My friend with the srt4 and I went back to the 1/4 track last night, the first time since last december(Cheryl stayed at home). Temps were right at 80. My goals for the night were to trap 101, and to hit a 13.9.

First run was a 14.2@101 with a mid 2.2 sixty foot. Second run was a 14.1@101 with a low 2.2 sixty foot. Third run was a 14.3@100 with a 2.3 sixty foot(launched from idle). It went down from there.

My next run was against an integra. I missed my 2 to 3 shift.
Next run was against the srt4 again. I missed my 1 to 2 shift.
Next run was against a coworker in his 02 TA WS6(manual). I had a passenger, and missed my 1 > 2 shift.
Next run I had a different passenger, *granny* shifted 1 > 2, and ran without incedent. Slowly.
The last run of the night I missed the 1 > 2 shift again. Even with the misshift, I trapped 99.

Against the ws6, I got the jump. He still had traction control on. I missed the shift, and he jumped past me. Then I started gaining on him, then barely passed him at the line. From what I remember of the timeslip, I had like a 2.2 sixty, he had a 2.5(traction control). At the 1/8th, he outtrapped me by over 2mph. By the time we finished the run, not only had I passed him, but I matched his trap(nearly).

I can't remember the traps and ets of all the runs. I'll update the thread when I get the slips out of the car.

I met my goal of 101mph. On that note, I'm proud of the car. On the other hand, I confirmed something else, that I just plain suck as a driver. The first shift that I missed, I just plain missed it. Just screwed it up. But the other THREE times I missed the 1 > 2 shift, I blame it on myself and the car. I've always hated that sequence on this car. It just won't go into 2nd. It moves from 1st, to neutral, then to second. Very distinct stages; no fluid motion. The fact that I'm rusty doesn't help.

Observations:
I wanted to see how the flywheel hurt my launch. It didn't. I didn't bog at all. That doesn't mean that I launched well, but I'm not good enough that the lightweight flywheel affected my launch.

However, the flywheel did definitely affect my top-end. On my first three runs, I was gaining just under 21mph in the last 1/8th. That was because I wasn't stringing out the revs enough, which was because of the flywheel. I was afraid of bouncing off the limiter during the shift, so I didn't rev as high. In the latter runs(when I kept missing the 1>2 shift), I shifted the upper gears much better and had much better top-end performance. I've got to get more experience with this clutch/flywheel.

Other notes:
My friend with his srt4 broke the 100mph trap for the first time. He did that on his first run. Each run got subsequently slower. But I was happy for him.

The guy in the Ws6 just needs more experience at the drag strip. He short shifts(at like 4.5k where he redlines at 6k). He was running high 14's at around 100mph. I really feel bad for him, because he realizes it's all driver.

There was a guy with an IS350 there. He's a former coupe owner. His first run was a 14.2@97. That was his best run. He got slower as the night went on. He was a really cool guy. I look forward to hanging out with him in the future. The car was completely stock. It literally was just a week old, with about 1500 miles on it. He did no prep(weight, tire pressure), and ran with passengers a few times. IIRC, the best he ran in his coupe at the same track was a 14.2@98, with major bolt ons. So his lexus will definitely improve.

There was a guy there with an 06 mustang gt. His first run was a 14.1@103(which pretty much puts to rest IMO these street racing stories). He too got slower as the night went on, ending up with a couple 14.7's or worst.

So, I suck. The car's got more left in it, I just can get it out.

 

I think if you had better tires than all season Kumhos your 60 foot time would increase. Nice MPH though...

 

Thanks. I'm not too worried about the 60 foots right now though. I will eventually get some DR's, and that will make my launches much more predictable and consistent. I'm worried about the shifting problems though.

But the traps are encouraging. I'm pretty sure I could have hit some higher 101's or lower 102's with a few more runs(mistake free of course), which would put me trapping the same as I did in 25 degrees.

 

Here's the corrected information:

 

how do u grab the stick when u shift from 1st to 2nd? from the right side or from the top? past 2 weeks or so i have been grabing from the top and never miss shifted to second. I used to grab from the right side and my shifts were kind of slow and i would frequently miss 2nd.

 

I've tried the normal "joystick" grip. I've also tried grabbig with my hand upside down, with my thumb on the right side of the shifter. Both have had the same results.

I don't doubt that I can slightly improve my shifting through a better grip, but I honestly believe my biggest problem is one of coordination. I clutch in, and because of the notch entering the 2nd gate, my shift is slow. Slow enough that by that time I've already clutched out.

 

i was also at the track last night with a couple of friends. Didn't go to well, my best was 14.6 and the rest were 14.7 and 8's. What PSI are you guys setting your tires at when racing? This could possibly be a dumb question but could a lip kit possibly lower my top speed? I have the whole veilside kit on and the rear lip somewhat kind of has a diffusor like shape...

 

ive noticed that same affect as well... so when im cruising and not too worried bout shifting fast a just ease it in with my hand on the right but when im gunning and pushing the car... i try to grab it on top....

 

The 1-2 shift could probably be improved by adding an extra 1 to 1.5" to the shifter length. IMO, the throws are too short because clearly the box has trouble keeping up with the movement. The longer shifter would give you more leverage and would be easier on the box in general. The six 6MTs I test drove all felt pretty crappy on a hustled 1-2 shift. It reminded me a lot of how my Maxima shifted with a short throw shifter. Same feel, same shift throw distance. I tossed that POS shifter after a couple months later and just cut the stock shifter down 1.5" basically bridging the height between the stock height and STS height. It worked great.

 

Analysis time.

Run # - 60' - 1/8 - 1/4 - gain
#1: 2.237, 9.323@79.95, 14.214@101.03, 21.08
#2: 2.289, 9.280@80.07, 14.167@101.05, 20.98
#3: 2.387, 9.443@78.76, 14.365@100.73, 21.97
#4: 2.171, 9.444@72.79, 14.616@97.08, 24.29 (missed 3rd)
#5: 2.209, 9.783@75.61, 14.814@99.18, 23.57 (missed 2nd)
#6: 2.313, 9.883@75.34, 14.960@98.07, 22.73 (missed 2nd, had passenger)
#7: 2.349, 9.666@76.61, 14.689@98.77, 22.16 (clean run, passenger, purposefully granny shifted 1>2, 2>3)
#8: 2.214, 9.793@76.49, 14.809@99.03, 22.54 (missed 2nd)

On the first three runs, I was getting back into the hang of things. I short shifted, and while I didnt exactly granny shift 1>2, I did do that shift more slowly than I normally do. That explains why I was only picking up 21ish mph. On the third run, I just launched from idle. Notice the near 80mph 1/8th mile traps on the first two runs.

From there it just got bad, then worse. I started missing shifts. On the only later run that I didn't miss a shift, I had a passenger(a favor for a friend), and I granny shifted the first two shifts. Hence the slow 98mph trap.

Even with the crappy driving, I had a couple of runs that felt alright. The fourth run was against an integra in which I missed the 2>3. When I missed it, I thought about just coasting the rest of the way. Then I changed my mind, clutched in, rev matched, shifted to 3rd, then proceeded with the run. That could have been my 13.9 right there.

On the fifth run, I was against my buddy's srt4. I took off, missed 2nd, and he flew past me. Once I got it back in gear, I started pulling him, *hard*. At the end of the track, he crossed the line .0018 before me. 1 Thousandth of a second. With a misshift by me. And I still trapped 99.

The last run felt like a special run. I had a crappy 2.2 sixty foot, and I missed the 1>2 AGAIN, but even with the mis shift, I *still* trapped 99. Without the misshift, that would have been a 14.0x@102, I'm pretty sure.

To put it in perspective, even with misshifts, I was trapping at or better than Cheryl's car was back in december.