Topic: Solstice Coupe GXP with LS3 and Edelbrock E Force supercharger from Werks

[wspohn]

If your car is equipped with the proper tires and you are a good drag strip driver, the calculator is pretty close provided the dyno numbers are real.
You must really weight your car to find the actual true weight.

I'll believe that you can do a 12.8 with a GMPP tuned  GXP with a high flow CAT when someone posts that time, but not before. That's what the calculator shows.

[Gentleman Jack]

Who cares what it runs in the 1/4 mile?  It's beautiful, powerful and black.  Just like me!

[wspohn]

Who cares what it runs in the 1/4 mile?  It's beautiful, powerful and black.  Just like me!

Actually I agree with you as I find drag racing boring (I'm a road racer) but one virtue of drag racing is that it is a good quick measure of performance, and I just wanted to point out that the times suggested for this brute weren't that far off what people with much more modest GXPs have attained, and that significantly better could be expected with suitable rubber for the Monster.

If I owned his car, it would never see a drag strip, and he may be just as sensible as I am.....

[sbindley]

Wow, all this while I was out getting pickles...

I have no plans to go to the drag strip.  I am trying to get some road course time, not really to go for lap records, but to properly feel out this car and how it drives closer to its limits, something impossible to do on the street. 

As for 1/4 times, I think that is all about the set up and driver, etc.  I'm still getting used to just leaving stoplights easily with the totally different clutch and shifter feel.

Now, this car, as it is, with the street tires (275's) and a good driver should easily be in the low to mid 12's.  With slicks and proper tire pressure and an extra sticky track on a cool day and all the little tricks, I'd think it would be in the 11's (and still be limited by traction).

Drove it to office again today, sitting out my window with the top off.  I think I need some printer ink...

[wspohn]

Very wise - a track with soem broad run off areas is a nice safe way to 'learn' a new car - and I bet the car seems new to you with the current set up notwithstanding your many miles in it before the conversion.

I'll be interested to hear whether you think the power is excessive once you get used to it and get over the 'wow' feeling at the beginning.  I've driven cars that would spin all the way through 3rd gear and it just seemed a waste having more power than you could possibly lay down on the track.  Fun, mind you!

[miller11386]

Actually I agree with you as I find drag racing boring (I'm a road racer) but one virtue of drag racing is that it is a good quick measure of performance, and I just wanted to point out that the times suggested for this brute weren't that far off what people with much more modest GXPs have attained, and that significantly better could be expected with suitable rubber for the Monster.

If I owned his car, it would never see a drag strip, and he may be just as sensible as I am.....

Right apparently there is zero skill to a proper launch, quick gear changes and keeping it in the groove.

 I will agree drag racing is more boring to watch, but not to physically do. There is just as much going on, if not more than road racing as many road courses are done completely in one gear.

As far as the whole pro drag racing with an auto trans, trans brake and other things, yes i agree that is also boring.. however it take a lot of skill to make a good pass in a 100% manual car.

That being said, sbindley, IMO you need to run it once... just to see what it does

[wspohn]

Right apparently there is zero skill to a proper launch, quick gear changes and keeping it in the groove.

 I will agree drag racing is more boring to watch, but not to physically do. There is just as much going on, if not more than road racing as many road courses are done completely in one gear.

As far as the whole pro drag racing with an auto trans, trans brake and other things, yes i agree that is also boring.. however it take a lot of skill to make a good pass in a 100% manual car.

That being said, sbindley, IMO you need to run it once... just to see what it does

1 - I'm betting you have never road raced, but do drag race

2 - I said NOTHING at all about skill. I just commented that drag racing (doing it) is boring to me.  I've done it all, drag, solo, road, hillclimb.

3 - I disagree about skill levels.  A competent road racer has to deal with similar issues to the ones that drag racers must master, plus the variables of cornering and braking, and they have to do it perfectly not just for 10 seconds or so, but for 30 minutes.  Try it some time!

4 - I know of no road racing tracks that do not require using different gears. We aren't talking about oval track racing, I am talking about road courses - Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen sort of thing.

[elff]

I agree
It's a different skill, but a skill nonetheless which is not easy in a daily driven car with a manual transmission and no helper hardware

[sbindley]

Well, yes, it is completely different, as I said, mostly from the stiffer controls.  But I am getting used to it.  I will say there is no way that I will ever get to the point where I'm thinking, "Gee, this car needs more power."  The extra 180 hp added by the blower are likely overkill in this vehicle, but it is something that makes this car truly unique.  For the money, it is a great mod (but, as we have discussed, I thought it would fit under the hood).  Again, I love the hood as it turned out and, I believe, it is a perfect compliment to the rest of the vehicle. 

Looking back, knowing how long it took to get the blower done and the hood, and the bad Spec clutches and all the plumbing, etc., I likely would have just gotten the car back last summer after the 2-day LS3 install.  But, I do think the one of a kind nature of this car will bode well when it comes time to run it though Barrett Jackson in a year or two.

As for taking it to the drags one time, not likely.  All that would do is highlight that I am not a drag strip driver and that my car has way more power than the tires or I could deal with. 

[Critterman]

As for taking it to the drags one time, not likely.  All that would do is highlight that I am not a drag strip driver and that my car has way more power than the tires or I could deal with. 

That may be the best comment yet.

[LatinVenom]

To be a road racer it takes a lot of skill.
I have done both, and may add with a dragster.
It takes a lot of skill with the above, but by far ZI  like road racing better.

Also there is a member here that posted 12.8 with the GMPP and his GXP, I believe deepbluegxp was with him when he did it.

[sbindley]

BTW, I think my old 2.0 setup would have gotten into the 12's easily, which is similar to Latin and Bill's.

[LatinVenom]

To be a road racer it takes a lot of skill.
I have done both, and may add with a dragster, although a very long time ago.
It takes a lot of skill with the above, but by far I  like road racing better.

Also there is a member here that posted 12.8 with the GMPP and his GXP, I believe deepbluegxp was with him when he did it.

[Brazen17]

Deja vu...

[miller11386]

I have done both. I enjoy both. Both have their challenges, but I was thinking "road racing" more as an AutoX format. not many are fortunate enough to run an actual road race.

[wspohn]

I have done both. I enjoy both. Both have their challenges, but I was thinking "road racing" more as an AutoX format. not many are fortunate enough to run an actual road race.

Autocross has nothing to do with road racing. It is a race against the clock only on a course laid out in a big parking lot.

Road racing is wheel to wheel racing on a closed course designed for that purpose.  Never the twain shall meet, although I have talked to solo drivers who fancied themselves as 'racers'.  I expect they would have soiled their drawers the first time they headed into a tight corner at 120 MPH with several other cars intent on getting around them in the corner.

[Brazen17]

There is a company here at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway where you can rent exotic cars and race them on one of the tracks. I was watching them yesterday and it looks like it would be a blast but I don't dare ask how much it costs...

[sbindley]

Been driving more, even in 100+ heat with top off (and a/c blowing ice cold).  Really digging it as I get used to it more and more and now it just feels like the clutch and shifter are "normal."  BTW, I dropped off some Cobalt door handles I found on Amazon to be painted body color and installed. 

[DeepBlueGXP]

The door handles will look cool. 

Drag racing with a manual is 13 seconds of pure adrenaline.

The guy with the Redline and GMPP is an auto and had 10" wide drag radials.  His times were consistently 12.8 to 12.9.  This is boring to me also since he drags with 2 feet. 

My manual on the other hand with street tires (540 rated) I did my best at 13.28.  I did make a couple of runs with his 10" wide drags but with only two runs, I couldn't get the RPM dialed in for where to drop the clutch at.  She bogged down and I had worse times.   With street tires, I would only need 3000 rpms.  With the drag radials, I tried 4000 and then 5000 and then the track was clobbered up with cars waiting to drag and the elimination rounds were starting.   

[cooper1340s]

Drag racing, road racing - amateur stuff! Now BENCH RACING on the other hand ------  :-)