Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General I NEED ADVICE!

I went to the track today and my car a 2000 Contour SVT # 284 ran a 16.2 and my reaction was .575 Is this a normal time Ive heard it is supposed to run much faster like mid 15's high 14's, should I tune it up like new plugs and such, it has 45k on it and I need some help gettin it to the low 15's, any suggestions on parts that are productive in hp will be appreciated

Come to the National Meet in Dallas next week. I am sure there are plenty of people who will help you out in person.

Welcome to CEG!

what rpm did you shift at?did you let the engine pull all the way before you shifted?did you have good traction?how long have you been driving the car?there are alot of things to factor in at the drag strip,driver skill being one of the most important...PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE....if this was ur first time at the track,you certainly could've done worse..not the worst et i've ever seen...your car may very well be just fine,and with the proper driving skills(practice makes perfect)you'll watch that et fall...

yes, and with proper tires to!

yeah, but if you wanna sharpen your track skills check out the Drag forums... they can sure help ya out there... oh and im am very sure you can get her down to low 15s with icing the intake, and and open element air filter easily!! and make sure you practice as said above!! that is worth at least 1-2 sec faster ET!!

well I launched at 2500 and got some spin but not a whole lot, I shifted at round 6,600 rpm and yes this was my first time with this car at the track, I just dunno I expected allot more. what should I do?

dont shift so late, you maybe goin into lesser HP when you shift that high..

if you are serious, do a dyno, and check out your peak hp rating, and find out when you get the most hp at what rpm... i think it should be around 6 not 6.6

One word: Experience

First time I ran, my light sucked and so did my run, a 16.7. Every time since then I have run, I have improved. I have heard many say it is 60-70% driver and the rest is the car.

While its true you are probably due for a performance tune -up at 45k, run a few more times before you drop some serious cash. Perfect your launches and get your shifts down as I think that is where clot can be gained or lost.

definitly i think alot of people go to the track for the first time and are disappointed w/ their cars...they expect it to automatically run what other similar cars do...i was disappointed the 1st time out in each of my cars,but i had a blast,and got better as a driver..and as long as you have fun,and improve ur driving skills that's all that matters,i think ur on the right track,and will be satisfied when you get better as a driver...good luck,and always remember to have fun...

I still think you should come to Dallas next weekend. We will be running at a track. Plus you can dyno your car & did I mention the auto cross?
Look to your upper right corner on ANY page!

Actually that's too early.

In this engine you want to shift a hair before redline in every gear.
That way it keeps you in the meat of the powerband. Also the car makes peak power around 6600-6800rpm and holds it well past redline.

Your launch rpms are good. You will want to slip the clutch a tad more to lessen the inital shock. Though a little wheel spin is much better then bogging it or "wheel hop!"
The ES trans insert it a great piece to have installed too. It makes for a little more predicatable launching.

Those times seem a bit slow.
What was your 60' time?
With a little better/faster shifting and a solid 60' around 2.3x; I think you should get it into the mid 15's even in the summer heat. Heak soak is a killer on this engine.

As for more HP

Open air filter/heatshield, cat-back, Y-pipe, optimized TB, MAF, chip, headers, home brews, etc...