Almost totaled #1931 today.

[rhipsher]

Today I had to walk away while I'm still ahead. My first and only run I pulled up to the wet box and did a pete style burnout 30' long. And the last 10' the MT's grabbed hard like a big hammer hit the azz end of the car. Me and a ford lightening lined up. Green light go. I launched the car at 4500rpms. And I swear that Z jumped 20' outta the hole two car lengths ahead of the lightening. My car was on fire and pulling hard leaving the ford lightening in the dust. But as soon as I slammed it into 3rd gear everything went to hell in a hurry. The azz end of the car started fish tailing left/right probably 10 times before I got control of it. I thought I was gonna take out the lightening. It felt like when I slammed it into 3rd that the right rear gripped solid but the left rear didn't and that's when all hell broke loose. My wife said everybody in the stands stood up with there hands over there mouth saying OH SH*T. My wife said are you ready to call it quits now. Yep. And when we get home make mine a bouble. That scared me to death. My heart is still beating fast after that close call. I think I'm gonna give it a rest for a while. Its funny cuz I was worried about blowing a u-joint not loosing control of the car.

[Pete]

Where was tire pressure?

I go over 20lbs
I have tried 16-18 very scary on the big end.

I would start with 24lbs good burn out and 2500 rpm if track is hooking i leave her alone, no traction i will go down to 22lbs and 2500rpm if it hooks better then try higher RPM and so on.
I never ever go down below 20lbs of pressure,it gives me a heart attack.

Last year i had a bad experience on the big end somebody must've spilled something and boy was it wiggly


Pete

[rhipsher]

I was running 22psi. Pete it was bad. I can't believe I didn't hit the stirafoam markers that separate the lanes. I think the sticky tires prevented the fish tailing from getting worse. But I also found them unpredictable. If you don't get them hot enough they can grab violently all of a sudden and can surprise you fast.
The next time I go I'm gonna install one of those levers that disengage the rear brakes so I can just sit there with the front brakes on and do a brake stand until I'm engulfed in tire smoke. That's the only way I think I will be able to get them up to the optimum operating temp. That's what I think the problem was. They were almost hot enough but not quite which made them unpredictable. The guys that were able to do brake stands would burnout fo 10-15sec and even when they pulled up to the staging light there tires were still smoking so you know they were plenty heated up.

[Kevin]

glad to hear you made it home safe and sound i'd have had to change my underwear

[WB9MCW]

SPOOKY TALE THERE RS -- GLAD UR OK AND DA Z TOO.

[rhipsher]

It's a humbling expieriance. You know sh*t happens. And sometimes sh*t almost happens. I'm glad this time it was the ladder. I'll go again but I'm gonna make a few changes.

[carter200]

Glad you kept the shiny side up :thumbsup:

[USAFPILOT]

dang bro...sucks to hear this story, I was hoping for some good et's. Glad to hear you didn't hit the wall etc. :cheers:

[flyin ryan]

So you think somethings up with your Posi?

[Jeffvette]

So you think somethings up with your Posi?


Or sometimes it was the POS that had the last pass that dropped some coolant or oil. You just never know.

[flyin ryan]

Or sometimes it was the POS that had the last pass that dropped some coolant or oil. You just never know.Oh' for sure, you know it. If it's not a bigger event, sometimes the local track staff can get a little 'Lax',...unfortunatly.

[Jeffvette]

Oh' for sure, you know it. If it's not a bigger event, sometimes the local track staff can get a little 'Lax',...unfortunatly.


Which is one reason why I hate going to the local drags. It's amazing the piles they send down the 1/4. At least on the road course I know the vehicles are maintained to a little higher standard.

[flyin ryan]

Which is one reason why I hate going to the local drags. It's amazing the piles they send down the 1/4. At least on the road course I know the vehicles are maintained to a little higher standard.Touche', :o

[GOLDCYLON]

Glad to hear both you and the Z are ok. :cheers:

[XfireZ51]

This sounds eerily familiar. I almost lost it last year at Byron. Was in the left lane. Lgaff was there. Car running well then I hit 3rd gear and the rear end came out on me. I didn't have DRs. Just my old BFG KDs. The car fishtailed and I was heading towards the center of the track, then back towards the wall.
Back and forth 3-4 times. Now I am used to having second gear tire spin but the car tracks straight so I can stay in it, but take a bit off till tires bite again.
This time it was different since it was third gear and very near the traps so I have some significant speed going at this point. I did the same thing. I parked it for the day. They stopped the track and found someone had dumped diff fluid before I ran

[tomtom72]

Man Rick, glad that you and the car are okay.

I'd of had to have changed my socks & shorts!

[jonszr1]

bummer.

[RICKYRJ1]

Man, you know if you would have F't it up everyone would have asked "are you OK"? then the next question would have been "what PARTS are still good on the car and how much"?:jawdrop: ;) Glad you are alright, Did you still beat the FORD?

[tomtom72]

Man, you know if you would have F't it up everyone would have asked "are you OK"? then the next question would have been "what PARTS are still good on the car and how much"?:jawdrop: ;) Glad you are alright, Did you still beat the FORD?

How much for the motor & trans?:mrgreen:

[rhipsher]

The same thing happened last time in that same lane at about the 1/8 mark. A good friend of mine with a twin turbo c5 asked me, was it in the right lane at the 1/8 mark? I said yep. He said the same thing happen to him in the same spot. When I get outta the hole I shift really fast and with every shift I get tire chirp all the way up into 4th outta both tires with no pitching out to the left or right. At that point I just went into survival mode and the car straightened out. I thought a u-joint let loose. But when I got straight I hit the gas everything was still in tact. Its hard to tell what caused it. There are so many variables. But one thing I know for sure is thats never happened to me in the left lane ever.
By the way jeff have you received any of my p.m's? I need to get a price on a ss top end fastener kit.