so i took my car to the track for the first time. i just fixed my knock sensor problem so i figured everything would be good to go. but then i ran constant low 16s.... by the way, its a VE 5 spd. i dont kno what else to check, help me out.

 

Maybe it's not the car

What rpm are you launching at? Where are you shifting? Do you have some numbers?

 

a time slip would be very helpful.

Either your lauch technique really sucks, your car isn't running 100 percent or you have something holding you back. There could be other factors, too, like weather or tires/wheels.

What mods do you have?

A stock VE 5-speed should run mid to high 15s, so you aren't that far off if your car is totally stock. It doesn't take much as far as mistakes to lose a few tenths of a second.

 

well my car is stock, and i dont think its me lol. i got my friends neon to do 15.2-15.3. and everyone else was doing about 15.5 im launching at about 2700 right now, my tires are a little low on tread but they dont spin too much on launch. i usually shift about 5.5-6k, although sometimes i shift sooner because it feels like its stops pulling around 5-5.2k

 

Maybe the VI is not functioning.

 

Your car shouldn't feel like it stops pulling at 5k. When I floor my car in 2nd @ 5k, it pulls HARD. Check out this dynograph. It is of Matt93SE's VE 5spd. Obviously his mods change the curves but check out the blue line. IIRC, the blue line is with the VTCs grounded and the green line is with them running properly. See the differences? On the blue line, the power falls off signifcantly at >4700k but on the green line, it continues to pull and actually makes a few more hp. I wonder if you have VTC issues? Just my WAG.