First run at the track........

[Stallion]

1996 CE LT4 6 speed

Stock as a rock. First time ever drag racing. Here's my time slip:

R/T ... .667
60' ... 2.115
330 ... 6.043
1/8 ... 9.177
MPH ... 81.34
1000 ... 11.805
1/4 .... 14.020
MPH ... 104.10




I'm not going to claim to be a racer. This was my first time. But from my numbers, what would you say about me and improvements I can make?

 

[Stallion]

Well, I thought I posted this in the C4 section. Can I get an admin to move it??

Sorry

 

[GerryLP]

Stallion,

Didn't you used to own a 1978 Vette? I did not know that you had traded your Vette.

Congratulations!

A couple of tricks I have learned are:

1) Let out some air from your rear tires (it will help on your traction).

2) Find the specifications on your Vette, and locate where the torque curve crosses the horsepower and what engine speed. While racing, shift when you reach this point. Be as consistent as possible.

 

[Stallion]

Another quick thing... is the R/T already subtracted from the E/T? Or is the 1/4 time include the reaction time?? If it's not included then I had a terrible terrible run

 

[rascal_rascal_99]

R/T, Reaction Time, is the time between the light turning green and you breaking the beam at the start line.

E/T, Elapsed Time, is amount of time between when you break the beam at the start line and break the beam at the finish line.

Think of the two times as being lines starting where one stops, they don't overlap.

 

[Doug 87L98]

Reaction time has nothing to do with elapse time( 1/4 mile time ) The clock starts when you cross the start beam and stops when you cross the finish beam.

R/T is the amount of time from when the light turns green to you crossing the start beam.

A 96 Lt4 should be in the low 13's to the high 12's.

Your avatar locates you in NJ. If you run at Englishtown or Atco you should be able to hit those times this Fall.

 

[DRTH VTR]

2) Find the specifications on your Vette, and locate where the torque curve crosses the horsepower and what engine speed. While racing, shift when you reach this point. Be as consistent as possible.

Horsepower = Torque at 5250 RPM. It is defined that way. The dynamometer measures torque and calculates horsepower from the torque.

HP = (Torque X RPM)/5250.

When RPM = 5250, then torque = HP

 

[Stallion]

Reaction time has nothing to do with elapse time( 1/4 mile time ) The clock starts when you cross the start beam and stops when you cross the finish beam.

R/T is the amount of time from when the light turns green to you crossing the start beam.

A 96 Lt4 should be in the low 13's to the high 12's.

Your avatar locates you in NJ. If you run at Englishtown or Atco you should be able to hit those times this Fall.

Wow. Why is it that I'm over a second slow??? What can I be doing wrong? That is rediculous. Embarrassing. I'm not doing my Corvette justice. HELP!!!!!!!!4

 

[Sunstroked]

Shoot, I used to have a lot of money invested in a car/engine that only ran 14's in street trim.
Visit this website for some helpful tips http://www.speedworldracewaypark.com/ go to racers toolbox, should be a tutorial that may help you out.

 

[twiget]

For a novice I don't think you did too bad. Check out the LT4 performance page.

Car and Driver got 13.7 @ 104mph, and Road and Track got 13.7 @ 105.1mph..

Jason

 

[Doug 87L98]

Wow. Why is it that I'm over a second slow??? What can I be doing wrong? That is rediculous. Embarrassing. I'm not doing my Corvette justice. HELP!!!!!!!!4

You said that was your first time at the track.

Seat time, proper launch techniques, and shifting at the right times will go a long way to lowering your 1/4 mile times.

There is nothing wrong with your car. You trapped at 104mph. On a good day my stock 87 will do 13.8 @ 99mph. So it appears that you have the speed to lower your time easily.

If you spin your tires at the launch your E/T will suffer. If you shift too soon your car will slow.

A friend of mine has a 96 LT4 and the only thing he did to his car was to put a 4:11 gear ratio in the rear. I believe his best time was 12.5. He also runs with drag radials. Prior to installing the 4:11 gears he would run low 13's in the Summer months and high 12's in the Spring and Fall.

Were did you run your Vette? If it's in Jersey you should be able to hit the low 13's with a little seat time.

On a side note. I see guys with new Z06's only able to run high 13's until they get used to their cars.

 

[Sunstroked]

I've been looking for an article I read on the internet recently. Cant find it now, but it was a shootout done back in the day between a stock 96 LT4 and an LT1 6 spd, I think it may have been a 94 model. Anyway, I remember the testers ended up getting low 13 sec for the LT4 car and around 13.8 for the LT1 car. I thought it was about a .5 sec difference in et.

 

[rascal_rascal_99]

Don't feel bad at all about what you did for being new on the track! As has been mentioned, learning your shift points will go a long ways. Something which will probably mean even more and take longer to really master, is your launch and first 60'. If you watch many local track regulars, you'll probably notice them spending more time focusing on their 60' times than the rest of the run.

Most of all...HAVE FUN!!!

 

[B17Crew]

Congrats, that’s pretty good for your first time out with your LT4.

My first time to the track with my LT4 is almost identical to what you have run.

It took getting used to the LT4, I went from a LT1 six-speed (LT1 ran a 13.6 @ 103 bone stock) to my LT4.

I had whittled my LT4’s time away to 13.2 @ 107. This was after a lot of practice and experimenting. I think if I kept at it, my LT4 would run maybe even a 13.1.

I achieved the time with just about a full tank of gas, 30 psi at all four corners in the GS-Cs and at about 890 ft elevation. Temperature was probably about 75°. Had almost a picture perfect launch, I did spin for a moment. That’s why I think a perfect launch would yield a 13.1. Only mod is a K&N air filter.

Your LT4 will definitely run much lower times, just a matter of getting to the track and practicing.

B17Crew


p.s. One of my first runs with my LT4 was a 14.1! :ugh

 

[GerryLP]

Horsepower = Torque at 5250 RPM. It is defined that way. The dynamometer measures torque and calculates horsepower from the torque.

HP = (Torque X RPM)/5250.

When RPM = 5250, then torque = HP

Darth,

I guess I wrote my suggestion wrong. I should have said that the torque and horsepower profiles would point the best RPM at which to shift.