Friday I went to the local drag strip. Capitol Raceway in Crofton Maryland. A fun few hours to be had for only $20. For that $20 I was able to get in 5 runs in about 2.5 hrs. I didn’t stay all night simply because I kept getting worse and worse.

First and best run:

R/T: .493
60′: 2.420
330: 6.642
1/8: 10.120
mph: 71.01
1000: 13.082
1/4: 15.589
MPH: 90.70

Every run after that I was slower and slower. But my bud with his Scion TC was getting faster and faster. Would this be a good example of heat soak in the intercooler?

I launched with my foot on the brake and rpms @ 2500k. Car in Manual mode and I floored it to redline (let the car shift). Anyone think I can improve this @ all without changing my equipment?

I had about 2gallons in the tank and didn't remove any interior bits.

 

example of heat soak.. um yes i would say it is.

Launch teq. cant really say. never Dragged an Automatic. Dont know if holding it (stock converter i think locks up at 1500 while drag converters are 2000-4000) like that would overheat the Stall converter causing it not to lockup as good or not.

Shifts at redline. I would say shift it about 200 rpms before redline if not useing a shift kit. since theres a delay between shifts this would be better for the engine and trans. (i would think)

 

I shifted at the high rpm because I know thats where the most hp is. I was letting the car shift itself because even if I hit the paddle at about 200rpm before redlin it seemed like a slower shift. Either that or with my mods the rpms come up much faster.

 

kk .. understood. reason i suggested it.. was due to a Honda my brother had which we supercharged. If we let it shift it self some times (about all time in 1st and 2nd) it would hit the Rev limiter. This would cause slower ET's.

 

I will try and shift the next time I go to see time changes.

 

What tires were you using? I have been reading the boards and the auto has a lower first & second gears than the manual. Just wondering if going to smaller diameter tires would be an advantage or not?

 

I'm running the standard 17" Goodyear all season run-flats.

After my most recent mods I am not doing 15.1 @ 91mph

 

Nice going man! This is Kevin, I met you at Woodbridge Saturday night. Your car is sweet, it really made me start considering the S seriously.

I was under the impression not many people were interested in drag racing MINIs. Glad to see you're out there. I'll definitely be at Capitol if I get an MCS.

 

What about wheels? Stock 17 rims too? Sounds like you could make a big improvement by a change of wheels and tires!

 

Yeah thats what I am thinking. But I want stuff that I can use on the car day to day.

 

So 10 x 15 racing slicks are out?

 

Not unless some serious sponsorship like the MINI dragster is getting comes along Till then the car will probaly not getting any faster unless its driver looses some weight.

 

I have seen a good deal of talk regarding tire sizes and gearing. The MCSa has a much lower gear (higher numeric) than the manual. Would smaller diameter tires be beneficial for the drags as well as autocross? Whats is the point of diminishing returns? Does it make a difference in class if the tire is too far outside the stock size?

 

I don't know much about the tires. But since this thread came about I got a few mods and now am running the 1/4 in 15.1

 

What do you think made the difference in times? It looks like you picked up a good amount of time. Your sig includes items like the 15% pulley, and I assumed you had that when you posted your initial times, was that true, or have the mods been since the earlier post?

And, did you change wheels/tires?!
Thanks,
Jim

 

Five runs in 2.5 hours. . . . your decreased times are probably not due to heat soak unless you let your car run the whole time. . . .

 

To go from 15.5 to 15.1 I installed a 0% crank pulley, Alta OCC, lowered on H-sports, MyMINI Exhaust and had weather in the 40F range. Adding the crank made a big difference in how the car cranks. It pulls through the RPMs much faster and increased the shift points and redline to 6800-7k depending on the gear.

 

40 degrees could have a lot to do with the improvement. Any change in wheels or tires for your drag racing outings?

 

You can also work on your reaction time, getting off the light faster really does make a difference!

 

Mdsbrain ... What is alta OCC?

Your gearing is different than the manuals. MINI2 has the ratios in their FAQ.

I would venture to bet the 40 degrees vice when you ran before had a LOT to do with the better times, but just a guess. I think you would need a comparison in 80 degrees vice 40 to tell.

 

OCC = Oil Catch can. Which helps improve Intercooler efficency.

Yah, I'll need to wait till spring/summer to try warm weather drag again.

For those who asked about wheels. I am dragging with my R99s and OEM Goodyear runflats. The engine produces enough power that the auto can squeel serious rubber off the line