imyy4u

OK, this thread isn't meant to be cocky, but just a discussion of how you can make your car faster at the track while 100% stock. I gave these same tips to doodad when he had his s197, and he ran a 13.4 while stock, too. And by stock, I'm talking about NO mods, not even a drop-in K&N filter, not even a new set of tires. OK, so here goes...

There are a couple things to look for when buying a new Mustang that will make it as fast as possible.

#1 - get the 3.55 gears if possible - this one is self explanatory, in my case I got an 06 GT manual so I got them automatically
#2 - get the 17" tires. The bigger the tires, the more you decrease your gear ratio, meaning the slower you'll be. 18" is slower than 17", 19" slower than 18", etc. This is assuming the tires size is the same. It is possible to have an 18" rim but a smaller tire, to have the same overall diameter as a 17". But the bigger rim will stillneed to overcomemore rotational inertia and will be harder to spin = slower track times.
#3 - also get the stock wheels, those fancy chrome wheels look nice but weigh more!
#4 - don't get the Shaker 1000. Extra weight - unfortunately I did get this with my car cause I love the sound, but oh well.
#5 - get a manual. With the factory tune, an automatic transmission is slow as heck. You must get a manual for the best times.
#6 - get a V8. I know most people think this is obvious, but still...
#7 - get a coupe. While the verts are cool, coupe's weigh less, meaning they are faster stock. Period.
#8 - make sure your car has a LSD (if you can only afford the V6, that is - V8's come with this).
#9 - pass on all other options, they just add weight...especially the side airbags!!!
#10 - 05's and 06's weigh less than an 07 or 08, so they will be inherently faster.

OK now you got the fastest stock Mustang money can buy, so now some tips for the race track.

#1 - skip the waterbox - but do a small burnout to warm up your tires.
#2 - lower rear tire pressure to 20, raise front tire pressure to 40. this hellps get traction in the rear and makes the front tires as easy to rotate as possible
#3 - remove extra weight from the car, i.e. spare tire, etc. I didn't do this, but it will help - if I had I probably could've gotten a 13.3, or a lower 13.4...
#4 - consider removing the front swaybar...this will allow more transfer to the rear wheels. I didn't do this, but I probably could've gotten a better time if I had
#5 - no passengers! they just add extra weight, and if you crash, you'll never forgive yourself.
#6 - lose weight yourself! every 10 lbs you lose, you run a little faster. i'm 5'10"and only weigh 140 lbs, (99% muscle, less than 2% body fat), and it helps! plus you have better muscle definition :-)
#7 - launch around 2500 rpm, you should hook right away, if you spin, lower the rpm, if you hook, keep raising it until you are at that threshold.
#8 - don't feather the clutch - time spent feathering is less than full power going to your rear wheels! if you need to then you are launching at too high of a rpm
#9 - TCS off! It will just slow you down.
#10 - relax. While some nerves are good, if you get too nervous you can psych yourself out and screw up on shifting or on the launch, etc.
#11 - and this could be the most important! MAKE SURE YOUR ENGINE IS COLD. It is a night/day difference. And I don't mean 100% cold, because that is bad for the engine, but the needle should be barely registering on the temp guage by the C.
#12 - the colder the weather, the better your time will be...to a point. Yeah at 20 degrees your car may be a monster, but you won't hook worth anything. Try 60 degrees with 0% humidity at sea level.
#13 - the lower the elevation, and the lower the humidity, the better.
#14 - go to the track with 1/4 tank of gas or less. less gas = less weight = faster time :-D

OK that's all I can think of, if anyone has anything to add, feel free...

rshamekh

Great info. Thanks!!

Too bad I have an Auto, and side airbags!!

blackout

I'll add to the original post; don't go with a full tank of gas. Try to have between a quarter and a half tank of gas! I would bring a cooler with some ice as well and put that on your intake's inlet tube as well as your intake manifold.

-Jeff

wthalliii

While it is true that the bigger the tires, the more you decrease your gear ratio, 17" / 18" / 19" is not the diameter of the tires. It's the diameter of the wheels. You can mount larger diameter or smaller diameter tires on any of the rim sizes you mentioned. It is entirely possible to have a larger diameter tire on a car with 17" wheels than another car with 18" wheels. Or the other way around. The size of the rims does not affect the gear ratio. The diameter of the tires does, but not the rims. It may be true that 17" rims do better at the strip - I'm not a drag racer, so I don't know - but not for the reason you mentioned.

acascianelli

05 and 06 Mustangs wieght a little bit less than 07+. That helps too.

johnnyv8

I guess me being 6'1 & 250( i did weight 320ish)pds doesnt help huh? O, i got the side air bags, 18's, &skipper 500.

My best time so fair is a 13.78@102 w/ a 2.12 60ft. Can my 60ft be better? i was told i should be albe to hit 2 flat. I'm also brand new at the track and was avg low 14's, lol.

I never take anything out of my car but i do lower my psi to 21, but i dont touch the front tires...Once i get a few more runs, im going to take everything out of my car, lowr rear tires, up the front and aim for a 13.5-13.6

any more sug?

imyy4u

added your suggestion! thanks.

imyy4u

edited post to incorporate this. thanks!

imyy4u

added this in. thanks!

Norse1974

I dony know if some of you would consider the still stock after this mod but its no different then altering suspension with the sway bar delete.Try a one piece Driveshaft from Spyder!It will net another 2-3 tenths off your 1/4!Yet your motor/tranny is still stalk as well as rear end.In all honesty if you were to change the whole suspension out & driveline you would net 12's with a 300HP stock motor easy as long as you could drive!