Not bad for an old guy

[Don W.]

Just got back from Infineon Raceway. First trip to a drag strip in 45 years. Made it all the way to the elimination round before the trophy round. One more win and I’d at least had a 4th place trophy. Trouble was I broke out on the last run 0.142 secs. The other guy broke also but less than me so he won. Until the breakout I was running fairly consistent 14.6 something so I put 14.60 on the window. Worked until the end when the weather cooled off. Still, not bad for a rookie.

Best time was the last run at 14.458 sec
Best trap was 93.45 MPH
Best light was .015 (the last run)
Best 60’ was 2.001 (the last run)

All this on a stock truck. Only mods are full time IC pump, IC cooler scoop and (for this trip) 101 no lead racing gas.

Almost forgot, there were two people on board plus the stuff we brought.

Don

 

[SeattleSy#1255]

Jesus, not to rain on the parade, but that is some really poor times for a sy at your altitude....yo should be at least a second faster if the truck was running up to par.......but overall good job....i just think something isn't right with your truck. :wink:

ps..........i know this because my 13.0 @ 103mph stocker with a 1.72 stocker 60ft..........went 14.0 at 97 the other day...it happens, its a bitch to figure out, but it isn't right....many of us start there...i even revert back to there......LOL......we are all learning, espcially a guy like me...

they are just old trucks that need soem lov'n!
ALL IN FUN!

 

[ed hess]

don

i think you did great for the 1st time in 45 years.

who cares about the et when your bracket racing, so long as its consistant.

thats the great thing about bracket racing. it can run like a dog, but as long as the dog dont miss a beat and it runs the same each time.

btw, nice to see somebody older than me in here!


ed

 

[Don W.]

Ed and SeattleSy

Once we went into eliminations the ticket doesn’t show temp but the temp had cooled considerably for the last run. ‘Sides I was improving a little each run also. But like you said consistency is the name of the game.

And yup, I agree there may be something wrong. And I’ll bet it’s me. I suspect I don’t have anything resembling proper launch technique. I need to learn and then practice that so I can do it quickly.

BTW, I would like to run in the 13’s and over a 100 also, so where do I start? Timing obviously. I have stock air inlet with a K&N element, so maybe something there. IC plumbing is stock so a fairly easy mod there. 180 thermostat might help also. Plugs, cap and rotor are new but wires are, I think, original. Waste gate should be checked. After that?? Maybe decent gauges to see actual boost.

At least now that I have a baseline for my truck so I can start. I would like the truck to do what a good STOCK truck should do before I do anything major.

Sat I’ll be in San Jose at the Dowd get-together so I’m sure I come home with a ton of info.

Now that I’ve had some practice we’ll see what happens next time.

And yes, I had great fun…

Don

 

[ed hess]

don
fwiw this month 2 years ago was the 1st time i ever took my sy to atco.

it ran 14.4

the announcer said:

you dont need a fancy paint job to do that in a syclone.

I think that announcer is now speechless!

go for it!

ed

 

[GM TURBO]

That isn't too bad with 2 people and a load of tools or whatever.

Just getting your 60' time down will help.

****This is from www.syty.org****

**Note - Doing launches puts substancial strain on both the transmission and propshaft and breakage may occur. Use caution when doing Boost Launches. SyTy.org is not responsible for any outcome by use of this information.

A good launch can make a mid 13 timeslip into a low 13 timeslip or even the 12s. Practice makes perfect. Street or strip, doing a launch will give you a definate advantage.

1. Put the truck in Nuetral and give it 2-3 high revs while holding the brake down at the same time as hard as possible. You should feel the pedal sink down farther when you rev, this is creating vacuum pressure on the brakes.
2. While still on the brakes, let the RPM settle back down and shift the truck into Overdrive or Drive (your preference, D creates more line pressure in the transmission)
3. Still holding the brakes, sit all the way back into the seat and steadily bring up the RPM and feel as the truck starts to lift up on itself as your gaining boost. Pay attention to how much boost you are holding.....perifial vision plays a big part here!
4. Once you have established the amount of boost desired, release the brake and stomp on the gas in a quick motion. The truck will squat hard and you should see the front of the truck pointing upwards as if it was coming off the ground and you will be put back into the seat if done right. You should hear no to very little tire chirp when leaving... if you do a AWD burnout, you are leaving with too much boost (yes, it's possible and fun!).

All trucks will differ on how much boost they can hold or cant hold without creeping. Some trucks can hold full boost without moving, some can only hold a few pounds. It is up to you to determine your optimum boost level to leave at to get your best 60 foot and quarter mile timeslip.

You will need to practice for track use. You will not be using the burnout box, so while your opponent is doing the burnout dance, take that time to go up and stage and do your reving to create vacuum pressure. You should be ready to start building boost by the time your opponent comes up and stages.

46. My truck creeps when I try to launch and I cant hold alot of boost. Why?

Brakes and wheel cylinders. On the Syclones, you can purchause bigger wheel cylinders that will hold the rear much tighter than stock could. New brakes play a big role also.

47. When I first turn on my truck and get into boost, I doesnt goto full boost. Why?

When you first start your truck, the ECM raises a boost flag and doesnt not allow the truck to maintain full boost UNTIL the truck has gone into some boost once before. Aftermarket chips elimnate this boost flag.

48. What kind of fluid does my Transfer Case ta

 

[ed hess]

if you dont want to have to go thru all the nonsense posted above read my tech article in the tech article section.

my truck wont move at 20+ psi boost at the line!


ed

 

[GM TURBO]

Ed - he's trying to do it stockish

This has been done for years. I don't want to discredit what you've accomplished - most people don't leave the line with 20# of boost.

Also, it needs to be pointed out about the first boost flag on a stock chip and how to get around that.

 

[ed hess]

Ed - he's trying to do it stockish

This has been done for years. I don't want to discredit what you've accomplished - most people don't leave the line with 20# of boost.

Also, it needs to be pointed out about the first boost flag on a stock chip and how to get around that.

yeah i kinda figured that.... just i sit here wondering sometimes why so many people struggle when they could make a change that makes things work so easy.

ed

 

[GM TURBO]

"Because that's the way we've always done it, Ed"

 

[Don W.]

Thanks everyone for the comments and the SyTy.org post. I kinda know the basics but I found myself running out of time at the tree. Trying to build boost -and- watch the tree at the same time. More experience will help here. I’m thinking I might go find someplace local where I can practice and see what works well with my truck.

Interestingly one of the guys I raced had an S10 with a Chev. V8, slicks and a locker. He red lighted We had talked earlier and he wished he’d bought a Sy but was havin’ fun anyhow. Quite a few people knew what a Sy was and were glad to see one.

Next race is Wed the 21st, I can prolly get the time off if I put in some hrs on Sat. This is looking funner all the time…

Don