well, i finally made it to the strip wtih my buddy and his ford ranger. it was a great night for me. got a 14.8 on my first run with a 2.4ish 60 foot time. (I'll post exact times tomorrow when ihave the timeslips in front.) There was another 2k2 there, kid drivin, who had just a muffler. his was the SE though, mine is a GLE. he had very few options, so i guess he was lighter than me. but i ran 2/10 faster then him... just over a car length ahead the whole way. and the other really close one was a 2002 TL-S also driven by a kid. he was stock as well. he couldnt get under 15 seconds tho, and i held him off by about a car and a half for the whole run. I have the start of this race on video, but my buddy didnt know my digital camera only takes 30 second clips, so he missed the end of the race. but i'm pretty pleased, considering it was 80 degrees and like 80% humidity out.
I also beat: '96 Mustang GT 5 speed, a pretty quick civic SI, a gen 3 maxima, Ford F-150 (modified but not enough ) and i got the ford race on tape, if anyone can host it. So it was a blast! now i gotta get my 60 foot times down (the best was about 2.4 seconds, worst was over 2.5) but MPH were 94-95.2 every run

 

Congrats, my man, that is a nice kill list there. How was your set up when you ran? Did you have only a 1/4 tank or less of gas? Did you ride stock with full spare and all? Sorry about all the questions, I just wanted to make sure you weren't carrying any dead weight.

 

i had 1/8 tank of gas (2 gallons left by the end of the night - i know cause i filled up immediatly after) and my spare/jack/seats, etc were all in the car. i took my subs out thankfully, but thats it. the UDP definatly pulled harder thru 1st gear, cause thats where i gained my time against the 2k2 SE Maxima. after that it was dead even... i mean like not even an inch gained for either of us. So its nice to know the UDP really does pull thru 1st gear quicker, along wtih the CAI. in my run against the SE, i got a crappy 91.66 mph trap, dunno why though. 1/8 mile trap was 76.32 vs. his 74.93, which is about right. something strange kept happening at 4000 RPMs in 3rd gear tho wtih me... bout 30% of the runs. it would be pullin hard, then cut out for a brief moment before resuming the pulling... it was very weird. but those runs i trapped around 92 MPH, and the other runs all were 95 mph. next time i'm gonna remove a few more things and hope that the weather is a bit more favorable

 

BTW i also video taped the 2k2 SE running against the TL-S (not sure who won) i got 2 runs of the Max, i think just one was against the TL though. Can anyone host them? Bet a couple people would liek to see

 

It seems like you could get a better 1/4 mile time if you improve those 60" foot times. 2.4 and 2.5 must be alot of wheel spin.

 

ya wheel spin was quite a problem. even launching at 60% throttle and rolling into it for full throttle at like 20 mph the tires were still breaking loose up to redline. my best 60' was 2.308 and it got me the 14.818 time. maybe i need new tires. i'm runnin stock turenzas. my trap speed was good, so if i can launch better i'd like to hit 14.7

 

Nice runs! GLEs are a little heavier, so you've got some good times with the conditions.

I'm sure you'll reach your goal (or better) soon.

I need to practice my launches also, but am happy with my times.

 

14.66 is good. i'd think you'd be trapping a little faster though, given you're lighter than me. i need to find a 70 degree night w/low humidity. 80+ degrees and 92% humidity, well it wasnt the nicest air to race in. 2k2max: toss an UDP on and i'll bet your 330' times improve. like i said earlier, that was the only gear i gained any ground on the 2k2 SE i ran against. definatly the UDP. maybe i'll get up there again in august, hopefully wtih a few guys from the org. try 14.7 @95.5 or better.

 

I've heard mixed reviews about the UDP. Some say it was not worth the price and should be last on the mod list.

I would like to get a b-pipe. That would help my trap.

I had good conditions when I ran the 14.66 (a little humid, but low temps). Although i did hit the rev limiter in 1st. Not sure if this affected my trap?

 

may have.... i hit the rev limiter on one of my runs too... dont remember which one though. also, did you have this happen: 3rd gear, right before the finish (goin about 90) it felt like the gas cut out for a brief moment, then came right back. it happened 3 times to me out of 11, all of which i trapped only aroudn 92-93. it was quite bizzaar. you encounter this?? i'd love to get the cat-back, as that would free up some top end and improve my trap as well

 

Strange? I don't think this happened to me.

 

ya it only happened 3 out of 11 runs, but still, it was very noticable. might have been the knock sensor??? there is a flat spot on the 3.5 VQ dyno right aroudn 4000 RPM too right? maybe thats what i was feeling? but then again, it only happened 3 times. actually, it was also when the sun was still out and temps were higher. didtn happen again after the sun went down, so maybe i was just runnin a little too hot. who knows? i'd like to get some better tires and see if i can drop my 60'. thats what was killin me for times

 

I definitely want to see those vids. Can someone host them, please???

 

i can email the videos if anyone wants them. thats no problem... easy for me just let me know. drop a PM or something
I have a video of me vs. TL-S up to around 40 MPH, then me vs. Modified Ford F-150 for the whole strip (he gets me at launch, i overtake nicely) i ran a 14.9 on that run, and a 14.98 vs. the TL.
the other maxima is a stock SE Auto 2k2, and he runs a mustang (whole race
then he runs the TL-S i believe and wins

 

Could that lil cut in RPM's you experienced perhaps have been caused by the Lack of Power TSB? Did you ever get the TSB performed?

Just wondering becasue when i juice it sometimes I feel that bit of hesitation just when i'm finally getting somewhere. Like it feels like you hit the brake for a sec and started accelerating again (you lunge forward a lil).

Later,
Nick

 

No, i never did get the TSB done... maybe it would be worth bringin the Max in for it? and your description of the feeling is right on... almost felt like i hit the brake for a brief moment (didnt lose speed, but definatly stopped gaining for a moment) it caused my lower trap speeds of 92-93 MPH on 3 runs. Is it worth getting the TSD done? Free right?

 

That means you don't have enough gas! Has happened to me numerous times when I've tried to run with low gas.

 

not enough gas? hmm.. didnt think of that. i was runnin on E the whole night (less weight) and i had 3 gallons or just under the first time it happend, just over 2 gallons when it happened again... maybet that is all it was then. cause i've gone full throttle past 90 in 3rd plenty of times (always with more gas tho) and never had a problem. ok well next time i hit the tracks, i'll make sure ih ave 1/4 tank, rather than 1/9th thanks for the tip! its one of those stupid little things that i'd never think of.
BTW how do you like your Pilot Sports?? i want new tires

 

Yeah, its definitely the gas if you were that low. I had the same problem at the same speed/gear - went and put in a couple gallons and it stopped.

Pilot sports are outstanding. Best tires I've ever had. I think I've got about 25k on them. Although they are getting worn, they are still wonderful in the wet and dry. Even at this point they are far better than the Potenzas ever were. I'll get another 10k out of them easily.

 

next time I drag, I'll definatly put a few more gallons in then!

Good to hear about the tires... My Turenza's don't quite cut it. Need new tires, just don't know if I can afford them. The Pilots are on the top of my list of tires though. Thanks for the input