New time..

[The_underclassman]

15.983 @85.13 mph
2.330 60'
SVT header, JohnP IM, Iceman intake, K&N drop in, 2.5" exhaust, generic 87 tune. 2300ft elev.
I was hoping the day would come where I break into the 15s with my daily. LOL

By the way, I remember doing better trap speeds with my Vit tune and a VCT head. Now I have a Focus head potentially making less power. I'll have to fine tune things to get everything down right..
shifting 1-2 @ 6400, 2-3 @ 6100, 3-4 @ 6000.

Any ideas on how to do a little better?

[dareall]

15.983 @85.13 mph
2.330 60'
SVT header, JohnP IM, Iceman intake, K&N drop in, 2.5" exhaust, generic 87 tune. 2300ft elev.
I was hoping the day would come where I break into the 15s with my daily. LOL

By the way, I remember doing better trap speeds with my Vit tune and a VCT head. Now I have a Focus head potentially making less power. I'll have to fine tune things to get everything down right..
shifting 1-2 @ 6400, 2-3 @ 6100, 3-4 @ 6000.

Any ideas on how to do a little better?

yes, put the factory sized exhaust back on

[The_underclassman]

I need to line up against another ZX2 to compare. I think the 2.5" exhaust is definitely a little too loud with a header unless I upgrade the middle resonator to a longer unit. Do you have any zx2s running a full length header and a factory exhaust Dareall?

[Slow98zx2]

that looks kinda bad imo i have run a 15.355 in mine with the mods listed and had 17's on it

edit and i believe that was b4 the spec 2

another edit: i never shift out of 3rd and never hit the limiter if that counts for anything. when u shift into 4th it slows ur time down

[dareall]

I need to line up against another ZX2 to compare. I think the 2.5" exhaust is definitely a little too loud with a header unless I upgrade the middle resonator to a longer unit. Do you have any zx2s running a full length header and a factory exhaust Dareall?

i currently have one with full header and one with shorty and they will likely both blow past that car. Not knocking your car, it's just that I have seen and felt cars lose their balls with an exhaust too big

[Mimino]

shifter higher.
i also run with stock pipes (+kami), but never had any track time yet.

[ZX2Fast]

I ran a 15.8 in a stock ZX2. Okay, I cut the lower resonator out, but still. I think some guys don't realize you are 2300 feet above sea-level. I'm only 950 feet above. That considered, you should still be faster. Are you no-lift shifting? If you bounce the limiter more than twice between shifts, you aren't doing it fast enough.

[DominatingZX2]

Your MPH is a little low too. What was the air temp? I ran 15.65 at 88.54 mph in an S/R totally stock beyond an Esslinger UDP and cheap 2.25" exhaust tubing. Try shifting a little higher, if you feel like the car is still pulling. 60-ft time isn't bad, best I ever got was a 2.302 when the car was stockish.

Overall, you're not far off. Pretty good run.

[The_underclassman]

I agree the mph is a tad low as I was trapping 88mph before with my vit tune and similar mods (zx2 head).
I think I'll go back to the stock catback, including the muffler, and see if I get an improvement. The SVT header is really nice, but I think the 2.5" exhaust kind of sacrifices power from 1-2k and 3250-4000.
The car feels like it loses steam above 6k even with the mods listed. Do you guys think it's a lean condition?

[dareall]

it doesn't sound like lean it sounds like overkill with the exhaust. Do a couple runs with the factory exhaust and see what kind of difference that makes as well. You should also take someone with you who knows how to drive five speed and let them take it down the track once (this way you can also rule out driver as the cause)

[ZX2Fast]

I imagine your Vit tune was 91 octane, right? That alone could be most of your difference. There is a lot to be had from timing advance in this car. Hell, I took 3 tenths off my 1/4 time with just the ECT POT's mod. Don't bother swapping exhaust, just put a potato in the end, it'll do the same thing.

[The_underclassman]

it doesn't sound like lean it sounds like overkill with the exhaust. Do a couple runs with the factory exhaust and see what kind of difference that makes as well. You should also take someone with you who knows how to drive five speed and let them take it down the track once (this way you can also rule out driver as the cause)
I don't get why you'd even think that'd be that cause because I'm obviously doing okay and I have an idea of how to drive my own car. There's a reason why my 60' times are 2.3 and not 2.6-7 like my Focus friends. I've taken a lot of info down on drag racing, and I honestly feel like you enjoy taking stabs at a person's character when you've only met them a handful of times. Seriously, keep this down to engine/tire/suspension combinations because the driver isn't changing.



I imagine your Vit tune was 91 octane, right? That alone could be most of your difference. There is a lot to be had from timing advance in this car. Hell, I took 3 tenths off my 1/4 time with just the ECT POT's mod. Don't bother swapping exhaust, just put a potato in the end, it'll do the same thing.
That's totally true. I don't have a whole lot of experience with spark advance, but I have the option to with my Xcal2. I still run 91 octane on an 87 tune, but I'd like to know what I can do to improve the trap speed because it has been consistent 85mph the past 10 or so runs.
I may just pay Fernando for some tuning and get the car really tuned.. nothing generic.

[dareall]

I don't get why you'd even think that'd be that cause because I'm obviously doing okay and I have an idea of how to drive my own car. There's a reason why my 60' times are 2.3 and not 2.6-7 like my Focus friends. I've taken a lot of info down on drag racing, and I honestly feel like you enjoy taking stabs at a person's character when you've only met them a handful of times. Seriously, keep this down to engine/tire/suspension combinations because the driver isn't changing.

this has nothing to do with anything but what you asked. If you can't take a suggestion after asking for it maybe you should ask individuals via PM. Get back to us when you do some of the suggestions given

[The_underclassman]

Considering the amount of time I've spent at the track, I think the driver part is down pat. I'll install the factory exhaust when I have a day off and see how things change. Thanks for your suggestions thus far.

[Slow98zx2]

As I posted earlier u should not be shifting into 4th, try this once or twice b4 u swap exhaust please and post the difference. ill try to find my old slips and see what elevation n temps are but even my first run ever in my car I ran 15.6's and got it down to 15.355 as a best and 15.38-15.42 regularly

[The_underclassman]

I experimented with the 3-4 and staying in 3rd. Obviously we lose steam at the top so my thinking was to put the car back into its torque range. It didn't affect my trap speed or ET by much.. I'm getting the car into top shape before I run again just to see any improvements. Thanks for the suggestion.

[The_underclassman]

Also something else to add.. a 98 trans has shorter 3rd and 4th gearing. My 03 has the taller setup, so I think that contributes to my sub-par times. I may swap transmissions from my 98 while I have time to on a 3 day weekend or something.

[Slow98zx2]

yep i was just about to post that i had a 98 trans in at the time.

[SR2000]

longer 3rd better your runs @ the track. When you installed the head, which cams you put in? stock escape/focus? or the zx2 ones? or aftermarket?. Did you installed Adj sprockets? Did you dyno-tuned the car?. all this can affect your times and power at the wheels.

[ZX2Fast]

Considering the amount of time I've spent at the track, I think the driver part is down pat. I'll install the factory exhaust when I have a day off and see how things change. Thanks for your suggestions thus far.

Slow98zx2 is right, in the high 15's range you should not be shifting to 4th gear. Dareall may be more right then you think. Until last year, I didn't know how to get a stock ZX2 into the 15's. I tried no-lift shifting for the first time and instantly took a few tenths off my best stock time for a 15.8. Your 85mph trap speed is normal for your power level and ET. You never did say if you no-lift shift or not.

[The_underclassman]

Head is stock. I worry about beating up the trans since its my daily, so I dont no lift shift.

[ZX2Fast]

As long as your clutch is in good shape and your fluid is doing its' job, you should be fine. If it feels like you have to force it in gear, then don't do it. If it falls into gear, then you'll be okay. But, that is the only way you are going to get faster unless you do something to make more power. Most people don't realize how much time you lose from shifting. Not only do you lose time between gears because you aren't in gear, but you also decelerate until you get back into gear.

[The_underclassman]

Just want to update this a little.. recently installed a wideband. Found out I either have a bad exhaust leak near my wideband OR I'm leaning out up top. That could explain the poor trap speed. I just finished welding up my factory exhaust and am finishing polishing the muffler. We shall see!

[j0hnZ]

I got a 15.5 with a ridiculously slipping clutch. I thought no-lift shifting was the norm haha! How, I've always done it...and I've replaced several transmissions from forcing it in gear and breaking shift forks. This was a long time ago though.

[The_underclassman]

No-lift shifting always worried me. What RPM were you guys pressing the clutch pedal at for your shifts?

[SeRiousZX2]

Try changing to a true 4-1 header.

[The_underclassman]

I have a pacesetter or a remote mount turbo manifold I can try..
I think I'll try the factory exhaust + svt header first to see if I can improve.

[j0hnZ]

redline iirc

[5Speed]

Your shift points are rather low, I would expect even a stock ZX2 to shift aroun the 6500-6900rpm mark.

Your time is rather high for the E.T and low on the MPH but I think your shift points are one reason and I also beleive your cam gears could be another reason, there is alot of power to be gained with adjusting those gears.

I'm sorry but the factory exhaust really sacrafices alot of power Up High. 2.25" is best suited for our cars. 2.5" is great for a high reving Zetec. Some have also seen 3" exhaust make power on an SVT. I could see how though a stock exhaust would be beneficial to a daily driver below 3K rpms.

Hell now that I think of it I'm considering buying the factory piping from NAPA and swapping it on track day to see the 1/4 mile difference bolted up to my Kami instead of my 2.5".

[The_underclassman]

Factory exhaust is on.. we'll see the results Friday. :)

[SR2000]

bro you need to revv it up a lil bit more!!! 7k is the way to go. My friend Advancio(zx2) did 14.5 @ 95mph mods-

SVTF Header, Focus Head (gude), Stage 2 FR cams, 2.5exh, Accord V6 intake, zx3 manifold & big tb, dyno tuned, powder udp, ... iirc thats everything.

best advice is to let it rev longer, good luck

[JohnP]

Head is stock. I worry about beating up the trans since its my daily, so I dont no lift shift.

The stock Focus head has 49CC chambers and a tad smaller exhaust bowls an runners . Stock ZX2 head has 47.7-48CC chambers with a tad larger exhaust bowl an runner .

[The_underclassman]

bro you need to revv it up a lil bit more!!! 7k is the way to go. My friend Advancio(zx2) did 14.5 @ 95mph mods-

SVTF Header, Focus Head (gude), Stage 2 FR cams, 2.5exh, Accord V6 intake, zx3 manifold & big tb, dyno tuned, powder udp, ... iirc thats everything.

best advice is to let it rev longer, good luck

I know you're trying to help, but comparing a ported head and cams to a stock head is a bad comparison.. the gude head is made to rev higher. My cam profiles are built for torque in the mid range. I'm also not tuned.. However, I'll take your advice and rev the car higher.

[SR2000]

Ohh I thougth u had a vits tune or sct, so u running with thw CEL on? Vct code?

[The_underclassman]

I'm untuned for a bit.. I need to get my wideband wired up to my laptop. Focus head, no vct or cam sensor..

[5Speed]

Factory exhaust is on.. we'll see the results Friday. :)

Right On! Update this post when you do, I would really be interested in seeing the results. I would shift normally though with the factory exhaust not to sway the results, then the next pass shift higher and compare.

[The_underclassman]

I'll definitely do that. it's warmer now, too, so that may have an effect on my et..

[SR2000]

How can you have No CEL? , thats awesome!. Mine just popped the CEL with the VCT code, Cam sensor is working perfectly :) good luck on friday!

[The_underclassman]

Oh, I have plenty of cel codes, haha..
Thanks!

[brawleyzx2]

When I saw this thread my first thought was daylight savings time change since i lost sleep this time around. Good luck with fine tuning that setup

[The_underclassman]

Weather doesn't look good.. we'll see..

[5Speed]

Do it!!!! all the eyes are on you!

[SR2000]

Good luck bro, cant wait to see those 15.3 and 14.9 :) . Tonight you do times, tomorrow I will do whp lol, tomorrow im tunning the car at the dyno.

[The_underclassman]

Okay, so things ended up a little better than before.. I think I can proudly say I can consistently run 15.8xx.
60' ET Trap speed
2.378 15.884 87.51
2.403 15.883 88.10
2.449 15.839 87.95
2.408 15.872 87.42

Missed third on this run.. definitely would have been 15.7xx
2.393 16.106 85.78

2.431 15.904 88.17
2.437 15.964 87.32

Would have been a great time too if I had a 2.3 60'
2.607 (fail) 15.989 88.24

Little warm on this run..
2.441 16.070 86.77

Really hot on this run..
2.547 16.708 83.85

Tried about three different techniques with shift points..
1-2 6500, 7000, 7100
2-3 7000, 6500, 7100

I found the best shift points are @ the literal redline.. 6500 rpm. I trapped higher speeds with this.
I also tried cooling techniques to keep the ECT down. The best run was on my coldest ECT. However, I ran great times with the car at operating temp. My tune was leaning out a lot.. I think there is a lot to be done in the tune if I really wanted a 15.5. I could also do an airbox mod and bring in more air.. EH!
Screw it all. I'm glad I could try something and see literal results. The factory exhaust is a good choice for a fairly stock car. Now if you were doing cams, headwork, or higher compression, a larger-than-factory exhaust is necessary.

By the way, with density altitude calculated, I would be trapping 15.118 @ 92.03 mph (mild naturally aspirated) :D

[j0hnZ]

You need to work on the launch, IMO you are trying to work on the wrong area. Your times would vastly improve by lowering your 60ft time.

[The_underclassman]

I know my '60 aren't too great, but I tried keeping this car as if it were a daily driver. For example, tire pressures are @ 35psi. My interior is all present, AND I carry a set of tools at all times. Back to the '60 ft. I've launched at 3k for all of my runs.

[5Speed]

I'm all for keeping your interior in tact, but I would lower the pressure to 25 psi in the front tires and go down from there in 2 psi increments.

Nice times btw, especailly converting for sea level.

I don't think the exhaust size had anything to do with your runs. I think the higher shifting and more experience got you there.

Best times I've ever posted at the track is with a cool motor and a hot track... sounds wird but the track gets hot, gets stick and the times go down. Anything else is slower, especially a heat soaked motor.

I have a fan on high mod in my interior for the track so I keep it on in the staging lanes. Here's a pic below. For those wondering the other switch is for the Max Line Shift pressure(Shift Kit)

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o270/5SpeedZX2/New%20Pictures/001.jpg

[SR2000]

Nice numbers bro, already dynied all cars, mine 153, my friends zx2 160, and another focus 153 :)

[5Speed]

Nice numbers bro, already dynied all cars, mine 153, my friends zx2 160, and another focus 153 :)

What did you guys have done to your cars? Have a link to a thread?

[SR2000]

http://teamzx2.com/threads/35215-Dyno-Dream-killer-or-Dream-achiever