (although i can't seem to find the slips... they're around somewhere though).
I was kind of disappointed, but i know the car has more in it. Last year my best was a 14.7, with a best 60' time of something like 2.16. 2.2 60' times were pretty common for me last year. Since last year, i have added drag radials, long tube headers, a 3200 stall t/c, and 4.10 gears, yet i still can't beat a 2.1 60'. What does that tell you about the track i was on?
Anyway, most of the day i was languishing in the 14.2 range. I had a couple of 14.3's, and one or two really bad runs, in the 14.5-14.6 range. I did achieve a best of 14 flat, or actually 14.068 or something like that. When i consider that i should be able to cut at least a 2.0 60', hopefully a 1.9, that should easily come down to 13.8, which is what i was expecting to get out of these mods. Maybe lower with good weather. But i'm going to have to get to a better strip for that.
The strip wasn't that busy, but i was only up there by myself once or twice. Other than that, i beat almost everyone i lined up against. The only one that beat me consistently was a Mercedes C55 AMG, that was not stock. He was running mostly 13.2's with a best of 12.9.
The only other car that beat me got lucky. I lined up against an S2000 when i was testing the worst tune i have at my disposal, which would be the old one where i hit 4th gear way too early and the car falls flat on it's face way before the end of the track. On that run, i also got caught sleeping at the light. So the S2000 had a head start on me, but once i got going he wasn't pulling... until i hit 4th gear. I just took my foot off the gas at that point and coasted through the traps, i ran like a 14.6. I lined up against the same car again a few minutes later though, and beat him. I was pretty surprised at how i beat him though. I thought those cars were all top end, yet he actually hung with me out of the hole (neither of us got a great launch), and i didn't start pulling on him (more than my initial head start) until about halfway down the track. I still beat him by a couple of lengths though.
Most of the other races weren't really notable. I beat some old station wagon with a big block, tubbed out with slicks, but he didn't have it dialed in yet and it wasn't running right. I did take him hard off the line though, i expected more than that out of his big ol' tires. I also beat two '94-'95 Mustangs. One was stock-looking, and i think he just left after i beat him. The other one was a cobra (5.0) with a vortech. He really screwed up off the line. He rolled forward, red lighted, then when my light turned green, he decided to go (but i got a really good head start). He chased me, but never caught up. Chalk that up as a win for me. Later in the day his radiator exploded and lubricated the track for us. Odd, i've never seen a radiator just blow up before. There were a couple of neons, a miata, and a turbo II k-car that i beat too, but none of those are worth bragging about.
I was kind of disappointed, but i know the car has more in it. Last year my best was a 14.7, with a best 60' time of something like 2.16. 2.2 60' times were pretty common for me last year. Since last year, i have added drag radials, long tube headers, a 3200 stall t/c, and 4.10 gears, yet i still can't beat a 2.1 60'. What does that tell you about the track i was on?
Anyway, most of the day i was languishing in the 14.2 range. I had a couple of 14.3's, and one or two really bad runs, in the 14.5-14.6 range. I did achieve a best of 14 flat, or actually 14.068 or something like that. When i consider that i should be able to cut at least a 2.0 60', hopefully a 1.9, that should easily come down to 13.8, which is what i was expecting to get out of these mods. Maybe lower with good weather. But i'm going to have to get to a better strip for that.
The strip wasn't that busy, but i was only up there by myself once or twice. Other than that, i beat almost everyone i lined up against. The only one that beat me consistently was a Mercedes C55 AMG, that was not stock. He was running mostly 13.2's with a best of 12.9.
The only other car that beat me got lucky. I lined up against an S2000 when i was testing the worst tune i have at my disposal, which would be the old one where i hit 4th gear way too early and the car falls flat on it's face way before the end of the track. On that run, i also got caught sleeping at the light. So the S2000 had a head start on me, but once i got going he wasn't pulling... until i hit 4th gear. I just took my foot off the gas at that point and coasted through the traps, i ran like a 14.6. I lined up against the same car again a few minutes later though, and beat him. I was pretty surprised at how i beat him though. I thought those cars were all top end, yet he actually hung with me out of the hole (neither of us got a great launch), and i didn't start pulling on him (more than my initial head start) until about halfway down the track. I still beat him by a couple of lengths though.
Most of the other races weren't really notable. I beat some old station wagon with a big block, tubbed out with slicks, but he didn't have it dialed in yet and it wasn't running right. I did take him hard off the line though, i expected more than that out of his big ol' tires. I also beat two '94-'95 Mustangs. One was stock-looking, and i think he just left after i beat him. The other one was a cobra (5.0) with a vortech. He really screwed up off the line. He rolled forward, red lighted, then when my light turned green, he decided to go (but i got a really good head start). He chased me, but never caught up. Chalk that up as a win for me. Later in the day his radiator exploded and lubricated the track for us. Odd, i've never seen a radiator just blow up before. There were a couple of neons, a miata, and a turbo II k-car that i beat too, but none of those are worth bragging about.
