had an m3 up my ***, cooked him until I had to do the 4-5 shift at ~110 - he didn't. dropped 2-3 car lengths and caught at ~132mph. In a 1/4, my trap would be about 110 or a little less, why not drop either the rear diff or 5th a little to get a lower ratio?

if u want fasted trap times at 1/4, wouldn't it make sense to tighten up the 3-4-5 ratios? I see others with 13's at 107 mph, not in 3rd, but 4th, too far up the power for that gear, IMHO.

Ideas?

Thanks!
SteveZ
mailto:superblackz@yahoo.com

 

If you lost 2-3 cars during the shift you are shifting as slow as an old grandma Try shifting a little quicker.....it is possible to powershift 5th gear.

 

Yeah, your 1/4 mile speed would be more in the range of 99-102. 110mph would be indicative of a 12 second 1/4 mile. I think the 350 is geared just fine for 1/4 mile. What your suggesting is to change the gearing for better highway runs.

 

Are you kidding me? If you wanted your Z geared for the quarter mile you would be turning 5000rpm on the freeway. Sports cars are not geared for the quarter mile. They are geared for fuel economy, good all around performance, and perhaps even for road racing in the case of a high end sports car. Have you ever seen a 1960's muscle car on the freeway going 50mph and revving fairly high? That's geared for the 1/4 mile.

 

No its because most of those older cars only had 3 speed autos or a 4 speed manual....they are running the same gearing if not less than a 350 Z.....
try driving around in your car in 3rd or 4th gear on the highway and thats all the gears they have.

 

Let's see...I have to shift, he does not. babe or Grandpa, who will be faster at that point?

Say Grandpa, perhaps you can shift faster than a SMG-paddle shifting M3 tranny?

Having driven both, I can't.

 

Thanks.

Personally, I don't know Jack about running 1/4's. Dad was a very good Formula Atlantic driver. Mom's in Champ Car (CART) race promotion. I've got Road Racing in my family tree, not running straight ASAP.

What's ironic is half-n-half of people who ask me about the Z in certain age range (not saying!) ask me about time to go 0-to-0.25 miles. That kindof surprised me, as if that's what the Z is built for!

I don't want my Z geared to run fast quarters. But note that the speed I am talking about is above the trap speed for 1/4 mile - 110 to 120 mph. If I'm coming onto the back straight of a track like Portland (PIR), or Sears Point, I'd guess the *ideal* gearing would be different.

And no doubt, you are most correct about the intended use - I get ~26 mpg with pure FW driving, more like 18 mpg in any mixed driving.

 

Ack!!! I use 5th/6th a lot, at 45-60 mph cruising the backroads.

Geez, one guy calls me a grandma for being too slow on the shift against a car that doesn't have to shift, someone else says I'm dissin' the gearing in the Z - none of the above :0

I just like to hear what people's opinions are, still getting to know my Z at only 6,000 miles since November (rude winter here in the NE).

Personally, I'm kinda mystified by drag racing. BUT, on tracks with longer straights than Willows, how do you deal with Track sections where you need to jump 90-130 mph before hitting a corner?

Let's say you run SCCA Stock against an M3 under that scenario - how do you account for the -40hp deficit and different gearing? I say it can be done, because after all, it comes down to the driver when all else is close.

"Grandma" Steve Z

 

LOL....I didn't mean to directly aim that comment at you
Sorry about that.

While I think its possible to shift near about as fast as the M3s paddle shifting tranny I'm sure that tranny won't miss gears.
I know a guy that has broken a forged shift lever in his car.....the guy shifts crazy fast

I guess the best way to tell how fast you are shifting is to have a friend watch and see if your headlights come down at all when you shift....due to the front end coming down and then going back up. If you can keep the front end from going down during a shift you've got it down right.

 

I'd say the Z is geared pretty well for the 1/4, although for optimal results 4th should probably top out at about 108 (not sure where it ends up stock).

For road racing the Z seems to be set up very well.

On practically every AutoX I've run, I've been able to go the entire course in 2nd gear. Coming out of corners there is enough torque to break the rear end loose, and there is just enough top end to handle the straights. A couple more MPH on top wouldn't hurt on the longer courses, but overall it seems to do very well.

Also, at Laguna Seca the gearing seemed to be right on. I could use 2nd or third coming out of turn 11, go to fourth by end of straight and down to third through turn 2. I'd go up to forth between turns 4 and 5, then down to third through 5 and 6 then 4th up the hill towards the corkscrew. 3rd through the corskscrew and all the way back down to 11.

With the broad torque curve and close gearing, the Z seems to run the road courses pretty easily, which is good for me since I can't heel-toe in the Z. Instead I have to finish braking a bit early so I can stab the gas and shift just before the corner. It's nice when I don't have to do that.

-D'oh!

 

Thanks for the good advice - that's a real simple way to tell. I put a short shift (B&M) in my Alty and other than liking the feel, couldn't say "did it make things faster"

One pretty funny trend I see with a few Newbie M3 drivers is they tend to thrash the car like Nitendo, just driving the thing flat-out and paddle-shifting at rpm-points (really high) - oh well

My original curiousity is why I had to shift when the other guy did not at all, 'cause his 4th ran 96-136mph, spanning the gap where I had to shift at most 112mph. I guess it's just the higher rev limit.

I'll stay with my stock Z just as it, I love just road driving, and my guess is for more typical road tracks, it's geared just right - 2nd and 3rd are almost all you need for high speed corners.

Thanks!
SteveZ

 

Stock 4-5 is really close to what you mentioned, published at 112, but really I see 6500 rpm as a hard wall, not 6600, makes it more like 108-110.

Thanks SO much for your description of Laguna, the gear/speed/place on track tells me a big story. Of course, being out East now, the idea of being able to toss my Z down the corkscrew in 3rd with all its torque as a downshift from 4th...well, that's a ramble in the making Goes back to the Nissan 510 vs. Alfa/BMW racing 30 years ago...and Nissan getting screwed out of a series trophy by fender-banging by the Alfas, at least until the protest was upheld...

Come visit Lime Rock in CT some day - not a Laguna, but it has its fun, too!

SteveZ
mailto:superblackz@aol.com

 

My grandparents live in CT and I usually go out and visit for a week during the summer. Too bad it's such a long drive

Laguna was lots of fun.

Can't wait till I save up some more cash and go back!

-D'oh!

 

Kinda like driving to AZ or OR to visit my family!

Seriously, drop me a line if you head back. This summer there is a local Z rally followed by a trek to Lime Rock for "Ferrari Day", and then the Main Deal, the New England Z meet at Loudon, NH - they have a very interesting road course that uses part of the oval. See:

http://www.zccne.addr.com/Convention_2003/index.htm

Steve
mailto:superblackz@yahoo.com