I wrote this up for a couple of different forums, so bear with me if you're bored with some of the information in here
I had a great time at Capitol Raceway on Friday night! This was my first time at the strip in the Shelby, so I was very excited. There were only a few test & tuners there early, so I got to make as many passes as I wanted. It got crowded after 8:00 though, and there was even a long line to get into the place at 9:00 when I left. I made 8 passes, but could have easily made another 3 or 4 if I wanted to earlier in the evening. I wanted to watch some of the other cars run and give my car a few cool downs from time to time. The key to getting lots of runs in at Capitol Raceway is to arrive early.
Let's start with the results. My best run was a 12.27 @ 125.00 mph. See time slip attachment (I was in car #888). My victim in this race was a very loud and slow Honda S2000 that was so far behind that I couldn't see it by the time the race was over. LOL. I know this is not the greatest ET or trap speed for the Shelby, but this was my first time at the strip in this car, and the first time drag racing a car with a manual transmission since the '90s. Let's just say that I know I can do much better with a little more practice. I ran lots of 12.3s and 12.4s, and all of my trap speeds exceeded 122 mph (despite my less than perfect shifting). Most of my 60 ft times were in the high 2.1 range, probably a result of the launch control and clutch protection programming. This was all with nothing more than the foot to floor technique with factory launch control system in Sport mode. I really wanted to find out how well the launch control system worked on this first time out, so I experimented with it and various launch RPM settings and clutch release techniques throughout the night. I didn't ice down the supercharger or engine or adjust tire pressure (the stock rear tires had 35 psi of pressure).
For those of you unfamiliar with the launch control system in the Shelby, what you do is select your launch RPM before staging your car. Once both cars are staged, you just push the thottle to the floor and the revs will automatically be held at the selected launch RPM. I varied my launch RPM from 3000-3300. It seemed like 3200 RPM worked best with a quick steady clutch release. The Shelby has a very late and quick clutch engagement which makes releasing it a bit tricky. The problem that I haven't been able to solve with the launch control is the initial "bog" when I release the clutch. The hesitation was so bad once that it felt like it fell on its face resulting in a 2.3 second 60 ft time, but the beast still pulled off a 12.3 second run at over 123 mph! There is a thin line between what appears to be too quick and too slow on the clutch release. It seemed like a quick steady release worked best and a slower release just made the hesitation even worse. My initial impressions regarding the launch control is that it's not that great, but I'm going to experiment with it some more and not pass judgement until I feel I have given it a fair chance. There's also a "RPM only" mode which I may give a try next time. In this mode, it will simply hold the selected RPMs before the clutch release and then you're completely on your own after that. I've got a feeling this will work much better, especially with DRs.
I don't think I have the optimal shift points nailed down yet, but it seemed like shifting at about 6600-6700 RPM resulted in the highest trap speeds. Reving it to the 7000 RPM redline or bumping the rev limiter had a big negative impact on trap speed and ET, even if you only do it once. Fortunately, I only hit the rev limiter a couple of times. I never missed a gear or had the dreaded gear "lock out" for rushing the shifts too quickly. It's amazing that I only have to shift twice then just keep it pegged until the finish line. I basically kept it to the floor until it hit the top of 3rd gear and the speedo showed 130+ mph, then I knew I was done. LOL.
After the sun set, the temperatures started to drop, which would normally be a good thing, but the stock tires on the Shelby are horrible on cold surfaces and in cooler temperatures. I heated them up pretty good before each pass, and even more before my last one because I knew the track was getting cold. Despite my best efforts, on my last pass, I had MASSIVE wheelspin at around 65 to 75 mph in second gear. It was enough to get the rear end fishtailing and have me countersteering to keep away from the wall! I think I probably shouldn't have gotten back on the throttle so hard so quickly going into 2nd, but I didn't expect it because I had no problems earlier. The traction control light was even flickering in 3rd gear at over 90 mph! The Shelby needs to be respected.
The Shelby got a lot of attention too. There were lots of guys and even a couple of young girls checking it out and asking me questions about it. Going to the track in the Shelby makes me feel like I'm dating a porn star. I definitely want to go again before it gets too cold and the tracks close for the season! I would be happy to go to Capitol Raceway again. Capitol Raceway is less than a half hour from my work.
Could those of you with experience getting the most out of the launch control please give me some advice on how to improve my 60 ft times and ETs? I'm disappointed in my 60 ft times, and just want to know some tips on how to improve the launch on the stock tires using launch control. I'll play with RPM only mode and drag radials later. How many of you guys have run 11s using the launch control in sport mode with the stock tires? What's the best we can get using the launch control with stock tires?
Check out my reaction time. What a blast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had a great time at Capitol Raceway on Friday night! This was my first time at the strip in the Shelby, so I was very excited. There were only a few test & tuners there early, so I got to make as many passes as I wanted. It got crowded after 8:00 though, and there was even a long line to get into the place at 9:00 when I left. I made 8 passes, but could have easily made another 3 or 4 if I wanted to earlier in the evening. I wanted to watch some of the other cars run and give my car a few cool downs from time to time. The key to getting lots of runs in at Capitol Raceway is to arrive early.
Let's start with the results. My best run was a 12.27 @ 125.00 mph. See time slip attachment (I was in car #888). My victim in this race was a very loud and slow Honda S2000 that was so far behind that I couldn't see it by the time the race was over. LOL. I know this is not the greatest ET or trap speed for the Shelby, but this was my first time at the strip in this car, and the first time drag racing a car with a manual transmission since the '90s. Let's just say that I know I can do much better with a little more practice. I ran lots of 12.3s and 12.4s, and all of my trap speeds exceeded 122 mph (despite my less than perfect shifting). Most of my 60 ft times were in the high 2.1 range, probably a result of the launch control and clutch protection programming. This was all with nothing more than the foot to floor technique with factory launch control system in Sport mode. I really wanted to find out how well the launch control system worked on this first time out, so I experimented with it and various launch RPM settings and clutch release techniques throughout the night. I didn't ice down the supercharger or engine or adjust tire pressure (the stock rear tires had 35 psi of pressure).
For those of you unfamiliar with the launch control system in the Shelby, what you do is select your launch RPM before staging your car. Once both cars are staged, you just push the thottle to the floor and the revs will automatically be held at the selected launch RPM. I varied my launch RPM from 3000-3300. It seemed like 3200 RPM worked best with a quick steady clutch release. The Shelby has a very late and quick clutch engagement which makes releasing it a bit tricky. The problem that I haven't been able to solve with the launch control is the initial "bog" when I release the clutch. The hesitation was so bad once that it felt like it fell on its face resulting in a 2.3 second 60 ft time, but the beast still pulled off a 12.3 second run at over 123 mph! There is a thin line between what appears to be too quick and too slow on the clutch release. It seemed like a quick steady release worked best and a slower release just made the hesitation even worse. My initial impressions regarding the launch control is that it's not that great, but I'm going to experiment with it some more and not pass judgement until I feel I have given it a fair chance. There's also a "RPM only" mode which I may give a try next time. In this mode, it will simply hold the selected RPMs before the clutch release and then you're completely on your own after that. I've got a feeling this will work much better, especially with DRs.
I don't think I have the optimal shift points nailed down yet, but it seemed like shifting at about 6600-6700 RPM resulted in the highest trap speeds. Reving it to the 7000 RPM redline or bumping the rev limiter had a big negative impact on trap speed and ET, even if you only do it once. Fortunately, I only hit the rev limiter a couple of times. I never missed a gear or had the dreaded gear "lock out" for rushing the shifts too quickly. It's amazing that I only have to shift twice then just keep it pegged until the finish line. I basically kept it to the floor until it hit the top of 3rd gear and the speedo showed 130+ mph, then I knew I was done. LOL.
After the sun set, the temperatures started to drop, which would normally be a good thing, but the stock tires on the Shelby are horrible on cold surfaces and in cooler temperatures. I heated them up pretty good before each pass, and even more before my last one because I knew the track was getting cold. Despite my best efforts, on my last pass, I had MASSIVE wheelspin at around 65 to 75 mph in second gear. It was enough to get the rear end fishtailing and have me countersteering to keep away from the wall! I think I probably shouldn't have gotten back on the throttle so hard so quickly going into 2nd, but I didn't expect it because I had no problems earlier. The traction control light was even flickering in 3rd gear at over 90 mph! The Shelby needs to be respected.
The Shelby got a lot of attention too. There were lots of guys and even a couple of young girls checking it out and asking me questions about it. Going to the track in the Shelby makes me feel like I'm dating a porn star. I definitely want to go again before it gets too cold and the tracks close for the season! I would be happy to go to Capitol Raceway again. Capitol Raceway is less than a half hour from my work.
Could those of you with experience getting the most out of the launch control please give me some advice on how to improve my 60 ft times and ETs? I'm disappointed in my 60 ft times, and just want to know some tips on how to improve the launch on the stock tires using launch control. I'll play with RPM only mode and drag radials later. How many of you guys have run 11s using the launch control in sport mode with the stock tires? What's the best we can get using the launch control with stock tires?
Check out my reaction time. What a blast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Van's BMR suspension first though.
