Hello all,

I ran some 1/4 mile runs today at the track and have attached the times. The only engine/performance mods I have are the SI PCM Upgrade and Sprint Booster. This was the first time I have ever raced a car at the track...wow, what a rush! My best time was 15.2 at 92.6 mph.

Now with Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K32PlesuAd4

 

Looks like you need a TON of practice... your 2.4 60's definately need improving. I've seen stock base cars go 14's stock... But at least your out there enjoying the car and driving it at a track. Keep working at it and i'm sure you'll improve those times...

 

must of been driving a 6 speed car?

 

Yeah, its a 6 speed. Its hard to launch with a stick, especially since I have never dragged before. It was also 85 degrees out and humid which i'm sure didn't help. I am going to go back when it gets cooler out to see if the times are any different. I also have to practice launching.

fflores, when have you seen stock bases run 14's? They must have been driven by professionals. I was hoping to get into the 14's...maybe next time I can borrow your supercharger. :-)

 

Nice job... I don't run straight lines, so all I can say is that you have done better than I ever have on a drag strip... Keep up the good work and have fun ...

 

I think the fastest stock time is like a 14.92, I don't know how these magazines were busting off 14.7's. Your time is not horrible.

 

I've been to the strip a lot over the years and it's not uncommon for cars to run 5/10ths to a full second slower than their advertised 'Car Magazine' quarter mile times. Especially at the typical hot humid real world dragstrip conditions encountered in the middle of Summer. I sometimes wonder if these magazine guys only race at some mythical track where the air is always cool and dry while the track magically remains hot, smooth and sticky...

If you think I have issues concerning objectivity and credibility of today's car magazines you are correct sir...

Slim

 

I will agree there is more in the car than you had. I have never been to the drag strip but the autocross I went to that we launched off of a tree, they gave us reaction times and 60 foot times. My best 60 foot time was in the low 2.1s and that was in a stadium parking lot with a slight uphill. Not on a level drag strip with a very grippy launch box. So under 2 seconds to 60 foot is doable at a dragstrip I would imagine.

 

And yet, on so many car forums, people complain that car magazine test numbers are slow!!! Magazines don't always get perfect conditions either, but they do have the luxury of an empty track and the opportunity to do several runs in fairly rapid succession, allowing them to test a wide variety of launch techniques.

I know when the PT Cruiser GT first came out at least two car magazines put the 1/4 mile time at 15.7 seconds for the automatic. I have personally witnessed several brand new PT GTs run 15.2 here in the blazing heat of SoCal where nothing runs all that well. Adding the Stage 1 upgrade to those cars makes a noticeable difference though, as mine has run 14.4 on an 80 degree evening.

Still, what "Car A" will run in the hands of a given driver on a specific course does not necessarily mean "Car B" with a different driver on a different course will do the same thing. On the PT forum I frequent it seems the East Coast guys are always turning faster times with similar mods to us West Coast guys. Except for the dude up in BC Canada who swapped out to a 50 trim turbo and the fuel to feed it...he just ran an 11.96 1/4 mile!!! Yeah, in a freakin' PT Cruiser. With his subs and amps in the back!! And no spray either.

 

Now with Video (My friend finally sent it to me).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K32PlesuAd4

Mike

 

you need to raise your rpm before the light turns green, sounds good too. i know i was gonna have a stroke the first time i raced mine.

 

It's kinda tough to raise the rpm on the 6 spd due to the drivetrain shock protection. You could by-pass the oem clutch line and run your own system to the throw out bearing, so that the computer doesn't hold line pressure to the clutch. But keep practicing, maybe it's not necessary.

 

It was hard with the sprint booster to get the rpms at a level where it wouldn't spin the tires and kick on the ESP. I will keep practicing...but my heart was beating sooo fast my nerves got to me. :-)

 

so when i was revving to 2,500 i was messing up? i did not pop the clutch tho...

 

Turn that esp OFF!!! I clicked off a 2.1 60' with all season tires, no burnout and a slippery track with it off.

 

I know...I know...trust me. I had traction control off but did not pull any fuses to get rid of ESP. Next time I will pull fuse 17 and 18.

 

Just think that .1 in the 60' equals .2 in the quarter mile usually.

 

I'm not aware of any device in the clutch pressure line, its just a standard hydraulic clutch system ASFIK; master cylinder connected directly to the slave cylinder via a single uninterrupted pipe.

 

Well now I feel like an idiot... I was guessing that the crossfires clutch piston layout was similar to those on Mitsubishi EVO's. Guess not, that's actually a good thing then. So the crossfire is sensing a clutch dump and then cutting ignition, or is it cutting ignition and fuel??


Anyways, what did the guy figure out on the strip comparing the stock ECU vs, the SI (upgrade/downgrade) ecu?

 

It's a fuel cut out... Injector pulse stops if certain things don't happen simultaneously... eg. engine revs, throttle position sensor and wheel speed... Lovely little PIA isn't it ?