Pass 6:
I decided to hot lap the car and made this pass within 5 mins of the last one! No changes to anything, but I wanted to see how the car would do letting the transmission shift itself so I kept it in 2, (that was the plan) until I partially screwed it up. I footbraked to 1619 rpms and then the converter flashed to around 4931 rpms. Forgetting that it was going to make the 1-2 shift itself, as the top of 1st gear arrived and it was making the 1-2 shift, I also instinctively moved the shifter from 2 to D, so I think it just went 1-2-3 real quick? Datalog shows a shift at 5923 rpms and then it stayed in 3rd for forever. As it got close to 6200 rpms I backed down on the throttle, got off the nitrous, back on the throttle, and then a little nitrous at the very end while finishing at 6202 rpms.
Datalog and Timeslip:
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk_qrgz67HI
Pass 7.
I had just tried all I could with the 27" Hoosiers but knowing I am truly out of rpm at the top end, I put on the 28" tall MT ET street SS wheels and also moved the rear LCA back down a hole on the axle mount, so it is now back pointing downward-rearward at an angle of 3 deg downhill. I set the tire pressure of these at 18.0 and did not adjust any shock settings. Footbraked the car a little higher than usual, at 3063 rpms, which made the converter flash to 5049. The launch was good, didn't notice any tire slip and it went 1.38 in the 60 foot! For shifting, I think I did the exact same thing as the previous run and the datalog shows a gear change at 6129 rpms which I can only assume is the 2-3 shift? Climbed through 3rd gear again, actually backed off the throttle AND the nitrous was off for 1.4 seconds (see datalog) but somehow, mysteriously, went 10.55 at only 123 mph which is now my P.B. for E.T. on this car. A little bewildering here, but shows that there is more ET in the car regarding the shifts. Not a great pass, but its the current benchmark I am at!
Datalog and Timeslip:
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cTIwKOxLaw
Pass 8.
We had decided to take the cone away and fully open up the right hand starting area of the track, so I wanted to give it a go in that lane. I knew the groove at the line was going to be cold since it was not used yet today, but I tried a nitrous launch anyways. Footbrake launched the car from a lower rpm at 1827 and converter flashed to 5022 while the car spun a bit on the launch. Looking at the datalog, I again cant see the 1-2 shift so it might have happened while the tires spun and there was a gearchange at 6188 rpms. Rode out most of the pass in 3rd gear, backed off the throttle again during the backhalf, and was fully off the nitrous for the last 1.7 seconds of the run too! Woah
Timeslip and Datalog:
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKKCZC2lI2E
Pass 9.
Tommy with the supercharged Cadillac wanted to make a side by side pass since we both were running similar timeslips that day and he had a 360GoPro so I said sure and took the right lane that I actually just had trouble in. (We actually went again and switched lanes for pass #11). I decided to bring the rear tire pressure up to 19.0 psi. Footbrake launch from 1962 rpms and I was late on the tree this time when it actually did matter. The car launched decent for a low footbrake rpm but he was already out on me. I shifted this run and went from 1st into 2nd at 6443 rpms and then 2-3 at 6225 rpms. Moving around the throttle position on the top end again and finishing at 6216 rpms. It would have been a better side-by-side race if I left on time!
Timeslip and Datalog:
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YsJYav9Wzc
360 GoPro video:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ldW7aXoX0jU
Pass 10.
Kept everything the same in relation to shocks and tire pressure settings. Moved back into the left lane. Footbraked to 1731 rpms and converter flashed to 4889 rpms. The transmission shifted itself from 1-2-3 or maybe just 2-3 from what it looks like. Who knows anymore! It was then in 3rd gear forever, and like usual when it gets close to 6200 rpms I have to back off the throttle and get off the nitrous as well, this time I was off the button for just about 2 full seconds. Jeez.
Timeslip and Datalog:
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9HtlhdlDPE
Pass 11. Switched lanes with Tom in the black Cadillac for my last run of the day. Footbrake launch from a much lower rpm than usual, just a high-idle basically, 1268 rpms. Flashed the converter to 5224 rpms and unknown where the 1-2 shift is, but there was a gear change at 5994 rpms and then I kinda stayed at only 85% throttle for most of the run. Another gear change at 6184 rpms. I was off the nitrous for 2.6 seconds according to the datalog and finished the run on-motor at 6281 rpms. I accidentally dragged the video file off the memory card and deleted it without saving it, so my footage is gone. I am going to see if Tom has the 360 GoPro video from his lane, at least I came out in front that time. This 10.59 was actually my second best pass of the day, and turned out to be my 3rd best pass of all time.
Datalog and timeslip:
Now, with all that info and testing, I have a few ideas about what I can do to resolve the "running out of rpm" but all of that will be a winter season project. My really old laptop has finally died and wont turn on for the 5th day in a row, so I have to budget for a new one. I have some ambition to try to street-drive the car out to Maple Grove Racetrack in Pennsylvania during these next few weeks of November, so there's a chance I might do that. I've gotta re-think the benefit of letting the car shift on its own, something I have experimented with multiple times at the track and only had fair results. However, this time, letting it shift on its own is giving me great results. I am wondering if I leave the shifter in 2 and launch from there while letting the car do the 1-2 shift, and me doing the 2-3 shift around 6000 rpms. I am tired of over-spinning this engine, it no longer is paying off on the timeslips.