* Let's have a test and tune day in So. Cal.

[400Eric]

I thought that Steve said those wheels were heavy...... I must have misunderstood him.

Steve, I can't explain why you weren't any faster this last time. I should have been faster too. Benzer 1 should have run his best E/Ts to date! Perhaps the barometric pressure was exceedingly low that day like Dave was saying. I need to do the corrections but I'm too tired. I think it's someone else's turn anyways!

It is worth noting and worth repeating that your best E/T of this most recent day/night was when you were running your stock tubes.

The only thing that is really in the way after you remove the headlight panels is the headlight wiper stuff which, to be honest, you should remove too.

Those perforated tubes are letting in more air NOW only because your headlight panels/wiper motors are blocking the flow to your stock tubes. Plus that extra air is HOT air which isn't good, especially when you add in the fact that the IAT is telling the ECU that the incoming air is cooler than what it is really getting now with your hot under hood air getting in through those perforations. The IAt sensor saying the air is cool when it's not is causing the ECU to richen the AFR a little which is fine for performance when you aren't already running an ECU that already gives you an AFR which is already just about perfect, which you indeed already are running cause you already have a 92 ECU. Plus this scenario is also playing out under part throttle conditions too, which is causing you to get slightly poorer fuel economy. If you lose the headlight panels and put the old tubes back in, you'll be getting more flow than you are now with the perforated tubes, plus that air will be cooler, which is yet another power producing benefit.

You've got to remember that I only have a punk ass 4.2 powering my W124, plus I have those really awful 2.24 rear gears and heavy wheels. Yet my car is as quick as yours is. How is this? Why is this? Could it be possible that the way I am doing things (which is also the way that I am trying to get you to do things) might be the better way to do it?

Justin's 500E, which is arguably not in as good shape as your 500E, ran a 13.8 after he finally listened to me and ditched his panels. He since then hasn't bothered to remove them anymore because he has "The Sauce". If you do exactly what Dave and I are telling you to do, the way we are telling you to do it, you'd have at least a 13.8 too and I wouldn't be able to touch you. Hmm..... Come to think of it, go ahead and don't listen to us!

Dave, I can remember when you and I argued on several occasions about engine temps, with you maintaining that there was no gain by running the engine any colder than 80c, do you remember that? I'm glad to see that you have come around!

As far as your "list" goes, you forgot one: The Sammy Hagar "grunt". Did you forget that one? You do it when you first nail the gas at the starting line. It's worth about a tenth.

Regards, Eric

 

[szvook]

Actually, I had all of the wiper internals removed when I got the Euro headlights installed. I'm gonna stick with the perforated hoses for now, or until I beat my best ET time so far, after trying the OEM hoses. I need to further work on my technique, which I feel is keeping me in the 14's...for now.

 

[400Eric]

Dave, even though I haven't sold Benzer 1 yet (and now don't want too), I did sell Uncle and that has freed up some space for me to bring Benzer 4 back home! I have even already begun some preliminary work on him! The gas in his tank is pretty rancid though and as a result he's not running too well right now so we're not yet ready to test the 92 EZL on him just yet. I am now ready to pull the trigger on our deal though if you are. (See below.)

If you had a full set of late headlight wipers (motor, arms, nuts, grommets, etc - no panels needed)... I'd call that an even trade for the EZL.

If you'll send me back that $10 so I can apply it towards the shipping this might be doable. (In other words, you cover/covered the EZL shipping, I'll cover the wiper stuff shipping, making this a true even steven trade even though the shipping costs on the wiper stuff will be higher.)

If you are cool with that I'll go ahead and pull the stuff off of B-4 and if the look that results from that surgery isn't too hard on the eyes I'll send you the stuff.

Sounds like a plan, Eric! If you're not crazy about the appearance of the car sans wipers, no worries. Although you may prefer to keep the 420 wiper-less for more airflow, right?

Please let me know.
Regards, Eric

I jst read the last post - sounds good to me, if you have a set of wipers/arms/motors, that would be great! I'd take that in trade for the EZL. Which reminds me, was there any definite answer on if the '92 EZL made more power than the 94? You are swapping the 013- in place of an 014-, as both your cars have 014-'s, right? (Both my '95's have 015- EZL's, btw).

Dave, I am re-re-posting the above because I'm afraid that you have forgotten a key element of our deal. Please read again carefully what we agreed to because I'm ready to send you your stuff!

Steve, I was still adding to and amending my previous post when you posted. Please read it again so you don't miss anything.
Regards, Eric

 

[gsxr]

Dave, I can remember when you and I argued on several occasions about engine temps, with you maintaining that there was no gain by running the engine any colder than 80c, do you remember that? I'm glad to see that you have come around!

I don't recall this... but it's true that I see little, if any, power gain with temps below ~80C. There is definitely a power loss as temps get to ~90C or higher (hot lapping). For peak power the coolant temp should be roughly 70C as you begin your burnout, post-burnout it will be 75-80C. The coolant temp gauge does not tell all though, it can sometimes read fairly low but you can have increased intake manifold temps, etc. In other words, you can do ten different runs with the temp gauge right at 70C and each could be different due to other variables (oil & ATF temp, intake manifold temp, etc). But in general the ideal reading is about 70C.

 

[gsxr]

Dave, I am re-re-posting the above because I'm afraid that you have forgotten a key element of our deal. Please read again carefully what we agreed to because I'm ready to send you your stuff!

Fill me in again. You have had my EZL for quite a while now, and I've got an electronic I.O.U...?

 

[gerryvz]

Fill me in again. You have had my EZL for quite a while now, and I've got an electronic I.O.U...?

Sounds like an implied threat to me .... ;-D

 

[400Eric]

I don't recall this... but it's true that I see little, if any, power gain with temps below ~80C. There is definitely a power loss as temps get to ~90C or higher (hot lapping). For peak power the coolant temp should be roughly 70C as you begin your burnout, post-burnout it will be 75-80C. The coolant temp gauge does not tell all though, it can sometimes read fairly low but you can have increased intake manifold temps, etc. In other words, you can do ten different runs with the temp gauge right at 70C and each could be different due to other variables (oil & ATF temp, intake manifold temp, etc). But in general the ideal reading is about 70C.

Dave, I was referring to this post where you mentioned 60C:

Dumping the spare tire, trunk contents, back seat, and light fuel load will drop your ET by roughly 2 tenths. A ~10mph tailwind and cool engine (~60C on the gauge) will put you right on the 14.00-13.99 bubble. Remember that you'll need a helmet if you run 13.99 or quicker... SNELL 2000 is ok through December 2011, as of Jan-2012 you'll need a SNELL 2005 or newer.

I've said all along that being below 80C was best while you used to maintain that anything below 90C was fine. I wish I could link you to the conversations but we all know Scott's site is still down. I sure hope all of that data over there can be retried somehow.... Wasn't Uncle Gerry working on such a plan?

Fill me in again. You have had my EZL for quite a while now, and I've got an electronic I.O.U...?

That's what the re-re-posted post was for, to fill you in. I basically said that since you said that the headlight wipers and related hardware would be a fair, even trade, that we should each cover our own shipping, with me covering the more expensive shipping costs of the HWs and related hardware, and you covering the cheaper shipping of the EZL. It's not fair for me to cover the shipping on both. (Sorry Dave but "Money's Too Tight to Mention!".) So I asked that you send back the $10 that I sent you for shipping on the EZL so that I could apply it to the shipping costs of the HWs and related hardware. You responded with a "Sounds like a plan" which I took to mean that you understood and agreed with me that that would be fair and was acceptable to you. Please slowly and thoroughly re-read my most recent post again, and all of it's quotes, as they are taken from earlier pages of this thread and it should all become clear again. Like I said, I'm ready to send you your headlight wipers and related hardware! Just waiting for you.

To be perfectly honest, heat isn't the only reason why I'm thinking to skip the races this week-end. Money is part of it too. It's funny really. I never had these money "issues" when I was single......

And in case you are wondering, no, I'm not crazy about the new look on Benzer 4, but I want any and all flow I can get! I'm still hoping against hope that B4 has better cams like later 5.0 M119s did compared to the earlier 5.0s and as a result the same mods that I did on B3 will net me even bigger gains on B4! The only thing that may set me back is the fact that B4 has about 30,000 more miles than B3 does (about 174,000), but that is about what your first E420 had on it when you first got it isn't it?. Isn't that the one that makes nearly as much power on the dyno as B3 does but with fewer mods? What is that car up to now for miles? How many miles are on your other E420? Also, are they both still sporting their original plastic oil tubes? Have you had any issues with those yet? Don't you also have a 5.0 with them too? Any issues with that one?
Regards, Eric

 

[gsxr]

Ah, so you want $10 back to ship the wipers. Got it. You weren't exactly clear before, and since you don't use email, I can't remember the specifics. Ship cost for either is basically the same btw, due to the way USPS computes their postage rates. It's not necessarily cheaper to ship the EZL - maybe a couple bucks. What's your PayPal addy?

Please don't compare my dyno numbers to your dyno numbers. We've been over this before. Unless we put both our cars on the same dyno, same day, we just cannot compare a few percent difference - that is easily within the dyno's margin of error based on calibration, etc. Your dragstrip numbers indicate that it's definitely possible your car may indeed be a bit stronger, but again, it's not possible to verify without running in the same configuration at the same track, same day, etc, etc. And if it is stronger, it's hard to pin it down to a single item (although the early EZL may definitely help - shame it doesn't work on 95's).

All 93-up M119's (both 4.2 and 5.0) have different cams, valve springs, pistons/rings, and a few other items; the FSM claims this is for "fuel economy". So yes, your 93 and 95 will have the same setup as both my 95's. My black 95 has ~176k, the silver has ~183k. Both have plastic oil tubes. Silver E420 has all intact oil tubes and zero chain stretch. My E500 has all intact plastic oil tubes. The black E420 has a lifter tick but I haven't pulled the valve cover yet to check the tubes. The silver E420 has not yet been to either dyno or dragstip, but don't worry, it will get there eventually.

 

[gsxr]

I've said all along that being below 80C was best while you used to maintain that anything below 90C was fine.

I've tested plugging in ECT sensor resistors at both 60C and 80C and there was no diffrence. I've run the car at 90C and seen zero loss in power.

As I tried to state above in post #254, but I don't think you read it carefully, the temp gauge reading alone DOES NOT necessarily indicate if the car will run fast or slow. Yes, in general it will be better to have it closer to 60-70C than at 80-90C, but we're talking maybe a tenth here... splitting hairs. The car doesn't consistenly slow down until it's roughly above 90C - at that point, yes, it will almost always start to taper off when it's around 95-100C (again, maybe a tenth or so - it doesn't drop a half-second or anything major).

 

[400Eric]

Ah, so you want $10 back to ship the wipers. Got it. You weren't exactly clear before, and since you don't use email, I can't remember the specifics. Ship cost for either is basically the same btw, due to the way USPS computes their postage rates. It's not necessarily cheaper to ship the EZL - maybe a couple bucks. What's your PayPal addy?

Please just send a check to the address you sent the EZL to. And again, sorry I'm such a poor, broke, cheap a-hole.

Please don't compare my dyno numbers to your dyno numbers. We've been over this before. Unless we put both our cars on the same dyno, same day, we just cannot compare a few percent difference - that is easily within the dyno's margin of error based on calibration, etc. Your dragstrip numbers indicate that it's definitely possible your car may indeed be a bit stronger, but again, it's not possible to verify without running in the same configuration at the same track, same day, etc, etc. And if it is stronger, it's hard to pin it down to a single item (although the early EZL may definitely help - shame it doesn't work on 95's).

I understand all of that. So when are you gonna be in the area so we can line em up?

Also, like I said before, when I get the time to remove the bad gas out of B4, we'll try that 92 EZL in him to see if what happened when you tried it happens to us too.

All 93-up M119's (both 4.2 and 5.0) have different cams, valve springs, pistons/rings, and a few other items; the FSM claims this is for "fuel economy". So yes, your 93 and 95 will have the same setup as both my 95's.

Is it possible that since my 93 was built in calender year 92 (9/92) that it might have the older cams?

My black 95 has ~176k, the silver has ~183k. Both have plastic oil tubes. Silver E420 has all intact oil tubes and zero chain stretch. My E500 has all intact plastic oil tubes. The black E420 has a lifter tick but I haven't pulled the valve cover yet to check the tubes. The silver E420 has not yet been to either dyno or dragstip, but don't worry, it will get there eventually.

Please keep us updated on that lifter tick.

I've tested plugging in ECT sensor resistors at both 60C and 80C and there was no diffrence. I've run the car at 90C and seen zero loss in power.

I can't explain it. I just know that I must complete a run BEFORE I hit 80C or else we're a little slower. If I try to race with it above 90C, we're a full .25 to .35 slower. I guess B3 is like me, we don't like heat! (Which is another one of the reasons why we didn't bother to go today. We're not the only ones though, nobody else wanted to go today either.)

As I tried to state above in post #254, but I don't think you read it carefully, the temp gauge reading alone DOES NOT necessarily indicate if the car will run fast or slow. Yes, in general it will be better to have it closer to 60-70C than at 80-90C, but we're talking maybe a tenth here... splitting hairs.

I did read your post carefully. I read ALL of your posts carefully! And even when I don't agree with you, I value your input immensely. I do understand what you are saying in post #254 and I don't dispute it. The thing is, when you are heads up racing, not only does every tenth count, every HUNDREDTH counts! The last time I raced Casey's Volvo, I beat him by only a 1/4 of a tenth of a second! When Stevo raced Casey, he only beat him by a 1/3 of a tenth of a second! So you see we HAVE to split hairs and get each and every one of those tenths we can get! If either Steve or I had been a tenth slower, we would have been sucking on dirty-cause-it's-cat-converter-is-missing Volvo exhaust! Now that just wouldn't be acceptable, would it?

The car doesn't consistenly slow down until it's roughly above 90C - at that point, yes, it will almost always start to taper off when it's around 95-100C (again, maybe a tenth or so - it doesn't drop a half-second or anything major).

Read my above paragraph again. Every HUNDREDTH counts!
Don't believe me? Check out what's on the next page!
Regards, Eric

 

[400Eric]

The S70 pilot has finally got the videos posted!

Epic 500E vs S70 race:
[youtube]5vErfegRJEU[/youtube]

300E vs 500E (500E redlighted):
[youtube]rigb6oxYEr8[/youtube]

Epic Titan vs. 300E race:
[youtube]i6lGLKSz2KQ[/youtube]

And more from the earlier date, 525i vs. 300E:
[youtube]dMjzDEVJYtY[/youtube]

[youtube]qTsbVdSvsxM[/youtube]
(Again, I've now fixed the 300E's lazy shifting.)

Dave, the last time we were at the track, I started to develop a bubble in my driver side front tire that quickly got fairly bad. It was shaking the car really impressively. Since I still wasn't quite recovered from my bad bout with fever only 2 days earlier, I just didn't have the energy to change it and blew it off thinking that if and when the tread peeled off, I'd change the tire then. Well, it happened the very next day. So now I'm wondering, how much E/T do you reckon that nearly square tire was costing me? I'm still trying to figure out why Benzer 1 was slower last time when he should have been faster. Maybe that bubble skewed things a little? Have you ever done any back to back testing with a bubbled front tire vs. a non-bubbled front tire?

Regards, Eric

 

[gsxr]

Please just send a check to the address you sent the EZL to. And again, sorry I'm such a poor, broke, cheap a-hole.

DUDE! You don't use email *shakes head*, so I don't have it in my stuff anywhere! You'll have to send it to me again (somehow)...

I understand all of that. So when are you gonna be in the area so we can line em up?

Back atcha, pal... when you gonne be in this area? Incentive for the poor, broke, cheap, a-hole: I'll pay for your dyno runs if you get your car up here. I'll even kick in the extra charge for the wideband O2 readout!

Also, like I said before, when I get the time to remove the bad gas out of B4, we'll try that 92 EZL in him to see if what happened when you tried it happens to us too.

Cool. I'm very intereted to hear what happens. It would help confirm my theory that for 4.2L engines/EZL's, the 013- and 014- units are interchangeable with each other, but will not work on a chassis that came with the 015- from the factory (they went to 015-'s very late in '94 model year production on the E420, likely April/May/June 94 calendar year build dates).

Is it possible that since my 93 was built in calender year 92 (9/92) that it might have the older cams?

Nope. It was a model year change, although you can verify by engine number or chassis number based on EPC and FSM data. Your '93 has the late stuff.

Please keep us updated on that lifter tick.

It will probably be a while before I have time to work on that car, so if you don't hear anything by the end of this year, remind me again...

I can't explain it. I just know that I must complete a run BEFORE I hit 80C or else we're a little slower. If I try to race with it above 90C, we're a full .25 to .35 slower. I guess B3 is like me, we don't like heat! (Which is another one of the reasons why we didn't bother to go today. We're not the only ones though, nobody else wanted to go today either.)

I like to stage at 65-75C if possible, but I have done runs where I'm launching at 85-90C with no loss in performance compared to the 60-70C runs. Again, this varies, usually based on the amount of heat soak, which the temp gauge simply cannot show accurately. Above 90C is quite likely to slow a tenth or more, as you have noted.

I did read your post carefully. I read ALL of your posts carefully! And even when I don't agree with you, I value your input immensely. I do understand what you are saying in post #254 and I don't dispute it. The thing is, when you are heads up racing, not only does every tenth count, every HUNDREDTH counts! The last time I raced Casey's Volvo, I beat him by only a 1/4 of a tenth of a second! When Stevo raced Casey, he only beat him by a 1/3 of a tenth of a second! So you see we HAVE to split hairs and get each and every one of those tenths we can get! If either Steve or I had been a tenth slower, we would have been sucking on dirty-cause-it's-cat-converter-is-missing Volvo exhaust! Now that just wouldn't be acceptable, would it?

Dude, if you are routinely getting 0.150 or worse lights, you are giving up a tenth or more at the tree every time. Work on your launches and you can gain back some of that time you're looking for, especially if your opponent isn't good at the tree. It doesn't make sense to go through massive effort trying to shave a few hundredths off when you can do it with your right foot alone (with practice). If you are consistently at 0.100 or better R/T, you're golden (and should probably start bracket racing instead of grudge racing).

Read my above paragraph again. Every HUNDREDTH counts! Don't believe me? Check out what's on the next page!

Oh, no worries, I believe you. For bracket racing you need to dial your car (predict what it will run) within a few hundreths to be competitive against the big boys... AND get a great light ('great' defined as roughly 0.075 or better).

 

[400Eric]

Dave, you're so silly sometimes! Have you already forgotten this:

http://500eboard.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1145&d=1311298745

It's Benzer3's best ever time slip from last December. That's a .021 R/T on there. My opponent in that race was none other than Spacey Casey and his S70 who I'm still beating despite the fact that he has poured large sums of cash into his car and despite the fact that said car is faster now. In our most recent race, the one that I was in fact talking about in my last post on the previous page, the one with the 1/4 of a tenth of a second (.0277) margin of victory, I spanked him again, this time purely on reaction time alone, a superior .044:

[youtube]Z-YSBvjvO_4[/youtube]

Remember Justin's reaction? "I don't know what happened!" Don't you remember how proud of me you and Uncle Gerry were? How could you forget such a thing?

In my most recent trip to the strip, I out R/Ted young Justin on every single run, save for one, where I relighted. That's 3 out of 4 races! BTW, for the record, the race between the Titan and Benzer1 that I linked in the first post on this page, the only one for which we have a video, was Benzer1's WORST showing against the Titan. All of the other races were even closer! It's really too bad we don't videos of those runs!

Anyways, rest assured, I have finely honed my right foot's performance just as I have finely honed Benzers 1's and 3's performances. You've got to remember my first time on a dragstrip was in 1978! I've been doing this a while! I'm not green to drag racing, I'm only kinda green to fuel injected cars.

I will PM you my address.

Regarding us being able to get together, I really don't foresee being in Idaho anytime in the near future. There was a time that I thought I would be, as my best friend, who WAS going to be moving there, now isn't. He is moving to Oregon instead. Meanwhile, we have finally decided where we will be relocating to (Northern Cali) and I will be going up there on several reconnaissance missions in the next 6 months. I will try to make at least a few of them coincide with some of the race dates at Sacramento. Could you please link their site to this thread? I will be in Benzer3 since he is my long distance car (thanks to those wonderful 2.24 gears) and I will try to plan these trips as far in advance as possible so as to give you the chance to make plans to join me. What do you think? We need to runs these cars at a near sea level track in some cooler weather so we can both better our respective best E/Ts!

I'm not ruling out an Idaho trip though. I'd love to take you up on your dyno offer. It's just gonna have to wait until AFTER we are relocated. It will be a shorter trip from Nor Cal! Would also like to coincide that trip with a test and tune day at your drag strip!

You forgot to address my "bubble" question in my post at the top of this page. I'm really wondering if that was costing me a couple of tenths!
Regards, Eric

 

[gsxr]

OK, but what is your AVERAGE reaction time? Anyone can get a killer R/T now & then, but can you do it on demand?

Bubble: Maybe a couple hundredths, if anything. More like zero though. Vibration that's not severe enough to make you lift off the throttle won't slow you down much at all. Couple tenths - no way.

Where are you going in NorCal? Redding? Eureka? (Hint: Sacramento / SF is central CA, at least IMNSHO, when you look at the state map...)

 

[gerryvz]

This thread is killing me. Just killing me.


By the way Eric, Dave doesn't leave Idaho unless he's picking up a new hoopty, likely somewhere in northern/central California. I've been trying to get him to come to Houston (and Portland before that) for many years. Nope, nadda. You will have to go to him I'm afraid....

It's OK not to have an e-mail address by the way. Very similar to Dave actually ... he doesn't have a cell phone.

Brothers in Ludd ;-)

 

[J-Sauce]

In my most recent trip to the strip, I out R/Ted young Justin on every single run, save for one, where I relighted. That's 3 out of 4 races!

Eric refuses to give any credit for that fact that I was in my dad's 3 ton truck which I have never raced before so had no experience launching. He also forgets to mention that the day I brought the e34, I left him at the tree nearly EVERY single time. Somewhere in the range of 12 races, right? With my average RT in the 0.02x-0.08x range and his up in the .1xx+ for most of the day.

Don't worry Eric, I'll keep your secret. And when I get back in the 500E and burn you then too, you can blame it on my drag radials and your tall gears. Or you can be sick or tired from lack of sleep the night before due to excitement. Or even a big meal, because as you have so elegantly informed us: "Digestion kills r/t's!"

 

[J-Sauce]

I just watched the video and holy shit I almost lost a lung. Listen closely at about 14 seconds into this video:

[youtube]dMjzDEVJYtY[/youtube]

Video evidence! Anyone care to play stenographer so I don't hammer in anything through the powers of suggestion?

 

[gsxr]

Eric refuses to give any credit for that fact that I was in my dad's 3 ton truck which I have never raced before so had no experience launching. He also forgets to mention that the day I brought the e34, I left him at the tree nearly EVERY single time. Somewhere in the range of 12 races, right? With my average RT in the 0.02x-0.08x range and his up in the .1xx+ for most of the day.

Don't worry Eric, I'll keep your secret. And when I get back in the 500E and burn you then too, you can blame it on my drag radials and your tall gears. Or you can be sick or tired from lack of sleep the night before due to excitement. Or even a big meal, because as you have so elegantly informed us: "Digestion kills r/t's!"

SAUCEMAN SPILLS THE BEANS! Heheheheheheheh. Thanks for the update, Justin!

I just watched the video and holy shit I almost lost a lung. Listen closely at about 14 seconds into this video:

I listened but can't catch what's being said. A transcript would be helpful...

 

[jano]

I'm preparing for September 3 - very excited - going back and reading the various tips and notes on how to do this stuff. But, I've got some etiquette questions.. what do you bring? Food? Water? How about gfs, sos, friends, family, etc? Do you tow the car in, or drive there?

 

[gsxr]

I'm preparing for September 3 - very excited - going back and reading the various tips and notes on how to do this stuff. But, I've got some etiquette questions.. what do you bring? Food? Water? How about gfs, sos, friends, family, etc? Do you tow the car in, or drive there?

The locals will need to fill you in on some of those details, as each track is different. At my track, you have a pit area, where you can set up chairs & a canopy if desired, a cooler with food & drinks, etc. No alcohol though. Some tracks (like Sacto) are set up where all the cars park in the staging lanes and you don't really have a pit area. If it's going to be a warm day, at least bring a small cooler with some drinks, you can keep it in the back seat on the floor if necessary even if you don't have pit space.

GF/SO/family are usually welcome as long as you don't mind them being around, and they can get some nice video. If your car runs 14 seconds or slower, you can take a passenger down the track. If you are 13.99 or quicker, you'll need a helmet. Also required are long pants, closed-toed shoes, and shirt with sleeves (no shorts, sandals, or wifebeaters).

Drive the car in unless you're worried about it possibly breaking at the track; or unless you happen to have a nice car trailer and it's not a big deal to haul it in. I have AAA towing but have never had to use it to get a car home from the race track. Worst casualty so far has been a punctured tire.

 

[szvook]

When Stevo raced Casey, he only beat him by a 1/3 of a tenth of a second! So you see we HAVE to split hairs and get each and every one of those tenths we can get! If either Steve or I had been a tenth slower, we would have been sucking on dirty-cause-it's-cat-converter-is-missing Volvo exhaust! Now that just wouldn't be acceptable.

Well...I can safely say that my time would have been faster if I didn't trigger ASR on that run.

 

[szvook]

The S70 pilot has finally got the videos posted!

Nice, thank you "S70 pilot".

 

[szvook]

I'm preparing for September 3 - very excited - going back and reading the various tips and notes on how to do this stuff. But, I've got some etiquette questions.. what do you bring? Food? Water? How about gfs, sos, friends, family, etc? Do you tow the car in, or drive there?

Me too, I need to break the 14 seconds barrier...if it kills me. I usually bring enough water, juice and soda for all and end up bringing more then needed. So if we want to share the liquid inventory, we can just list who is bringing what. There's food and drinks being sold at the track, albeit at a higher price, i.e. hot dogs cost $4. Anyone can show up, but each person has to pay as well and it's $10 for spectators. I drive my car from L.A. to Fontana and none of my family members or my girlfriend cares to come with, that and they will not spend the whole day waiting for my races. So it's three of us - me, myself and I.

 

[400Eric]

OK, but what is your AVERAGE reaction time? Anyone can get a killer R/T now & then, but can you do it on demand?

In more recent times we were averaging under 0.100 for the most part till I started bringing Benzer1. He is very hard to be consistent with. I think it's because of the limited abilities of the old CIS-E system which doesn't seem to be able to react quickly and consistently to the realities of drag racing, his E/Ts are all over the place too, running 15.9s to 16.4s. Benzer3, even in wildly varying conditions, rarely runs outside of his 14.4 to 14.5 zone, unless he and/or the weather is hot.

Where are you going in NorCal? Redding? Eureka? (Hint: Sacramento / SF is central CA, at least IMNSHO, when you look at the state map...)

Exact location isn't set in stone yet, that's one of the things that the reconnaissance missions are for. Suffice it to say it will be somewhere north of S.F. and south of Eureka. I wouldn't live in Redding if you paid me to. I mean really, if I have to endure a climate similar to yours there in Idaho, I might as well live in Idaho! That would be much better! No, we are gonna try to stay fairly close to the coast. Sacramento is on my way up and it's on my way back down. (Albeit a little too much to the East.) So how about a Sacramento meet!

This thread is killing me. Just killing me.

You have to admit Uncle Gerry, your life would be a bit more boring without this thread.

Speaking of this thread, yesterday, it was 14 pages long, today, it is only 11 pages long. What happened?

By the way Eric, Dave doesn't leave Idaho unless he's picking up a new hoopty, likely somewhere in northern/central California. I've been trying to get him to come to Houston (and Portland before that) for many years. Nope, nadda. You will have to go to him I'm afraid....

It's not gonna kill him to come to Sacramento. It's his only chance to get killer, uncorrected E/Ts.
Plus, if I remember correctly, he has reasons to go there anyways that aren't related to cars.

It's OK not to have an e-mail address by the way. Very similar to Dave actually ... he doesn't have a cell phone.

I have an e-mail address, I just don't like to sign in to it....... too much junk e-mail to wade through.

I'll bet Dave DOES have a cell phone, he just doesn't want to give the number to anyone!

Eric refuses to give any credit for that fact that I was in my dad's 3 ton truck which I have never raced before so had no experience launching. He also forgets to mention that the day I brought the e34, I left him at the tree nearly EVERY single time. Somewhere in the range of 12 races, right? With my average RT in the 0.02x-0.08x range and his up in the .1xx+ for most of the day.

Dude, you are WAY wrong on that. You've got a selective memory. You redlighted a few runs and I redlighted a few too. The remaining runs were split almost 50/50 with you taking slightly more R/Ts than me. But here's the thing: What you are saying about you and your Dad's Titan applied to me and Benzer1 that day. You've been driving your e34 on a daily basis for over 2 years while I've barely even touched Benzer1 ever since he tanked at the track way back in 12/09, which was his first and only other day at the track. This first day back at the track since that first 12/09 date was the first day I've done anything with Benzer1 as Benzer3 had only recently had his rear window knocked out. Benzer1 is a completely different animal than what I'm accustomed to in Benzer3, which is the car that I have been racing at the track since 11/08 and the one that I have been doing by far the most daily driving in! Don't forget too that Benzer1 was for sale for over a year and I was not driving him for that reason too as I didn't want to rack up any more miles on him than what he already had as they were already too high and those high miles were being cited by potential buyers as one of the factors that "scared them away from the car". All of this added up to me needing to learn and relearn Benzer1, practicing several different launching techniques, trying to find what was most effective. Again, that 12/09 date was the only other time I had ever had Benzer1 at the track, making the e34 day only the second time ever that I had had Benzer1 to the track, a second time that was over a year and a half after the first time, when I only got to run 3 times. Also, as alluded to in my post to Dave, there is also the simple fact that Benzer 1, while MUCH quicker than your e34, isn't very consistent. (Except for, inexplicably, when he is being hot lapped.) Anyways, if you want, when you get back out here, I'll find the timeslips from that day and we'll post the exact tally here in this thread.

Don't worry Eric, I'll keep your secret. And when I get back in the 500E and burn you then too, you can blame it on my drag radials and your tall gears. Or you can be sick or tired from lack of sleep the night before due to excitement. Or even a big meal, because as you have so elegantly informed us: "Digestion kills r/t's!"

Oh yeah, that takes some stones, pick a race with me with a 500E, a car that has a much bigger engine and much shorter gears, a car that cost 28 THOUSAND DOLLARS MORE THAN MY 400E DID WHEN THEY BOTH WERE NEW. :roll:

I'll tell you what, you leave your baby bottle at home (the N2O), and you'll be my first victim when I bring MY Volvo to the track! Sound like a plan?
And before you mention anything about how my Volvo isn't ready to race yet, don't forget that your 500E is no longer track ready either. They both need work. ;-)

The rest of you will have to excuse Justin, I know he used to be such a nice kid but he's no longer getting laid on a regular basis anymore and it shows.

I just watched the video and holy shit I almost lost a lung. Listen closely at about 14 seconds into this video:

[youtube]dMjzDEVJYtY[/youtube]

Video evidence! Anyone care to play stenographer so I don't hammer in anything through the powers of suggestion?

Trying to figure out what is being said there reminds me of when we used to listen to Led Zeppelin records backwards trying to figure out the secret messages. (And no, we weren't doing drugs.) After a while, they were saying just about anything you thought they were saying! I suspect we are gonna find that the same thing is going on here. ;-)

Let's just enjoy the video for what it is: a great video that NEVER gets old! :-D
Regards, Eric

 

[gerryvz]

Speaking of this thread, yesterday, it was 14 pages long, today, it is only 11 pages long. What happened?

Don't wig ... Nothing happened. Evidently you either changed your "display number of posts per page" setting or you are using another browser? This thread has been 7 pages long for me for AT LEAST the past few days, but I have my personal settings set up to display 40 posts per "page". Come to think of it, I may have increased the "system default" threads displayed per page, but you can override this with your own preference if you wish.

You may want to check your own "display posts" setting and change it to something you find usable.

I'll bet Dave DOES have a cell phone, he just doesn't want to give the number to anyone!

I don't think so. He doesn't have a cell phone listed here in the company directory either (he and I work for the same global company). But you know, when one lives in Idaho, they can actually get away with not having a cellphone. Most other places, wouldn't work. I bet his wife has one though...

Keep on keepin' on ..... nephew.

Cheers,
Gerry

 

[gsxr]

I agree - I couldn't live in Redding either. It's like two hundred degrees up there most of the summer, and at night, it just gets dark (not cooler). No thanks! Idaho weather is nearly ideal for me, although I wouldn't mind if it was cooler in July/August.

I do go to Sacto area now & then, but don't often bring the 500's. The silver E420 is down there more often, could be interesting to run. The couple times I went to Sacto for their Weds night drags (years ago), the starting line was lousy, I don't think they bother spraying for the cheap/grudge nights. So, traction could be an issue, but it would affect us equally.

No cell phone - seriously. Only way I'd get one is if my job insisted I had to be on call, and if my job would pay for it. Otherwise - no go. Even then, I wouldn't give the number to anyone except my wife, lol. I had a cell back in 1992, and it did come in handy while doing construction work (no phones on site). I canceled it when I moved out of state in '94 and never had a reason to get one again. Then people's cell manners got worse & worse to the point where I refused to be associated with all the bad behavior related to them. So yes, I have no cell, and I'm proud of that fact.

BTW: If you would get a Gmail account, Eric, you wouldn't have a ton of junk mail to wade through. Your mistake is having a Yahoo email account. BT, DT.

 

[jano]

If I can figure out this redlining issue, this first timer will be spanking all of you - volvos and everything.

 

[gsxr]

I can't wait for Jano to show up in his old 260E (with AMG wheels, of course) and spank Eric's 400E. Muwaahahahahahahaaaaa....

 

[J-Sauce]

blah blah blah

You kinda talked yourself up against a wall there. You clearly stated that you have had this car at the track before, which I NEVER had in the e34. Never even raced anyone on the street. You have owned your 300e for YEARS longer than I have my e34. I really don't see how you're going to make excuses for launching that day. Buutt!! To give you credit because I am a nice kid, you did get the best R/T of the day which I believe was a 0.028. Oh wait, mine was a 0.020! haha I guess I'm not that nice after all. Yes, we both red lighted a couple of times, but I am referring to races where neither of us did.

Oh yeah, that takes some stones, pick a race with me with a 500E, a car that has a much bigger engine and much shorter gears, a car that cost 28 THOUSAND DOLLARS MORE THAN MY 400E DID WHEN THEY BOTH WERE NEW. :roll:

I'll tell you what, you leave your baby bottle at home (the N2O), and you'll be my first victim when I bring MY Volvo to the track! Sound like a plan?
And before you mention anything about how my Volvo isn't ready to race yet, don't forget that your 500E is no longer track ready either. They both need work. ;-)

Do I sense some inadequacy issues Mr. 4.2? Besides, weren't you the one trying to organize this N2O from the get-go? Weren't you arguing for months that it WASN'T cheating or deserving of scrutiny? I wasn't challenging you based on E/T's, only R/T's. I'm definitely not one to brag about winning an unfair race. (Unless it's a race where I had the disadvantage ) All in good fun, no need to get defensive buddy ol pal!

The rest of you will have to excuse Justin, I know he used to be such a nice kid but he's no longer getting laid on a regular basis anymore and it shows.

Now that's just irrelevant, and assumptive on your part. All you know if that I no longer have a girlfriend. (thank God!)

Trying to figure out what is being said there reminds me of when we used to listen to Led Zeppelin records backwards trying to figure out the secret messages. (And no, we weren't doing drugs.) After a while, they were saying just about anything you thought they were saying! I suspect we are gonna find that the same thing is going on here. ;-)

Let's just enjoy the video for what it is: a great video that NEVER gets old! :-D
Regards, Eric

Yes, I do love seeing a Benz spank a BMW ANY day of the week, even if I'm driving the bavarian wagon. The entertainment is only exacerbated by the announcer exclaiming: "Bimmer with a WAAAAAAYYYYYYY better reaction time..."

 

[szvook]

The thing is, when you are heads up racing, not only does every tenth count, every HUNDREDTH counts

Since “we” are nitpicking at the fractions of the seconds, how much time do you think I lost when I broke traction going from 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] to 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] gear, in the 500E vs. S70 video? At .32 seconds into playback, you can hear my rear tires break traction…he, he, and me likey . The track must have cooled down by then to make it slippery further down the lanes.

At least I finally got to hear my exhaust while not in the car and both videos captured some of the higher rev notes I wanted to hear. I need a recording from closer to the lanes and at ground level.

 

[400Eric]

Steve, I think that is the S70 losing traction on the shift. He does it all of the time. A manual trans car tends to do that more than an auto does because of the shock of the sudden, violent shift that isn't cushioned by a fluid coupling like our autos are. His front wheel drive is also a factor here in that under hard acceleration, his front wheels are unloaded. He often gets 3rd gear chirps too for these same reasons. Are you getting second gear chips on the street? If not, I doubt that you were getting them at the track. I think these cars won't give you second gear chips unless they have had the "T-bar" mod done. I did said mod to Benzer 1 after the e34 day and now he IS giving me second gear chips on the street but still not at the track! I don't think there are any 500Es that get 3rd gear chirps. If you're not getting second gear chirps, I seriously doubt that you are getting 3rd gear chirps.

If I can figure out this redlining issue, this first timer will be spanking all of you - volvos and everything.

View attachment 2964

Careful there. One of the Volvos runs mid-13s. This is a video of it destroying the S70 that Steve and I are just BARELY able to beat

[youtube]2dYWDtudkbs[/youtube]

Regards, Eric

 

[szvook]

Steve, I think that is the S70 losing traction on the shift. He does it all of the time. A manual trans car tends to do that more than an auto does because of the shock of the sudden, violent shift that isn't cushioned by a fluid coupling like our autos are. His front wheel drive is also a factor here in that under hard acceleration, his front wheels are unloaded.

Ah, I thought it was me. I was listening to Tool fairly loud and didn't hear much else then that and my exhaust at WOT.

Are you getting second gear chips on the street?

Only a few times and that was with older tires.

So which ride are you gonna bring on the 3rd?

 

[400Eric]

You kinda talked yourself up against a wall there. You clearly stated that you have had this car at the track before, which I NEVER had in the e34. Never even raced anyone on the street. You have owned your 300e for YEARS longer than I have my e34. I really don't see how you're going to make excuses for launching that day. Buutt!! To give you credit because I am a nice kid, you did get the best R/T of the day which I believe was a 0.028. Oh wait, mine was a 0.020! haha I guess I'm not that nice after all. Yes, we both red lighted a couple of times, but I am referring to races where neither of us did.

The bottom line is you've been driving the e34 for the past over 2 years while I've barely even touched Benzer1 for over a year and a half.

Like I said, when you get back, let's put the timeslips together and post the entire results here in this thread. ;-)

Do I sense some inadequacy issues Mr. 4.2? Besides, weren't you the one trying to organize this N2O from the get-go? Weren't you arguing for months that it WASN'T cheating or deserving of scrutiny? I wasn't challenging you based on E/T's, only R/T's. I'm definitely not one to brag about winning an unfair race. (Unless it's a race where I had the disadvantage ) All in good fun, no need to get defensive buddy ol pal!

Yes, I was in favor of the N2O buy, it's needed to be able to be competitive with all of the quick cars that are out there today like G8s, WRXs, 335is and 135is, all of which routinely run high 12s to low low 13s. I just want you to cut me the same deal that you are gonna cut Casey when you race him and leave the bottle at home so you can save money not having to buy N2O. ;-)

Now that's just irrelevant, and assumptive on your part. All you know if that I no longer have a girlfriend. (thank God!)

All in good fun, no need to get defensive buddy ol pal! ;-)

Yes, I do love seeing a Benz spank a BMW ANY day of the week, even if I'm driving the bavarian wagon. The entertainment is only exacerbated by the announcer exclaiming: "Bimmer with a WAAAAAAYYYYYYY better reaction time..."

Does anybody else here hear that in the video?
Regards, Eric

 

[400Eric]

So which ride are you gonna bring on the 3rd?

I honestly can't say at this point. I'd like to line the 400E up with your 500E before your 500E gets much faster but I also want to bring my Volvo to line up against the S70 because he's probably gonna be in the high-13s by then. The S70 pilot, like Justin, is young and with few of the financial responsibilities that us older guys have, he is able to lavish large sums of money in the pursuit of speed. I really don't see Benzer3 getting much faster without something drastic like an engine swap or lower gears or N2O or a remote turbo. The only problem is I'm not sure I can have my Volvo ready by then.

I'm also kinda on a Benzer1 kick right now. If you do the math, using the old accepted 10 horsepower is equal to a tenth of a second formula, Benzer1, with his about 100 fewer horsepower than Benzer3, should be running uncorrected mid-15s, and I'm pretty determined to get them. Benzer1 also has the added advantage of being 500 pounds lighter AND has much lower gearing to boot than Benzer3 does. Yes, the torque output is also about a hundred less but it is proportionate to the horsepower output in the same way Benzer3's is. So, I want to see some mid-15s! Plus, in this hotter weather, it makes more sense to race the 300E as my Volvo and both of my 4.2s HATE the hot weather, while B1 seems to love it. So I guess it depends on what the weather is gonna be too. Still gotta get that rear window on B3 fixed too.

Don't forget, there is 1 August date and 2 September dates!

All silliness aside, you guys have to admit that this last date was great fun and the close racing that we saw between the Titan and 300E and the close racing between the 500E and S70 was epic!
Regards, Eric

 

[400Eric]

OK, let's analyze some videos to see where that chirp is coming from.
In this race we hear a small chirp that must be coming from the S70 because the car he is racing is an automatic equipped AWD Volvo.

[youtube]J7CtnfbD3Vw[/youtube]

That same chirp is heard in this video of the 500E vs S70 race. It is fairly early in the race, just like in the race above, which tells us that it is on the 1-2 shift, not the 2-3 shift.

[youtube]5vErfegRJEU[/youtube]

Analyzing this video it appears that I'm mistaken about Benzer1. It seems that maybe we are getting a little chirp on some of our runs at the track after all. Much more faint than what we get on the street though and also much more faint than the already little one that the S70 makes. If you listen carefully, you can clearly hear how Benzer1's drop in RPM coincides with the conclusion of the shift which is exactly when the chirp is heard. I don't think we are getting a chirp from the 500E. In this race it is definitely a different sounding chirp than what we hear in the 2 videos that have the S70.
[youtube]rigb6oxYEr8[/youtube]

In this video the wind is blowing so hard I can't even hear the second gear shift at all so we don't know if there was a chirp this time or not.
[youtube]i6lGLKSz2KQ[/youtube]

The thing about that track is when it's warm, it hooks better than the street but when it's cold, it hooks worse than the street, especially if they aren't doing their job and keeping it dry, which is usually the case.

For the record, my much more powerful, much quicker 400E doesn't give me 2nd gear chirps at all. Not ever. It is because I was a chicken and only turned the T-bar one turn in B3. In B1, I didn't care and turned it almost all the way in cause I'm hunting that mid-15! I'm now thinking to do the same to B3 as there doesn't seem to be any ill effect from doing so. Jonathan out of Atlanta told me he turns them in all the way and it doesn't hurt anything and now with B1 I'm finding that he may be right! Maybe there are a few tenths to be gained by doing the same to B3! Maybe the rest of you could gain something too?
Regards, Eric

 

[400Eric]

I can't wait for Jano to show up in his old 260E (with AMG wheels, of course) and spank Eric's 400E. Muwaahahahahahahaaaaa....

Now why would you want to see that?

I went to his page to try to bone up on that 260E but there is no info on it there. What's the scoop?
Regards, Eric

 

[gsxr]

For the record, my much more powerful, much quicker 400E doesn't give me 2nd gear chirps at all. Not ever.

For the record, my much more powerful, much quicker E500 doesn't give me chirps at *any* shift, at any of the 4 tracks I've been to (including three at sea level). If y'all are breaking traction at shifts, it's most likely due to tire pressure being at street levels (30+psi), or really bad track conditions. W124/722.3 setups would have to provide a BANG of an upshift to break traction and the 400E/500E simply are not programmed to do this at WOT, even if the modulator is firmed up quite a bit.

Jonathan out of Atlanta told me he turns them in all the way and it doesn't hurt anything and now with B1 I'm finding that he may be right! Maybe there are a few tenths to be gained by doing the same to B3! Maybe the rest of you could gain something too?

Maybe a few hundredths, if you're lucky. But this would also make all your part-throttle shifts stupidly firm and beat up the driveline when poking around town. Might be ok for a racecar that only sees WOT shifts, but this is not an option for a street driven car. Try it out though, and see how much your ET changes (if at all).

Now why would you want to see that? I went to his page to try to bone up on that 260E but there is no info on it there. What's the scoop?

Sorry, I think it's actually a 200E (gray market import) with a cool body kit - but it's having some tranny issues at the moment. Maybe he'll bring the E500 instead.

 

[gerryvz]

I agree with GSXR with regard to shift-chirps. I've had this happen but only a couple of times, whether running on the strip normally aspirated or with nitrous -- and NEVER chirped with my drag radials. Also agree that the transmission shifts way too softly and slowly to consistently chirp-upshift.

Eric, sounds like perhaps you've been listening to the Beach Boys a little too much lately ?!?

I get pushed out of shape and it's hard to steer.
When I get rubber in all four gears.
She's my little four-hoop.
You don't know what I got ...






Cheers,
Gerry

 

[jano]

I went to his page to try to bone up on that 260E but there is no info on it there. What's the scoop?
Regards, Eric

It's european. Is that sweat on your brow, Eric?

Sorry, I think it's actually a 200E (gray market import) with a cool body kit

Don't forget the exhaust.. check out my latest mod. Thinking about a racing strip, too, that'll add 0.2735bhp. Thoughts?

 

[gsxr]

DUDE! Those would drop a least two tenths if they weren't perforated!!! You shoulda got the non-perforated pipes... also, if you turned the air horns around, they might provide a nitrous-like power boost. Yeah!!


:fish:

 

[ERASE]

3rd....That's today!! When and where? I'd like to see this!!!!!

 

[gsxr]

I think he means September 3rd. There is an August-13 date also open:

http://www.autoclubspeedway.com/Tickets-Events/Event-Calendar.aspx

 

[szvook]

OK, let's analyze some videos to see where that chirp is coming from.

In my race with the S70, the chirp is taking place further down the lane compared to other races the S70 was in and in in my race, the S70’s nose is down at the time of the chirp, which means he wasn’t in the next gear when the chirp is heard, thus I thought it was me. Plus with cars in the right lane, the audible is heard a bit more clearly and up front. In our race, your car’s chirp is heard more in the background even with my exhaust note blaring. It just seems the track did get slippery in the evening, that and the temperature at a higher elevation does drop quicker than at sea level. And yes, my car did not chirp any other time when the sun was still out, only at the takeoff.

 

[szvook]

Last night I went through my time slips and sure enough, the ET times with using the perforated intake hoses were all faster than when OEM hoses were used. The only and slowest time I had with the perforated hoses was the first race where I eased up on the throttle at the end. So…

 

[szvook]

I think he means September 3rd.

Yeah, my bad...should have added September. I can’t make the August 13[SUP]th[/SUP] date regardless. Plus the first weekend of September is Labor Day weekend, so maybe more of our peeps will show up then. And to help Eric to drive his point across…take your W124.036 garage queens out to stretch their legs a bit.

 

[szvook]

Don't forget the exhaust.. check out my latest mod.

He, he...the pipes are just a tad "small".

 

[400Eric]

I agree with GSXR with regard to shift-chirps. I've had this happen but only a couple of times, whether running on the strip normally aspirated or with nitrous -- and NEVER chirped with my drag radials. Also agree that the transmission shifts way too softly and slowly to consistently chirp-upshift.

Eric, sounds like perhaps you've been listening to the Beach Boys a little too much lately ?!?

I get pushed out of shape and it's hard to steer.
When I get rubber in all four gears.
She's my little four-hoop.
You don't know what I got ...






Cheers,
Gerry

Dave, Uncle, I'm the one that was telling Steve that he wasn't really getting second gear chirps! You guys are both agreeing with ME! How can I be the first one to say that but now somehow I'm wrong?

If you are referring to my own second gear chirps, yes, my little punk 3.0 I6 IS getting second gear chirps all of the time now but only because I turned the T-bar ALL of the way in like Jono does. If the rest of you did that you'd be getting second gear chirps too. And I'm thinking to do it to B3 now since now I'm more confident that I can get away with it without breaking something. (Like Jono said we can.) I only did it because B1's 235,000 mile trans was really getting lazy with it's shifts. You can hear how lazy they were in my races against the e34. It was so bad it sounded like the trans was going bad! That's what's so funny about this, if a punk 3.0 with a nearly bad trans can be made into a second gear chipping beast with the T-bar mod then just about any other Benz can be made into one too! Ask Jono!

When Justin gets back I'll take him for a ride in B1 and he'll confirm for you all that B1 really is doing second gear chirps now. Or you can watch and listen to the video of my race with Steve again, as it's very clear there. (Faint but clear.)
Regards, Eric

 

[szvook]

Ok, I was wrong, it wasn't my that chirped. Had a chance to hear the audio through better headphones from the 90 Volvo 760 Vs. 98 Volvo s70 T5 race and the chirp is identical in sound. So my hoopty did not break traction in lower gears that day.

 

[400Eric]

Last night I went through my time slips and sure enough, the ET times with using the perforated intake hoses were all faster than when OEM hoses were used. The only and slowest time I had with the perforated hoses was the first race where I eased up on the throttle at the end. So…

That only proves that you need to ditch your headlight panels as the stock tubes aren't getting enough air with them in place.

Steve, you've got to remember that I'm telling you this stuff because I want to see you do well! Why do you resist?

But like I said, go ahead and don't listen to the guy who's 2.24 geared 4.2 is as quick as your 2.82 geared 5.0 is. This will buy me more time till I can get B3 back to the track! Muhahahaha ;-)
Regards, Eric

 

[400Eric]

In my race with the S70, the chirp is taking place further down the lane compared to other races the S70 was in and in in my race, the S70’s nose is down at the time of the chirp, which means he wasn’t in the next gear when the chirp is heard, thus I thought it was me. Plus with cars in the right lane, the audible is heard a bit more clearly and up front. In our race, your car’s chirp is heard more in the background even with my exhaust note blaring. It just seems the track did get slippery in the evening, that and the temperature at a higher elevation does drop quicker than at sea level. And yes, my car did not chirp any other time when the sun was still out, only at the takeoff.

Sometimes, when he is not hooking well, he shifts into the next gear earlier.

The nose is down because during a shift, the clutch has disengaged the engine. As a result, no power is being applied. When the clutch is reengaged, the sudden shock chirps the tires, THEN the front-end comes back up once traction is reestablished.

Yes, the track does get slipperier as the night wears on. In my notes I had written this about my last run of the night: "Funky shift! Didn't go below 5,000 RPM when we hit 2nd." We usually go a little below 4,500 RPM on that shift. I didn't know what the cause was until we were reviewing the videos and saw that we got that small second gear chirp on the run with the 500E. I didn't hear the chirp because I couldn't hear anything at all on that last run because of the super loud 10 second car in the next lane. So that "Funky shift" was in fact another second gear scratch, the most severe of the day/night, apparently because, like you said, the track was getting slippery.
Regards, Eric