I am going to the track (1/4 mile drag) for the first time with my TTA. What should I leave home for weight savings? I understand that a full tank of gas will help traction. Should other easily removed items like back seats and spare tire be left in place for traction also? I'm running BFG G-force street tires, I'm thinking about 28 psi? Thanks for all the advice!

 

put slicks on it if you're serious about going fast. otherwise don't bother removing weight since on street tires it won't make much of a difference at all, maybe .1-.2 MAYBE.

 

Street tires don't like low pressure. The sidewalls are too stiff. When you lower the pressure it forces the center of the tire off the ground.

Remove any loose items. If you don't think you'll need it, remove the spare tire and jack. As mentioned above, you're not going to gain very much unless you gut a lot from the car. Fuel is about 6 pounds per gallon. A full 18 gallon tank has 108 pounds of fuel in it. A half tank only has 54 pounds.

 

take the front sway bar off. i'm sure it's got the big ws6 sway bars so that's probably like 20lbs. right there, not to mention that by disconnecting the front sway bar, you'll be allowing the front suspension to articulate better for those hard launches.

 

[quote=mw66nova;3030657]take the front sway bar off.quote]

Will that greatly affect the handling on the far end of the track? I don't want the car to feel loose at 100mph but maybe since I'm going straight it won't matter.

I'm still worried about shooting myself in the foot by removing the rear seats and spare because the weight is so far back and may affect traction. Sure is tempting because of how easy it would be!

 

I'd like to have slicks but I'm trying to get by without spending more money. If you'd like to loan me a pair I'd love to bolt them on.

.1-.2 would be awsome if I could get that just by removing a few loose pieces! I've never raced before so I don't know exactly what to expect for times. Before I bought the car it was bone stock and ran a 13.5. I have done a few mods - my personal goal would be 12.999. I'm not sure if that is realistic with such an new driver to the sport.

Lets just say if I end up running 13.0 the first couple runs the parts will be flying into the back of the truck unless it is bolted down really well or necessary.

 

i've not had any problems. as a matter of fact, i'm not running one at all right now, though only cause i've misplaced an endlink, if i had it, the sway bar would be back on the car for the street.

 

I wouldnt go through too much trouble for only a small difference, what mods have you done? What are you using as a scantool? 12's come pretty easy with a TTA, but having some sort of sticky tire helps and you need to know whats going on with the motor.

Here's an example of what these cars are capable of - my car ran 13.6 @ 100 bone stock(16.5psi). With an old thrasher 92 chip, K&N filter on an ATR inlet pipe, drag radials, and removed the sway bar end links resulted in 12.6 @ 106(18psi). Added racegas, thrasher 108 chip, dump pipe, and M/T et streets(26x11.5x16)resulted in 11.99 @ 113(22psi).

As for stability without a sway bar I dont have one at all in my 10 second TTA and dont miss it - but on a stock car I wouldnt remove it, they handle so well it would be a shame to ruin that.

If you havent already checked it out, TurboBuicks.com - TurboCharged Message Board Turbo Buick Grand National, T-Type, Turbo TransAm and TurboBuick.Com - The World Wide Web under BOOST! - Buick Grand National, GNX, T-Type are great sources of information on these cars.

Steve

 

My mods include walboro pump, adj fuel pressure regulator, chip from precision turbo for 19psi (had pitbull and thrasher 92 in past-this one by far the best) 8" K&N cone, 160 thermostat, test pipe, sfc's, and brand spankin new BFG G-force tires.

Also being installed this afternoon I ordered a AEM boost controller/guage. I bought 10 gallons of 109 octane so I am planning on turning up the boost to 22psi.

I am considering removing the sway bar but would plan on reinstalling it when I get back from the track.

O-yeah, the car only has 22,000 miles. I'm not sure if that will help but it is in general good running condition. If I'm not a horrible driver 12.999 is possible with the car I'm just worried about my launch. Any other tips?

 

Sounds like the right mods, any scantool? I wouldnt race one of these cars, even one of my stockers, without at least throwing a scanmaster on it to make sure things dont go wrong.

If your gonna turn the boost up on racegas(with a racechip)then 12's should be no problem as long as you dont blow the tires away. You should be able to 60ft around 2.0 with a stocker, maybe better with your mods - maybe worse with more power, but I'd shoot for around a 2.0-2.1 60ft or better. My best on a bone stock car was a 2.01 short time. As for tips, best I can tell ya is start by launching at 2000 rpms and see how it goes, if it hooks try a little more to find how much your tires and the track will hold. It doesnt take a great driver to make these cars run, just leave it in drive and go - it does take a good tuner so just pay attention to your tune.

Good luck

 

I don't have my own scan tool however since I own a Pontiac dealership I am bringing one of my techs to the track with me. I'm certain he is planning to bring all essencial tools/electronics. When you say "in case something goes wrong" what are your concerns? As long as the timing isn't to far advanced and as long as I don't overboost it I woundn't expect any problems. Is there something else I should be watching for?

I think I have the holeshot figured out. The AEM boost controller seems to be a really cool product. It has a scramble mode which we are hooking to a throttle switch. When I tromp the gas it will set a boost delay to whatever boost level I predetermine. So my plan is to set up 10psi (?) for 1.5 sec (?) then the boost delay will time out and jump up to 22psi for the rest of the run. It is basically like running a two stage boost to get me out of the hole without melting the tires. Of couse fine tuning it will be the trick.

Thanks again for all the help/advice! I'm so excited I can barely sleep!