worried about my engine setup for open tracking

[maniak87]

first off, i have yet to get onto the road course with my car but i have plans to do so. yes, i know i dont "need" all this power for a beginner but i'm a speed junky and reformed drag racer. i want my car to handle well and still put down high 11's at the strip. the engine is a 94 cobra longblock with an s-trim at 10psi and a safe tune. they do not make an intercooler for the 94/95 vortech setup so im out of luck there.

im worried about my engine holding up to the abuse on the road course. the hot engine temps/intake charge temps worry me. ive already blown a head gasket (the original one on the 52k motor, blower has only been on for 6k mi), i only braught it to the dragstrip once and most of it was street miles. ive been messing with the setup ever since the install due to the boost (and its the stock pulley). i know boost isnt the best option for road racing but bang for the buck is why i went with it.

will i be ok for a while on the track? im only talking 1-2 hpde events a year and i will just be doing it to gain my skills and have some fun.

 

[SVECobraR]

I'm not as experienced as most of the people in this form but i can tell you that running an non intercooled boosted engine is going to give you some problems. My N/A 99 cobra that put down 320 on race gas almost over heated on the road track. Given it ran two heats pretty much back to back and it was 110+ out, but i still wouldn't take that chance.

 

[Fast99Snake]

non intercooled is a no go
if you push the car hard you will break something
either get an intercooled blower or remove it or don't go to the road course, plain and simple

just to put this in perspective, look at the cooling upgrades ford did on the 03 cobras which do have an intercooled setup and they still have tons of overheating issues

 

[maniak87]

non intercooled is a no go
if you push the car hard you will break something
either get an intercooled blower or remove it or don't go to the road course, plain and simple

just to put this in perspective, look at the cooling upgrades ford did on the 03 cobras which do have an intercooled setup and they still have tons of overheating issues

very true.

i was looking into meth injection but thats just another thing to worry about going wrong. looks like i should have went with the heads cam intake instead of the s/c.

(good to see u on here fast99snake, i bought ur 03 cobra control arms)

 

[wheelhopper]

I have an '03 Cobra that I OT that the motor has quite a few mods. I put down 500rwhp in race tune, the street tune is 526. I run in HPDE2 and while not the best guy on the track, I am not holding anyone up. Only point in telling you that is to let you know, I run my car all out. I think you should try it out before you feel like you screwed up. I also came from drag racing. Just prepare a little. A few tips that I would recomend.

1. Change the pulley to push around 8psi.
2. Pull a couple degrees of timing and slightly increase the fuel pressure. This will help the motor run cooler and have less of a chance of detonation.
3. make sure the rest of your cooling system is in top condition.

You may be surprised that your motor works just fine with the vortec. You might have to play around with the combo a little and take the psi to 6, but you can always step back up for the street and drag race.

 

[wheelhopper]

AHHHHH, my first double post.

Deleted to break up the monotany.

 

[maniak87]

I have an '03 Cobra that I OT that the motor has quite a few mods. I put down 500rwhp in race tune, the street tune is 526. I run in HPDE2 and while not the best guy on the track, I am not holding anyone up. Only point in telling you that is to let you know, I run my car all out. I think you should try it out before you feel like you screwed up. I also came from drag racing. Just prepare a little. A few tips that I would recomend.

1. Change the pulley to push around 8psi.
2. Pull a couple degrees of timing and slightly increase the fuel pressure. This will help the motor run cooler and have less of a chance of detonation.
3. make sure the rest of your cooling system is in top condition.

You may be surprised that your motor works just fine with the vortec. You might have to play around with the combo a little and take the psi to 6, but you can always step back up for the street and drag race.

thats actually a good idea, i never thought about that!

 

[gcassidy]

And be prepared to buy another car if you really get into it and keep this one for the strip.
Yours might make it through the first or second weekend, but probably not long term, especially once you start getting fast.

Doug's (wheelhopper) motor is a freak of nature. :lol:
Good luck.

 

[brkntrxn]

I too started this addiction with a 500+rwhp blower car (Procharger). My latest setup will be a 350rwhp NA setup if that tells you where I went with the blower after doing this for a couple of years.

As for your current setup, everything Wheelhopper stated is dead on. The other thing, make CERTAIN your fuel system is up to snuff. A lean condition on the track will be deadly to your setup and can be a hidden issue. You may think you have a cooling issue when in fact it is a lean condition.

 

[maniak87]

the radiator and all the other components are stock. i guess my setup is "safe" for the street but is probably not going to be up to the task of the roadcourse.

i had a thought though, maybe if i did a fox body throttle body conversion i could use the air-water intercooler that they use. wondering if that would help the temps enough?

 

[gcassidy]

Here's a thought.

I don't know what kind of other ramifications this might have, but to see what your car's like on the track, and how much you like it (you will), can you just remove the blower belt?
Or do something else to take the boost out of the system so it runs like a stock motor?

Guess you guys can tell I never had a blower. :shrug:

 

[maniak87]

Here's a thought.

I don't know what kind of other ramifications this might have, but to see what your car's like on the track, and how much you like it (you will), can you just remove the blower belt?
Or do something else to take the boost out of the system so it runs like a stock motor?

Guess you guys can tell I never had a blower. :shrug:

ive done that before when i was having a problem with the s/c. it needed to be sent in for warranty work (long story) but i needed the car to drive cuz i didnt have a daily driver yet. the car runs without the belt on but i'd rather not use that as an option.

 

[brkntrxn]

Greg,

No, the OP should not do that. The fuel injectors, tune and so on are setup for the amount of air the blower forces into the engine. Removing the belt and not changing the tune or the injectors will result in a rich setup at the very least, a poor running car most likely.


Maniak,

I do agree with Greg. Sign up for an event, run it and see what you think. Keep an eye on your vitals (fluids, temps, etc) while on track. One thing to do to take it easy on the car is to short shift on every straight. That will prevent any hard pulls on the car and therefore not put as much stress on it. Don't change anything until you know you want to. It took me over two years to finally give up the blower. Horsepower is addictive, but not nearly as addictive as the trackpipe

Another thought, sign up for an event in late Fall or very early Spring.... check that, I just noticed you are from Illinois.... just get on track before the snow starts and right after it melts, so sometime in July . My point is, if you run it on the track during the cooler months, you are less likely to encounter issues. My blower setup always loved VIR in early February! Lotsa power and no issues.

When and if you want to intercool the car, just buy an air-to-air intercooler from ProCharger and install it. A2A is better for a track car anyway (in my opinion).

 

[maniak87]

Greg,

No, the OP should not do that. The fuel injectors, tune and so on are setup for the amount of air the blower forces into the engine. Removing the belt and not changing the tune or the injectors will result in a rich setup at the very least, a poor running car most likely.


Maniak,

I do agree with Greg. Sign up for an event, run it and see what you think. Keep an eye on your vitals (fluids, temps, etc) while on track. One thing to do to take it easy on the car is to short shift on every straight. That will prevent any hard pulls on the car and therefore not put as much stress on it. Don't change anything until you know you want to. It took me over two years to finally give up the blower. Horsepower is addictive, but not nearly as addictive as the trackpipe

Another thought, sign up for an event in late Fall or very early Spring.... check that, I just noticed you are from Illinois.... just get on track before the snow starts and right after it melts, so sometime in July . My point is, if you run it on the track during the cooler months, you are less likely to encounter issues. My blower setup always loved VIR in early February! Lotsa power and no issues.

When and if you want to intercool the car, just buy an air-to-air intercooler from ProCharger and install it. A2A is better for a track car anyway (in my opinion).

thanks for the advise :-D

the procharger A2A wont work unless i switch to a procharger. no front mount will work with a vortech setup on 94/95's without extensive modifications.

 

[brkntrxn]

Post up a pick of your piping. You will have to reroute your piping, but it is a simple matter of routing it in similar fashion as a Procharger setup. I don't see where there would be a complication other than the cost and time to do it.

 

[Maynor]

Lots of great advice already posted. One more piece, run 100% unleaded race gas or Torco to minimize the chances of detonation. Its cheaper than an engine so don't worry about the $/gal.

In a non-intercooled setup, that's critical.

On Edit: One other piece of advice... if this is your daily driver and you don't' have backup transportation... I personally would not run that combo on a road course. If you have backup transport, have fun learning and just keep out of it in the straights to minimize boost. The curves are the fun parts anyway.

If you really want to relax and just learn... keep the Cobra at home. Rent a car and have fun till you figure out where you want to go with this hobby. Rather than being distracted with thoughts of the motor at your first event, I'd encourage you to get in a rental and just learn.

You'll be hooked soon enough and can add a measure of engine safety later. Again, still way cheaper than replacing a motor...

John
Novi'd 99 Cobra

 

[MFE]

Put a throttle stop on it for road courses.

/end thread

 

[Fast99Snake]

since you don't have a daily I would highly recommend against doing an event with this car as it sits. If you do, find one in October when it should be nice and cool.(although with Chicago weather you can never be sure?!?)
If your on the stock radiator, and I'm guessing no oil cooler? this is a really really bad idea that could really **** you over if you don't have a daily or a truck to pull it home in.

It annoys me enough having to still watch my diff temp gauge even though I have a diff cooler, worrying about poppin a motor would drive me nuts!

 

[Fast99Snake]

on a lighter note you could come down with me to autobahn for my final event for the season with vince(mrmysti I think he posts by) and watch, and I'm sure Vince would take you for a couple rides. Riding shotgun in a car on r-comps can hurl your stomach through some serious g-forces, and we can get you hooked enough to sell the blower and throw a HCI setup at that good ol windsor

p.s.- did you ever get those C/C plates installed. If not I have some free time now.

 

[maniak87]

on a lighter note you could come down with me to autobahn for my final event for the season with vince(mrmysti I think he posts by) and watch, and I'm sure Vince would take you for a couple rides. Riding shotgun in a car on r-comps can hurl your stomach through some serious g-forces, and we can get you hooked enough to sell the blower and throw a HCI setup at that good ol windsor

p.s.- did you ever get those C/C plates installed. If not I have some free time now.

i do have a daily driver now so it is now my toy. i have actually riden shotgun with vince on that track in his cobra. it was an awesome experience but my stomach was getting way pissed after 6-7 laps :lol: i'd love to come out to ur final event, when is it? i am thinking about installing those plates myself now but maybe u could give me a hand since u have done them before?

using a rental is an idea but i have a couple problems with that. first off, im only 20 (turning 21 in december) so i cant rent a car. plus, i baught my mustang to have fun with it and i want it to be the first car i take out on the track. its not a bad idea to use a rental but i'd much rather use the stang.