I am having issues at the strip. I expect to be in the 12's with the mods I have, yet I can BARELY get into the 13's. Can someone please take a look at my times and give me some suggestions on how to improve? This was my third try, so I'm sure I'll get better with practice - but I'm too impatient.

These numbers are from this past Saturday at Speed World. I only made one run and it was at 12:30 am. it was about 100 degrees out. The heat wasn't an issue I think because there were some insanely fast cars running this weekend. (My favorite was the jet engine 6 second 252 mph run). I only got one run in because it way WAY too busy.

1.4 - Reaction (I wasn't ready)
2.0 - 60'
5.7
8.9 - 1/8 @ 78.2 mph
13.9 - 1/4 @ 98.1

 

well you can take about half a second off your 1/4 mile time with a 3 tenth better 60 foot. The trap speed is low too. What rpm are you shifting at?

with your mods minus the cams i was trapping 89 mph in the 1/8 and probably 110 + in the 1/4.

 

who tuned you??? I think the heat still has some play in it also, same with the 60ft

 

Well, something is definitely amiss. I know it's hotter than hell in Arizona right now, but still - I was expecting to get into the 12's. That trap speed is kind of a bummer. I shift between 7500 and 8000. Is that too high? Also, sometimes when I launch I torched the clutch, other times I get a smooth launch. I'm not sure why I'm so inconsistent.

 

People in Arizona tend to have more trouble due to the elevation and heat, but this is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy off. You are slower than a stock 03/04, and it's not just the 60'. Yeah, the 60' sucks ***, but your mph is proof of your HP. 98mph is indicative of no more than 200-210whp!! As Dylan said, I also did a max of 89.5mph in the 1/8th with no cams and with the stock dp/cat but with lower temps and at sea level. My stock 1/8th was 8.4 at 80mph and my stock 1/4 was 13.1 at 104, so you're way WAY underpowered. It's hard to say what you should hit in Arizona, but there's an MR in Tuscon who runs 12.4 at 109 in your same conditions and with pretty much the same mods.

Obviously, a decent 60' (1.7x) would drop you about a half second on the 1/4, but that doesn't explain your awful mph. Maybe you have a boost leak or your tune is awful...

 

I knew it was only a matter of time before Warrtalon jumped in. Thanks for the post.

I'm really at a loss why my time/speed is so shizzy. I had it tuned with 101 last week and then again the day before the race with 91. I was running about 96 octane (5 gallons of 101 and 2 gallons of 91) when I made that run a couple nights ago.

When I'm cruising around town, it feels like I'm getting a strong pull - especially after the cam install about two weeks ago. I might have a syncro problem with my shifter because it's hard to get it into 2nd and very hard to get it into 4th. 4th gear actually makes a rather loud and nasty grind noise too.

My tuner does nice work and has some other guys running their Evo's in 12/13's. Should I get it up on the dyno to possibly help diagnose any problems?

 

Reaction time doesn't mean **** with the time in the 1/4th, drop that 60ft and shift faster.

 

You forgot to mention you missed 2nd and 4th gear. By personally driving your car, it's definitely not a slouch! My two cents is you blow your wad b/4 the light turns green. Maybe try and stay as relaxed as possible and pretend you're on the road and not on a track. I know with my experience on the track I get very excited and the adrenaline starts pumping and it's hard to stay smooth and cool. I think if you were able to go to a track day and are actually able to do 5-10 runs in one night, you'll definitely see your times drop.

Perhaps you'll break down and finally get a short shifter?

 

so you missed 2nd and 4th?

that makes a huge difference. missing 1 gear easily takes 2-3 tenths off for each gear depending on your speed at the time.

 

Wow. I didn't realize missing a gear could take that much time off. I've got something going on with the syncros I think. My buddy picked up an 04 RS and that thing shifts so silky smooth. Mine is grinding like some kind of freak show!

 

Missing gears kills 1/4 mile times! If you factor in 2/10ths per missed shift, then 5/10ths for the 60' time, you have about a full second. There's your 12.9 in hot weather. The missed shifts also hurts trap speed, so don't worry about that either. Get that trans fixed and you'll be movin.

 

I've trapped as high as 104.x with an '03 Evo with just a TBE and boost controller (stock ECU no intake). Either your are short shifting way too early, or you are losing power somewhere. I was getting about 98 mph trap speeds stock on a hot day so you should be much higher than that. The most important indicator of power is the trap speed since it's easy to booger up a drag strip launch and get a crappy time, especially with AWD in a car you (hopefully) don't launch all the time.

 

Man, missing gears takes a TON out of your time, I mean it totally kills your RPMs and momentum - which is essential in a turbo car! Like everyone said, practice is the key. Just don't practice on the streets If I miss a gear, I just give up. Check it out:

http://www.streetracing-syndicate.co...nd%20Gear2.wmv

with your mods you ought to be well into 12's, even in hot weather. Good luck!

 

And this 5.0 "missed a gear" (or slipped or something) and gave up against me:

http://www.streetracing-syndicate.co...tangGiveUp.WMV

 

Thanks for the comments. I took it to the dealership twice and they said there was nothing wrong with the gears. I then used the search feature on this forum board and found some stuff about syncros. I believe therein lies the problem. I put a call over to the local service manager and he said to bring it in and he'll go for a drive with me so he can see what it's doing.