Heading to the drag strip tomorrow - thoughts on my setup and prep for breaking 12's?

Alstann

Hey guys,

After a long absence from seat time at the drag strip, I'll be heading to Palm Beach International Raceway in FL tomorrow night for a Test&Tune session, and this time, I plan on breaking into the 12 seconds mark. My previous best was a 13.3ish~ @ 106 mph. This was also done on almost bald tires, slipping stock clutch, and a wheel-hop-inducing stock diff mount. Also, tomorrow night, the weather will be a 65 degree F night, and clear skies. It should be a great night for passes at the drag strip.

My car's current setup is:

Powertrain:
-HKS Cat-back
-Berk HFC
-Southbend Stage 3 Drag 6-puck clutch, 19lb steel flywheel
-NST Pulley set
-Z1 2-pc F. Rotor set

Chassis:
-KW Variant 3 coils
-SPC camber arms F/R (-1.3 in rear, not too bad)
-Whiteline Diff. bushings
-Full weight + spare tire + 90 lb of audio equipment (will remove at track if necessary)
-Gas tank at 1/2 full

Wheel/Tire:
-Rays Engineering Volk RE30 19x10 F / 19x11 R
-Potenza RE-11 245/40/19 F / 305/30/19 R

Of course, there are a million things anyone can do to their car, driver-wise and parts-wise to get down the quarter mile faster, but I thought this would be a fun way to critique my setup and give me some insights on what I can improve to make the 12 second mark a reality.

Speaking personally, I feel that last time I went to the drag strip, the car could not cut a good 60'. I had terrible wheel hop issues, or the car would bog after pedaling the car a good amount and I lost way too much time down low. Fastest 60' I have done was on stock tires, and it was a 2.0 flat.

I'm planning on doing my first pass straight from the street, so I can get an idea of how my car behaves when it's fully loaded in a real world scenario. I'll probably ditch the subwoofer and spare tire after a couple passes, and lower tire pressure a good deal, probably to the 25-28 range. I think power-wise, I'm quicker than I was before, since I added the clutch/flywheel, pullies, lighter wheels and brake rotors, and a sticker, wider compound. Hopefully, I'll get enough seat time tomorrow night so that I can really hook up a good pass.

I've got two variables that I have not really played with at the track - RPM and suspension. I'm gonna have to feel out the surface when I go, and since the 6-puck clutch doesn't slip at all, I'm gonna have to pedal the car quickly and smoothly. Suspension-wise, I might experiment with the compression adjustment on the rear struts, and see if I can get them to help eliminate wheel hop and let the car squat harder.

I'm curious to see if my trap MPH will change from last time - I personally don't think my car got faster than a 106, but I've lightened plenty of components and fixed a slipping clutch, so that might help. On the downside, my 1-2 shift has been getting hairy - I fear that the synchro isn't enjoying a 1-2 powershift often. I'll have to play it safe and go slow.

If anyone has any critique, insight, or tips, send them my way!

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