My first trip to the track w/99 Cobra

[JJP SVT]

Hi All,

I took my all stock 99 Cobra Convertible to the track last Wednesday night at Lebanon Valley Raceway.

Car has 44k miles and has the silencer removed. 1/2 tank of fuel. BFG KDWS tires on stock rims.

Runs will be labeled as follows: R/T, 60', 1/4 ET, and 1/4 mph.

.496, 2.48, 14.68, 98.85

.507, 2.24, 14.06, 100.96

.506, 2.25, 14.04, 101.56

.619, 2.30, 14.11, 101.51

I do NOT plan on modding this car as I will sell it by year end to get new GT or Cobra.

What would you do to improve on times? First run I shifted at 6500rpm. All other runs were at 6000rpm. Left line at 1500 rpm.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks,
John

 

[VirtualSVT]

Shift at like 7000 or as high as possible.

There is a large gap between gear ratios and the high you shift the less chance of being out of the power range.

More aggressive Launch with DR's? I dunno.

Matt

 

[droptopsnake01]

yea, your 60's suck..

 

[onebad99cobra]

Man, you should be running 13's. Work on them 60 foot times man.

 

[yoshis99_cobra]

I just went to the track the first time this weekend too and I was pulling 13.4's @103.77mph with 2.0 60' times. But I have 4.30 Gears and Exhaust with D/R's. And I still need to get my 60' time down too.

 

[laser_red_cobra]

try launching at 2000 - 3500, that's what i did at lebanon on stock tires with 0 mods (not even a k&n)

 

[JJP SVT]

What would you suggest to do to get the 60' times down? Also, how would leaving at a higher rpm help on stock tires?

I know it's a 13 second car...it just has a 14 second driver!

 

[8urvett]

What would you suggest to do to get the 60' times down? Also, how would leaving at a higher rpm help on stock tires?

I know it's a 13 second car...it just has a 14 second driver!

:lol:

Hey I thought I was the only 14 sec driver!! :beer:

 

[casey99COBRA]

i'm one too lol!

 

[yoshis99_cobra]

What would you suggest to do to get the 60' times down? Also, how would leaving at a higher rpm help on stock tires?

I know it's a 13 second car...it just has a 14 second driver!

PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. That is a sure way to get the 60' time down. D/R's will help a lot. Get some of those bushings for the control arms and differential. That will help reduce wheel hop. Launching at a higher rpm will put you right into your powerband. I run 4.30 Gears and D/R's and I'm pulling 2.0 flat 60' times my first day ever racing period at a track. With more practice will come sub 2.0 60' time.

 

[brkntrxn]

My 01 Vert runs 13.6-13.8 in good air... 13.8-14.1 in hot air. My best is at 13.474 @ 103.xx with a 1.97 60' on street tires, with a K&N and Magnaflow catback and 40 something degree air.

Here is what I do...

- pull the spare, jack, trunk mat and top cover out of the trunk
- take the kids toys, wifes crap, cooler and detailing rags out as well (yeah, going to the track is a family affair for us!!!)
- 1/8-1/4 tank of gas... if you go too low, you won't have any weight on the rear and you will spin a lot.
- K&N air filter with the silencer removed
- front tires @ 40 psi (it rounds off the tire for less rolling resistance)
- rear tires @ 18 psi (slightly bigger footprint)
- good smokey burnout (5-8 seconds)
- launch at about 4000rpm, but DO NOT DUMP THE CLUTCH. You will be buying new halfshafts! Steadily go to the floor with your accelerator while steadily releasing the clutch. You want a "controlled dump". If you do it right, you will be pushed back into the seat with no wheelspin and no wheel hop. With the stock IRS Cobra's, there is an extremely fine line between bogging, spinning and wheel hopping like a mother.
- power shift at 6700 rpm... let me explain. Once you launch and you are to the floor in first gear, never pull your right foot off of the floor again. You want to shift as fast as possible with your gas foot to the floor. Be careful cause you will hit the rev limiter if you are slow, but if you are good, if feels great!

With the above, you should get a pretty consistent 2.1 60' and mid to high 13's. But more importantly, it takes PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE as has already been stated. :burnout:

Good luck, save your lunch money for Test and Tune and let us know your numbers. If you are good, the track officials will warn you to go find a roll bar, :nono:

 

[laser_red_cobra]

My 01 Vert runs 13.6-13.8 in good air... 13.8-14.1 in hot air. My best is at 13.474 @ 103.xx with a 1.97 60' on street tires, with a K&N and Magnaflow catback and 40 something degree air.

Here is what I do...

- pull the spare, jack, trunk mat and top cover out of the trunk
- take the kids toys, wifes crap, cooler and detailing rags out as well (yeah, going to the track is a family affair for us!!!)
- 1/8-1/4 tank of gas... if you go too low, you won't have any weight on the rear and you will spin a lot.
- K&N air filter with the silencer removed
- front tires @ 40 psi (it rounds off the tire for less rolling resistance)
- rear tires @ 18 psi (slightly bigger footprint)
- good smokey burnout (5-8 seconds)
- launch at about 4000rpm, but DO NOT DUMP THE CLUTCH. You will be buying new halfshafts! Steadily go to the floor with your accelerator while steadily releasing the clutch. You want a "controlled dump". If you do it right, you will be pushed back into the seat with no wheelspin and no wheel hop. With the stock IRS Cobra's, there is an extremely fine line between bogging, spinning and wheel hopping like a mother.
- power shift at 6700 rpm... let me explain. Once you launch and you are to the floor in first gear, never pull your right foot off of the floor again. You want to shift as fast as possible with your gas foot to the floor. Be careful cause you will hit the rev limiter if you are slow, but if you are good, if feels great!

With the above, you should get a pretty consistent 2.1 60' and mid to high 13's. But more importantly, it takes PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE as has already been stated. :burnout:

Good luck, save your lunch money for Test and Tune and let us know your numbers. If you are good, the track officials will warn you to go find a roll bar, :nono:

what good is a smokey burnout on street tires? i say given em a quick spin to clean them off. also, powershifting doesn't get you that much.... besides a broken tranny. if you want to be able to bang through gears safely, you at least need a shifter. i'd also recommend a firewall adjuster and quadrant.

 

[yoshis99_cobra]

And also to add to that you don't want to go below 1/4 tank of gas. On our modular motors they tend to starve the motor for gas if they're under 1/4. Why take the risk. I ran exactly 1/4 tank this past Saturday and had no problems.

 

[brkntrxn]

Power shifting will get you a tenth or so if done properly. Granny shifting or speed shifting is not as fast as power shifting and lets the rpms fall.

Burning your tires, that is up to the driver. I have always noticed a better launch after getting the tires good and hot. But, to each his own, not everyone launches the same, therefore not everyone needs to prepare the same. And not every launch pad is prepared the same.

It goes back to that PRACTICE statement. As I said, "this is what I do". Therefore, this is what works for me. He said he would not mod his car.. all of the above suggestions do not involved modding a car.

 

[quick01snake]

You want a "controlled dump".

LOL i had one of those a little bit earlier...

seriously though, most street tires begin to have less traction below 25 psi or so....

 

[brkntrxn]

LOL, yeah, I guess that was a bad term!!!

 

[Thunder5.0]

My 99 Cobra's best so far is a 13.5@102. That's with a solid axle(327s), x pipe, K&N, and MT slicks. No other mods.

 

[vennom]

wow with slicks and modifications you should be running a lot lower than that.

 

[Thunder5.0]

LOL. I need to work on my 60'.