Dear Diary....

[NSFW]

So it turned out that I just didn't have the gauge panel seated all the way. It fits securely after all.

 

I did the under-hood wiring at home, under-car wiring at Citka's, and I did the final under-dash wiring the day before the ChumpCar race on April 9/10. Basically unloaded everything in the pits and then pulled my stereo out and got busy. Got the DCCD controller wired up in time for drag racing, but didn't get the stereo/HVAC in until the next day. And, in my frantic haste, I broke the touch part of my touch screen. It displays fine, but the pointer doesn't appear near were you touch it.

 

Here's the funny part - I never used it while drag racing.

 

A few days before, I took my car in to Maxwell Power for new plugs (scheduled - 60k) and a compression and leakdown test (just curious - turns out I'm healthy!!!). While there I talked with an employee with a GT3071 on E85 making ridiculous torque. He'd broken front and rear axles, and he believed that if his rear axles held up, he wouldn't break fronts - after a rear brakes, the fronts get full torque, and they not as strong, so they break immediately.

 

So I figured I'd turn up the diff very gradually, just enough to feel it, and then leave it at that. I don't know if I have enough power to break axles, but I didn't want to find out.

 

Last time I drag raced was six months ago, Halloween weekend. It was my first time drag racing this setup. I got one or two time slips showing 60' times over two seconds (weak), and then the timing system got really flakey - it was really damp out, and they blamed condensation for screwing up the timing lights. I get better at launching but didn't get any numbers. My ETs were all over the place, some in the single-digit range. My GF said she saw me trap 110 or 111 (and that's believable) but I didn't keep any time slips.

 

Anyway, I figured that if I got good at launching, I should be able to get 1.8 second 60' times. I got a 1.917 and a 1.738, so I was pleased. And that was running with the center diff open. So I just left it open.

 

I also got a 1.384 60' time. That was (still is) a huge surprise, I didn't think my car could do that.

 

I get a lot of rear wheelspin when launching with the diff open, but it turns out that's a good thing. If the tires grab too soon, RPM drops, torque drops, the motor bogs, and the launch is worthless.* With my turbo, I pretty much have to keep RPM above 4000 to avoid bogging. The only ways to do that are slip the clutch or slip the tires.

 

I'd rather replace tires than clutches... So, I revved to 4000-5000 RPM, held it there, and then lifted off the clutch abruptly while simultaneously stomping on the throttle. It's pretty fun.

 

My ETs were in the high 13s and my traps were in the low 100s. I should be able to do low 12s around 110mph. Maybe touch 11s with a little luck.

 

The car was running smoothly, just not strongly. With the HVAC still in a box, I couldn't use the defogger switch to do data logs. And with the touch-screen F'ed up, it was hard to do anything at all with the logger and hard to read logs anyway. I managed one data log using a keyboard and trackpad, and it showed low boost. I'd turned down boost with my MBC to get a little more safety, and I figured I'd just turned it down too far. With the logger being so hard to use, I didn't want to mess with the MBC much.

 

The real problem was a boost leak, which I found and fixed the next morning.

 

And then I found a vacuum leak the day after that, which I didn't really fix but it went away on its own. I have a couple guesses but I haven't had time to investigate. Going to work on it this weekend. And also replace a bunch of vacuum lines with red silicone hose, just for the bling factor.

 

I have been using the DCCD controller a little bit, but for daily driving on dry pavement, it's generally not helpful. I have found out just how far I can turn it up before I start to feel it when I'm making sharp turns, so that's where it's set.

 

 

* And that's assuming that nothing breaks. These days I'm mostly only worried about the axles, but when I was running the stock clutch, the tires grabbed, the clutch slipped, RPM went to redline, and the car crept forward in a cloud of stink.

[citka]

Not bad time slips for not having everything dialed. Have you investigated strong axles? Do they make them? How did you find the boost/vacuum leaks?

[NSFW]

Thanks!

 

I haven't found off-the-shelf heavy duty Spec B axles, but I found a shop that will be happy to make some:

 

http://www.driveshaftshop.com/axle-measurement

 

They make heavy duty axles for WRX and STI, but they say they don't have anything for a Legacy. I might go for it, not sure yet. I've read that axles are fragile but I've also read that people have gone into the 10s on WRX axles, and my Spec B axles are probably at least that strong.

 

Maybe between the wheelspin and the open diff, I shouldn't worry so much.

 

When I started the car the next morning it wasn't running right, and AFR was lean, so I just looked at each of the hoses under the hood to make sure they were connected at both ends. The problem was at a little blue T fitting right behind the intake manifold. I had a leak there back when I was stage-2, and it comes up in thread here all the time, so it was one of the first places I looked. Tomorrow it gets zip-tied, I should have done that a long time ago.

[NSFW]

When I installed the air-oil separator a while back, I capped off the PCV nipple on the back of the intake manifold. I realized this weekend that since I have an unused nipple there now, I don't need the blue T fitting anymore.

 

The lines from the manifold to the T went to the BPV and to an evap valve near the front of the manifold. Now the line that used to go to the T just goes straight to evap valve. The BPV is now hooked directly to the old PCV nipple.

 

None of the fittings on the blue T are barbed, which probably explains why it's the first place you should look when you suspect a vacuum leak...

 

 

Not all of the lines were the right sizes, hence the little white coupler above. I still want to put one more of those on the line going to the evap valve, and then I'll be happy with the vac lines.

[citka]

I think that safety wire might be a prudent move too. Easy19 has a safety wire tool. As long as you don't plan to take the lines apart much, that would be a better alternative to zip ties.

[NSFW]

The best of my 35 timeslips from Bremerton last night... I just went and did laps on the drag strip from 4 'til 8, only pausing for food. It was a totally different experience than Pacific Raceways on a Friday night, where I got four runs in four hours.

 

IATs were 130F in the staging area, and still 100F at the far end of the track, so I think I a 12 second slip is within reach on a cooler day.

 

I have a video uploading now, and I'll post up a spreadsheet with a log tonight.

[NSFW]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zDc2tDJ_0w]‪Drag racing at Bremerton, 2011-07-22‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]

[TRSCobra]

I wish I knew you were going last night, i was just sitting around doing homework!

 

I'm itching to find out what my fresh infamous tune will do, even though it's not 100% finished yet.

[NSFW]

I should have posted about it beforehand, sorry!

[NSFW]

Attachments for the data log mafia...

 

This is the data from the 13.15 run on the leftmost time slip.

 

My boost was only about 15.5psi in 4th gear and it really should have been around 20. Logs from Saturday and Sunday are showing boost in the low 20s again so I think I can blame that on the MBC getting too hot and opening too early.

 

I have the MBC set to about 25psi, and the electronic boost control is set for 22psi, so the MBC should never really enter the picture. But maybe it got hot enough to start opening at 16psi. IATs were around 100F, and that's with a CAI in the fender... the MBC sits on top of the motor, near where the TMIC used to be.

 

Fixing that should gives me 12s next time.

romraiderlog_20110722_194914.csv

[TRSCobra]

If my hack job setup hits 12's, you should be doing it with your eyes closed!

[LittleBlueGT]

Attachments for the data log mafia...

 

This is the data from the 13.15 run on the leftmost time slip.

 

My boost was only about 15.5psi in 4th gear and it really should have been around 20. Logs from Saturday and Sunday are showing boost in the low 20s again so I think I can blame that on the MBC getting too hot and opening too early.

 

I have the MBC set to about 25psi, and the electronic boost control is set for 22psi, so the MBC should never really enter the picture. But maybe it got hot enough to start opening at 16psi. IATs were around 100F, and that's with a CAI in the fender... the MBC sits on top of the motor, near where the TMIC used to be.

 

Fixing that should gives me 12s next time.

 

yea, high IAT are a problem, had it in my car too, 186F IAT and when I airboy'd the run I was at 250 whp, even though 20 mins earlier I was at 300+ (this was 3 years ago).

 

You need to tune for high IAT. Look at your target boost, real low. You likely have target boost reducing based off of IAT.

[NSFW]

Wow, I can't believe I didn't notice target boost... so yeah, it's not the MBC.

 

I don't have any target boost compensation for IAT, but there is one based on coolant temp and one based on atmospheric pressure. I didn't log either one, unfortunately. The ECT compensation is set up to bring target boost down aggressively for ECT above 200F. I haven't seen it get that hot before, but maybe drag racing in the sun will do it. Or maybe I have my atmospheric pressure compensation messed up.

 

I wish I'd paid more attention to this when I was in a position to really do something about it. I took a quick look at everything in the first couple logs, and they were OK, so I only looked at the knock parameters after that.

 

I thought I just sucked at drag racing. Maybe I actually have an excuse?

 

(Except that knowing what's going on with your car is, you know, part of drag racing.)

[Tracer-X]

Did you really get 35 runs in 4 hours?

[LuckyBob]

Not that I'm an expert on drag, but my observations based on the graphs:

 

• It looks like the revs dipped from ~6500 at launch to ~2750 just thereafter.
  
• Is that an almost one second shift I see?
  

 

I think it may be a case of can haz moar transmission abuse.

[Spoonwacker]

Did you really get 35 runs in 4 hours?

 

The last time I got 35 runs in 4 hours was when we went to Taco Bell for lunch...

[LuckyBob]

http://assets0.ordienetworks.com/images/GifGuide/clapping/joker.gif

[NSFW]

Did you really get 35 runs in 4 hours?

 

I really did. The key thing is that there were no real races going on that day. It was test-and-tune and nothing else, as opposed to test-and-tune plus Car Club Challenge plus a motorcycle group plus Junior Dragsters all taking turns.

 

So, usually there were just one or two cars ahead of me when I got back to the staging lanes, and often there were none. I stopped for food a couple times but mostly I just drove back and forth. I was just hoping for half that many runs, so I was really happy to get so much practice.

 

Not that I'm an expert on drag, but my observations based on the graphs:

 

• It looks like the revs dipped from ~6500 at launch to ~2750 just thereafter.
  
• Is that an almost one second shift I see?
  

I think it may be a case of can haz moar transmission abuse.

 

Yep and yep and yep. It's hard to launch without bogging (and 2750 is borderline bogging) and without slipping too much. I'm still not really sure what I should be doing differently at the launch, but I know the car can do a lot better.

 

PIR last April was super easy by comparison, I could just floor it and let the clutch out quickly and I got just enough wheelspin to keep the RPM up. I got 1.38 sixty-foot time and thought hey, this is easy.

 

And then at Bremerton that technique was totally worthless, so I learned that I actually just got lucky at PIR and I still have a lot to learn. I probably bogged my first 10 runs (60' = 2.5 seconds). The guy at the starting line took pity on me, sprayed a little bit of water down, and that just gave me tons of wheelspin and still a lousy 60' time, so that's when I started working on slipping the clutch.

 

My best launches last Friday were in the 1.8 range, which was what I was hoping for when I raced at PIR, so in a way that's pretty satisfying. On the other hand, PIR taught me that the car can do 1.4, so 1.8 isn't satisfying at all.

 

I'd like to try adding tire pressure to see if I can launch with wheelspin at Bremerton next time. Hopefully I can get back out there at least once more this summer.

[Tracer-X]

Not that I'm an expert on drag...

 

Orly?

 

o_O

[LuckyBob]

I was waiting for somebody to catch that.

[LittleBlueGT]

You got a 1.38 60 foot time?

 

I am working on a tune right now for an AutoX guy (using ATR) and we are making the fans come on at a lower temp, I don't think we have that with OS for the 05 LGT, but it is an interesting idea.

[NSFW]

I did. I checked the time slip a few times, because I didn't believe it either. But, the car number is mine, and who else would get a 1.38 sixty and run high 13s @ 100mph? I couldn't tell if I sucked at shifting or what... But I had a boost leak, which I found the next morning.

[NSFW]

Also, there are fan control tables in RR and EcuFlash. I haven't looked at them, but I will now.

 

EDIT: Mostly I think I should just take breaks periodically and leave the hood up.

 

At 220F, my boost target and WGDC both go to 50% from the coolant temperature compensation tables. I wish I'd plotted that... it probably went from 190 at the start to 210 or more at the end.

[NSFW]

Heat is just as much of an issue on the dyno, so while my first pull got 377whp, the next two got 350. Logs show WGDC being reduced because coolant temps were above 200F. I've changed the compensation tables now so that it won't pull boost until 210F.

 

Without further ado:

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=104429&stc=1&d=1314261241

 

(That 'max torque' number ain't right. It should be a little lower than the whp number.)

[NSFW]

Spool in 3rd on the dyno was about 750 RPM later than in 3rd on the road.

 

Intake air temperatur (IAT) was about 30F higher than anything I've seen in data logging, and this seems to have confused the MAF sensor - it leaned out from about 11:1 (on the road) to 12:1 (on the dyno). I've already tweaked the appropriate compensation table. Fortunately the high IAT also caused it to pull some timing, so no harm was done.

 

The last car of the day was a Pontiac G8 GXP that got 375whp on his first and second pulls, and 390something after they put his hood up to get cooler air into the motor. Next time I'm putting my hood up too.

 

I do have a CAI but it breathes hot air if the car sits still for too long. They had a blower aimed at my intercooler but it wasn't enough. And for regular driving, I'm going to look into putting the factory intake duct back in, perhaps with some extra ducting to push air into the fender next to the air filter.

 

I'll post up the logs tomorrow.

 

EDIT: the leaning out turned out to be a failing fuel pump.