Alright, I've never been so frustrated in my life... well actually I have been, but anyway on with my point. I went to the track friday afternoon. It was 80 degrees, rain was coming towards the track so it was somewhat muggy. I was determined to get into the 14's....didnt happen. My best time:

R/T: .583
I1: 2.243
I2: 6.322
I3: 9.725
MPH(I3): 72.251
E.T: 15.145@91.023

Man, you would think that '60 would put me in the 14's for sure! Does anyone know where my car might be struggling? Sea level is 727ft. Is that high? I KNOW my shifts isnt whats stopping me. I nailed them..6500, 6200, 5900 .Would that play a role? Stock rims, no spare, jack. I have a SE, so I probably was under 3100lb. Any help is appreciated!

 

Thats a really low trap speed. Your 60' is good. Maybe you are just a really slow shifter... meaning the time between when you start to depress the clutch and when you get back on the gas is too long?

 

Yeah, you would think that my shifts are really slow, but man, they arent. I guess there is no way I can "prove" this to you, but I've ridden with very experienced drivers and I know that I'm not that bad of shifter. Does heat kill your traps that bad? The ONLY other think of is my knocksensor...will it for SURE throw a code if it is bad? And would retarding the timing effect my traps speed like they are(91mph). Just for reference, my first time ever dragging this car last spring, two months after owning the car I could trap at 93mph(same mods), so I know I havent gotten worse.

 

Since you said rain was coming, the humdidity was probably in the 80's or so. High humidity equals low times, which equals frustrated people. Thats why I am not going to the track when its hot out.

 

I wouldn't worry about it too much. In 80+ degree weather with higher levels of humidity, I see a drop of ~3mph in trap speed and about a .3 increase in ET. I've realized that running in hot weather just isn't worth it unless you're there just to learn how to drive better. You'll never run a best in hot weather. Most of the guys in here that have run deep into the 14s have done so in cool/cold weather, crisp dry air, and many are at sea level. All this does make a HUGE difference. I've noticed that humidity is much more detrimental to performance than heat. The problem with humidity is that there is less O2 in the air therefore your motor struggles to breath. 727' above sea level isn't going to affect ETs that much. Maybe .05-.07 seconds. I would bet running in 60 degree weather with low humidity will most likely net you a 14.8@94mph or so.



Dave