New 1/4 Mile Time

[ERP]

Went to the drag strip last night with the hope of breaking 100 mph in the 1/4 but fell just short of this goal. I managed to put down a good time, temps were in the high 80s.



Had a great time at the strip, wish more people would take there Saabs out. Quite a few people came up to me to ask about the Saab, most were pretty impressed with the times I was putting down. I love watching their expression when I tell them the boost I run and the size of the engine. One guy asked how big my V6 was. His eyes almost popped out when I told him it was a 2.0L 4 cylinder. One of the guys I met recognized my Saab from my website. He used to have a 900 SE but was forced to sell it due to many mechanical problems.

The only problem that is keeping me from breaking 100 mph is boost control. It is not consistent between each run. I was surging the turbo for the first few runs, lengthening the wastegate solved this problem but Trionic couldn’t adapt fast enough so I was forced to use the MBC for control. With some more work and tuning I should be able to find the correct setting for the wastegate and the MBC.

Eric

[trexturk]

Hey, good times, what do you launch it at?

[Slowpc]

very nice run, keep it up and keep on the website ... giving me ideas on what to do on mine.

[Abbott 900]

Nice times, glad to see you trounced the Civic too...

[PunktKruger]

So which upgrades is this run with?

[Blaque_Out]

Eric...Eric...Eric.....comon man. You gotta work on ur reaction man!!!! LOL J/K good times tho. I was wondering that too, what mods did u have done on this run?

[ERP]

I rev to ~3000 rpm before the light turns green. Then I work the gas to maintain 5000 rpm and let in the clutch throughout first gear and finally dump it at the very end of the gear. This technique works well and I can hold my own against big block muscle cars in the launch. It’s not good for the longevity of the clutch but I’ve only been to the drag strip twice.



http://www.lehigh.edu/~erp4/Saab.html

-=Performance=-
SQR Stage III ECU
Intake Filter
3" Turbo Intake Pipe
Viggen Turbo
Viggen Intercooler
Forge Bypass Valve
Water Injection
Crushed Fuel Pressure Regulator
MAP Sensor Resistor Splice
Ported Throttle Body and Transition Casting
Throttle Body Coolant Bypass
Ported Exhaust Manifold and Turbine Housing
3" Downpipe and Catalytic Converter
2.5" Cat-Back Exhaust
Dual Stage Boost Control
Boost Gauge
Air/Fuel Gauge
Exhaust Gas Temperature Gauge
Intake Temperature Gauge
Mobil 1 Synthetic Oil 15W-50
Redline Shift-Up Light



-=Brakes & Suspension=-
EBC Green Stuff Front Pads
Rear Cross Drilled Rotors
B+G Springs
SAS Rear Anti-Sway Bar
DIY Steering Rack Brace

[PunktKruger]

So all of the above is actually modified and you only run low 14's?

Damn.

Don't get me wrong, that's great that you've done all that work and you've got a nice ride for sure, but I just feel a little put off to start any serious modifications to my car if all I'm going to see is low 14's by the time I've invested the money and effort you have.

And I'm even at altitude.

[Blaque_Out]

Yea something doesn't seem correct about that. Thats a lot of mods..I'm actually surprised that ur running that with a stage III, i'd think u could run quicker.

Question tho...do u think a V6 engine swap and twin turbo set up is possible for our SET's?

[ERP]

I should have also noted that my tires are almost completely shot. They are very bald, so much that driving in a heavy rain becomes very dangerous.

With the mods I have done I’m estimating 240-250 hp at the wheels. My last dyno was a year ago, 214 at the wheels before the Viggen turbo and new boost control. I am not worried about my times though.

I know that I said that I hold my own against the muscle cars but off the line I looked like I was standing still next to the rear wheel drive cars. Once I hit second I make up a lot of ground and no one except sub 13 second cars walked away from me once I hit third. I would gain ground on them but that wasn’t until half way down the track. I am very happy with the performance of my Saab and how well all the modifications work. I enjoy the way my Saab performs and I do not mind having relatively slow tract times, because I know that at speed I can take most people.

A V6 swap or a twin turbo setup are not good ideas. Both would take too much time and money to make it worth while.

[Blaque_Out]

I understand where ur coming from Eric. I still have to give u a round of applause for laying down those times. And keeping up with Muscle and Rear wheel...it almost seems as though u have more power under that hood, but ur just not overdoing it when it comes to beating people, and for that I do give you props.

So I'll drink to that!!!

[95turbo]

I believe low 14 drags are pretty good for a 4000 pound car that was built for track and rallying. Keep it up.

[PunktKruger]

4000 lbs? Er... ok...

Crappy tires can account for a lot, that's true. Aside from some new rubber, is there anything else you can do to improve your launch and first gear performance?

[Saab4Life]

by no means is your car 4000lbs my 9-3 which is totally decked out with everything luxury etc. only weighs 3100 lbs..
unless u have a few NFL linebackers in your trunk then i dont know what to tell you

[ERP]

Originally Posted by PunktKruger

is there anything else you can do to improve your launch and first gear performance?

The problem is too much performance in first gear. My dyno showed that with 20 psi boost I was making 262 ft-lbs torque at 3100 rpm. Now with 25-27 psi boost I am probably around 300 ft-lbs of torque. There is just no way I can maintain traction in first gear unless I slip the clutch until ~5000 rpm. When I am finally moving fast enough to keep the tires from spinning.

[bitwiz]

Have you tried starting in second gear?

[Saab4Life]

what kind of turbo do u have than can boost 25-27psi safely?

[Abbott-9-3]

with high humidity and high air temp i reckon that time is bloody good,

try it in winter

[Saab4Life]

ah yes winter.. i can't wait for the cool winter air in Minnesota.

The only bad thing being when you run your turbo hard and then just shut it down upbruptly its bad for it.. it goes from being so frickin hot to getting very cold..

which is why i insist that everyone invest in a turbo timer to let the turbo cool a little bit b4 turning the car off.. and if there are any turbo timers that anyone reccommends do tell me because i am in the market for one.

[ms08]

and if there are any turbo timers that anyone reccommends do tell me because i am in the market for one.

I usually keep an eye on my watch for a minute or so before switching off.
Mike