How to improve my qtr. mile e.t. for free?

a little less oil in the pan... don't ask

dial in your carb and timing as mentioned... every engine has it's own ideal combination

make sure every part in your valvetrain is operating properly and your springs are up to the task

weight transfer... get it to sit back on it's haunches when you launch

tire pressure... make sure you are getting the best contact patch possible when heated up

ask other racers... most people are willing to help if you ask... some might even offer to get their hands dirty

 

ooops

 

Aside from the above mentioned things see what it take to create less air drag. Get rid of any air restricting BS. We use to wax everything down before it hit the track. Smooth surface=less drag=quicker times and it's damn near free.

 

A 2.40 60' time with "little tire spin" is not a traction problem. The very first thing to check is your carb for wide open throttle. You would be surprised how many cars are running at less than open. Next as stated in an earlier post would be the timing curve. I always go for the most inital it will take without pinging or hard to start, then add whatever centrifical is necessary fo 34-36 total on a 92 octane 350. Where you bring in the total has alot to do with the torque converter. At the drag strip you want all the timing you can get at launch. If you are still running a stock converter in a 2600lb car that was originally designed for a 3600lb car you may never get a good 60' time. For your application you need to put a converter in that would put you up around 2000-2500 rpm @ launch, with timing in by 2000rpm. Dont be afraid to run it up a bit more in rpm at the shift.

 

Ziiiing!

 

If you leave ALL mechanical alone- SEAT TIME! Concentrate on YOUR DRIVING abilities,then ONE THING at a time! You will be surprised.
Focus gr***hopper! Drag guys-chime in!

 

If you have more than one drive belt between the crank and the water pump you might try taking the Alt belt off. Hey, every little bit helps..... Keep the Batt. fully charged between rounds if you do that.

 

i dont care if its stock or has a mild cam dont listen to the people telling u to shift at 3500-4000 its a 350 gas engine right not a diesel run the thing to 5000 unless its nosing over before in which case you have other issues, also i agree you need stickier tires, but im ***uming you have a stock convertor so flash it as much as you can, meaning dont be on the throttle to much on the line it wont help bring it up just off idle and nut when you leave, with good tires it should 60' way better that way. Good Luck

 

If it's a hydraulic lifer cam for the price of a set of valve cover gaskets adjust your valves running one at a time backing off until it clicks. Then tighten only 1/4 turn more not the normal 1/2-3/4 turn then you can shift higher than 5000. Higher rpm more power strokes per second = more power.

 

pmsl

 

Drive it like you stole it!!!
Even if your car isn't a ten second beast, most people tend to tense up a lot at the track, probably because everyone is watching and your not on a country road. Just relax, tune it to the max and enjoy it!!!! Posi would help with better tires for sure and I don't know your motor but higher shift points would help. You should be making power after 4000rpm.

 

What intake are you running? An early Edelbrock Performer (#2101) will improve your get-up-and-go from idle to about 5500. BIG improvement over the stock intake. Inexpensive too!

 

Buy a Top Fuel Dragster...That will improve your ET...hehehehe

 

Ya, get that thing to hook up off the line. Don't know about free, but If you know anyone that has an IMCA modified or circle track car, sometimes their throwaway slicks and cl*** 3 treaded tires are good for several more p***es on the dragstrip....

 

Check your front-end alignment.

 

Free and Drag Racing dont go together...lol

 

I would think that the open headers on a mild cam would make that engine loose the bottom end torque.It needs that back pressure.Install a pair of gl***packs at the end of the headers.
Summit sells there gl***packs for under $25ea.Try it out.

 

THANK YOU!

Get it up on the converter against the brakes. Deep stage ("cheating", but it will help the timeslip a little). Try a little more timing.

Not free but cheap - get smaller diameter metering rods for the carb. Put smaller, wider rear tires on to race it.

 

Tell her, to get out!

 

Deep staging with the top prestage bulb out will help reaction time but will not help ET. You want to shallow stage, light the top pre stage bulb then "bump" in until the second pre stage just flickers. This will give the car a "running start" before it breaks the beam and starts the clock.

Other tips, dont mash the gas on the launch feed it in smoothly until she gets moving, shift at 5000 rpm, if an auto let it shift itself. Over inflate the front tires by 5 to 10lbs to lessen rolling resistance, make sure the rears are at proper inflation. Remove all the extra **** in the car.

And most importantly practice, practice, practice, it's all about the seat time.

Have fun
TBone

 

How do I say this without jumping all over your point - Backpressure is a misnomer - in exhaust there is restriction and velocity. If the header collector is too large (and probably too short) you lose the velocity at that point and the scavenging effect. The turbulence inside an oversized collector will pose a restriction to the g***es trying to get out of the primary tubes.

As far as the bottom end going away, that would be due to the previously mentioned too large/short collector and jetting and timing changes that should be made when opening up the exhaust. The smaller tubes connected to the header to connect mufflers bring the velocity back up to a more acceptable level and bring back some of the bottom end. The restriction of the muffler and pipe reduce the scavenging of the cylinder, making the engine run richer because there is less oxygen in the cylinder. Therefore, uncork it, jet it up a size or two, see if it wants some more or less timing.

 

Lots of good advice here. If all else fails, unplug the red light and leave early!!!

 

Agree, You gotta get out of the hole. Check your U-joints before you put on the sticky tires

 

No offense taken ajmopar.The info is greatly appreciated. This thread has got my interest and my input was just from personal experience.
I have uncorked the exhaust to see if it would increase the performance and all I was getting was a bad *** sounding car but no performance gains. This was years back when I did that.

 

Nice sedan... Stickier tires... your sixty footers ****!

Holy Smokes... who knows anything about this awesome MGA...???

 

If you cut a 2.4 and only had a little wheel spin, your car is not leaving very hard. Now if you said you cut a 2.4 and the tires went up in smoke for 4-5 car lengths I'd give you different advice.

1) ET and MPH are two separate issues for you right now. Since your car didn't leave very hard, I'd foot stall at the line.... Left foot holds the brake, right foot on the gas. See if you can leave at a higher rpm, though if your tires start spinning in place that won't work. Stall it up as high as you can before the tires start moving. When you get into the gas try rolling into the gas real fast, don't just floor it. Press the gas deliberately.

Then come back and do the same thing only get into the gas faster. Keep doing this until the car leaves too hard and spins like crazy.

I'm guessing you might get to a 2.0-2.1 on street tires.

2) Battle 2, MPH. This is more about shifting rpms. On all p***es going forward at least shift at 5000. I'd try 5000, 5400, 5700, and see where the car starts to nose over.

If your torque converter is tight, I'd consider getting a loose one if you plan to keep drag racing...

I've cut as good as a 1.35 on drag radials and 1.35 on slicks that's my experience.

 

Here's an online calculator that's pretty interesting to use. If you just input your mph it will suggest what your et and 60' times etc. should be.
http://www.wallaceracing.com/etcalc.php

It suggests that your 60' time should be about 1.99 seconds and your et should be about 14.3

Like many others, including yourself mentioned driving technique is usually a factor. You have to experiment to see what works. This is especially true when you've got limited traction.
I'm pretty sure you'll get best results shifting at a higher rpm. Your mph at the end of the quarter is the best indicator of horsepower so go with the shift rpm that gets you the best mph.
Try just barely lighting the second stage bulb like TBone mentioned. Along with a slight running start it'll give you more consistent times. If you pull in deep one run and shallow the next it'll be hard to tell what starting technique is working.
With a tight converter, it's sometimes best to leave from an idle and get the converter to flash up to a higher rpm but some cars leave better from a hard brake stand. In your case with traction being an issue you might be best to roll on the throttle like Pro Stock John suggested. You may have to experiment to see what works for your car.
The little things people have mentioned can all add up. Adding air to the front tires is always a good idea. Removing the air cleaner element or turning the lid over or whatever you can do to get cool unrestricted air in is always good.
Your car may also run quicker if you can keep the engine temperature down. I'm sure you've seen a lot of guys pushing their cars in the staging lanes.
As far as tuning goes, I agree with the guys that say make sure you have 34 to 36 degrees of timing. Your engine might want even more timing but that's a really safe starting point. Also, if the springs in your distributor are too stiff you won't have enough timing at low rpm's, that can really kill your 60' times. If your engine goes past 3,000rpm before it reaches full advance you'd definitely benefit from a quicker advance curve.
I know you're trying to go faster without spending any money and that's great. Get the most out of what you have but one thing that might really help is exhaust collector length. If your engine's horsepower peaks at 4,700 rpm your collector should be about 22" long. That's measured from where the primary pipes end to the end of the collector. If your collectors are just the typical 6" or so like most headers an extra extension might help quite a bit. The extra length will usually boost the low end power which should help get the car moving.
14.82 is pretty good for your first time out with a mild combination but high thirteens are almost certainly possible with a bit of effort.
By the way, on a hot, humid day your car will run a few tenths off. Look for a cool night to crack into the thirteens.

 

Guess I was up too early...you are absolutely right, sir. It was R/T I was thinking of. Thanks for clearing that up.

 

These are some great tips for a novice. I've never been on the track but have been
around some pulling trucks. I know, two completely different things, but I recall
seeing more than a few guys running loops of fuel line thru a cooler of ice to get the
fuel/air temp down. Is this bunk, or maybe its not allowed by tech at the track? Just
a thought. Seems like a cheap trick.... If it works.

Jeff

 

1.9 on street tires is not easy. Most of us should be able to get to a 2.0x - 2.10 on street tires with a given car.