First Time on Track... EWWWW

[NIGHTfall_240sx]

lauched at 3.1K RPMshifted at 6.1K RPMi churp'd 2nd... i didnt think i have the power to

R/t - 1.04460' - 2.639330 - 7.5581/8 - 11.552MPH - 61.831000 - 15.0001/4 - 17.912MPH - 77.70

dead stock, and something is wrong and donno what.

it was my very first time... yes i know its very very bad.i only got to run once. I am quite upset with my results... i was actually expecting it to be this bad though. I have no idea why but for some reason my baby just cant get out of its own way

any ideas? comments? Structure told me i should shift at 5.5 so imma give it a try next week.

Let the flamming start

[matt4pl]

you wont get flamed man, you'll just get advice and wahtnot, btw, do u have an lsd? did u spin ur tires at all? hows ur clutch? it all makes a difference. i auto-x, never dragged, so im of no real help

[jEzTeR]

You need to try it a few times the same night.To get used to it.Just don't break it.

[Hijacker]

it's just gonna take some getting used to and getting to know the feel of your car.

dunno the best place to shift on a KA, but just try to figure out when the car feels like it's just not accellerating as fast and shift.

also, crappy tires will affect times as well. try to get some R compound tires or slicks (yeah i know, but i'm just saying) to help improve your times

[NIGHTfall_240sx]

btw, do u have an lsd?

nope

did u spin ur tires at all?

just a lil bit... and churped 2nd

hows ur clutch?

Not sure now, i thought it was bad, but i spun the wheels a lil on launch, and chirped 2nd.. so apperenly its not that bad

[matt4pl]

the lsd helps quite a bit i believe, and spinning ur tires, well duh, practice launching so ur tires just chirp and u go, find where that is under waht conditions, from waht i know, launch is like 99% of the game

anyways, my first time at the auto x i got killed by a civic 2nd time i beat a crazy mg midget, but hit two cones so that added 4 seconds onto my time, putting him way ahead of me on paper

[NIGHTfall_240sx]

thanks for the suggestions matt... my tires didnt spin much though... pretty much was just a lil chirp. maybe like 1second long

[daniel240]

yea man, you cant expect to run a fast time on your first time on the track. you have to go out there and make a lot of runs and you will improve each time. i think i ran in the high tens my first time ever on a track and at the end of the day i was running high 9's. dont worry about it, just go back and try again.

btw. this was in the eigth.

[Phax]

The KA24DE can definitely be faster than 17 seconds, even in a heavy *** S14.

Each engine revs a little bit differently, so other people's suggestions as to shift points should really serve you as guide posts, not absolutes. When going for maximum acceleration on street tires, without an LSD, you're going to want to slip the clutch out.

As you figured out, your tires break loose when you dump the clutch. A little bit of tire chirp going into second isn't much to worry about at these speeds. Spinning them off the line is though.

When you're sitting at the tree, work the clutch and gas to the point where if you let off the clutch any more, or gave it any more gas... the car would start to roll forward. Once you've found that point, practice letting the clutch slip and slamming the gas hard enough to keep it from stalling. You'll eventually get to the point, with enough practice, that you can feel when the tires are going to let go, through the peddles beneath your feet. Then your automotive qi will be that much better.

[matt4pl]

do auto-x, if u havent, first time will suck for, but go a few times and you'll love it, dragging is fun too, just a totally different set of skills though, so if anything, you'd kill me at that

until i get my lsd.....

[Phax]

btw. this was in the eigth.

Good call on the clarification. I was thinking, "He's either talking about the 1/8th, or he's really sarcastic."

[matt4pl]

phax is right, dumping the clutch is a bad bad idea, unless u got en evo or something, but yea, slipping the clutch will make u accel so much faster, if u get it down, and then compare to dumping the clutch, its like those durex commercials

[JBoy207]

i was lookin at the turbo magazine......and i was readin the dyno sheets.....the stock motor seemed peak rite around 5500 n dropped off slightly to 6500 ish....just a thought

[matt4pl]

but shifting closer to redline puts you higher in the power curve in the next gear, letting you accel faster then... another though

[JBoy207]

that makes sense....i personally dont have to much experience racing....i jus figured ur losin power jus cuza the fact that u lost power in the last gear.....btw matt....which suburb u from?? we gtg cruisin sumtime

[matt4pl]

i'm from harwood hts, by I90 and harlem, hit me up on aim, matt4pl

[C-Kwik]

I'm guessing you have an S14 with manual transmission from your sig and the fact that you are controlling the shift points. Shifting at 6100 is fine. In actuality, the optimum shift point varues from one gear to the next. And you'ld have to look at your car's dyno chart to get a real good idea of what would be best. But knowing the typical KA dyno, 5500 RPM is too low. 1st gear should be redlined.

Secondly, I'd say the problem is not in your shift points. Your car is grossly underpowered. The Trap speed is about 10 mph too low. Poor launches is not going to affect the trap speed much at all. And if you're shifting at 6100 RPM, you should be fine as far as maximizing your powerband.

Check all maintenance items. Read your plugs to see if there is anything abnormal going on inside the combustion chamber. Run a compression check. Check the ignition timing. You can only drive a car that is limping so fast. It doesn't sound like your driving is the problem.

[NIGHTfall_240sx]

thanks for the info bud, i will do that tomarrow when i wake up.... mind explainin how i "read" a plug? what to look for

[NIGHTfall_240sx]

I'm guessing you have an S14 with manual transmission from your sig and the fact that you are controlling the shift points.

<------------------------------------------------------ :pface

[NIGHTfall_240sx]

just curious... could a clogged cat be the reason for me losing so much power? i gutted the big cat, but not the cat in the mani

[s86d]

jeff ill be by today to help i know what c-kwik is talking about. which means get your *** up before 3 in the afternoon

also i think your engine has a issue somewhere in the head (loud tapping noise hmmm)

[s86d]

oh also i still have that spare motor for you and that lsd so make some money dammit my garage is full

[MikeMurphy]

plug into the OBD and get your coolant temp. sensor reading.

cats dont generally get clogged.

Never hurts to check out your ignition components and fuel componenets either.

[YRUSOSLO]

Here's my experience at the track with my 240 ka. I'm experienced dragging with my Camaro only it's an automatic. I launched a slow 1.xx just like you and couldn't get faster than 17.5 my engine has 230k on her. So I slap on a KNfilter and Header this brought her down to 16.3. I have since opened up the catback to a 2.5" pipe with flowmaster. She hasn't been back to the track do to winter.

As to the launches my launch time was the same staged as it was just holding the clutch and letting it go and hitting the gas. So I'm still testing that. I think a linebrake would be the answer to stop the car from rolling.

As for slicks? C'mon stop teasing. Don't get those until you have so much power under your hood that your street tires are burnin' rubber halfway down the track.

[JBoy207]

if ur reading the plug make sure to look at the ground strap and porceline.....look for discoloration of the strap first...it will give u an idea of the timing...whether ur retarted or advanced...typically u want the change in color (black to a reddish color) to be in the center of the arc on the ground strap......for the porceline....ull have to look for a distinct dark line that goes around.....thatll give u an idea on the fuel delivery....u want it pretty close to the base (may have to cut threads off to see it)......also on the porceline look for specs (black dots).....thats the porceline starting to boil....if u have it u may want to go with a slightly cooler plug......best way to get accurate readings is to put new plugs in.....put it under the same kind of load ur goin for.....ex. drag....run the car n finish ur run.....instead of goin back to the pits depress the clutch and turn the motor off....and coast....pull the plugs....those will be the most accurate

[MarkEmark]

Your reaction time seems pretty lethargic too...I'd practice on that!