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Stock Motor Drag Strip Diaries
In October of 2005, I decided to remove my 115K fully loaded 93 coupe from daily driving duties by purchasing a pick-up truck. This meant that I could extend some of my automotive projects regarding the Mustang and no longer worry about having to wrap a project up by Sunday night so that I could have transportation to work on Monday morning. I decided to try my hand at racing the car at the strip to see what kind of numbers the car and I were capable of producing.
So what's it really take and how difficult is this to achieve some respectable numbers? I'll attempt to accurately answer this question in the next few weeks and months.
The Driver: (Luke87GT) Nothing unusual here folks. I have about 40 lifetime drag-strip passes with a previous car although I should mention that I have not been to a drag strip in at least 5 years. I'm expecting the first visit to be eye opening, but hopefully the learning curve will be steep.
The Car: 93 Mustang 5.0 Coupe 5-speed As mentioned above, the car has 115K miles, AC, and all options. Here are the current mods. I won't mention things like clutch or shifter that don't increase power in any way.
- Motive 3.90 Gear
- Mac Prochamber
- Taurus Electric Fan
- Under-drive water pump and crank pullies
- Moroso CAI
- Pro3 Lower Control Arms/Steeda Uppers
- 14* timing
- Removed front Sway Bar
- C&L 76mm MAF
I should mention that I am at somewhat of a disadvantage due to having stiff Bullitt/Mach1 springs/shocks. The spring rate is 600lbs/inch linear for the front and 250lbs/inch linear for the rear. I don't know how well this will transfer weight. On top of this, I have the larger and heavier 94 spec Cobra brakes which makes it more difficult to run skinnies. Thus I will be using heavy 17 inch Bullitts on the front giving me added rolling resistance. Because I did not want to install 3inch studs to use with my slicks and Welds, I decided to get a pair of aluminum 99 V6 rims (acorn style lugs) which measure 15x7 and weigh 16.5lbs each. This allows me to run slicks with stock studs legally at the track and still use closed ended lug nuts on the street without 3 inch studs sticking out of my rims.
I have a pair of FMS 1 5/8inch headers and a C&L 76mm MAF sitting in my garage that may get installed depending on how things go at the strip. Other parts may be slowly added as I find them necessary.
Early January 2006: I have begun preparations for a future track outing. I picked up a pair of used slicks with plenty of tread on ebay for $200 shipped along with a Simpson open-face helmet for $125, ala Evan J. Smith from Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords. The 1999 V6 rims cost $25 for the pair. Because slicks are necessary for optimal hook, I decided that it would be a good idea to reinforce the torque boxes and fully weld the seams. I plan on keeping this car for a long time so these precautions are imperative. I used the UMI upper/lower "battle boxes" which were $120 or so from UMI Performance. This is cheap insurance because fixing a broken box can cost 2-3 times more than reinforcing them in the first place. All the plates are bolted in and I am just awaiting a visit from my welder to weld everything up.
February 11, 2006: First outing ever at Sacramento Raceway Park with the 93! I excitedly arrived at the track at about 10:45am with clear skies and high 60 to low 70 degree temperatures awaiting me. I swapped my rear radials for 26x8.5 MT slicks, ripped out the sway bar, and headed to the tech line. I knew many questions were about to be answered, not only about the car, but about the driver as well. I was not sure how accommodating the stiff Bullitt suspension would be in the weight transfer department. With limited aftermarket equipment and a severely rusty driver, I set a goal for myself for 13.5-13.6 for this first time out.
With 16psi of air in the slicks, I approached the line, shook off my 5 year track absence, and proceeded to do a long 2nd gear burnout. I staged, launched at 4500 RPM, and proceeded to go up in smoke. Shifts were performed between 5000-5200 RPM. Result? 13.67 @ 101.08 w/ 2.035 60ft. That immediately revealed to me that the car was making the power that it should make and I really needed to focus in on my launches.
On the next pass, I lowered the launch RPM to 3500, and the result was similar wheel spin and another 13.67. The time slip did not reveal a 60ft for some reason.
The third pass was another attempt at a 3500RPM launch. The 60ft lit up with an improved 1.947 and I speed shifted in route to a 13.73 @ 100.01mph.
At this point I really started to examine my slicks. Although used, they looked fine and felt very sticky. I talked to some veteran racers who thought that the slicks looked just fine and that I needed to play with pressure.
I went ahead, dropped the tire pressure to about 14psi, and went at it again. Interesting thing occurred on this pass. I got distracted by the obnoxious car in the left lane and accidentally launched at only 2500RPM. Whoa, that seemed to really bite and resulted in my best pass of the day of 13.58 @ 100.49 w/ 1.851 60ft.
13.58 @ 100.49 w/ 1.851 60ft Video
I started noticing that the slicks began feeling softer and stickier as the day went on and the temperature climbed. The fifth pass of the day included a 4500RPM launch with 12psi in the slicks. I did not want to go much lower than that since the rear was already beginning to walk on me towards the latter half of the track. The result: 13.651 @ 100.21 w/ 1.90 60ft.
The last pass of the day was a bit of an experiment. I decided I was going for broke and was going to leave the line at 5K. I did just that, but the slicks would not allow for a dead hook. Instead they spun a little upon launch and then hooked resulting in a 13.60 @ 100.12mph w/ 1.88 60ft.
13.60 @ 100.12 w/ 1.88 60ft Video
If the name of the game was consistency, I'd be doing pretty damn good, lol. It's evident to me that I need to figure out what the problem is at the line. At this point I am not completely sure whether its an issue of suspension, tire, launch technique, or a combination of everything. I am apprehensive to add parts at this stage until I get the 60ft down to at least the 1.7X. What is promising is that the car went 13.58 in 70+ degree weather and I have yet to install the following:
Short belt, ram air, skinnies, headers, catback, and ice intake. Stay tuned (:
February 25, 2006:
This week I decided to keep the mods fairly light and focus in on my launches since the 60fts were severely lacking during the previous track outing. Since I had a pair of 2.5inch 2-chamber Flowmaster mufflers and flowtubes sitting in my garage, I decided to go ahead and install those along with having my stock 2.25" stainless steel tail-pipes welded in to quiet things down. The stock mufflers went straight into the dumpster behind the local high school and I began enjoying the aggressive sound of my new exhaust. Once this task was completed, I headed to the autoparts store and picked up a 6-rib "short-belt" which bypasses the PS and the smog pump. The belt allows the horsepower that is used to spin the smog and PS pulleys to find its way to the rear wheels. In addition to the aforementioned modifications, I went ahead and bumped the timing to 16* (from 14*) after speaking to a few stock motored guys about what timing setting worked best for them.
The time was approximately 10:15am when I arrived at Sacramento Raceway. To my horror I found a half mile long line of racers attempting to get in. The track was an absolute zoo and much to my dismay, temperatures were expected to be in the mid 70's. Regardless, I bolted on the slicks, installed the shortbelt, and let the car cool off for an hour prior to racing.
The first pass of the day proved to be promising. I performed a long burnout, staged, and launched at 4500RPM. I felt the car plant me in my seat harder than I had ever felt before. After the pass, I excitedly picked up my time slip which read 13.49 @ 100.19mph w/ 1.78 60ft. Although I was happy with my ET and 60ft, I expected the mph to be higher considering I added aftermarket mufflers and a short-belt.
I held my breath during the next pass as I launched at around 6K. As soon as I side-stepped the clutch, my right foot went to the floor. This resulted in a 13.425 @ 100.079mph w/ an impressive 1.725 60ft. The launch felt great but I was growing even more concerned about the low trap speed. The only change I made that could have dropped the mph was bumping the timing to 16 degrees. I thought that since it was so warm out, maybe the heat soaked motor was not responding well to the higher timing despite the fact that I could not hear any detonation. I went ahead and backed off the timing to 14* and went at it again.
On the third pass I launched somewhere between 5K and 6K. As soon as I released the clutch, the gas pedal went to the floor and stayed there for most of the pass. Result: 13.317 @ 101.288mph w/ 1.769 60ft. I gained over 1 mph on back to back runs by backing off the timing. Every motor seems to be a bit different. Some like a lot of timing, and some don't so remember to track test various settings to find which your motor likes best.
Although this is awful video quality due to an amateur first time camera man, here is the video of the pass:
13.317 @ 101.288 w/ 1.769 60ft Video
My last pass of the day I decided I was going to drop the hammer at over 6K and go for broke. Unfortunately, the Bullitt suspension would not comply and the slicks did not give me quite the hook I was hoping for. This pass resulted in a 13.387 @ 101.36 w/ 1.795 60ft.
All in all I had a fairly successful day in that all four of my runs were in the low to mid 13's and every one of my 60fts was in the 1.7x range. I am going to have to experiment a bit more with tire pressure, launch RPM and launch technique to get the 60ft consistently in the low 1.7x range.
I still have headers and ram air to install for next time in addition to icing the intake. I think in order to drop another solid tenth9, I will need front skinnies and some fairly cold weather. With the winter season behind us, this may not be an easy feat. Adding skinnies to a car with 13inch Cobra brakes also introduces a massive headache. My track has a pro event going on next week, so I don't anticipate getting out to the track again until March 11th. Stay tuned (:
April 1, 2006:
I must admit that awaiting this track outing was particularly painful due to record setting rain during the month of March here in Northern California. Both the car and I sat imprisoned in the garage watching the rain clouds for four consecutive Saturday mornings. Finally, on the morning of April 1st, the rain gods took mercy on me and allowed for an 18 hr break in the rain.
The changes for this week came in the form of 15x3.5 draglites, March Ram-Air, and FMS shorty headers. I knew these parts would be required to get me deeper into the 13's. Now that it was April, I could clearly hear the amplified sound of time ticking which signified the arrival of warm weather and disappointing density altitudes. Furthermore, I felt myself getting to the point where I was exhausting both my wallet and my free time in achieving my aforementioned goal. When I arrived at the track today, I had a hunch that this was likely going to be my last attempt, at least for a long while.
I arrived at the track at about 10:30am and was greeted by the corral's very own "coupester" in his clean 86 notch who was coincidentally trying to extract every ounce of ET from his car. Because of lackluster Southern California tracks, Chris drove 500 miles from Los Angeles to bang some gears at a 1/4 mile track that actually opens more frequently than once a month. I will let him fill everyone in on his progress. It was an absolute blast lining up all day with a similarly equipped fox-body who's driver employed the same "hold no prisoners" launching and power-shifting techniques that I preach.
Before I get to the times, Sac Raceway admitted that they were having technical difficulties all day with the mph lights but that the clocks were working flawlessly. Just to give you an idea of what we were dealing with, all 8 of my passes were within 0.158 seconds, but mph fluctuated between 98.60 - 105.23mph. To be perfectly honest, I am not sure which side is closer to being accurate, but I expect that my car would trap 102-103 on this day. I am sure Chris will chime in with his thoughts on this issue. Either way, I did not pay too much attention to the mph clocks.
All launches were performed between 5500 - 6250rpm (off the limiter) with the right foot going to the floorboard at the exact instant that the clutch was popped, and staying firmly planted there until I was beyond the 1320ft mark. I tried to time some of the launches so that rate of angular velocity of the flywheel was increasing right before I popped the clutch rather than holding it at a constant 6K to see if it would help. It is difficult to draw any definite conclusions from this experimentation.
*Again, the mph was particularly off today due to equipment malfunction, so do not pay too much attention to it. The ET clocks were fully functioning:
1st pass: 13.268 @ 98.601mph w/ 1.732 60ft
2nd pass: 13.251 @ 101.744mph w/ 1.753 60ft
3rd pass: 13.213 @ 98.960mph w/ 1.696 60ft (Yes, with stock axles, lol).
4th pass: 13.273 @ 104.522mph w/ 1.804 60ft
I was pretty upset that the mph markers were malfunctioning since I use that figure as a measuring stick for how much power the car is laying down. I did not know what mph to believe, and what to disregard. At this point I was getting a little discouraged because I was driving balls out and I didn't feel like the times are reflecting the parts that I added for this week. Coupester, also recognizing that we were both running pretty darn consistent without much signs of improvement, suggested that we go ahead and yank the belt for a few passes. At first I was highly against it because historically I always frowned upon that particular mod, but since I did not feel like the car was going to go much faster than 13.2x on that particular day, I agreed to give it a shot.
I went ahead and pushed the car thru the staging lanes and yanked the belt before each pass...
5th pass: 13.115 @ 99.888mph w/ 1.709 60ft
6th pass: 13.231 @ 96.583mph w/ 1.707 60ft *Briefly lifted due to instability towards the end of the track
7th pass: 13.133 @ 105.230mph w/ 1.721 60ft VIDEO
8th pass: 13.119 @ 99.922mph w/ 1.712 60ft
Well at least I am consistent, lol. Overall it was a positive outing. I ran some respectable times and was able to drive home after 8 grueling passes on the stock tranny and axles. The car hooked fantastic, even with the Bullitt suspension! I really don't believe that it can hook much better than it did today in a fully loaded 93 with stock motor and I don't think my driving is going to considerably improve either since it is fairly balls out and consistent.
The big question is where do I go from here? I suppose I can get some rear draglites, maybe an adjustable fuel pressure regulator along with a dyno tune to perfect the timing and fuel pressure, possibly lose a little more weight, and I think I can dip into the 12's. It just results in more time, money, and effort along with compromising creature comforts. I have to be honest and say that I have just about exhausted the motivation, effort, time and money commitment that I originally intended to put forth the day I started this project, not to mention the 150 mile round-trips to the track. My focus the last couple months has largely been with the car and I have been neglecting some other priorities that need attention. I am also excited about getting the car back on the street for leisurely weekend cruises (:
Getting a stock motored, fully loaded 5 liter into the 12's still remains quite a challenge! This experience has even further increased my respect for the guys who have accomplished this feat. I had a blast, and I hope everyone enjoyed reading my progress, and I hope it helps you in all your endeavors. Thanks for the support guys!
April 15, 2006:
After receiving an overwhelming positive response and much encouragement to keep going, I was convinced to give it another attempt to see how low I could bring the ET. You guys peer pressured me just enough with the emails and private messages, lol. New mods for this week were:
- 180* stat, tune-up (plugs, wires, cap/rotor), iced intake, and I removed the March Ram Air scoop and instead took out the passenger side "side-marker" light to give the air a line of site to the air filter. I really hated that March Ram Air scoop. It was large, ugly, and picked up all kinds of trash.Nothing else was altered from the previous track visit.
I headed out to Sac Raceway despite the ominous looking clouds over me. I wasn't sure if today was the best day to drive the 75 miles to the track, but I decided to take a risk since the hotline said that they were going to be open. I only got 2 passes today due to a rain cancellation approximately 2 hrs into the event. Both runs were made WITH the belt on and were in the 13.0x range with the better of the two shown below:
After the 2nd pass, I decided to give the car an hour or so to cool with the ice over the intake and try to better the previous time. After about 45 minutes I started noticing a light drizzle. It was then that the track officials came out and gave the signal that the day was over which felt like someone put a Rambo knife in my mid-section, lol.
Because I received a rain-check, I thought about heading out one more time in an effort to better the 13.08. Unfortunately, periodic checks of the weather report revealed that temperatures were expected to start significantly rising since April was coming to an end. I had trouble justifying driving the 150 miles roundtrip to the track when I had little confidence that the car would actually run faster in the heat.
It would have been interesting to see what the car was capable of with an adjustable fuel pressure regulator, a dyno tune, and colder weather, but time simply ran out on me for now.
Thanks for reading.
