05 Mustang GT, 04 Corvette convertable, etc....

[ausie]

I have many kills since I have taken my car to the drag strip. Probably not as exciting as it would be on the street but you never know what lies under the hood of your opponent which may surprise you or not. The first race I was uncertain who was going to be my opponent. As the cars inched forward to the track entrance I thought what the heck is that thing,,,, was a primered mazda RX7 with a wide body kit and other things done to it. Turns out someone was holding up my line and finnaly moved forward. Cool get to dust an 05 GT mustang. I am not surprised I won having a reaction time of 0.519 when compared to 0.904. I basically left that car way behind by a few car lengths if not more. After the race I decided to pull over to let some more air out since I could not hook up at all. While depressurizing the rears someone approached me and started asking questions. Of course I get "how many mods have you done since I saw you blow that 05 mustang like it was a cake walk". My reply which was honest "my car is stock except for the cat back exhaust". Some times it is good to have a friend in the stands who may give their observational comments and this time I had such a friend who thought I knew this person who was talking to me. Apparently as it turns out the one asking all the questions was friend to the 05 mustang owner. I found out after the event that the 05 had some supposed serious mods to it. I think I would go back and complain to the installer to re-tune it.

04 Corvette convertable: trim level ????? have no idea, corvettes look all the same to me with the exception of some styling cues that change just about every year. This one was missing the Z06 badges or anything indicative of its potential. The first run was interesting. He beat me out of the hole by 0.2 seconds but I over took him before the 1/8 mile marker with a final et of 13.159 at 109mph compared to 13.719 at 103.4mph. Second time around he had an 0.5 second advantage. He was basically in the lead most of the time since I struggled to get a grip on the road surface. He may have beat me that time due to the R/T #'s since my ET was 13.096 compared to the vett 13.571 seconds. Even in my perspective I took him before the quarter mile ran out of space but the numbers say differently.

What is more fun? on the street or at the track? There is definately less pressure at the track since there are no interferences that may enter your path. Perhaps because it is expected the fun sort of dwindles where as on the street or highway it is unpredictable (most of the time). At the track you always get a speeding ticket but at no cost to you since you pay for it up front (typically $25.00, heck that is cheaper than most parking tickets, it costs less to drive 110mph than to sit still at a meter and forget to deposit some pocket change). On the street, there is no clue when you may get one but it will definately cost far more than the cost of taking it to the drag strip (including fuel, wear and tear on tires, parts, and food if you get some there).

[InfamousSVT]

Sounds like you had a blast!

I hate it when people are so impressed when an older mustang beat one of the newer models (ex. 03/04 - 05) Just cause they are newer cars doesn't mean they're faster.

I perfer to keep my racing safe and at the strip, but every once and a while I'll get a race on the highway that I can't pass up. I hit it for a bit and then look at my speed and re-think the whole ticket/license thing and back off the gas!

I beleive it's more fun and "driver" related at the track, anyone can just punch it on the highway, but when at the track it takes driving skills to launch the car out and bang it through the gears.

[ausie]

I was able to squeeze 5 runs in 2 1/2 hours. I was having a blast but could have had more fun if there were not as many blow ups that evening also if the accelerator pedal did not stick to the floor as it did on the last run of the evening. One car caught fire and the run following seized their turbo or something like that. I need to get a shift light to get my eyes off of the tach and keep them on the track.

[bobbys97r]

Originally Posted by ausie

I was able to squeeze 5 runs in 2 1/2 hours. I was having a blast but could have had more fun if there were not as many blow ups that evening also if the accelerator pedal did not stick to the floor as it did on the last run of the evening. One car caught fire and the run following seized their turbo or something like that. I need to get a shift light to get my eyes off of the tach and keep them on the track.

nah just listen to your car it will let you know when to shift and if not shift when it hits the rev limiter

[ausie]

Off the track and no helmet, not a problem since I can tell when to shift by just listening. On track and helmet on and also having the windows closed, hard to hear the motor. Hitting the rev limiter cuts down on time. When I don't hit it and shift precicely just below redline or at 6500 RPM I can manage lower ET's. Usually it is the 2nd to 3rd gear change that matters the most since that is when I usually bang the rev limiter the most. Sticky tires for the rear end may be the only way to beat my best at 12.59.

[bobbys97r]

Originally Posted by ausie

Off the track and no helmet, not a problem since I can tell when to shift by just listening. On track and helmet on and also having the windows closed, hard to hear the motor. Hitting the rev limiter cuts down on time. When I don't hit it and shift precicely just below redline or at 6500 RPM I can manage lower ET's. Usually it is the 2nd to 3rd gear change that matters the most since that is when I usually bang the rev limiter the most. Sticky tires for the rear end may be the only way to beat my best at 12.59.

I was J/K about the rev limiter thing. put an off road X and some long tubes on that bad boy and you might be able to hear it over that S/C