Now that the weather is beginning to cool off and our cars will run like champs yet again, it's time to begin thinking about heading up to the drag strip to see what these things will do. There are many burning questions within our Atlanta-area group of car drivers:

1) Who's faster -- Geordie or Ron?

2) Who's faster -- Ali or Marco?

3) Just how fast is Neil's beast?

4) Just how slow is Jacob? ;)

So, with this in mind, I'm thinking sometime in early November for a trip to Commerce. This would be a Friday night. I'm thinking the 7th, as long as there are no major objections.

What say you? Even if everyone doesn't run their car, they should tag along (hell, catch a ride with someone). We'll make it into a group outing -- dinner, drive, drag, return. It'll be a grand time, as well as a time of reckoning.

Questions will be answered. Fun will be had. And we'll be that much tighter of a group for it all. :D

Ahhh drag racing... I used to always go to the local dragstrip in Jackson, SC during the fall / winter for "grudge night." Burning 55 gallon drums...the locals taking bets...one wheeled burnouts...rods being thrown...carburators shooting fire...mufflers falling off... yeah, good stuff.

Any requirements to race? Helmets I assume. $$$?

as of right now i'm still NA, but by then i'll be FI'ed so i'd go up against neil (i'll go against marco anyways :D ) but my brother should have his car running by then (I got him a new supercharger kit) and a 3.2 obd1.

No helmet necessary, unless your under 13.0, I believe.

Long pants are required. It costs $15 for all night of runs, I believe.

Badass! This will be cool. I always wanted to race my '85 Cutlass but my Dad wouldn't let me...

Do they have barrel fires? ;)

I've never been to Commerce, but the one in Alabama that I went to didn't.

Damn, that was one of the best parts.

"Yeah, yeah... Fire, fire!" ;)

Woo! :clap: I'm in.

Guys,

At Commerce anything running under a 14.00 requires the driver to have a helmet. They will give you the boot if you do not.
Under 12.00 requires a cage if I remember correctly, not that any of us would have that issue. $15 each to race, $10 each to watch.
If you want to get some decent runs in, get there early. You can get 3-4 runs an hour in early, 1 an hour later. The line in staging gets VERY long later in the evening.
There are some FAST cars up there. Civic running 12's, vipers running 10.0x's last Friday. Best leave the ego at home, since there are many things up there that will humble our cars that you would not expect.

James

Shit. I don't have a helmet.

Now this sounds interesting.

Ali, are you installing an AA or vortech kit? Did Amir get another s/c kit after selling his powerdyne unit?

Marco, did you get your car tuned yet? any dynos?

As for me, nothing new, but I did get my hands on a m50 manifold which I can't wait to get put on...sooooon!!!

Originally posted by neilm3
Now this sounds interesting.

WOOOO!!! Neil's coming!!

Now if we can just get him to attend our drive on the 19th and the softball game this Sunday... :D

Ron,

I wouldn't worry too much about it. I have not seen a car like ours run in the 13's at commerce unless it was FI. They are REALLY hard to launch properly there.

J

Originally posted by atlantaM3
Ron,

I wouldn't worry too much about it. I have not seen a car like ours run in the 13's at commerce unless it was FI. They are REALLY hard to launch properly there.

J

Do you know the altitude, offhand?

Had to check. Stock, the owner's manual says mine runs a 15.10. No helmet for me!

That is unless I get my chip before then... :)

I love camaros with bondo all over and no mufflers or cats. They are ridiculous! Fastest car(s) I've seen at the strip - An old Vega with a 350 (5.7L) and a Buick Grand national.... Mmmmm Grand National... ;)

Neil,

It would be interesting to see what the actual time difference is between our 2 cars. Stock computer VS blower...........maybe I will have tires by then. sucks I am going 8.5 all around, going to slow the car down, dangit.

J

Originally posted by rwindleyme02
Had to check. Stock, the owner's manual says mine runs a 15.10. No helmet for me!

That is unless I get my chip before then... :)


Even then, no helmet. Simple software won't knock you down 1.2 seconds... not to burst your bubble or anything.

Nah, I knew that, j/k

I wonder if taking out the back seat would help any? Spare tire, gone. :)

Ron,


Nope, never bothered to check. I will worry about that when I eventually get my fast car put back together again( blew the motor a few years ago).

If I'm lucky, I might even have my 3.46 diff by then. Not saying that it will help out my 1/4 mile time, but sure would feel a whole lot faster.

Weight reduction, to the degree you or I would take it, can only help your times.

1) Remove the spare tire and jack.
2) Run on 1/4 or less tank of gas.
3) Remove the back seat.
4) Remove the passenger seat.

As well, you want to soften the rear tires down to about 26 psi and elevate the fronts up to about 40 psi.

Originally posted by rwindleyme02
I wonder if taking out the back seat would help any? Spare tire, gone. :)

Wouldn't that make it hard to get the honey's??????

Originally posted by atlantaM3
Wouldn't that make it hard to get the honey's??????

They do love the spare tire... :biglaughb

Originally posted by neilm3
If I'm lucky, I might even have my 3.46 diff by then. Not saying that it will help out my 1/4 mile time, but sure would feel a whole lot faster.

There's no reason why a more aggressive diff shouldn't help your times. It may not have as pronounced of an effect on a FI car, but it should yield better acceleration... which would result in better times (as long as you don't have to shift into fifth).

Careful on the tire thing, remember we are running radials, not bias ply's. lower it too much and you actually reduce your contact patch.
I just love seeing the ricers at the track drop there tires to ~20 psi and wonder why they have traction issues!

I agree. From all I've read, your new 3.46 diff should help out a good bit. Not as drastic as 0-60 but still a difference.

Originally posted by atlantaM3
Careful on the tire thing, remember we are running radials, not bias ply's. lower it too much and you actually reduce your contact patch.
I just love seeing the ricers at the track drop there tires to ~20 psi and wonder why they have traction issues!

What about with snow tires? ;)

Neil,

Gears will actually help you a pretty good bit since you have a blower. Reason being- youir blower makes boost only at higher RPM. Shorten your gearing, and you will take less time per gear to get to the RPM range where you start making boost.

Taller gears help turbo due to the torque increase.

J

Originally posted by atlantaM3
Neil,

Gears will actually help you a pretty good bit since you have a blower. Reason being- youir blower makes boost only at higher RPM. Shorten your gearing, and you will take less time per gear to get to the RPM range where you start making boost.

Taller gears help turbo due to the torque increase.

J

I do not disagree with what you've said, but there's a certain point where shorter gearing can negate any gains due to adding an additional shift to the 1/4-mile run.

well i might have to bust out my m3.





wait.... maybe i'll come watch in the jeep.

there shouldn't be any additional shift, as we have to go to 4th anyway before the end of the 1/4.

I have a vortech dinan unit but i'm going to be using AA's software. I'm going to retain the euro HFM, 3.2 obd1, dinan tb, etc. I was thinking of going to a 3.38 (I don't really see the spending the extra $$) but I think I may want to keep the 3.23 to build the boost. I don't expect too much of a gain over what I have right now as I'm peaked out NA (my rev limiter kicks in at 7.5k RPM or so i've learned) but i'll be bumping the boost up anyways. My track pipe should be on by this weekend. Hopefully i'll have it by the mountain drive, if not i'll still run you NA :D oh yeah, I got amir a new Powerdyne unit (its a new unit) and a whole new kit. He's doing a 3.2 obd1 also.

Originally posted by atlantaM3
there shouldn't be any additional shift, as we have to go to 4th anyway before the end of the 1/4.

You sure a 3.46 and S/C wouldn't necessitate a shift into 5th right at the end? I'm not sure...

I was just allowing for that possibility.

:dunno

Originally posted by Ali
I oh yeah, I got amir a new Powerdyne unit (its a new unit) and a whole new kit. He's doing a 3.2 obd1 also.


wow, you are a really nice brother. i wish my brother would be like, ohhh yeah jimmy i bought you a new supercharger

4) Just how slow is Jacob?

HAHA! I imagine I'll be pretty darn pitiful out there my first time. Come to think of it, I can count on one hand how many times I've truely launched this car. I used to drag my Integra on the streets here and there, but I've never really bothered with this car.

Oh yea, and none of this taking out the whole interior ricer crap! You take any seats out, you're a pansy! That's my angle and I'm sticking to it.

BTW - how far of a drive is it? Isn't it farther from Atl than Athens? So like 1.5hrs give or take? I say we do it early, because I've got to catch my weekly Adult Swim 'club' at Rocky Mtn. :D

def what are some good acura forums?

ps- i'm not sure why i typed def and not jacob.

Ron,

Very unlikely. The shift to 4th for a 'stock' M3 happens about 60 ft before the end of the 1/4. Even with the 3.46 I don't see the car running out of 4th before the end. It will probably be close to redline, but that is what you want in 1/4 mile racing, to hit the redline about 5 ft after the line.
I think Neil will have some fun testing to see.....


J

Originally posted by punknamedjimmy
def what are some good acura forums?

www.honda-tech.com is the best by far

Just tread gently as a n00b and lurk for a while. They aren't too kind to what they perceive as "stupid" questions.

I think the Ryans should go up against eash other. The 540 against the 325...what ya think? I don't have much of a clutch left but f-it, its all in good fun.

Originally posted by Def
www.honda-tech.com is the best by far

Just tread gently as a n00b and lurk for a while. They aren't too kind to what they perceive as "stupid" questions.


yeah i usually do that anyways, i'v ebeen lurking on honda-acura.net and it seems decent.

honda-acura.net is a little too ricey for my tastes. H-T.com was an offshoot of H-A.net back... crap, probably 5+ yrs ago(doesn't seem that long ago, and I still don't even have 1k posts there!). The more technical and knowledgable people went to H-T.com, while most the ricer trash stayed at H-A.net.

The lines have been muddled over time, but that's the basic jist of it.

Originally posted by Def
. BTW - how far of a drive is it? Isn't it farther from Atl than Athens? So like 1.5hrs give or take?:D Yep, only twenty minutes from Athens.

Originally posted by Atl3
I think the Ryans should go up against eash other. The 540 against the 325...what ya think? I don't have much of a clutch left but f-it, its all in good fun.

Oh it's on! :D Should be a close one actually.

I really can't wait for this meet!:clap:

Originally posted by Def
Oh yea, and none of this taking out the whole interior ricer crap! You take any seats out, you're a pansy! That's my angle and I'm sticking to it.

I don't take out my seats or anything... just the spare. I was just saying that one *could* do so, if one were so inclined, as a means of weight-savings.

How far is that dragstrip from Tallahassee? I'll join in if it's not too far.

Originally posted by Ron17
I don't take out my seats or anything... just the spare. I was just saying that one *could* do so, if one were so inclined, as a means of weight-savings.

I read somewhere (maybe the M5 forum) that the M5 doesn't come with a spare for weight savings and to facilitate the twin exaust. Is this true?

I will research this more and report back.

True story. It has run-flats.

Ahhh.. thanks Geordie :)

As well, the M Coupe does not have a spare.

Actually, since we're talking about it...most new models ('02 +) have run-flats...

Originally posted by rwindleyme02
Oh it's on! :D Should be a close one actually.

I really can't wait for this meet!:clap:

Bring it!;)

Yeh, I think it would be very close...probably a couple 10ths between us. This sounds like fun....never dragged any car (at least legally).

Originally posted by Atl3
This sounds like fun....never dragged any car (at least legally).

I've never dressed in drag. :dunno

Originally posted by Atl3
Bring it!;)

Oh it's already been brought! :biglaughb

Originally posted by rwindleyme02
Oh it's already been brought! :biglaughb I think what you're looking for is...

Oh, it's already been broughtten! :biglaughb

That's the movie quote, at least. :dunno

Yeah, that's what I meant.

Thanks Geordie.

Damn, just had a glimpse in my mind of Jaime Pressley in a chearleading outfit... Mmmmm... :)

Now where did this thread get hijacked... Oh yeah, so I saw a Dinan X5....

have any of you been to the one in Dallas (Georgia, of course)??

A friend of mine lives out that way and goes all the time, but I've never been there.

I hope my car will be ready by then. I anticipate mine in the 13s.... w/ a good 1-60 ft.

best i could do was a 14.38 w/ a 2.2 launch. very hard to launch. i wouldn't start taking out anything other than spare or playing around w/ air pressure. my theory...this is what i run on the streets. will you change your tire pressure while on barrett???

commerce is ~ 2000 ft above sea level so times will be dramatically slower than reynolds. i've heard about 2 tenths difference.

neil, your gearing should help you out. with a 3.38, times would decrease by about .2 secs (coming from a 3.15 in a '95). w/ your current 3.23 and going to a 3.46, it's about the same percentage so i would assume about the same decrease in time.

dallas is an 1/8 mile track. probably good to learn how to launch but i don't see it being as fun as going to commerce. talk about getting killed by a honda!!!

Originally posted by craaaazzy
will you change your tire pressure while on barrett???


That's easy -- I won't go to Barrett.

ps- geordie, i keep saying true story now... i blame you....









example: i was out running with this girl, about half way into the run she is like 'boy i really suck at running'. about 2 mins later she goes, 'i suck.' and my simple response was 'true story'



its like implanted in my brain because i read it so much i guess. i keep saying it lately.

Well guys,
Hopefully I will be able to come as well. Only if I get my 3.38lsd and new software in by then. Which is a very good possibility.

Patrick

Originally posted by punknamedjimmy
ps- geordie, i keep saying true story now... i blame you....









example: i was out running with this girl, about half way into the run she is like 'boy i really suck at running'. about 2 mins later she goes, 'i suck.' and my simple response was 'true story'



its like implanted in my brain because i read it so much i guess. i keep saying it lately. :rofl: Jimmy...random as always.


Oh yeah...this just in: I'M GOING TO KICK AARON'S ASS!

:wave:

Originally posted by craaaazzy
dallas is an 1/8 mile track. probably good to learn how to launch but i don't see it being as fun as going to commerce. talk about getting killed by a honda!!!

LOL, that's what my friend has that he races up there.

An old CRX.... doesn't look pretty, but it goes :orangesle

Originally posted by UR2SLOW
:orangesle

:redcap:

^ That'll be me driving...except I won't have a flag. And I'm not red. And I'll be driving, not running. Well, you get the point...

Hmmmm...

I wonder how out-of-practice I'm gonna be on my launch? :95

Is it like riding a bike -- you just pick it right back up? Last year was the first time I'd ever gone and I went relatively often. I've never had a long offseason.

:lol: I just noticed the "DOHC VANOS" listed under "show" in your sig... :)

Indeed.

DOHC VANOS (http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/gt9766b/vwp?.dir=/VANOS&.dnm=Passenger+Side+Close.jpg&.view=t)

BimmerDawg > Ron17, as is 3.2 > 3.0.

"It's simple math!"

Pick up your knuckles -- they're dragging.

Again...

BimmerDawg > Ron17

Ali> All

10 letters > 5 letters

Very good Geordie! :clap:

j/k ;) just egging you guys on.

Originally posted by BimmerDawg
Again...

BimmerDawg > Ron17

Mouth-breather.

Originally posted by Ron17
Mouth-breather.
I use my nose sometimes, too. :dunno

I don't know why that's such an effect cutdown, but it is. I guess the association is that mouth-breathers are slow, clumsy, uncouth and generally dimwitted. :D

Originally posted by Ron17
slow

Not me...4.something in the 40 in college.

Originally posted by Ron17
clumsy

Again, not me. Very agile.

Originally posted by Ron17
uncouth

No clue what this means...

Originally posted by Ron17
generally dimwitted

1290 SAT. Very bright. Not so good with computers, but I did go to UGA.

< 4.5 40 (prolly not so much anymore)

Main Entry: un·couth
Pronunciation: -'küth
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English uncuth, from un- + cuth familiar, known; akin to Old High German kund known, Old English can know -- more at CAN
Date: before 12th century
1 a archaic : not known or not familiar to one : seldom experienced : UNCOMMON, RARE b obsolete : MYSTERIOUS, UNCANNY
2 a : strange or clumsy in shape or appearance : OUTLANDISH b : lacking in polish and grace : RUGGED <uncouth verse> c : awkward and uncultivated in appearance, manner, or behavior

<--------------------------------------------- THE GREATEST!!!!!!

:D

Originally posted by UR2SLOW
<--------------------------------------------- THE GREATEST!!!!!!

:D

Wait. Pittsburgh? As in the NFL? You've got the wrong town, buddy. No one here likes NFL...we're all about college foosball in The South!

The best flag ever is the one with the coiled-up snake and it says "Don't Tread On Me." That flag is sweet.

Agreed.