A&Q about 350Z
Q:
yeah i turned off the vdc...hell i turned off everything i could. my react times were getting better each time but they still sucked...i'll try that next time. thanks
'03 z33 Touring
Loaded w/o Nav
Brickyard
A:
Thanks for posting those times. Sounds like you had a good time and your times are respectable too.
19[TT]91
My TT beauty is gone.
2[00]2 Honda 954RR
Suzuki 1200 S; sportscar eater
19[I4]94 Integra GSR Sedan
Long live the Z...
aka SAHTT
A:
Don't worry about your reaction times if you are just test and tune. They mean nothing for your 1/4 mile times. They do matter when you are racing. To get better 1/4 times try to get better 60 ft times they are one of the most important parts of good times and the drag race. You didn't state 60 ft times so I can't tell you how well or how bad the launch of the car is. For your time they are most likely in the 2.0-2.2 range. If you want a little better time take all the stuff out of the back (spare tire etc.). If you are running brackets and not heads up the fastest times do not matter. Consistency is what matters. If you just want to know how fast you can go in the 1/4 then that doesn't matter.
For street tires NEVER EVER heat them up. Drive around the water spin them a little to clean them off and stage the car. The reason is all the burn out does is bring the oil and grease from the track on to the tires. The compound on street tires is way different then slicks.
As for the post to leave on the third amber is not always right. This depends on the roll out of the front tire and how you stage the car. If you want to stage the proper way, bring the car to the line till the first stage light comes on then inch the car up slowly till you just light the second stage light. Now you have max roll out but do not roll the car backwards or you will red light. For best reaction times, deep stage, that means roll the car in until let the first stage light goes out. This is a red light waiting to happen if you do not know what you are doing.
The launch of the Z will never be good for a drag race. The springs are just to stiff to get good weight transfer. It isn't that bad but it wasn't built for that type of a race.
I could go on but I just don't feel like typing tonight (bad day all around).
I know there will be alot of flames on some of this but I don't care. I have been drag racing off and on for 25 yrs and know what to do with my car, how and what you do with yours is up to you.
SOLD
2003 LeMans Sunset/Burnt Orange
Touring/Auto All options but Nav
New Rides
2006 Mustang GT convertible Tri-Black
2006 Toyota Tacoma 4X4
A:
it's a great post, 03LeMans350Z!
interesting point about heating up the street tires. you would think that it didn't matter and it's always a good thing to heat them up.
2003 350Z LeMans Sunset Track with Nav
No mods
A:
I second the fact that you do NOT need to heat up street tires. Taking out extra weight in the rear will decrease weight but often the extra 50lbs or so helps you get traction enough to offset the difference of losing the weight.
19[TT]91
My TT beauty is gone.
2[00]2 Honda 954RR
Suzuki 1200 S; sportscar eater
19[I4]94 Integra GSR Sedan
Long live the Z...
aka SAHTT
A:
Good post. You are right on about avoiding the bleach box and warming the tires. I was trying to match up with a friend at a first come first serve grudge night years ago when I was racing my 00 Mustang. Well there was some drama in the stageing area and I ended up running my rear tire through the box. I tried burning the water off. And I did find with warm tires I had one of my worst times. Spinning tires into second. And it was my last run of the night, which made it even worse...
2003 350Z LeMans Sunset
JWT Pop Charger
Rallitec Q-Shifter
Zainoed (Z1, Z2, Z6, Z18)
A:
There are some track officials out there that look for street tires and then when they see them they will stand in your way and make you go around the bleach box. I thought this one guy was going to brake my window for going thru it w/ street tires. Heck, I just wanted to do a burn-out.
Some of you guys really impress me with your ability to decipher 1/4 and 60ft. times. I know a couple of you can read the reac. time compare it to 60ft and 1/4 and say what you should have got. Good posts.
A:
That is really hard to say. There is so many factors in choosing a pair of slicks. It could even hurt your times if you choose the wrong ones.
First thing I would do is go more to the track and practice your launch. Change rpm when you leave etc.... A lot has to do with driving style.
Back to the slicks, e-town is one of the best preped tracks around this area. I ran e-town and atco all the time. Won my first race at e-town when I was 18. When I had my 69 hi-po mustang all stock right down to the tires. It hooked best at e-town. This was back in 1990 though LMAO.
So as for slicks on a Z, I wouldn't do it not really worth the money. The spinning is due to no weight transfer as I said in the last post. The car is not meant for a drag race even though it is not too bad for a V6.
SOLD
2003 LeMans Sunset/Burnt Orange
Touring/Auto All options but Nav
New Rides
2006 Mustang GT convertible Tri-Black
2006 Toyota Tacoma 4X4
A:
starting in second will result in rapid clutch replacement, good thing it doesnt improve times or it would be real tempting for yall.
A:
I have been running consistent 14.2s in my totally pure stock '04 enthusiast with automatic tranny. That should go down to 14.1s, at least, with cooler temperatures this fall. Please no jabs because of the automatic. I totally prefer manuals, also. I have a left foot injury and a tendon injury in my left, clutch ankle, that may never fully heal up like before. As my Z has to be a daily driver, my left ankle would not hold up in traffic jams with stop and go, alas. No need to beat me up about autos, ha, the pangs of desire I feel for the manual tranny have already done that more than sufficiently. sniff sniff. Regardless, I still totally love this Z car anyway!!!!
A:
Real good posts 03lemans350z. And some other good posts in this thread on drag racing the Z as well. The things you said about trying deep staging and the risks and the other factors you mentioned are real consistent with what I have also learned drag racing off and on over the past 20 some odd years. Main thing is to try lots of things like that and see what works best for you. Everyone is different, but the things you discussed are the things to try. It's also good, in the time trials or test and tune days, to go on and push your launch - leave quicker and quicker in relationship to the last light before the green, etc, coming on. Do that little by little until you do redlight. (in the time trials, remember) Now you know where the redlight is in relation to your reaction times. Over time and experience you find out what works best for you. I wonder if those new low pressure koni adjustable shocks - on the full soft setting would help the 350Z launch? You mentioned that our springs are too stiff for good weight transfer on the launch. Maybe the koni's will help with this. There is a good article on them in the current issue of Sport Z magazine. Just a thought.
I also started out drag racing in the mid 70s with a mustang - mine was a '68 Fastback GT. Have raced a lot of different setup over the years, but The 350 Z is the best all around performance car I've had - when you judge stock power of cars to stock power of other cars and all around performance including handling.
As far as More Power for the 350Z, I'm hearing some good things about the new HKS supercharger. Not best for ultimate power output - but it sounds quality all the way - easy to change air filter - don't have to change the lubricant except every 100,000 miles. Supposed to spool up quicker than other centrifugal superchargers for better low end torque (these are HKS claims - not verified yet through owner experience). What do you guys think?