Everyone said I couldn't do it BUT I DID!

[xxxdominion]

My brother and I have long had a competition to see who's car was faster in the 1/4. His 370z runs a 13.1 consistent with Injen intakes and a muffler delete as mods + 7 speed auto. Today I went to the track with my buddy and his ARP stage 2+ Golf R with a stock turbo to see if he could beat the national record for his class of Golf. The target was 12.45 and he is now the new fastest stage 2 golf with a run of 11.99 in the 1/4, twas an awesome run!

Now my NSX is a 91 with headers back exhaust, downforce ram air intake, and 4.20 gears. today I ran a 12.945! For a basically stock car with 88k on the dial / stock clutch I was proud today! And i immediately shot a picture of my timeslip to my brother hoping his head would explode, it did!

R/T 0.089
60' ... 1.897
1/8 ... 85.34 mph
1/4 ... 12.945
1/4 ... 106.44

the run was done on Sumitomo HTZII's street tires which i find to be the best bang for the buck, but longevity is low due to the softer compound / camber angle of my car (lowered 1.5"). SO! if anyone else has drag times post them! Preferably N/A cars as a comparison.


P.S. made a few mustang / camaro guys angry today heheh!

 

[chudson1549]

Nice numbers

 

[N-Wing]

I believe I ran 13.4 in my 2000 which is stock minus muffler and intake. I was on 18/19 TSW Nurburgrings and I believe the rears are Nitto's (street) and 265's. Note: I had never been to a drag race before, never mind race, and simply got in line and drove.

 

[NetViper]

That is very fast for a na1 car. Nice job.

 

[docjohn]

great run....you must weigh about 120 lbs:tongue:

 

[NetViper]

How many shifts in a 1/4 mile with a 5 speed and the 4.23? More or less or same?

 

[xxxdominion]

Nice numbers

Thank you!

That is very fast for a na1 car. Nice job.

True, everyone said I wouldn't break a 13.5, But If i can get a stock 370z to run a 12.903 I can do it with an nsx, but the learning curve was vastly higher with the X

great run....you must weigh about 120 lbs:tongue:

145, the X fits my tiny body nicely hehe!

How many shifts in a 1/4 mile with a 5 speed and the 4.23? More or less or same?

Thinking back I hit 4th gear @ 95 MPH and went through the trap @ 105-108 mph. so maybe 1/2 way through 4th. With the 4.22s the top speed is lowered to about 177 from 189.

 

[shawn110975]

only run 1/4 tank of gas for that extra weight loss could shave a few seconds very good I think

 

[xxxdominion]

a few photos from the day i like best.

 

[stuntman]

Impressive! Pics of your car? Now you need some real headers!

 

[xxxdominion]

Impressive! Pics of your car? Now you need some real headers!

Just the NSX is mine =) the golf was my friends. All the others were just awesome!

 

[illwillem]

Ive never been into drag racing myself. Was this time down to the car or the driver?

Since you cant just will your car to go faster aren't the times the car puts down just the times it's mechanically capable of? I'm sure there are variables for track conditions, temp etc, but aren't you more or less just measuring a mechanical sum +/- for small variations? What exactly did people say couldn't be done and what did you do in order to persevere? Are we talking shifting here? Ive always been curious about this.

 

[d_prada1]

Ive never been into drag racing myself. Was this time down to the car or the driver?

Since you cant just will your car to go faster aren't the times the car puts down just the times it's mechanically capable of? I'm sure there are variables for track conditions, temp etc, but aren't you more or less just measuring a mechanical sum +/- for small variations? What exactly did people say couldn't be done and what did you do in order to persevere? Are we talking shifting here? Ive always been curious about this.

drag racing is everything about driver when comparing two equal cars, obviously same as any type of racing. You can't just will your car to go any faster in the twisties either. People look at horsepower and automatically assume X car can't go X time. But I have proven people wrong multiple times as well. Some people just CANT drive. More than you would think. I have been in many situations when my friends call me to drive their cars in a race for that advantage. Reaction time, shifting time, just feeling the car and what it wants. It's the same for any type of racing.

GREAT numbers man. I always thought the nsx was capable of breaking 12s all motor easy.

 

[illwillem]

I guess that makes since, so its like road racing but without the braking, weight transfer, slip angle, over/understeer, driving line, temperature control, down shifting, tire degradation, rev matching and steering.

So, what. Are we talking shifting here? :smile:

 

[xxxdominion]

Drag racing takes more skill than most people like to let on. Basically the faster the car the harder it gets. my very first run in my car resulted in a 14.6 second quarter. many many many runs later at multiple venues yeilded the 12.9. Drag racing, like any other track event largely depends on elevation, temperature, track prep, (you can have some god awful drag strip preps) driver, and tires. In my case it took me roughly 9 runs, all of which were experimental in the fact they were all done at slighly right or left of the ideal launching point, different RPM launches, and dramatically different tire pressures. At one point we contemplated slapping my buddies semi slicks on the back and doing a nasty burnout to get a better launch.

Shifting is a large part of it. If you miss a gear or hesitate / not paying attention to your shift points can cost you from 0.02 of a second or 2 whole seconds. I'd recommend trying it, the drivetrain on the NSX seems perfectly capable of handling multiple launches at safe RPM levels. For forced induction NSX's i'd take it easy on launching, especially if slicks are used. You'll get the drag racing bug. Its liek gambling! "man i just ran a 13.1.............. wonder if i can run a 13 flat.. hmmm" and it begins.

Being on a dragstrip is like no other surface, it if very sticky and provides a lot of feedback. lining up one or two inches from the optimal line can result in catastrophic tirespin or power robbing grip. The right combination of slip and traction is what your looking for. Suspension geometry is also a definative factor in drag racing in the chase for grip as well. Its more of a precision / driver oriented sport that can get extremely competative while equally dangerous at higher speeds.

a friend of mine that has been drag racing for 30 years looks at it this way. He says that once your at around 12 seconds flat and you want to get to 11 seconds flat. you'll spend 10k in mods getting there. want to go from 11 seconds to 10? 15k. 10 to 9 20k and so on. same for a road course car.

 

[illwillem]

Good description!

It sounds addicting, also sounds like I need a drag racing hobby like I need a hole in my head. :] Between motorcycles, bicycles, road racing 2 different chassis.... and just last month buying a truck for offroading im one more habit away from just living in a storage unit full of track toys.

 

[xxxdominion]

is there any other way to live?

I have to admit I have an addiction, and I hate you guys because you started it!!!! But I blame mostly gran turismo and my affinity for fast cars as a child. I just ordered the NSX-R hood from SEIBON through NOPI.

Iif you were going to try drag racing, find a local track (or one closest to you) and pay a meere 25 bucks for all day racing against your pals or you can enter an event. Most of the time I go and just spectate, usually there are drift events or grudge matches taking place, and it's fun to see how fast you can get your car in just a short distance. Its all day fun for cheap. My budget isn't huge by any means but i scrounged up enough pennies to buy an NSX and I'm happy. But the mods are an addiction.

I don't yet know enough about the car to start tweaking with engine and electronics or suspension geometry, but Prime has taught me a lot and more to teach in the future. Hopefully one of these days I can meet a few of you. This is the first new car I've ever had outside of my 79 El camino and they are worlds apart. So much to learn.

 

[docjohn]

El Camino was the mullet of autos :tongue:

 

[xxxdominion]

El Camino was the mullet of autos :tongue:

yeah but mine is less mullet and more muscle =P

 

[d_prada1]

I guess that makes since, so its like road racing but without the braking, weight transfer, slip angle, over/understeer, driving line, temperature control, down shifting, tire degradation, rev matching and steering.

So, what. Are we talking shifting here? :smile:

Hahah I couldn't agree with you more before actually going out there and seeing what FAST guys go through to get a time. Sure anyone can go out there drag race a car and get a time. Same as tracking around the twisties. But to perfect it and get the best possible time it takes a lot of skill and ALSO setting up the car. It gets expensive and time consuming, ripping apart trannies at the track to change gear ratios, adjusting clutch slip, tire pressure, boost by gear, suspension geometry, etc etc after every run. Also every track is diff so when you go to a new track, prepare to do it all over again, shoot even a different day on the same track can throw your setup off. Sure you can take a stock car and just do some runs for fun. But when it starts getting competitive you find people doing crazy things for that tenth of a second.


BUT twisties are still much more fun

 

[docjohn]

yeah but mine is less mullet and more muscle =P

looking powerful.....but i was referencing the mantra of the mullet..."business up front and party in the back":wink:

 

[xxxdominion]

looking powerful.....but i was referencing the mantra of the mullet..."business up front and party in the back":wink:

HAHA a few of my buddies and I lining the bed with a tarp and filling it up with water "redneck pool" style.
We posted up in Jaxonville at a football game and tailgated on a 100 degree day. Coolest cats in the yard