Here's the deal, I want to know if and how bad weight in the trunk hurts. I know weight slows me down. But after the experiences I've had as of late, I'm curious, being in the trunk, does it have more of an effect?

I'm experiencing bad traction issues and I'm thinking it could be my weight. I have a big speaker box in the trunk, 2 amps, and nitrous bottle. My logic is thinking, it's causing the car to squat down more in the back thereby lifting weight off the front wheels more causing a loss of traction.

It's especially apparent when I use the nitrous. I tried to race a guy with a camaro Z28. I launched at 1500 RPM and spun like crazy, no nitrous. So we try again, I launch at 1200 and get it to hook up after a second or so. I hit the nitrous (100hp shot) at about 2500 RPM and in about half a second the tach hit the rev limiter! I though, holy tire smoke! [note, I imediately got off the throttle, only once bounce on the limiter, no harm thank god].

Now I haven't taken a street race seriously in a while. Back before I got the big box was last time I really raced. Back then those RPMs where the ones I used, and worked...good. At the race track I launch at 2000 RPMs and have absolutely no traction problems, even with the nitrous. So this surprised me.

So am I correct in assuming it's due to the extra weight? Its a 15" speaker in a vented box, I'll guess 150 pounds, mabye closer to 175. Does added weight over the back of the car cause traction loss as well as slower times?

 

Yes you're correct, it will hurt your times, and give you even more traction issues. Take that ish out of there and sell it and get more performance mods.

 

lmao.

Nah, I don't race for real, just fun. I'll keep it and enjoy the 95% of my driving time when performace isn't needed.

But I will take it out next time I go to the track.

 

Sure the hundred or so pounds of weight in the back is hurting you. But even without it a 100 shot on street tires in 1st or even 2nd gear is gonna result in spin.

 

well, if you are having traction conrtol problems in the front cause of weight, just gain about 150-175 lbs, what your box weighs, and that'll put you back to where you were originally when everything was more balanced! or you can just take out the box like everyone else said..heh.

 

I just never thought about the box causing this sort of problem when I put it in. I knew the weight would slow me down, just didn't realize traction would also be affected.

As for the 100 shot causing probs, well on the track it doesn't. I was there about 3 weeks prior to this event and never once got a squeek out of this car. Both the 2000 RPM launch and the 2500 RPM nitrous hit. Of course that is a race track, bit better traction there then the street. But it still feels like a little excessive loss to me, based on past experience. My tires are fairly new too, under a year. Oh well, I'll have to pull the weight and see what happens.

Any other good traction tips?

 

You have a GLE, unless you have a 5spd swao, how are you launching at 2-2.5k?

 

A 100 shot out of the hole on street tires and no spin? Not possible. You could still spin warmed up slicks with that. You sure your getting all the power out of that nitrous

 

+1 what mike said. i doubt ur getting anywhere near what power you should.

 

My car breaks loose w/o N2O ..

 

I can hold the brake down and the throttle and get 2000 RPMs while sitting still. When I let off the brake the car hooks up on the track, but not on the street with that kind of launch. After accelerating and getting around 2500-2700 RPMs I engage the nitrous.




I'm not spraying off the line. Of course that will spin the tires.




On the track it hooks up pretty good, but on the street it isn't worth crap. I'm also not using stock tires, I have some pretty good ones on here, they get a decent bite for what they are. I would like to get some drag radials or slicks though.

You guys were missinterpreting things.

 

a 100 shot sould break you loose at most any rpm in 1-2. I would think, bu I don't know **** about N2) ... so yeah .

 

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=397232