First time to track; have some questions.
05-09-2008, 11:27 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location:
Posts: 44
First time to track; have some questions.
Watsup everyone. I just went to gateway international on tuesday night street tire test & tune and was very pleased with everything. I met a bunch of cool people but one in particular had a charger R/T with H/C/I, tune, and a set of Hoosiers. We got to talking and he told me about pulling a fuse and permanently turning the fan on so when we were sitting in line waiting to race the fan would cool the engine off.
He also took off the filter for his cai, took all of his seats out, floormats out, and iced the intake.
I can understand why he didthe icing but would taking off the air filter, taking out the floormats and the passenger and rear seats help at all? How much weight could you save from the seats and whatnont?
Also if there are any quick little things that help in the 1/4 mile i would greatly appreciate it.
my time and mods are in the sig.
He also took off the filter for his cai, took all of his seats out, floormats out, and iced the intake.
I can understand why he didthe icing but would taking off the air filter, taking out the floormats and the passenger and rear seats help at all? How much weight could you save from the seats and whatnont?
Also if there are any quick little things that help in the 1/4 mile i would greatly appreciate it.
my time and mods are in the sig.
05-09-2008, 12:05 PM
#2
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Frederick, MD
Posts: 1,005
RE: First time to track; have some questions.
Taking the seats out really does help... I believe its a tenth off your time for every 100 pounds. Now, taking the seats out though with your time that you ran with those mods... I wouldnt really worry about that. If you are racing the car as strictly a drag car then take the seatsout and focus on weight reduction, but you can improve your time other ways with a little money...13.2 is a really good time in my opinion for just tune, intake, pulleys and no mufflers... Finish off the exhaust with longtube headers and a new mid pipeand you would probably be in the twelves (with drag radials, or you wont hook). Another mod that could help are gears, but thats when you NEED drag radials or you would just spin...
05-09-2008, 12:18 PM
#4
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 500
RE: First time to track; have some questions.
I would never remove my air filter. Bad things could happen. If you want to do some weight reduction, take out the spare tire and stuff. I don't think the fan moves enough air to really make a difference when the engine is off. The fan is only designed to move air though you radiator to cool off the coolant that moving through there.
05-09-2008, 01:48 PM
#5
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Pa
Posts: 763
RE: First time to track; have some questions.
removing the air filter is a very bad idea.. The filter helps condition the airflow past the MAF to give a more stable and accurate reading... Any advantage that the removal of the filter will give is going to be lost to improper fueling.
05-09-2008, 02:09 PM
#6
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Join Date: Nov 2006
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Posts: 671
RE: First time to track; have some questions.
Removing the filter is pretty common on Mopars. They don't use a MAF system like we do. That 's why when they get a CAI they get a big jump in power without a tune. It's something a lot of them do at the track, if you do it, you might lean out and cause some damage to the engine.
In my opinion, taking the seats out is a pita for the little gain you'll get unless like tonk says, it's going to be a strictly drag car. I don't think turning the fans permanently would make a big difference either unless you're also turning the water pump as well. I know a friend of mine with a Camaro has his fan on a switch and will start his car periodically in the staging lanes to get the cooler coolant from his radiator to the engine.
I'm the opposite, I run my car in the staging lanes to keep the car at a consistent temp so try and run as close to the same time as I can every run. I don't care how fast I run as long as I run consistent.
In my opinion, taking the seats out is a pita for the little gain you'll get unless like tonk says, it's going to be a strictly drag car. I don't think turning the fans permanently would make a big difference either unless you're also turning the water pump as well. I know a friend of mine with a Camaro has his fan on a switch and will start his car periodically in the staging lanes to get the cooler coolant from his radiator to the engine.
I'm the opposite, I run my car in the staging lanes to keep the car at a consistent temp so try and run as close to the same time as I can every run. I don't care how fast I run as long as I run consistent.
05-09-2008, 03:10 PM
#7
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,249
RE: First time to track; have some questions.
Taking out the floormats? Does he also skip eating the whole day and take the spare change out of his pockets to double the weight savings of the mats? Why not have him take his hood of the car and trunklid also, not like the charger's a 10 sec. beast.
05-09-2008, 03:41 PM
#8
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Posts: 456
RE: First time to track; have some questions.
At autocrosses you take your floormats out so you don't have anything moving around and possibly getting under your pedals... I assume the same is true for the 1/4.
05-09-2008, 08:45 PM
#10
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location:
Posts: 44
RE: First time to track; have some questions.
thanks for the input everyone, FYI the charger was running mid-high 12's, probably could pull off a 12.4 with a good launch. I know the floor mats sounded rediculous,, and i would never take my air filter off without consulting everybody here first. I always take the spare out and clean out my car, but in my opinion i am totally down for taking the seats out if it could possibly help me break into the 12's without buying anything elese. My stock pirellis hooked suprisingly well on launches. LT headers are way too expensive for me.
What are everyones thoughts about nitrous? Ive been really trying to stay away from that but its sounds so tempting. I street race here and there, but never for money or at any organized street race. So nitrous would be nice if i only used it at the track. But i also think its too dangerous.
My next mods are the short throw shifter andLCA's. I think that and taking everything out of my car and i can break into the12's.
What are everyones thoughts about nitrous? Ive been really trying to stay away from that but its sounds so tempting. I street race here and there, but never for money or at any organized street race. So nitrous would be nice if i only used it at the track. But i also think its too dangerous.
My next mods are the short throw shifter andLCA's. I think that and taking everything out of my car and i can break into the12's.