Finally Did It: 12.65 @ 108.15

Yup, you heard right. I finally got the ole 98 NPI slushbox GT into the 12s, and well into the 12s at that. I knew it had these times in it, it was just gonna have to wait till some good weather. Good weather came, and I capitalized on the opportunity. Seeing what it'll do in this trim, I now believe I could get it to the low 12s with gears, a stall, and a slightly lower DA. But I keep telling myself that those things are not going to happen.

Track: Rockingham Dragway
DA: 400 feet

12.65 @ 108.15 mph with a 1.84 60' (right lane)



And to back it up

12.66 @ 107.88 mph with a 1.83 60' (right lane)



I had no wheel spin on any of my passes minus 2, and those times aren't in this thread. (They were both 12.8s anyway. )

I got a better trap speed a few passes later. I remembered that I pulled some timing and richened it up a little bit after it pinged at the top of 2nd gear last time I went to the 1/4. So I added that timing back and leaned it back out. Unfortunately, this was later in the day, and the track wasn't hooking anywhere near as good as it was earlier when I made the 12.6 passes. And the DA was about 250 feet more than earlier. No wheel spin, I just launched it softer because I had spun the previously couple of passes. It still definitely has some left in it.

12.75 @ 108.41 mph with a 1.91 60'. (right lane) Check out that RT.



Video of that run:
YouTube - 1998 Mustang GT vs. 2001 Mustang Bullitt

These runs were done with some basic, easy weight reduction. When I got to the track, I took out: (all of this was weighed by me personally earlier this week)

Spare tire and jack: 31 pounds
Subwoofers: 36 pounds
Passenger seat: 35 pounds
Rear seat bottom: 13 pounds
Bag of tools: 18 pounds
Floor mats: 12 pounds
Rear spoiler: 8 pounds
For a total of: 153 pounds!

It sounds like a lot of taking out, but it only took me 10 minutes to get it all out, and 15 to put it all back in. And boy did it make a difference, as shown by the times above.

As the day was ending, I figured I'd see what it would do with all of that back in. So, in FULL street trim (minus the DRs) on the only pass in this trim, it went:

12.85 @ 107.21 mph with a 1.90 60'




I actually went to the track last night as well with some nice cool air (-750 feet DA), but after I got there, they decided to close 2 hours early, which only allowed me to get 2 passes in. They did let me in half price, so it wasn't all bad. So with no time to let air out of the tires or get the feel of the cold track, and with all the said stuff above still in the car (I didn't have time to take it out), I went:

13.00 @ 106.45 mph with a 1.96 60'



Video of that run: YouTube - Supercharged 1998 Mustang GT Listen to that J-mod do work! (I know I'm in the left lane in the video, and the right in the slip. Both runs last night were flip-flopped right-left. Weird).

I was so ticked off that I didn't get a 12.99 (and that was the last pass of the night). Looking back at it, I'm glad I didn't because if I would have probably not gone this morning, and thus not run all these sweet times.

I know why the ET was slower (wheel spin), but I'm not entirely sure why I was trapping so much less than I did today considering I had 1000 feet less DA. Oh well, maybe get to run at that kind of DA again later next month.

Hokay, end novel.

Thanks guys!

Yea, I was surprised a lot more about that 1.83 60' than I was the 12.6 it ran in the 1/4. I've heard from lots of folks (some with superchargers and now even turbos) that 1.90 is about all you can get out of the stock converter/stock gears combo. So I was ecstatic when I was knocking down low-mid 1.8s all day long. And with a little more practice, slightly cooler weather, and a better prepped track (it wasn't very good at all today), I think I might could improve even a little bit more. Roots-style torque, baby!

The car feels awesome, and the weather is great. It could be better, but I can't complain after doing what I did today. I would like to run at Rockingham with some negative DAs and see what it does then. I was really disappointed I didn't get to dial it in Friday night with a nice -750 feet DA.

BurningRubber, you should come out with us next time we go if Rockingham isn't too far for you. Heck, it's almost an hour and a half for us. But it is a fast track, and our drag strip club is slowly becoming more like a Mustang club.

Yep, I ran a whole slew of 13.3s and 13.4s (with one lone 13.2) at 103-104 mph a little over a month ago. It as at a different track, and the DA was only about 500 feet more than tonight. The car was identical, except I kept the full interior at the passes a month back (about 60 pounds worth). So the DA and weight should have accounted for roughly .1 and 1 mph. That still leaves over half a second and 4ish mph unaccounted for. Either Fayetteville is slow, Rockingham is fast, or a combination of the two. Rockingham is IHRA certified, and I've backed up Rockingham passes with similar times at my home track, so I'm pretty confident that they have their act together. Something was up at Fayetteville. I know some members on here have ran fast passes at Fayetteville, and maybe it normally is fine, but something was definitely off that night. It sure feels a whole lot better telling folks I ran a 12.65 with a supercharged Mustang than telling them I'm running 13.3s.