I have been continuously asked when I will finally get some track time and/or race time under my belt with this thing and, admittedly, I have been slacking in that department. I’ve been doing constant upgrades but keep forgetting that it might be a good idea to get out to the track in between some of these upgrades to see how she’s improving, if at all.
So I had decided to do this about a month ago, but then, I started developing some issues with the car. As some of you know, a burning oil issue. I thought I had worked it out a bit, so decided to just go for it and head out to my local track, Sacramento Raceway Park, and get some seat time with the rig.
Turns out, I still have a bit of burning oil issue, but I’ll address that here soon.
I’m glad I did finally go out and get some track time as I started feeling like I spent more time bench racing than actual racing (which I think my ratio is still leaning that direction, LOL). It feels like a bit of a burden and time-crunch is off my shoulders and I can take a bit more time to make some improvements in the tuning and some upgrades.
I have a Kestrel device I take to the track to get some local weather conditions, namely density altitude. I know you can get this info off the internet, but I figure a handheld reading right at the spot is more accurate, LOL.
Anyway, I got 3 runs in during the Test & Tune Saturday as there were track problems toward the end. My first run, right out of the gate, broke the previous record of 12.62 set by a good friend of mine Forrest Folmsbee (whom I respect tremendously and was a huge motivating force to get me to were I am going). I ran a 12.41 @ 112mph. The time was a bit bittersweet as I was really hoping to get closer to the 11s. Check out the timeslip below. I also ran the Dragy at the same time, so you can see a decent comparison of the 2. Seems decently close enough for an idea of where you stand, but definitely not 100% precise.
After some thought and trying a different brake boosting RPM, my next run garnered the record time at 12.38 with a trap speed of 114mph, but the 60′ time was still not great. Seems to be a pretty consistent high 1.9s so I began to think it may be with the tuning.
So we looked at my logs right after this run to see what was going on. Looked for any knock but none showed up. Looked at how the car was responding to the brake boosting and it looks….ok. My initial thinking is, since my 60′ times are relatively consistent, that the larger turbos may be taking longer to spool up than anticipated. Brad at AJP Turbo will be getting the logs, so maybe there is some magic he can perform there. I also thought maybe my methanol had a bit to do with it as I had JUST gotten the install completed a week or 2 prior and hadn’t actually tuned for it. I was running it simply for cooling but began to think maybe it was messing with the tune. So my last run, I turned it off and ran without. Turns out my time was worse, a 12.62 @ 112 with a 60′ of 2.03. Eeessssshhhhh! Not good!
And btw, I am also realizing how bad these things need a limited slip. In the video below, you’ll see a clip of the left and right front tires and the drivers side is WAY more sticky after a run than the passenger side. It is completely embedded with rocks from the crappy return road that Sac Raceway has, LOL. The passenger side was perfectly rock free. Looks to me like the drivers side is getting hotter then the other side. Can someone PLEASE make an LSD for this thing, haha.
And that was last run I was able to get in as the track shut down for the day after that. If I could actually get this thing down in the 1.7s in my short track, I’m pretty sure I’d be at the least in the high 11s. But anyone actually racing this platform can attest to how difficult it actually is, despite many similarities between the SHO and Flex. Here’s a good summary video of the days events.
So, I am still dealing with some oil burning issue and I need to address that. Gotta check the compression and do a leak down test. Luckily I’ve got a built motor from RMB Motorworks to throw in here if it tests bad. Fingers crossed that it isn’t as I’m not quite ready for the new motor to go in yet.
I’ve got to give some credit where it’s due. Big thanks to Rick (my Ford Mustang friend, don’t hold it against him) and Adam (current world record holder for the Ford Flex) for coming out and supporting me! Thanks for the technical help and just cheering me on, means a lot to me. And big shout outs to Jordan (current SHO record holder) and Andrew (not far behind, an SHO to watch out for) of the SHO community who’s given lot’s a technical advise and encouragement
BTW…that hood vent is WORKING! Damn I can see tons of heat rising out of it while staging and when I park after a run, it’s pretty cool to the touch. Again, not a pretty mod, but definitely functional.
Thank you for checking this out and I appreciate you taking the time to indulge me in my journey! If you liked this article and want to see more, check out my YouTube channel and give me a subscribe!