First Drag Session of 2005...

Nd4SpdSe · Post by **Nd4SpdSe** » June 11th, 2005, 1:03 am

Well, I wen't drag racing for the first time in 2005, but unforunately I can't say that I'm impressed, getting beat by anything worth racing, including anything Honda/Acura that was there (Freaking Honda kiddies were launching their cars by bouncing off the rev limiter). I started off the night with the first run of 16.006 @ 88.62 and graduly working my way down...here are my best runs (out of 17):

60': 2.391
330: 6.591
1/8: 10.030
MPH: 73.23
1000: 12.986
1/4: 15.470
MPH: 91.09

60': 2.367
330: 6.553
1/8: 10.005
MPH: 72.83
1000: 12.967
1/4: 15.469
MPH: 90.34

60': 2.341
330: 6.551
1/8: 9.997
MPH: 72.90
1000: 12.956
1/4: 15.454
MPH: 90.21

Weather conditions were as follows:
FEELS LIKE 29°C
WIND GUSTS S 15 km/h
RELATIVE HUMIDITY 83%
DEWPOINT 19°C
PRESSURE 101.62 kPa
VISIBILITY 24 km
CEILING 7200 ft

Unfortunately, the wheelhop is not done, it has lessened, but I still can't do a good burnout or launch with anything above 3K, although my best times were lauched between 2k-3kRPMs. Brining my tires pressure down to 20psi reduced my wheel hops as well and improved my consistancy for lower times.

What bugs me the most is that I haven't beat my personal best of 15.065, and that includes all the toys in the car, running on all-seasons, with stock exaust and K8 air intake. Since then I've done a good chunk of bolt-ons, and yet my times are slowing down. Those last runs felt good, and I have no idea on how to improve them, but I'm pretty frustrated, and embarassed that my car is loud but slow. Personally, I would like it to be a problem with the driver, not the car, but even then, how would I go about improving my times when I'm consistanty slow, I don't feel any errors so I don't know where to improve on.

babyblueMX3 · Post by **babyblueMX3** » June 11th, 2005, 9:26 am

how come you managed a 14.7 last year and only 15.4 this year ?

Nd4SpdSe · Post by **Nd4SpdSe** » June 11th, 2005, 10:30 am

The 14.765 wasn't even me driving (that's why I have an asterix beside it in m sig), it was 1sickmx3/6 who drove it for me, plus the car was stripped of all my stereo equipment, as well as the spare tire and passenger seat removed that evening. But that was 2 summers ago, the same year I did my swap. Those were the times I was 15.0-15.3 as an average, even with all my ICE. In those days we poor launches and bad shifts, I had a few dozen runs under by belt, so i could definitely see it as a poor driver problem here.

Last year I went only once, I barely remember what i got, but I think it was in the same times roughtly as this year, mid 15's

What I'm gonna do is strip the car again and go next week, see how well she does, than after that, I'll pay to get her dyno'd, check her power output (It may be that I got a bad ZE, which my luck really wouldn't surprise me, that has more milleage that it should, and it's starting to get tired), than I don't know what I would do, what I wanna know, am I just a really, really a bad driver, and don't even know it, or is there something wrong with the car.

I literally must have the slowest ZE ever.

You have no idea how frustrating this is. With all the mods, this car should be able to hit 14's easilly by now, even with a bad driver.

babyblueMX3 · Post by **babyblueMX3** » June 11th, 2005, 10:42 am

agreed you car should be in the 14's
when I was N/A I was constantly doing 14.5 on hot days with less mods then you.

Nd4SpdSe · Post by **Nd4SpdSe** » June 11th, 2005, 10:54 am

What's stupid is that the 14.765, the only think that wasn't stock was the engine, stock intake, stock exaust, all-seasons on stocker honeycombs, wheel hop and weight transfer up the yingyang.

Since them, I've:
CAI
2.5" exaust
Headers
Removed cat
Upgraded suspension
Kumho Mx tires
Shifter bushings
Redline Mt90 MTX oil
Practiced

babyblueMX3 · Post by **babyblueMX3** » June 11th, 2005, 10:57 am

2.5 crush bent or mandrel bent?
wich headers ?

my friend made higher times with his obx headers (hotshot copies)

Nd4SpdSe · Post by **Nd4SpdSe** » June 11th, 2005, 10:57 am

babyblueMX3 wrote:2.5 crush bent or mandrel bent?
wich headers ?

Crushed...people's opiniosn were mix on 2.25" or 2.5" exaust, so i figured 2.5" crushed should do a good job, I don't know any placed around the area when i lived at my parents place at the time, that did mandrel bending.

I have the OBX 1st gens, modified to fit

mymx.3 · Post by **mymx.3** » June 11th, 2005, 11:01 am

Are you still coming down to Shannonville on Monday Mike?

DEB

Nd4SpdSe · Post by **Nd4SpdSe** » June 11th, 2005, 11:03 am

That's the plan, pending on weather of course.

rebel2k4 · Post by **rebel2k4** » June 11th, 2005, 4:00 pm

Don't feel too bad. I have a boosted KL at 9-10 psi and I can't turn better than a 13.8, even with slicks.

Nd4SpdSe · Post by **Nd4SpdSe** » June 12th, 2005, 2:20 pm

I'm wondering is it's a clutch issue. Now, I don't exactly know what a slipping clutch feels like, but I'm trying to think back at my races, and I remember once instance where it didn't feel like it grabbed as fast as I was expecting. I'm trying to think, during my launches and my shifts, if it was really slipping, but your mind goes through so much when your racing, it's ard to concentrate on one specific thing.

Looking into the Bully's website for research, trying to remember how many ft/lbs it should grab, their Stage 3's are 3-4 or 6 puck, but I know mine doesn't use pucks, it's a disc, as described as their Stage 1 and 2 clutches...so not only did my un-education probably get me screwed over i not being able to recognise specific stages in clutches. Now what I was suppose to get was a Stage 3, I know that. It may, it almost makes sence, why the more mods I do, the more HP i put out, the slower I'm getting. It could be my fault too, assuming whatever clutch I have should me more than adequate, with my lack of driving stick, plus the added power of the ZE, I could have poorly broken in the clutch, so it's wearing out prematurely. More power = more slippage = slower times...it could very well be, but I'll need to test and investigate more.

I'll get the engine tested (compression/dyno'd), but I feel like the engine is running good, she feels strong, but we'll see.

One senario I remember, i was waiting in line, and I was up against an Integra. What kinda bugged me is not only that I lost, but it must have been a friend driving a car, cause someone was talking to the driver o how to launch and do a burnout, and not to break the car. We raced, At launch, my bumper was about half on his car (I was focusing on my launches,and reaction time wasn't taken into affect), by second gear, I was nose to tail to him, 3rd gear, he just pulled away, gained 1-2 car lengths on me. He pulled a 15.0x that run. I don't know what that means, but in 3rd, he shouldn't of gotten that far ahead

osargeant · Post by **osargeant** » June 12th, 2005, 4:16 pm

I think you definitely need to get the vehicle checked out, either the clutch or engine is faulty. The last time I did a time (which was a while ago), I pulled 15.02@ 94.5mph with poor traction at 10psi on my turbo 1.6DOHC. A KLZE based MX3 with your mods should definitely be in the 14s.

Keep us posted.

Nd4SpdSe · Post by **Nd4SpdSe** » June 12th, 2005, 5:24 pm

Ya, definitely.

The plan is go take out my CarPC and my subs, passenger seat and spare tire, pull off some weight reduction and go again this week, see what happens

Afterwards, maybe the week or two after, schedual a dyno run and get it compression tested. In what order, I don't know, doesn't matter and wont change anything anyway. Although the Dyno will give me a power output indication, if it's a slipping clutch issue, it may affect the results of the dyno as well, but it'll give me an idea on the engine.

I was told to try tying te VRIS soleniods open, but honnestly, I don't know where they are and how to do that.

If it is the clutch (which I'm kinda hoping it is since it's the easiest answer, besides for poor driver), it'l give me an excuse to put a Fidanza flywheel, any maybe pop in an Mx-6 gearbox (I haven't decided yet, i like the low gearing, but sometimes, it's really too low), and if I'm upto it, and LSD, in the gearbox or seperate, I have no idea, but while it's out

JWMX3 · Post by **JWMX3** » June 12th, 2005, 5:37 pm

Nd4SpdSe wrote: I was told to try tying te VRIS soleniods open, but honnestly, I don't know where they are and how to do that.

If it is the clutch (which I'm kinda hoping it is since it's the easiest answer, besides for poor driver), it'l give me an excuse to put a Fidanza flywheel, any maybe pop in an Mx-6 gearbox (I haven't decided yet, i like the low gearing, but sometimes, it's really too low), and if I'm upto it, and LSD, in the gearbox or seperate, I have no idea, but while it's out

The 2 vris solenoids are about 6 inches apart at the back of the IM right at the top, im not sure how to "tie them open" either

the absolute best thing would be get a Escort ZX2 tranny with brass syncros and swap the gears into your mx3 box with an ms protege lsd...... i think thats exactly what gro harlem has, and is probably the best setup for the V6

Nd4SpdSe · Post by **Nd4SpdSe** » June 12th, 2005, 6:43 pm

JWMX3 wrote:the absolute best thing would be get a Escort ZX2 tranny with brass syncros and swap the gears into your mx3 box with an ms protege lsd...... i think thats exactly what gro harlem has, and is probably the best setup for the V6

Ya, I read his article, and honnestly, it sounds like a killer setup, and I would love go that route, but Gro seems reluctant in providing the information on it, plus all the research, work and trial and error he put into fabricating his own custom gearbox, I'm really reluctant in literally copying his setup....