99Maxima5sp

I figure i can get away with putting it in the general forum, no?


Anyways, i went to my local track (well, over an hour away) to get in some runs. Well other than my times being absolutely pitiful (you can see my story and time slips HERE! ) it was fun, my best run was a horrid 15.01...

Anyways, just wanted to share some information for the ones who care..

the 1st SRT-4 Neon ive ever seen was at the track looking very very good. He ran a 13.9 STOCK as his best run. It was Neon Day just to let you guys know. There were MANY fast neons, including a 12.5@118.0mph Turbo/Intercooled Neon Also, many low 13sec ones were running

I also ran against a 99-up GT stang, haha, he didnt beat me by much carlength wise yet he ran an amazing 13.7

I couldnt seem to get many perfect runs in, most runs i either had a bad launch, spun too much, missed a gear (NOT 4th this time, haha), and the worst was when i hopped soooo bad that my tranny popped outta 1st gear!!! Wicked. I had about 13 solid below 15.2sec runs, but nowhere where i SHOULD be. (again, go HERE for that whole story)

All in all, it was really fun, i got an amazing 26 runs in today, i think i went slightly overboard, lol, but my car still funs fine **crosses fingers**


eric

slickrick

iTrader: (12)

26 times you've got ***** man. those new neons are damn fast too.

99Maxima5sp

yes, very large ones

Heres my insane 26slips pic...i couldnt believe i ran that many till i pulled slip after slip after slip outta my pocket.

And yes, those new neons rock!! I couldnt pay 20Gs for a neon though. Plus, their not very tunable, as a matter of fact, i dont think much at all can be done, they have a variable PSI turbo (11-14PSI) the biggest intercooler possible that can fit, straight through dual exhuast. I mean maybe a K&N filter or something to taht extent, but thats as fast as their gonna get...


Heres the pic: well, its too big so go HERE!!!



eric

Nealoc187

iTrader: (23)

Those neons are going to be very tunable.
I'd bet my car that by june there are a bunch of them running 12s.

99Maxima5sp

hmmm, i guess we'll have to wait and see...


eric

RaptorRed

I would like to thank 99Maxima5sp for the compliments on my SRT.

The Maxima forum appears to be made up of real enthusiasts, unlike some of the others(including some of the Neon boards).

Hope to see you at the track again !!

Wisky97SE

iTrader: (1)

15.01 isint too bad of a time, maybe some small steps like deflating the front tires a little would have helped. And those SRT-4 Neons are really insane cars, i'd take one over a Spec-V without question, the older 5spd (not the 3speed auto's ) ones are very easy to make quick too.

-Wisky

Dave B

It's beyond me why you ran 26 times. You'll never improve because your motor is going to be super hot. Most of us let our motors cool for 30-45 minutes before making another pass. The VQ does not run very good when the intake manifold is heat soaked. I can see .1-.2 and 1-2 mph between making a run with scalding hot motor vs a run with a cold motor.

The weather was actually very good in your area today. It was in the 60s with very low humidity (30%) and a decent baro pressure (30.2) so the conditions weren't a factor.

A 15.0@92mph with a higher 2.2 60 foot is VERY normal. The guys that pull off 14.5-14.6s with just those mods are very few. Low 15s to high 14s is pretty common in a 4th gen with a y-pipe, exhaust, and intake.

If you could get your 60 foots into the lower 2.2 range, work on your shifting, and LET YOUR ENGINE COOL, you could be looking at 14.8@93mph or so.


Dave

meccanoble

iTrader: (22)

that neon looks hot. dam, all the other neons i thought looked bad but that one looks hot. looks kind of small though? i wonder how the spacing is on it, but it is definitely a good upgrade from past neons i saw...

oh and i have the same performance mods basically (intake, y-pipe, catback) and if i ran in the 15's, even if it was 15.00001, i would be very dissappointed....

1FSTMAX

iTrader: (29)

Dude, chill out about your times. My fastest run so far is 15.4 at 88.50 MPH. Also what were your shift points? Did you shift into 4th gear? My best run was done in 3rd gear, and it also yielded the highest trap speed.

I have the following mods:
-Stillen Intake
-Frankencar Mid pipe
-Custom 2.5” B pipe
-Resonator removed
-Apex’i N1 muffler w/o silencer
-ACT Clutch
-Stillen short throw shifter

Craig Mack

Pretty good times Eric. Me and you should race eachother when we meet up at Bithlo. Should be a pretty even match.

Aaron

iTrader: (4)

With all the stereo stuff and the heavy 2k1 rims.......you should be lucky to get a 15.00001 and happy. (specially if you didnt swap wheels and remove sub box....etc)

Dave B

Exactly.

I don't people realize how hard it really is to race at the track. It's seems like such an easy task to go from one end of the 1/4 mile to the other end is the least amount of time...........it's not.

The guys pulling 14.6 with just an intake, 14.4s with an intake and y-pipe, etc typically run of very nice tracks so don't kid yourself into thinking you'll do the same or that there is something wrong with your car. Take a look at how many of the quicker cars in this Org are running on the same tracks. It's as if all the Maximas that run on these tracks are freakishly fast. I don't think that's the case, I think it's just a quicker track. Some tracks are slow, some are fast.


Dave

Aaron

iTrader: (4)

Morning Dave!

Glad you see my point as well. My car....with its mods...off the nitrous should theoretically, based on similar cars on the org, pull a good mid 14 run. With nitrous...who knows.....low 14 high 13's?

BUT I have never been to the track. Just, ahem stoplight drags.

My car is fast I know.....but wether or not I am a skilled enough driver to pull off the times the car is capable of, I'll find out at the track.

Neal and the others that pull down amazing times also have the track experience under their belts.

So If I get a 15.0 or faster at the track my first time I'd be happy.

Quick times arent only due to the car......

Max_Gator

Eric -

Look at it this way, you are getting better! It really is amazing how hard it can be to get the perfect run dialed in.

You've gotta get your best launch rpms/clutch technique figured out,

you've got to get your best shift point in each gear figured out,

you've got to get your shift technique figured out to get it as fast as possible

and you've got to learn how your car reacts to changes in those items.

Then you've got to eliminate all the errors.

What was your best 60' and what was your 60' on your best run? That's where you start.

By the way, the stang could have run a 13.7 and lost to you (even though he covered the distance faster) depending on reaction time. R/T is not included in the time/speed but it is included in determining the winner.

Dave B

99Maxima5sp-

I forgot to ask, did it seem like your Maxima was bogging shortly after the 60'? I know that sometimes I'll spin in the 60' and then my car hooks up hard which induces a nasty bog and makes me super slow. When this happens, I launch higher which still causes some spin in the 60', but the bog is all but gone. The can make me .2 slower.

I also forgot to add that your trap speeds of 91-92mph show that your car isn't pulling extremely hard up top and low 15s with 91-92mph in a FWD is pretty normal. If your trap speeds were 94-95mph, we'd know you we're having major traction problems.

With FWD and a good launch 2.15-2.20 60':

91-92mph ~ 14.8
93-94mph ~ 14.6
95-96mph ~ 14.4
97-98mph ~ 14.2


Dave

99Maxima5sp

wow lot more responses than i imagined.


Well...Craig mack- Im sure our times are similar, i think you miiiight take me though, those damn S/C's have that effect ...

Raptor Red-wow, small world, very nice neon man, jealous of your times!! Wish i coulda had a ride, and those seats look way comfy and supportive!

Dave B-The reason i ran 26 (well i found 2 more slips) so 28 runs was because i was trying to find the optimal launch (ended up being a tick over 2K because not much VHT(i think thats what its called) was on the track, when theres lots of VHT, i got viscious well hop and gears popping out at the launch and lots of bogging. Needed a 3K+launch) (and i paid lots of money to race) and to find my optimal shift points (about 6000+ish every gear) and whether or not to shift into 4th. I ended up getting my quickest runs NOT shifting into 4th, but i was at or past the redline ~6600rpm every time. My friend with a 99 5sp as well said he never got close to those marks and ran VERY similar times...And yes, trust me, i know how hard it is to run at the track, my first run in my max yeilded me a 15.9@88mph, and ive brought that down to a 15.01, but still, i know my car should be faster, the conditions were perfect but my car is NOT pulling the way it used to when i first installed the pipe, its getting inspected meticulously wednesday and i hope somethings wrong with it.....BTW, i acheived my best 60fts with 19PSI in my fronts

Max Gator- yeah i know i coulda still beat him even when he ran that 13.7, but we had pretty comparable RTs and 60fts, odd...

1fstmax- that time is about right, could take a few tenths off the time though, maybe its your elevation?...



eric

Dave B

A 2000rpms is too low for the 3.0 VQ. You need to launch around 3500-4000rpms, slipping the clutch intially and then releasing the clutch quickly when you think you have traction. With a 4000rpms launch, you should be coming off the line around 3000rpms or so once you've found some traction. The 2000rpm launch can get you decent 60 foots, but it typically induces a nasty bog right after the 60'. 3500-4000rpms sounds high, but when you modulate the clutch right and DO NOT dump it, the car accelerates much better off the line and will overcome any bogging. You're severe wheelhop issues sound like a factor of two things:

1) dumping the clutch
2) too little air in the tires

Running 19psi in the tires really won't help you much. I know I'm not alone when I say lowering the tire pressure does nothing in a street radial. I run better with 30-34psi because they contact patch is full and the tire drag at the far end is minimal. I've always been a little scared about running very low pressures on a radial tire at 90mph+. A blow out at those speeds would be a disaster.

The best shift points are (as indicated by the tach):

1-2 6700rpms ~38mph (really 6500)
2-3 6400rpms ~64mph (really 6200)
3-4 6100rpms ~91mph (really 6000)

If you're only getting 91-92mph trap speeds, then you might as well hold on to 3rd. Once your traps get above 94mph is when you need to start shifting to 4th. I'd imagine you were within 100' of the final beams while at 6000rpms in 3rd. If that's the case, just hold on to the gear.



Dave

Max_Gator

Dave is absolutely correct about launch rpms.

In my 2k, when I launch at 4000 rpms, I can get a better 60' than when I launch at (eek) 5000 rpms, BUT I consistently run slower traps and times with the 4k launch. Anything below 4k rpms results in bog for me.

I wouldn't suggest you launch at 5k (I think this only helps a 5th gen take advantage of the variable intake) but I'd experiment higher.

Phoenix1911

There are so many factors at the track its crazy.. Wind direction, humidity, air temp & pressure, not to mention no track is completly flat or at sea level which is a big one!... Jeez you run a 15.01 in Denver your a god! With regards to tire pressure I'd highly not recommend letting them down to 19psi, maybe 25 or 30 to get some more rubber on the pavement but like someone said then you are trying to overcome the drag of a flat tire which cancels out any hook you may have gotten from the extra rubber...

At our local track you always see these dumb azzes doing burn outs in their street tires, then wondering why they still don't get traction so they try even HARDER to burnout longer and get even worse 60' times! ...idiots....

A good trick is to bring fuel in jerry cans if possible and keep lots of ice packed around it... Insulating your fuel lines is a good idea as well, and trying to cool the motor between runs.. More ice can be used here as well if you know where to put it... You may pick up that extra .01 or .02 you want!

Phoenix1911

99Maxima5sp

wow, see, i never had the ***** to launch that high, i tried that once and it was disasterous, maybe ill try that on the street like right now...haha...get back to ya...


eric

krismax

iTrader: (15)

Wow the launches you put seem quite high,I rev it to 2500rpms and just dump the clutch at the same time i mash the gas.I would lauch at 4000 if i had drag slicks .but wouldnt want that abuse.I stay in third also, never tried shifting out early,hoping for 14.2 this spring .info in sig

optimus1

I hope u r being sarcastic
turbo, varible boost, bigger intercooler, uh the makes the sky the limit on any car (i mean rocket)

Dave B

I've launched as high was 5000rpms, but it didn't seem to help much. Remember I don't dump the clutch. I use to dump the clutch and when I did that, I couldn't hook up even at a 2000rpm launch. I slip the clutch just enough to get going and then I release it quickly (not dumping). The whole motion is very quick and you can't get greedy with the throttle. I've got over 120 passes on my stock 7-year old clutch with 93K miles.


Dave

Max Power X

Hey guys, I'm the friend with the 5-speed that Eric is talking about. I ended up with 34 runs for the 4 hours that we were there, screw letting the engine cool off! I ran 15.2s all day long and about 5 runs that were 15.1's and almost all of them were 2.3 60'. Also, I took off my air box once I got down to the track, but even on the streets with my air box in, Eric wasn't pulling on me like he should be with those kinds of mods.

I think I'm going to try launching like Dave B does to get my 60' down a tenth or two.

Raptor Red, good to see you here, I'm good friends with neonracerone and I think I'm gonna start posting on floridaneons.org soon.

99Maxima5sp

daaamn ,34 runs chris?!? holy ****!! Hows the job going up there in jacksonville??


Anyways, i tried launching it at 3500rpm (sorry, i refuse to go any higher) and i liked that launch better, had a sliiight noticeable bog when i did it from 2000 compared back to back with 3500, dammit, maybe that woulda allowed me to get at least a 14.9999 with the **** i have...

eric

Soon2BMaxed

Not to mention MOPAR is going to be doing factory warrantied modding! i think the stage 1 ecu upgrade adds like 100hp...and i am NOT kidding.

Max_Gator

Not surprising. Madmax2k - no longer a maxima owner - can do amazing things with those little dodge turbo motors. You'd be amazed at what a Dodge R/T (I'm not talking about a neon) can do with relatively little money invested.

Quicksilver

iTrader: (1)

Anyone who's owned a turbo car knows that the sky (or your wallet, whichever comes first) is the limit when it comes to performance. Traction, well, that's another unique issue that we FWD owners have to face.

JMAXIMA

wow... a 4-5k launch... that seems a bit high. i normally launch @ about 1500 rpm's, but maybe thats why my 60fts are only 2.3. but Marcdown launches at about the same rpm and he's seen his 60fts at 2.19 before. who know's, maybe he is taking it higher than he thinks. maybe i'll try some 4k launches the next track day. but to the original thread starter... don't be discouraged with your times... the first time at the track with my ypipe, i only gained .1... but after some practice i managed a 14.8... and consistant 14.9's. so with some better 60fts i'll see the 14.5/6's like i should be seeing. and i don't know if anyone has said this to you.... but your run is really determined by the first 60-100 ft. if you can get that down, the rest of the run is a breeze.

VeeTec

I still say check the Y-Pipe. I lost around 3 m.p.h. when mine closed up to about a couple of centimeters.

My times went from 14.4 to 15+.

I noticed it big time, when it started to close up. It felt like the car was pushing but not getting anywhere when it closed up, kind of like it feels if your cat blocks up.

99Maxima5sp

yup, thats what i feel...and dammit, i couldnt get a chance to look at it tonight (damn driver improvement course ) but i WILL look at it very soon...

And JMAXIMA, yeah my 60Fts could be better, alot better, but i blame that on my tires, their horrible (i know thats the essential part of the run, the first 60ft) but on the street, my car DOES NOT pull on a stock max, definately tell-tale signs of something being wrong



eric

Mal5spdMax

Keep trying you'll get lower times it just takes time/experience.

Victim64

High RPM launches aren't for everyone. I run my best 60ft's on low RPM launches, and so does VQDriver? I still have room for improvement, but...

99Maxima5sp

of course, i could use improvment, however i could only get maybe a .1-.2 better with what i have with better 60fts, but it doesnt excuse how bad the cars running, hell if i could get 14.8-14.9 WITH a bad y-pipe, imagine what i would be running with a functioning Y-pipe!


Also, the modding will begin big time on the max now, i received my insurance bill of which i pay 1100 now for full coverage, but i just had an accident. We were expecting it to almost double (since im 17, got the ticket, AND totalled the car, 3 big no-no's) BUT my insurance went up a measly 100 bucks!!!! Im so freakin excited now, but i dont know what to do, as far as modding, id like to go for speed, but i want at least some 18s...not a good combo...Maybe just go for the bling bling look (18s/19s, tvs inside, dropped, some strobes) i guess..Hell maybe a turbo


eric