For over a year I’ve been trying to get him to do a 40mph+ pull with me (not necessarily because I thought that I could out pull him, mostly just to see how the T6 would fair with the front mount and WI installed). An avid boxing fan, he felt that before I could ever be a contender for the corvette’s belt, I must successfully pass up through the ranks by first defeating his DD – a 2007 Monte Carlo SS with a 5.3 liter V8 (303hp & 325tq and capable of running low 14s to high 13s stock). On paper it was a great matchup (since both cars are similar in weight, both are FWD automatics with basically the same transmission, and in our opinion both made similar HP), but I was never that interested because I had always felt that his Monte Carlo just didn't have enough for the T6.
So anyway, the phone rings last night around midnight and it’s my buddy, on his cellphone, in my driveway, calling me out – literally.
I was hesitant since I need to replace a dying ETM and a bad O2 sensor (the last thing that I needed was to loose to that car and be forced to listen to him talk shit forever), but he knew the exact buttons to press in order to get me out for a few pulls. As we headed to the private airstrip on his family’s farm where they land their crop duster, I noted that the temps outside was in the low 60s (mmm , turbo weather).
The first pull was from 40mph. No honks or anything – I just told him to go when he was ready.
I was settling in @ 40mph with my GT still in 3rd when he nailed it. His car was so quite, that I didn’t notice that he had downshifted into 2nd so he took about a car and a half lead, but my downshift to 2nd stopped that and by the end of 2nd gear I had pulled ½ of a car in front. I continued to out pull him while in 3rd, and by 90mph I shut it down maybe 2 or 3 cars in front of him. We tried it again from 40mph (this time with both of us in 2nd gear) and I immediately walked away from him so fast it wasn’t even a contest.
He said that 40mph starts weren’t the best for him because he wasn’t starting in his motor’s optimal power band. He felt if we were to start either in the 30mph range or the 60mph range it would be different results. Seemed resonable. So, being the good friend that I am, I gave him a chance to redeem himself at both a 30mph roll (in 1st gear) and at a 60mph roll (high in second gear). From 30mph the results were no different, but he was right - it was more competitive leaving @ 60mph. I didn’t pass him until somewhere around 67mph.
Afterwards, I felt so confident that I suggested we go from a standstill. Since the ¼ mile wasn’t marked, we agreed that the race was to 100mph (we figured that the cars trapped 100mph at best, so by the time we reached 100mph we would have raced for approximately a ¼ mile) Again, he could leave when he was ready. As I heard the squeal of his tires, I tried to leave – only to bog at the line followed by massive wheel spin (who bogs with an automatic?!? - Damned ETM!
). Unfortunately, he got enough of a lead that I couldn’t get in front of him before 100mph.Now he’s ready to pull out the corvette and redeem himself.
