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  • 2005 - 2014 S-197 Mustang -General/Talk-
  • 2005 - 2009 Specific Tech

Drag Strip: Leave spare tire?

  • Thread starter Thread starter xtweakerx
  • Start date Start date Jun 25, 2007

xtweakerx

New Member
Feb 26, 2007
411
0
0
Jupiter,FL
Jun 25, 2007
#1
  • Jun 25, 2007
  • #1
So what have you guys been doing?

Leaving the spare tire in the trunk or not?
 

iskwezm

10 Year Member
May 24, 2005
4,159
20
79
Rowland Heights,California
Jun 25, 2007
#2
  • Jun 25, 2007
  • #2
I run with EVERYTHING in the car, so people dont give me excuses of taking weight off the car.
 

kooldawg6

mine works really well and can take a fair amount
Aug 31, 2006
1,679
2
38
Central VA
Jun 25, 2007
#3
  • Jun 25, 2007
  • #3
iskwezm said:
I run with EVERYTHING in the car, so people dont give me excuses of taking weight off the car.
Click to expand...

+1
When I ran, I still had my son's car seat in the car and 2 lawn chairs in the trunk. Who knows...with that stuff removed AND the spare, I might have ran a 13.300 instead of my best of 13.345... Removing just that little bit of weight from the rear may not help much. It may hurt in the fact of putting less weight on the drive wheels resulting in more traction loss. You'd be better off removing/moving weight rom the front(to the rear). Putting the battery in the trunk will help(some). These cars are nose heavy...removing weight from the back only amplifies that.
 

xtweakerx

New Member
Feb 26, 2007
411
0
0
Jupiter,FL
Jun 25, 2007
#4
  • Jun 25, 2007
  • #4
yeah ive heard that before with these cars taking out the spare may hurt the time. ive only tried racing it without the spare, i think next time ill leave it in.

because im curious it may help my rear traction.
 

bigcat

start with the upper hole, and if more traction is
May 1, 2005
3,015
1
79
7200 feet
Jun 26, 2007
#5
  • Jun 26, 2007
  • #5
my 60ft times have all been better with the spare removed.
 
H

Hoboattacker

New Member
Sep 7, 2005
542
0
0
Baton Rouge (LSU) / Houston, TX
Jun 26, 2007
#6
  • Jun 26, 2007
  • #6
I took out my spare, trunk carpet, and backseat and ran a 12.96. With all of it in the car I run consistent 13.1's-13.2's. It helps.
 

Five Oh Brian

Member
Jun 13, 2007
552
1
16
Pacific Northwest
Jun 26, 2007
#7
  • Jun 26, 2007
  • #7
xtweakerx said:
yeah ive heard that before with these cars taking out the spare may hurt the time. ive only tried racing it without the spare, i think next time ill leave it in.

because im curious it may help my rear traction.
Click to expand...

The less weight, the quicker your ET's. For every 100lbs you remove, you're improving about a tenth of a second in the 1/4 mile.

If you are having traction issues, the proper fix is a drag radial or slick - not adding more weight back in.
 
T

TGJ

New Member
Mar 30, 2005
1,049
4
0
Jun 26, 2007
#8
  • Jun 26, 2007
  • #8
I remove the spare so I can fit both my Drag Radials in the trunk. I don't have anything in the trunk when I go down the track. Losing 100 lbs is roughly a .1 faster in the 1/4.
 

Five Oh Brian

Member
Jun 13, 2007
552
1
16
Pacific Northwest
Jun 27, 2007
#9
  • Jun 27, 2007
  • #9
Also worth considering for weight savings at the track is fuel level. Premium gasoline weighs a little over 6 lbs per gallon. Running a 1/4 tank (roughly 4 gallons) versus a full tank (almost 16 gallons) save you 12 gallons which is about 75 lbs! Our local dragstrip has gas available to buy onsite, so I run as little fuel as possible and only add fuel when I need to. Remove the spare tire, jack, and rear seat bottom (no tools required, and only about 5 minutes work) for another 55-60 lbs. That's over 130 lbs of ballast out of the car, and a consistent tenth or two improvement in ET without adding any hp into the equation.
 

Bones187

New Member
Apr 30, 2006
14
0
0
Jun 28, 2007
#10
  • Jun 28, 2007
  • #10
Hoboattacker said:
I took out my spare, trunk carpet, and backseat and ran a 12.96. With all of it in the car I run consistent 13.1's-13.2's. It helps.
Click to expand...


Nice times. Under 13 with spare out cool. How much gas in tank??
 
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