Well this was my 2nd time at the track, and my best run was
R/T- .747
60'- 2.464
660'- 10.179@70.09mph
1/4- 15.740@88.41mph
I know my launches werent the best, but could it really kill my 1/4 mile that much? I was runnin a 1/4 tank of 92 octane and subs+spare in the trunk. The temp was in the upper 70's. I also had on my stock rims+tires, at 25psi. I also advanced my timing a bit. Is this time only because of my 60' or could there be mechanical problems (i.e. knock sensor) also? Any thoughts?

 

Where are you racing at and what are your shift points?
Had you cut a 2.2x 60' the car would've been around 15.2-15.4 range. Next if you are racing at a sea level track then I suggest you run an ECU diagnostic and see if your knock sensor is bad. Otherwise a healthy VE 5spd should be trapping around 93-95mph with all the bolt ons. You need to work on your launching technique and keep the coolant temp down. For shift points I'd recommend shifting about 100-200rpm before the rev limiter. Your stock tach could be off by as much as 200-400rpm so find out what rpm you hit the rev limiter at and shift about 200rpm earlier than that point. Also you should be finishing in 3rd gear during a 1/4 run.

 

Im not exactly sure what the elevation is where I was, but it cant be too high since its northern Indiana. I was shifting at around 6500 according to my tach. Would it be best to let the clutch out quickly or slip it out when launching?

 

N. Indiana you are in my neck of the woods. I'm in Southern Michigan. What track were you at? Osceola? I've been to US41 but never to Osceola. Anyhow, you are right elevation isn't the problem, you're at probably 600 feet above sea level which is about as good as it gets unless you run in Texas or on the east coast. Anywho check the KS, you're definately not making the power you should. Your time is bad for 2 reasons, 1) your launch sucked, 2) your car isn't making enough power. The power thing can be fixed but the launch is something that may only come with practice.

 

Yeah I was at Osceola. The track isnt too bad, but it seems like its hard to get traction there. Where is US41 located?

 

US41 is in Morocco, IN which is really close to the IN/IL border. It's not a great track so don't bother going there. The only reason I went there is because they are open ALL winter, as long as the track is dry and it's above 32 degrees they race. I went there in the beginning of January not last winter but the previous one, Jan 2002.