1/4 mile results: M3 with bolt-ons **videos**

[jworms]

Yesterday i went to famoso dragway for a private track rental that was being setup by some mercedes guys. the event has been postponed 3 times already because of weather (rain/fog), but finally we got the go-ahead from the track officials for yesterday.

my goal is to hit 12s at over 105mph with stock cams/headers as my car is setup now

The setup:
i have never been to famoso, so i wasn't sure how sticky the track was...the track isn't exactly close by, so i wasn't going to take any chances. i bought 245/45/17 nitto 555r drag radials and thought these should definitely get the job done considering i had previously pulled a 1.900 60ft on hard sidewall rcomp tires which are not ideal for drag racing at all!

on the way up, i noticed rain drops hitting my windshield not too far from the track...this definitely bothered me. not just for the chance of rain, but because humidity = bad for drag racing. this was going to be my first 1/4 mile attempt at a track less than 1000ft above sea level -- famoso is 625ft above sea level...not great, but still better than the rest of the socal tracks i've been to. all that aside, i was still in good spirits about hitting my goal...

here's a list of the mods on my car:
M50 Intake Manifold
Conforti 3.5" CAI
AA Software
3.5" HFM (unplugged)
Fan Delete
Strömung Catback Exhaust
UUC Stg2 Ltw Flywheel w/ Stg1 Clutch
AA Track Pipe
UUC EVO III SSK
3.46 Diff

weight reduction (~2860lbs without driver)
-removed front seats and installed a single fixed-back driver seat
-removed rear seats
-removed spare wheel/tire
-lightweight battery
-aftermarket exhaust (mid section and catback)
-lightweight flywheel/clutch assembly
-LTW5 D-Force wheels 17x9
-1/4 tank of fuel

The runs:
i'll cut to the chase and just talk about my best runs of the day. it didn't happen until later in the day -- around 3pm. i lined up with a bolt-on E92 DCT M3 whose owner i had been talking to throughout the day. he had been complaining of traction issues with his car. anyway, here's the video from that run:

YouTube

YouTube

timeslip (e92 M3 left, me right):


he ran 13.593@105.01mph with a 2.507 60ft and i pulled a 13.343@104.11mph with a 2.036 60ft. i got the jump with the better reaction time (0.5 seconds) and gained another 0.5 seconds with the better launch (albeit, nothing to write home about). he was definitely having some serious traction issues and i wasn't exactly having the best of luck with traction either. my 60ft was only 2.036 and i chirped 2nd AND 3rd gears. i had been getting these same results all day. i even shifted slower into 2nd to try to offset the loss of traction, but that didn't help much as you can see/hear.

anyway, my next run took place right after the one with the M3 (private track days are great - no lines!). here's the video from that (outside and inside car perspectives in this video):

YouTube

YouTube

timeslip:


i ran a 13.343@104.22mph with a 2.040 60ft. meh...

conditions:
obviously i didn't hit my goal for the day and i was really unsatisfied with my results...then i found out what conditions i was working with at the track. one of the guys at the track had a Density Altitude meter to calculate the "perceived altitude" with current weather conditions in mind. here's how the DA breakdown went for the day.

quote from mbworld thread on the event (http://www.mbworld.org/forums/w211-a...ml#post3918491):

Originally Posted by MB_Forever

Since I (literally) colonized Alan's hand-held weather station all day (as well as a couple of others), let me give a break-down of the DA yesterday at Famoso:

10:00 am --> 700 to 750 ft with 60% humidity and 55 F temp
11:00 am --> 800 to 850 ft with 50% humidity and 58 F temp
12:00 pm --> 900 to 1050 ft with 45% humidity and 60 F temp
01:00 pm --> 950 to 1050 ft with 40% humidity and 62 F temp
02:00 pm --> 1050 to 1100 ft with 38% humidity and 64 F temp
03:00 pm --> 900 to 950 ft with 36% humidity and 68 F temp
04:00 pm --> 800 to 850 ft with 40% humidity and 64 F temp
05:00 pm --> 750 to 800 ft with 45% humidity and 58 F temp

As you can see, at Famoso, temps and DA drop very rapidly after 4:00 pm. That's why I usually like night sessions more than morning sessions

as you can see, the DA was ranging between 700-1100 ft above sea level all day and my best runs took place during the 900-950ft time. definitely not the conditions i was hoping for at this event!!!


conclusion:
--those DRs i used are crap, or i just never found the sweet spot for them. 2.0 60ft times are horrible with DRs and chirping 2nd and 3rd gear is just not appropriate!
--i am cursed with bad weather whenever i go to the track.
--even with the bad weather that day, if i had enough traction to pull a 1.8 60ft i would most likely be in the 12s.
--i beat a modded e92 M3

here's a of couple pictures of my car at the track:





i wish the day worked out better than it did and i was given the opportunity to hit my goal, but it was fun either way. for now 12s will have to wait until next time which may not be until the end of the year (cooler weather). on the bright side, i managed to run faster in the 1/4 mile than any of my previous attempts at other (read: crappier) tracks and i have hopefully put another nail in the coffin of all the naysayers

[Andryuha]

LOL, are you guys required to wear helmets at drag strips? Around here, I've only seen people with sub 10sec cars wear them.

[jworms]

Originally Posted by Andryuha

LOL, are you guys required to wear helmets at drag strips? Around here, I've only seen people with sub 10sec cars wear them.

http://www.nhraonline.com/contacts/tech_faq.html

it's required on all vehicles running 13.99 or quicker

[JETninja]

Very nice Jonathan!

I wonder if you overheated the DR's? I know they are DR's, but are they meant to be burned out before a run? Or just a quick blip to spin and clean? I know burnouts just overheat street tires...shouldn't overheat a real drag slick obviously, but I know nothing about these Nitto's....

[ethirtysixmiii]

nice runs man

[hurrican5547]

you've lost that much weight with only the things you posted? I didn't realize it was that easy!

That's awesome man!

[99MPower]

good stuff .. figured you would of been deep in the 12's considering everything, especially with DR's..

[creeves328]

Nice runs Jon! Understand some disappointment in not meeting the goal, but another day is another opportunity. Knowing you still have the ASC installed, and MAF inline, we need to chat about cleaning that up.

[jworms]

Originally Posted by JETninja

Very nice Jonathan!

I wonder if you overheated the DR's? I know they are DR's, but are they meant to be burned out before a run? Or just a quick blip to spin and clean? I know burnouts just overheat street tires...shouldn't overheat a real drag slick obviously, but I know nothing about these Nitto's....

i did some reading online about people who have used these DRs and they mentioned heating them up real good to get them to stick. i'm really not sure what to think about them now...

Originally Posted by ethirtysixmiii

nice runs man

thanks!

Originally Posted by hurrican5547

you've lost that much weight with only the things you posted? I didn't realize it was that easy!

That's awesome man!

most people don't realize how easy it is to lose weight in these cars. it takes me 10 minutes to take out the seats. definitely worth it.

Originally Posted by 99MPower

good stuff .. figured you would of been deep in the 12's considering everything, especially with DR's..

with good air and traction i don't see why i wouldn't be there. i mean, just comparing my best 1/8th mile ET at irwindale to what i ran at famoso and you get a 2 tenth drop ...and that irwindale 1/8th mile result wasn't even with really good conditions. not to mention, it's been said that if you can drop a tenth in the 1/8th it will be magnified in your 1/4 mile results, similar to how dropping a tenth in your 60ft is

can't wait to see what you pull with your car with its new setup.

Originally Posted by creeves328

Nice runs Jon! Understand some disappointment in not meeting the goal, but another day is another opportunity. Knowing you still have the ASC installed, and MAF inline, we need to chat about cleaning that up.

for sure, man! then again, i don't want to make this goal too easy to reach

[I3MW]

Originally Posted by creeves328

Nice runs Jon! Understand some disappointment in not meeting the goal, but another day is another opportunity. Knowing you still have the ASC installed, and MAF inline, we need to chat about cleaning that up.

+11ty billion. But nice runs as always jworms. Better than I can do

[hc1001]

nice results.

i like your enthusiasm to reach your goal.

[hurrican5547]

What race seats are you using? The rear seats don't add TOO much, do they?

[NotherM3]

Nice runs, I have close to the same mods so I know what I can expect.

[BMWFanatic]

hey I give you props jworms, you DEFINTELY have 12's with good weather and 60ft.

[M///BMW]

Jworms you are officially the best driver recorded on BF.c..lol..Great run...What were you launching the car at? 3k ish?

[bmdubbayoo]

congrats on your consistency...you seem to have just about everything in check...although you didn't hit your goal, those are some extremely respectable numbers...

[ForceFed7]

Nice runs Jon.
If I can make a few observations.

1) Get rid of the 555Rs. They are garbage.
2) If you can't get rid of the 555Rs, put a little more heat in them
3) Now that you have more heat in them you need to launch about 700-1000RPM's higher than you were in the vids. I can hear from the in-car video that after the car settles and hooks, it is pulling the car just below it's powerband. Launch higher, holeshot harder.
4) Good shifting however your 1-2 shift needs to be about a tenth quicker. With your UUC flywheel the revs are falling just a bit too quickly. Get off a quicker shift and the revs won't fall quite as much. Overall you did great shifting, but i'm both nit-picking and giving some constructive critisicm.
If you can feel absolutely ZERO weight transfer during the 1-2 shift, you're doing it right
5) Enjoy 12s.

Overall great job though.

[95s52]

ARE YOU KIDDING ME????

Did I just get bumped down a spot buy .003 of a sec?? LAAAME. Thats 2 spots in a matter of 2 months! Im now 8th. I shall regain my spot as numbero tres hopefully sometime in February.

Although for some reason I am not able to see the videos, I have to commend you on nice runs. Way to take out an e92!!

And as far as the weather at your track, you need to grab Chase and come up north. It will not cost more $, just more time. The gate fee here is $15..

Also, pm me, I got a few tricks of the trade I want to share with you.

[m3lov3r]

When I saw the video from in the car my jaw dropped.
Nice work and good shifting!
premium.

Makes me want to get an ssk.

[racer m]

Nice runs ! This reminds me to I need to go back to the track.

[Brent 930]

Shouldn't this thread be in the Drag Racing section?

[jworms]

Originally Posted by NotherM3

Nice runs, I have close to the same mods so I know what I can expect.

Originally Posted by racer m

Nice runs ! This reminds me to I need to go back to the track.

Originally Posted by m3lov3r

When I saw the video from in the car my jaw dropped.
Nice work and good shifting!
premium.

Makes me want to get an ssk.

Originally Posted by bmdubbayoo

congrats on your consistency...you seem to have just about everything in check...although you didn't hit your goal, those are some extremely respectable numbers...

Originally Posted by hc1001

nice results.

i like your enthusiasm to reach your goal.

Originally Posted by I3MW

+11ty billion. But nice runs as always jworms. Better than I can do

thanks guys!

Originally Posted by hurrican5547

What race seats are you using? The rear seats don't add TOO much, do they?

they are nothing special. it's just a cheap corbeau that weighs around 15lbs. in fact, it's not even mine, i borrow it from a friend

Originally Posted by BMWFanatic

hey I give you props jworms, you DEFINTELY have 12's with good weather and 60ft.

thanks! i definitely have no doubt about 12s (not that i did before ). i just need the stars to finally align for me when i hit the track and it's a done deal.

Originally Posted by ForceFed7

Nice runs Jon.
If I can make a few observations.

1) Get rid of the 555Rs. They are garbage.
2) If you can't get rid of the 555Rs, put a little more heat in them
3) Now that you have more heat in them you need to launch about 700-1000RPM's higher than you were in the vids. I can hear from the in-car video that after the car settles and hooks, it is pulling the car just below it's powerband. Launch higher, holeshot harder.
4) Good shifting however your 1-2 shift needs to be about a tenth quicker. With your UUC flywheel the revs are falling just a bit too quickly. Get off a quicker shift and the revs won't fall quite as much. Overall you did great shifting, but i'm both nit-picking and giving some constructive critisicm.
If you can feel absolutely ZERO weight transfer during the 1-2 shift, you're doing it right
5) Enjoy 12s.

Overall great job though.

1) agreed.
2) i can try to put more heat in them, but it really seemed like no matter how long i burned out in them they didn't change. i started the day at 35psi in them and ended around 25psi...no change. i consistently pulled 2.0 60ft almost every time. the chirping after shifts was just icing on the cake and convinced me that maybe i need to rethink my tire choice. it was incredibly frustrating!! it might be time for small wheels and real drag tires...
3) the car only seems like it's hooking because i had to seriously stunt my launch (almost to a bog as you can see). in fact, if you watch closely, you'll notice i have a bit of rollout before i actually launch the car. this was at the suggestion of one of the mercedes guys to try and give the tires more grip to work with at launch. either way, i totally agree on what you said about launch RPM. i normally launch my car between 4500-5000RPM when conditions allow.
4) totally agree on the 1-2 shift. in the run on the video i slowed down my 1-2 shift to mitigate some of the traction loss on the shift...obviously it didn't help much
5) thanks! just a matter of time...

Originally Posted by M///BMW

Jworms you are officially the best driver recorded on BF.c..lol..Great run...What were you launching the car at? 3k ish?

hah thanks, but i'm far from the best driver on here and, as ForceFed7 mentioned, i have a few things to work on and quite a bit more room for improvement. i really believe these results aren't anything special. i think it's just a matter of more people getting out there and trying it for themselves before everyone realizes that.

Originally Posted by 95s52

ARE YOU KIDDING ME????

Did I just get bumped down a spot buy .003 of a sec?? LAAAME. Thats 2 spots in a matter of 2 months! Im now 8th. I shall regain my spot as numbero tres hopefully sometime in February.

Although for some reason I am not able to see the videos, I have to commend you on nice runs. Way to take out an e92!!

And as far as the weather at your track, you need to grab Chase and come up north. It will not cost more $, just more time. The gate fee here is $15..

Also, pm me, I got a few tricks of the trade I want to share with you.

haha, yeah i noticed dave threw me up on the list. still in the 13s, sadly i think it's pretty entertaining that both of our runs on that list are far from our best, yet we both managed to get ranked pretty high up. it just shows that more people need to run their cars! these results aren't that atypical!

but yeah, this event has seriously got me thinking about sacramento. today i saw a guy with a u-haul truck and a car trailer in the back. i could probably tow my car up there (to not incur wear, tear, and possible breakage on it), run it at the drag strip, and trailer it home. i mean, i drove 2 hours for this trip, what's 4-5 more? ...though i'd be scared that i'd go up there and the weather still wouldn't cooperate. on the other hand, i'd love to get me some of that negative DA action you guys get up there somewhat frequently! that could chop off over 1000ft of elevation from my results!

...and pm'ed

[m3chaser]

Just got your PM.

Great runs considering you couldn't get traction. Your car is capable of 12's I believe. If you were able to get a 60ft like mine you would have hit 12.9's I believe. Where were you at on the tach when you passed the traps? Your car is definitely faster than mine but the launch is tough when the tires aren't doing their job. Go buy some mickey thompsons and be done with it, or you could run on streets like me ahahaha.

I think if I threw some good DRs on my car I could hit a 1.7 60ft and possibly hit a 13 flat or a really high 12.9 but I probably won't ever do that. I think it is possible for you to get a 1.7 60ft as well with the right tires. If you did that you would be running 12.8's or slightly better.

Something else that throws up a red flag for me is the mph on the E92 M3 DCT. Those cars should be trapping much higher than that shouldn't they? I could have sworn they should be hitting 110+mph. If that is the case then your car has a lot more mph in it as well than what that track allowed you to trap.

[GG///M3]

Nice runs. Which type of tire do you plan on running on the next go around?

[bennyfizzle]

You take running 13s waaayyyyy too seriously man.

and why are you running the hfm at all if it's not plugged in? go get a length of PVC that's 3.5" diameter and run that instead....if you're not going to use it, right?