New Personal Best ET: 11.90 @ 127+ mph!

[SVTKen]

I went back to Capitol Raceway in Crofton, MD yesterday for some more Friday night test & tune fun. This was my second time at the strip in the Shelby, and I did better and ran quicker and faster than I did on my first time. My best ET was 11.90 @ 127.14, with some limited wheelspin at the starting line. I was much more confident this time and most importantly I was also more consistent.

This time I really worked hard to pull off fast shifts and actually got a bark from the tires going into 3rd gear (at 90+ mph!) on a couple of my passes. It's crazy that the Shelby finishes the quarter mile in 3rd gear (I'm still trying to get used to that). I just hold 3rd gear until I hit the rev limiter. I found that a really quick speed shift with a quick lift off the throttle works best on the 1-2 shift and you can really slam 3rd gear quickly (which I did not attempt my first time at the track in this car). I only made 4 passes tonight, but I messed up one of them by shifting from 2nd to 5th gear and didn't bother trying to correct back into 3rd gear. All three other passes were very consistent with a high 1.9 and low 2.0 60 ft times and 126+ mph trap speeds. I personally think the launch control will be extremely difficult [for me] to beat on street tires on a typical test & tune night where track prep isn't perfect. This time I did each run exactly the same with a real quick clutch slip at 3400 RPM. I set my rear tire pressure to 27 psi and left it that way for all the runs. The previous time I went to the strip I had 35 psi in the rear tires, which I believe was a big mistake. There was some wheelspin on each run at the starting line and a little more near the top of first gear, but it was limited and not bad at all. There was still a little bog on each run, but the launches worked much better at the 3400 RPM setting (than the 3000-3200 RPM setting I tried last time). The bog was very limited and it didn't fall on it's face like it did last time at the lower RPM settings. I also tried one pass without the launch control and I was a little surprised at how well I did, but was not able to beat the launch control. I may try more unassisted launches later, but this car is begging me to put some DRs on it. It's so traction limited that you really need good track prep to get any kind of consistency from it. I have to give credit to the guys at Capitol Raceway tonight for the prep. When I do the same thing for each launch, the car should perform the same, and tonight it did.

I scanned my two best timeslips for you to check out (both using the launch control). As always, I was in car #888. The best part of the night was I got to race (and beat) two Camaros. One of them was a late model SS, and the other was an older one. Both of them ran mid/high 13s (I thought the newer SS model was faster than that). I literally put 20-30 car lengths on both of them!

My engine was hot on every run. I think that on a cool day if I were to ice the intercooler, supercharger, and engine down and give it a proper cool down, a substantially better ET and trap speed are likely, especially with DRs where traction wouldn't be such a problem. Have any of you tried icing things down between runs yet? I know it's a pain, and you have to be very careful to double or triple bag it so it doesn't leak all over everything. Please let me know what you think. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated so let's talk about what has worked best for you. I still have a lot to learn about this car and I'm also sure there is a much lower ET and an even higher trap speed under the right conditions.

:beer:

 

[Slostjoe]

Congrats that's a hell of a trap speed! I ran an 11.8 @ 120.2 stock which the trap was waaaay low maybe due to a DA of 3600.

Tires and that car will be very stout!

 

[Competition]

That's an extremely slow ET for that kind of mph. Must spin a ton down low. Either way that is impressive! Get that thing on a tire and go have some more fun!

 

[YELL03]

Nice runs!!!

I have a 2.3 TVS off of a 2013 GT500 on the way for my 2011.

Your 1/4 mile trap speed is high compared to your 1/8th mile, you are picking up a lot of speed on the 2nd half of the track.

Usually to trap 127 you will trap around 100 in the 1/8th.
Your 93.16 1/8th trap would usually put you at 117-118 in the 1/4.
Of course your car would trap higher than 117-118, definitely over 120+, but picking up 34mph is crazy.

Either you were spinning through the 1/8th after your launch or the LC/TC was holding it back and then on the 2nd half you were getting all the power.

From looking at the other cars traps, I think the Track Timing was off, the ETs are correct, but the 1/4 traps are high.

I believe the conversion is

1/8th et x 1.52 = 1/4 et
1/8 trap x 1.26 = 1/4 trap speed

 

[F8L SN8K]

Congratulations on the new personal best. As the old saying goes practice makes perfect.

 

[Tytus2012]

Yeah i trapped at 127 mph and ran a 11.67 with a 2.0 60 ft

 

[BOD89LX]

Nice trap speed now just need to get it to hook or not bog.

 

[BOD89LX]

Nice runs!!!

I have a 2.3 TVS off of a 2013 GT500 on the way for my 2011.

Your 1/4 mile trap speed is high compared to your 1/8th mile, you are picking up a lot of speed on the 2nd half of the track.

Usually to trap 127 you will trap around 100 in the 1/8th.
Your 93.16 1/8th trap would usually put you at 117-118 in the 1/4.
Of course your car would trap higher than 117-118, definitely over 120+, but picking up 34mph is crazy.

Either you were spinning through the 1/8th after your launch or the LC/TC was holding it back and then on the 2nd half you were getting all the power.

From looking at the other cars traps, I think the Track Timing was off, the ETs are correct, but the 1/4 traps are high.

I believe the conversion is

1/8th et x 1.52 = 1/4 et
1/8 trap x 1.26 = 1/4 trap speed

That's pretty normal for these cars as the 2-3 shift it right around the 1/8 mile mine does the same thing picks up 30-35 mph on the big end, just depends on if you shift before or after the 1/8 mile.

 

[Van@RevanRacing]

I believe your suspension is bone stock? Yes/No?

If it is still bone stock and you're going back to the strip sometime soon do you possibly have an interest in trying my dead hooker spring kit? See how well we can improve that 60' and 1/4 mile ET.

Let me know.

Van

 

[svt662]

GREAT MPH. Congrats! :beer:

 

[YELL03]

That's pretty normal for these cars as the 2-3 shift it right around the 1/8 mile mine does the same thing picks up 30-35 mph on the big end, just depends on if you shift before or after the 1/8 mile.

I was looking, they do pick up more than most cars on the top half.

That is one heck of a trap speed

 

[SVTKen]

Congrats that's a hell of a trap speed! I ran an 11.8 @ 120.2 stock which the trap was waaaay low maybe due to a DA of 3600.

Tires and that car will be very stout!

Yes, with high temps/DA you usually get a better hookup. Also, the type and quality of fuel makes a difference.

That's an extremely slow ET for that kind of mph. Must spin a ton down low. Either way that is impressive! Get that thing on a tire and go have some more fun!

Yes, the Shelby is being held back for the first 1/8 mile due to traction issues. I was getting some wheelspin, but it wasn't terrible.

Nice runs!!!

I have a 2.3 TVS off of a 2013 GT500 on the way for my 2011.

Your 1/4 mile trap speed is high compared to your 1/8th mile, you are picking up a lot of speed on the 2nd half of the track.

Usually to trap 127 you will trap around 100 in the 1/8th.
Your 93.16 1/8th trap would usually put you at 117-118 in the 1/4.
Of course your car would trap higher than 117-118, definitely over 120+, but picking up 34mph is crazy.

Either you were spinning through the 1/8th after your launch or the LC/TC was holding it back and then on the 2nd half you were getting all the power.

From looking at the other cars traps, I think the Track Timing was off, the ETs are correct, but the 1/4 traps are high.

I believe the conversion is

1/8th et x 1.52 = 1/4 et
1/8 trap x 1.26 = 1/4 trap speed

All of that is very interesting information, but it doesn't take into account the fact that all tracks are different. If you go someplace like Maryland International Raceway or Atco, you know what I'm talking about. Not all tracks are perfectly level either. All I can tell you is that the Shelby pulls like mad in 3rd gear. It's crazy because you are basically shifting into 2nd right around the 1/8 mile marker at over 90 mph, and just hold third until the finish line. Think about it. It's pulling without traction problems all the way to the top of 3rd gear. All of the timeslips I've seen for the Shelby with 125+ mph trap speeds look similar to mine, or at least are within the margin of error for variables like different track, different fuel, different shift points, different drivers. This car is capable of better. By the way, there were a couple of Corvette guys admiring my car and complimenting it's performance. One of them had DRs on his brand new Vette and was running 11.7s at 117 mph. That's with good traction because the Corvette has some wide tires on it. We all know that a stock Shelby is a low 11 second car without traction issues. Take a look at NJTony's timeslip from Atco (in the drag times thread).

I believe your suspension is bone stock? Yes/No?

If it is still bone stock and you're going back to the strip sometime soon do you possibly have an interest in trying my dead hooker spring kit? See how well we can improve that 60' and 1/4 mile ET.

Let me know.

Van

I will let you know when I'm ready. I'm keeping it stock until at least the spring.

I was looking, they do pick up more than most cars on the top half.

That is one heck of a trap speed

Yes, this car pulls like crazy all the way through 3rd gear, especially if you really nail the 2-3 shift the way I was doing on those 2 runs.

 

[YELL03]

The 2013s are really running with a good driver!!!:beer:

I forgot about that, no shift to 4th, just ride 3rd all the way without losing any speed on a 3-4 shift right before the traps, just amazing!!!

 

[Daffy]

Nice, Ken. Love that MPH, you know one thing, you've got a strong engine there. Good job on the track too, especially this time of year at those test and tunes you rarely get a decent track prep.

 

[09Troublemaker]

nice run !

 

[Lethalchem]

Congrats Ken, told ya! :beer:

 

[Snorman]

On passes where I ran ~127 mph my 1/8 speeds were in the 98-99 mph range. I would suggest there is a timing issue at the track, as 90 mph 1/8 mile speeds won't translate to 127+ mph in a stock '13 in my experience.
Also, on a stock tune car icing the intake, supercharger etc. will provide no benefit as the car substantially restricts power if coolant temps are below 170* (I've gone 13.0 at 109 mph on such passes).
S.

 

[SVTKen]

Nice, Ken. Love that MPH, you know one thing, you've got a strong engine there. Good job on the track too, especially this time of year at those test and tunes you rarely get a decent track prep.

Thanks. Track prep wasn't bad, but they only prep the first 20 feet or so of the track. I had some wheelspin, but not bad at all. I feel like it's being held back or spinning some until I get it into 3rd gear.

On passes where I ran ~127 mph my 1/8 speeds were in the 98-99 mph range. I would suggest there is a timing issue at the track, as 90 mph 1/8 mile speeds won't translate to 127+ mph in a stock '13 in my experience.
Also, on a stock tune car icing the intake, supercharger etc. will provide no benefit as the car substantially restricts power if coolant temps are below 170* (I've gone 13.0 at 109 mph on such passes).
S.

I believe it's unlikely there is anything wrong with the track equipment at Capitol Raceway. I knew some people would probably make this claim, but that's why I posted both timeslips. For comparison, there were Vettes at this place trapping at 116-117 on DRs and stock 5.0 Mustangs running high 12s low 13s at 109. On my 11.90 run, that was a late model SS Camaro in the other lane. Look at it's trap speed of 109 mph for comparison. Perhaps my car pulls slightly harder (than some others) on the top end of the track. Maybe I just have a ringer LOL. Regardless, I've seen plenty of timeslips that are very similar to mine. It could have been that I have really good fuel or perhaps I was shifting differently or at different shift points. Our cars require a shift right around that 1/8 mile marker. There are lots of variables that can restrict or improve trap speed. For example, Capitol Raceway is a completely level track - no slope/incline/decline whatsoever. It's also at 100 ft elevation, so DA was about 1000.

It's also important to point out that a more sticky track leads to better ETs, but it hurts your trap speeds. More wheelspin effectively increases the length of the track, so once hooked up, it pulls much harder. Your ETs/traps were at a different track, so you really cannot compare to Capitol Raceway. All tracks are different.

That's my .02.

 

[NvrEnfHP]

I trapped 127 on my car stock as well. This is a normal speed. Nothing wrong with the equipment.

 

[Snorman]

I believe it's unlikely there is anything wrong with the track equipment at Capitol Raceway. I knew some people would probably make this claim, but that's why I posted both timeslips. For comparison, there were Vettes at this place trapping at 116-117 on DRs and stock 5.0 Mustangs running high 12s low 13s at 109. On my 11.90 run, that was a late model SS Camaro in the other lane. Look at it's trap speed of 109 mph for comparison. Perhaps my car pulls slightly harder (than some others) on the top end of the track. Maybe I just have a ringer LOL. Regardless, I've seen plenty of timeslips that are very similar to mine. It could have been that I have really good fuel or perhaps I was shifting differently or at different shift points. Our cars require a shift right around that 1/8 mile marker. There are lots of variables that can restrict or improve trap speed. For example, Capitol Raceway is a completely level track - no slope/incline/decline whatsoever. It's also at 100 ft elevation, so DA was about 1000.

It's also important to point out that a more sticky track leads to better ETs, but it hurts your trap speeds. More wheelspin effectively increases the length of the track, so once hooked up, it pulls much harder. Your ETs/traps were at a different track, so you really cannot compare to Capitol Raceway. All tracks are different.

That's my .02.

No offense, but you're not going to teach me anything about drag racing, particularly in a '13 GT500. Incrementals are comparable no matter what track and I am saying that 90mph in the 1/8th is not going to give you 127 mph at 1320' in a stock '13.
I can show you tons of slips from my '13 running 125-127 mph with not a single 1/8th mph below 96-97 mph.
What I am saying is that it's likely their 1/8 timing gear is out of whack, especially since it's a 1/4 track. So while your 1/4 trap may be accurate, the 1/8th is not. Especially when you have a nearly 3 mph delta with a similar 60' and the 1/8 ET was less than a tenth off.
And that theory of wheelspin is nonsense. There is not enough energy in a spinning tire/wheel to propel a 3830# car + driver any faster than it is going to propel itself under power.
S.