First year at the drag strip

[Ohiotj]

So this year I have had the chance to attend three nights of drag racing. The complex is in Salem ohio and is supposed to have a 6 foot incline. So far my best time has been 13.30 at 106 mph. I have been running the tires at 25 psi. From what I can tell my problem is getting a good 60 foot time. I am always hovering right at 2 seconds and never been sub 2. I doesn't seem to matter if I have the rpms high and dump the clutch or start out smoother. My mph seems to be higher with a smooth take off. But overall times are always very similar. My tires are older but not out of date. Also I don't do a burn out on street tires. Are these normal time for a stock 93? I ran with a stock 5.0 mustang twice and each time he was at 12.6 for comparison.

[Timnineside]

Yeah that's slow. I ran a 99 GTS 11.98 all stock. You should be able to get lower and I to 12's.

Don't worry about your RPMs yet. You need to get better runs in.

First drive around the water. Then just spin the tires a bit to clear the debris off them. Tires shouldn't be over 5 years old regardless of tread for max performance.

Run every gear good and long. Watch shifting to early or too late. That should get you where you need to be.

[sparkrn]

Do a good burnout and you should be able to do a mid 12. Also try 2-3 psi more in the rears. It really is all in that 60 ft time. Play with your launch. I ran 12.29 at 115 mph with my stock 2002

[Ohiotj]

From what I was told about the track it usually runs a tenth or two slower to a normal track. I shift in the yellow which I think is right before 6k I think. I will try higher psi in the rear. Also my tires squeal pretty good on an aggressive launch. Always get some good noise going into second as well from the rear. Here are two of my best slips so far. Both were from this week.
6478

[SN95SNAKE]

Just lots a practice and find your sweet spot on the launch!

[Nine Ball]

Higher psi in the rear will make it worse. What brand/model tires are you on? You should also shift just before the rev-limiter. Getting the launch down takes practice. You might invest in some drag radials, if you want to have more consistency and fun at the drag strip.

[dadstoy]

Thank you for saying lower tire pressure!

[Ohiotj]

They are an old tire. PSS. I know I need newer ones. I have heard going up and down on air pressure from a few places. I guess it will just take trial and error to find the sweet spot. Now that the season is coming to an end I may start to save up for a set of slicks. I really can't afford two different sets of rims and tires for road course and strip so I am thinking my best bet is a set of road course slicks and just deal with them at the strip. I must say the gen 1 is more comfortable on the strip then road course. I read an article about racing the viper on a road course and I think it's point is very true. Something to the affect that learning the viper is a lot like peeling back an onion, you do one layer at a time. I spun out trying to keep pace with a gen 4 at mid Ohio. I tried to peel too much off and it bit me. No damage and lucky no one else spun or wrecked. Lesson was learned.

[Viper.954]

A 2.00 60 foot time on street tires is as good as you should expect. Trying to get consistent 60 foots on street tires will drive you crazy. Your MPH seems too low to me. Is it making plenty of power? The guy with the 2002 who ran 117mph seems more like a number you should be seeing. I think the 02's made more power than the Gen 1's, but not that much more.

[Ohiotj]

I have been told and maybe someone with more knowledge, JonB, can chime in here. But my 93 has OBD1. When they switched to OBD2 they also picked up some more power. As far as I know my car is making all the power it should. Also the track does have about 6 feet of incline so that hurts as well. I have just started doing this but all my times are very consistent. My tires are just barley shaking on launch and squel pretty loud on the first shift. I feel if I launch harder then I will brake loose.

[Ohiotj]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd-lofAgYqM

[99RT10]

HP seems to be down on your car. You should be trapping 112-115. What was the DA during the track day?

[Martyb]

What rpm are you shifting at? When my old gen 1 was stock I was shifting about 5200 tops.

[Steve M]

HP seems to be down on your car. You should be trapping 112-115. What was the DA during the track day?

Agreed...your ETs and traps are in stock '98-'02 LS1 F-body territory. If it were me, I'd probably strap it to a dyno and make some pulls to see where you fall power-wise...if the numbers are reasonable, then you need to drive the car harder. Otherwise, you'll have to start tracking down the source of lost power.

[Ohiotj]

Here is a list I found on my google search that shows some gen 1 times.

Gen1 1992-1996 RT10 Viper (385-400 HP)
Richdetert...1994RT10...12.3...111mph
Jcarter........1994RT10....12.6...116mph
Bill..............1994RT10....12.9...109mph
MrJ.............1992RT10....13.4...106mph
My times fall in line with the 92 model which as I said early could be due to having obd1.
Also I have not had much practice doing this and could be needing more seat time. I don't know what the DA was during the event. As for shifting I am doing that right as it hits the red line. Run it out all the way threw 3rd and as I pass the line that's when I am out a rpms. I would love to get it on a Dyno but have no idea where one is located around me. The car was just serviced with plugs,wires, gaskets, and fresh fluids and seems to be running strong.

[Steve M]

What track and what date/time of day were you there?

[Ohiotj]

Quaker city motopark. Salem Ohio 8-29-14 10:45 pm.

[Steve M]

Looks like the DA was 1,281 ft, give or take.

http://www.dragtimes.com/da-density-altitude-calculator.php?temperature=60.8&rh=94&altset=30.13&elevation=955&track=185&month=8&day=29&year=2014&time=10:56%20PM

[Ohiotj]

I am very new to the drag race scene and don't know what are good weather conditions. I did a corrected info and it came back at 13.1 and change. That coupled with the track being up hill, my inexperience, old tires should mean the car can run in the 12s. Thanks for walking my threw this.