Drag Racing the V8's

[Jack B]

I think you will get a kick out of this. I went bracket racing on Wednesday and it was interesting. I went with my wife and she made several runs so our times were not consistent and the announcer could not tell what he car was going to turn.

To make a long story, short, I had a dial in of 13.5. The track was slick, my normal 60' time is a 1.8, but, I was posting 2.1's all night. The first elimination race was against a Mustang with a 13.4 dial-in, I cut a .05 reaction time and pulled him by about 1/10 of a second.

The second race was virtually identical, I beat a second Mustang with a very similar dial-in by about 1/10 again. This is the interesting part, the announcer had caught on that a 4 cylinder was beating modded v8's. He got the crowd into it and my wife heard several people saying that that could not be a 4 cylinder. There were now four cars left, the semi-final was against a camaro that was running 11.4's all night. He was catching everyone at the lights. I beat him pretty badly, but, I hit a -05 red light, but, it was interesting, I beat him by several cars. On that last run I did change the dial-in to a 13.4 because the run before was a 13.55.

Thats it, the story of the little four cylinder that could. That same little car had (with my wife driving) the second fastest time at an autocross evernt last week.

[R3DLIN3]

Congrats! It sounds like you had a good time.

I hope to raise a few eyebrows tomorrow night if the rain will hold off....

Kendall

[SGOS252382]

Sounds like a good time.

As you know bracket racing is all about being consistant (not having the fastest car).

And about 4 bangers suprising V8 guys. Don't forget, WRXs, WRX/STi, EVOs are all 4 bangers. Those cars can run some real fast times at the track. 11 sec EVOs are pretty common.

Along with all my V8 cars ,I've also owned a stage 2 STi and a Stage 4 WRX.

About 5 years ago, I was running 8.1 in the 1/8 mile in my stage 4 WRX (turbo upgrade and supporting mods). At our local 1/8 mile, the track announcer and the peope at the track got a big kick out of seeing me beat Corvettes, Vipers, etc in my little WRX. So beating V8s in a 4 banger can definately be fun.

[Lithium Lotus]

People would crap a brick if they saw John Shepard's 7sec street legal Talon go down the track.

::Shepracing.com - Home::

[Jack B]

Originally Posted by SGOS252382 Sounds like a good time. As you know bracket racing is all about being consistant (not having the fastest car). And about 4 bangers suprising V8 guys. Don't forget, WRXs, WRX/STi, EVOs are all 4 bangers. Those cars can run some real fast times at the track. 11 sec EVOs are pretty common. Along with all my V8 cars ,I've also owned a stage 2 STi and a Stage 4 WRX. About 5 years ago, I was running 8.1 in the 1/8 mile in my stage 4 WRX (turbo upgrade and supporting mods). At our local 1/8 mile, the track announcer and the peope at the track got a big kick out of seeing me beat Corvettes, Vipers, etc in my little WRX. So beating V8s in a 4 banger can definately be fun.

The best part was the last two V8's were within .a few 01's of my dial-in. I think the Solstice is more of a shock, since GM has never had a high output 4 cylinder.

[mikeysolstice]

Originally Posted by Lithium Lotus People would crap a brick if they saw John Shepard's 7sec street legal Talon go down the track. ::Shepracing.com - Home::

Wonder how many times that goes down the track before he needs to rebuild the engine?

Mike

[mena661]

Originally Posted by mikeysolstice Wonder how many times that goes down the track before he needs to rebuild the engine? Mike

I'd imagine as many times as a 7 sec V8.

[V10Venom]

Originally Posted by mena661 I'd imagine as many times as a 7 sec V8.

Build it once, build it right. That motor should last for a season I would bet.

[Mr. Stone]

Originally Posted by SolScuba Build it once, build it right. That motor should last for a season I would bet.

True.

There is a stigma that a 4 cylinder isn't as strong as a V8 for some reason. Like it's made from a weaker metal or something. Very weird.

[EcoBoost]

Aint it a blast! Check out my son Adam in our Sunfire 2.0 Turbo OWNING a Mustang!

Ecotec Power 11.1 seconds @ 132 MPH

We've been enjoying dicing up V8 cars for years. Talk about a reality check for those boys!

[Jack B]

Originally Posted by SolScuba Build it once, build it right. That motor should last for a season I would bet.

The 4-5 second fuel cars rebuild the engines between runs.

[mena661]

Originally Posted by Jack B The 4-5 second fuel cars rebuild the engines between runs.

Wow! That sounds expensive.

[mikeysolstice]

Originally Posted by mena661 I'd imagine as many times as a 7 sec V8.

Maybe if you build the 4 twice as strong as the V8. It's a lot easier to build a 7 sec V8 that'll last. You can't circumvent the laws of physics. The more stress you put on the pistons and rods, the greater chances of the next run being your last. With a V8 with the same power, each cylinder, piston, rod, spark plug, valve, etc. has half the stress of the 4 cylinder.

Mike

[mena661]

Originally Posted by mikeysolstice Maybe if you build the 4 twice as strong as the V8. It's a lot easier to build a 7 sec V8 that'll last. You can't circumvent the laws of physics. The more stress you put on the pistons and rods, the greater chances of the next run being your last. With a V8 with the same power, each cylinder, piston, rod, spark plug, valve, etc. has half the stress of the 4 cylinder. Mike

Yet drag racing teams rebuild both types of motors in roughly the same frequency. Hmmm.

[Lucy'sDaddy]

And then there is the Cobalt that's displayed in the Chevrolet display at the NASCAR races, as this at MIS. Something like 1,200 to 1,400 HP! These Ecotec engines are rock solid on the bottom. It's the pistons, rods, and valve springs that are the weak points.