First trip to the drag strip

[Black Stang]

So I was very disappointed with my first outing at the track Friday night. First of all I live in north Louisiana so it was pretty hot and humid. My car is a 2018 GT A10 P1 car with on 4K miles on it. The car ran 12.8-12.95 for all 6 passes made. MPH was 111every pass and 60ft was .2 or slightly above every pass.
Made 4 passes with traction control & advance trac off. and 2-3 with all of it on ... any suggestions ?

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[brucelinc]

I don't know the DA where you ran but I suspect was pretty high in your part of the country. These cars like cool dry air. I was at Brainerd dragway last week when the DA was over 2500 and there were two stock A10 GTs there. Both were running between 12.6 and 13.1.

How was your traction? Any issues with wheel hop? What RPM were you launching at....around 1800-2000? I assume you were using drag mode?

The best I ever ran with mine was 11.89 @ 119. That was with drag radials but everything else stock. That was also in 600 DA air. Before getting the DRs, I couldn't use drag mode due to wheel hop on the 1-2 shift. Best I ran in sport mode was 12.3 @ 116. That was in around 1500 DA air if I recall correctly. My guess is that the air in North Louisiana is pretty bad this time of year.....

 

[Black Stang]

Yes launching around 2k anything more and tired would spin at the line before launching. No traction issues.. hooked good but 60 ft was .2 and higher. My care does not have Drag mode only sport mode on shifter. What was ur best 60 ft ?

 

[brucelinc]

Yes launching around 2k anything more and tired would spin at the line before launching. No traction issues.. hooked good but 60 ft was .2 and higher. My care does not have Drag mode only sport mode on shifter. What was ur best 60 ft ?

My best 60 has been 1.82 on DRs. I was usually in the 1.9 range with stock tires although they hooked well on a prepped track. The first couple of times at the track, I was also in the 2.0 range. Getting used to what the car likes and practice makes a difference. Staging shallow also makes a difference. Honestly, I think the only advantage the DRs gave me at launch was that they are 26" which improved overall gearing vs the 27.2" stock tires. Both hook really well at launch where they put the traction compound on the surface. It was after getting past the traction compound at the start line that my street tires would break loose...on the 1-2 shift. I also freely admit that I will not launch the car like I stole it. My tracks are 2 hours from home and I do not want to break anything and face a big tow bill.

Until you get a tune and turn your sport mode into a drag mode, I would be surprised if you see 11s. Drag mode makes a big difference. The shifts are brutally quick and fierce in drag mode compared with sport mode on the shifter.

 

[Black Stang]

Dang I thought my sport mode (on shifter) was equal to drag mode...
Not wanting to do anything to void my warranty so a tune is of the table for me.
Ford offers a performance upgrade for the 15-17’s that consist of a tune paired with a cold air intake that when installed by ford doesn’t void your warranty. BUT they don’t have one at this time for the 18’s

 

[Blown86GT]

DA is your enemy this time of the year at what I'm assuming Gilliam? I lived in Shreveport/Bossier City for 16 years and raced there a bunch. I assumed you went for a Friday night Test and Tune. The closet weather history I could find was Shreveport. Based on the data from 8 pm, the DA was 2217...not ideal performance weather. Wait for it to cool down late fall and I think you'll be happy.

 

[Triton54]

When you can use your >drag mode< it is ferocious! I was finally able to use mine last wed, @ Brainerd Intl. (also talked briefly with Bruce) There were ALOT of cars at the track last wed, 7-31, and alot of idling, to get to the line, a lot of heat soak, I have never been able to get to 60' in under 2 sec. IMO, traction was pretty good, but the warm air, took away some of the cars umph. I only made 4 passes, and the first was quite bad, 13.1 @ 111 but they got better each time, for my last 2 were 12.6x @ 113. i can't even imagine the heavy moist air in LA. I have installed BMR CB005, and TCA048 and also Steeda's alignment bushings that go with cboo5, also had the car aligned. Looking forward to fall at the track, for more practice, and cooler air.

 

[Black Stang]

Looks like I may be trading for a 19 to get me a car w/drag mode. Mine is mint condition with only 4K miles on it ...wonder what they will offer on trade

 

[brucelinc]

Looks like I may be trading for a 19 to get me a car w/drag mode. Mine is mint condition with only 4K miles on it ...wonder what they will offer on trade

It would be much easier and less expensive to just get a tune and have your "sport" mode become your "drag" mode. You mentioned warranty. I think it is quite rare for a tune from a reputable company to cause an issue. I have had cars tuned since 2010 and never had a tune related problem. I have had warranty work done for other things like electrical, brakes, etc. but never any problems caused by tuning.

You take the car to the drag strip occasionally and that would cause more warranty concern to me than a tune.

 

[Zinc03svt]

A tune will get you your drag mode. My tuner charges $450 for whole setup including a E tune. Be a lot cheaper in the long run than trading your car in. PM me if you want the tuner details.

 

[imyopusha]

Looks like I may be trading for a 19 to get me a car w/drag mode. Mine is mint condition with only 4K miles on it ...wonder what they will offer on trade

FWIW, My 2013 only did 13.3 @ 109 in the summer when I was living in Georgia, whose weather is not too different than N. LA. In the winter, that time went to 12.7 @ 112. This was in a manual transmission, too. You will see marked improvement in the colder weather. Coyotes really respond to cool, dense air. I highly doubt anything is wrong with your car. You can get it dyno'd to confirm your engine is putting out good power, which I recommend doing early in the morning.

 

[brucelinc]

FWIW, My 2013 only did 13.3 @ 109 in the summer when I was living in Georgia, whose weather is not too different than N. LA. In the winter, that time went to 12.7 @ 112. This was in a manual transmission, too. You will see marked improvement in the colder weather. Coyotes really respond to cool, dense air. I highly doubt anything is wrong with your car. You can get it dyno'd to confirm your engine is putting out good power, which I recommend doing early in the morning.

I agree with all you said. There is nothing wrong with Black Stang's car. However, as a base model without drag mode, it will not be as quick on the drag strip as a 301A package or higher equipped model unless he gets a tune. There is a night/day difference between the drag mode and just using "sport" on the shifter.

The lighter weight base cars may be fastest of all after getting a tune that tweaks the "sport" mode to shift like a drag mode.

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