Never drag raced (legally) before...so I tried out Showtime Dragway, the local 1/8 mile drag strip for their test and tune night. $10 admission and $10 tech. I almost did enough runs to average a buck a pass, total.

Most runs were solo, but I had a couple of "pick up" races. First a new Z07. He won the first time ( I was asleep on the light) and I beat him the next 2 passes! Then EVERYBODY wanted to race me. Spanked a tuned WRX twice, spanked a rotary powered Miata, beat a new SRT8 Super Bee by 3 car lengths and even a full race V8 sedan.

The track "regulars" offered lots of tips to improve my reaction times and launches... and kudos for good ET's and fast trap speeds.

Got my reaction times down to .1 and as quick as .03. Only red-lighted once.
60 ft times were dismal, averaging 2.1 to 2.2. Traction control always on.
Best ET was 8.06 and best trap speed was 93.48.

 

Why in the world did you leave your traction control on?

Traction control off and you would have easily been in the 7's

 

First time out and wanted a get a feel for the track. Had wheel spin off the line every run, hence the low 60' times. Even with traction control I had wheel spin in 2nd / 3rd a few times. Still had wheel spin even if I avoided the water box. Last thing I wanted to do was lose it. It's an old facility and not the best track for traction according to the regulars.

Is there any harm with leaving traction control off with a Tip on a dragstrip?

Also, if I get below 7.5 the track requires a roll cage (which I have) and a jacket or suit (which I don't have, at least yet).

Tech at the start was mildly surprised when I ran a 8.43 my first pass (my slowest of the night), since they require a helmet if you run faster than 8.5. Luckily I brought it just in case.

 

Interesting, my 6sp never spins in 2nd or 3rd and my car made 510wtq.

Given the 93mph trap speed, it doesn't appear that you're making big power, so what kind of tires are you running?

Later, Steve

 

Any performance mods on your car? I have a bone stock Tiptronic and managed a 1.9 60ft. I normally brake boost until I see 0.1 bar (or before the car starts pushing through the brakes). It was 100 degrees on the track which I think hurt me on the mph, clicked off a 8.09@90mph. Not an ounce of wheel spin.

 

mad, crazy power

 

Thanks for the feedback. Tires are P-Zeros w/ about 50% front and 30% rear tread. I haven't checked the date codes, but I suspect they may be 4+ years old.

Unfortunately I don't have any documentation on mods. It does have an aftermarket stainless exhaust (Miltek?) and it makes 1.0 to 1.1 bar boost.

Will it hurt anything to do drag launches without traction control?

 

I had the same tires and were 7 years old. They were hard, noisy and didn't feel very planted in the corners. Installed a fresh set and it rides alot smoother/quieter. I'd recommend the same. Also, an un-kept/un-prepped track could be worse than trying to launch on the street, traction wise. Your car is flashed because my stock Tip spikes to 0.8 bar and stays between 0.6-0.7.

I think a fresh set of tires would help the traction issue since the track probably isn't up to par. And little brake boost would help your 60ft. As far as launching without the PSM, turn it off and let her rip. If it starts to get out of the groove, abort and try again

 

was it raining?

 

I also purchased my car with old P-Zero's on it. When I replaced them with a set of Michelin Pilot Super Sports, I realized that they were as hard as a rock.

Let me just say, that with the P-Zero's I had to be careful not to spin too much when I launched. With the Pilot Super Sports, I now need a new clutch. If I try to launch with the PSS's, it just blows the clutch away.

Later, Steve

 

Installed new Sumitomo tires and re-visited the same strip with the same launch (traction control on). Knocked times down to a 7.73. Seriously pissed off a group of Mustangs running slicks (beat them all).

 

OK....

 

Did he have a stroke?

 

No, he just left his traction control off...and had excessive wheel spin on both runs. Track surface at this strip is really old / worn and poorly prepped.