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Sedans Oldsmobile Aurora Oldsmobile Aurora: Acceleration
266 messages, Last post on Nov 13, 2007 at 12:18 PM
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Replying to: rjs200240 (Oct 21, 2004 6:07 pm) |
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...without running on a dyno, there's no real way to test this seat-of-the-pants feeling. Or at the track  . I know my Autobahn-equipped '98 pulls stronger at the low end than my mother-in-law's non-Autobahn '98. However, I have also modified the airbox on my car - something that's really very easy to do (search CaddyInfo for Greg Garnes' instructions). I also put in a K&N filter. And, speaking of filters, might want to change the fuel filter, and maybe plugs and wires (with the car running, spray a little mist of water over the wires and see if you get fireworks - if so, they're bad). Of course, make sure you use only ACDelco plugs and wires, as others tend to be problematic (the Northstar is picky)... Hope this helps, --Robert |
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I know exactly, I drove two other non-autobahns before I bought my autobahn and they definetly needed the traction control as where mine could actually do better w/o it. However, one time when my dad was driving (don't ask the reason lol) he got on it and it felt better then the previous two. Have a friend (obviously a really, really good friend) drive for away and tell him to go for it once when you're not expecting it. My guess is that you just ready for the blast and it comes out underrated. Just my $0.02 |
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drive with traction on, or off? I'm talking about regular, everyday driving. I realize in snow you would want traction on. John |
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Its really wouldn't matter as it traction control and not stability it doesn't do anything till either wheel is spinning faster then the speed. Since the roras are FWD, spinning them would actually help save you. I know it helped me on an off-ramp. It was wet and the back slid out and I was all crossed up. Just applied some power and brought her back. It's just the matter of having traction off starring you in the face. |
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First off, let me just say this place is nicer than 75-80. It has better layout and seems a little nicer and the workers seemed a bit more safety-conscious. And let me also say, there's no band-aid to pull off fast this time...  You can read my first track visit in post #31 of this thread. Before I left the house to hit the dragstrip, I removed the spare tire and the rear seat bench (which only weighs like 20 lbs, it's really light). I also gassed up with about 3.5 gallons of 93 at Sunoco (I thought they'd have 94) which would put me at about a 1/4 tank after the ~60 mile drive to the dragstrip. When I got there, I didn't mess with the tire pressures, which I'd set to 33psi a few weeks back, and didn't remove the headlight or anything. Just ran it like I drove it there. First run I was making the mental checks. But I got up there quick and forgot to put it in 2nd. So I launched about 1500 rpm, traction off, in D. The car pulled real hard, snapped the shift at 6400 rpm, and kept going. Unlike my last trip to the track, 3rd gear felt very strong. Last time 1st and 2nd felt strong but 3rd really fell flat. I smoked the guy in the Pontiac Grand Am V6 next to me on the way to a 14.97  91.92 mph with a .208 RT (they don't include the clock time, so .000 is the best) and a 2.311 60' time. I knew it was a great run, the car felt strong, but I figured maybe I'd be under 15.5, which was my big goal. When I got the time slip, I about freaked!! My next run was my best. I was opening the hood while I waited, but surprisingly no one else ever did. I ran a 14.86 92.23 mph, with a .220 RT and a 2.294 60' time against that Grand Am again. Interestingly, he didn't wait in line, they brought him over from the middle. I guess he knew the track folks or something (they'd also annouce the Grand Am V6 running in Lane 1, but say nothing of my car), and maybe he thought I'd be a good matchup for him. His best against me was a 16.38, and even by 330' I was 4/10ths of a second faster (enough to cover my longer RT). He also redlighted each run at about -.03 seconds RT. On this second run, I remembered to toss it into 2nd. I figured it wouldn't make a diff as the car ran to 6400 anyway. Holy crap did it ever! The car charged so hard the needle crossed into the red hashes at 6500, and it jerked sideways on the shift!! It definitely felt like it broke a tire loose, though there was no audible chirp. The car definitely skipped to the side, though. It was awesome!! Then I smoked a guy in an old-style Miata. By that time, the announcer was announcing my car as an Olds Aurora and noted that it had been running pretty strong. This run had my highest trap speed, ran a 14.89 92.56 mph. Then I took a break, ate some nachos, and watched the action with my wife. I saw a Mustang GT (the body style where it could be a 5.0 or a 4.6, both of which made about 215hp) run a 15.2, a totally pimped out Accord run a 16.3, and even saw a WRX run a 14.8 or so. So there were a few cars I was pleased to see I'd have smoked pretty badly. A pimped GTI ran a 14.2, and I can't recall the others that ran slower than me (I think a Hyundai Tiburon that was all pimped). Then I took a last run for the heck of it and we left. It was my worst run, but the car was parked on the grass so the tires were wet and grassy. I didn't do a burnout any of the times. I ran a 15.00 91.41 against some Eclipse. I think he was spraying because I took him off the line, took him to 330', and even passed the 1/8th marker first, though that was due to my better RT, but then he took off. He ran a 13.77 107.85 mph. This time was the highest launch rpm, of probably 2000+ rpm. I'm not sure it helped, though it's hard to say if my poor run was due to the tires. My 60' was 2.320, my 330' was 6.376 (my best was 6.304). But launching at closer to 1500 rpm seemed to work fine and doesn't seem as bad for the car. So there you have it, a 14.86 92.22 mph... Pretty dang impressive, and much better than I was expecting. The temps were just under 50F, my gas tank was about 1/4 full, and of course this time I have the Corsa exhaust. It's a heck of a lot better than the 16.06 85.77 mph best I ran the last time I was at the track!! I'm soooo happy with the car!!!
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Those are some incredible times. And consider the luxury heft of the car too. That is WAY cool. The temperature was about perfect for maximum power although the tires may not have been as grippy at that temp. I'll bet you anything your times would have been better with a new set of tires. How may miles do you have on them? When I get new tires the difference is amazing - and I get new ones before they are technically gone. The Corsa exhaust is definitely doing something. I've got to go to a track. That sounds too darn fun to pass. Now, what would be unbeatable is if I got to race you. Heh Heh Heh. But solid upper 14's - oh man, I don't know. That's brutal. Thanks for sharing the other times of other stuff you saw. I doubt any of those was totally stock either. I'm sure they at least had a K&N filter. You have to wonder what that poor WRX owner is thinking when his times (under great conditions) aren't close to the magazine times. I have to laugh. I think is tested much quicker than that. Thanks for the post. I hope mine would be close. I'd flip with low 15's. |
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I would have flipped for low 15's also. I was really just hoping to be below 15.5, though in the back of my mind I wanted to match the 15.1 that one online car review quoted back in 2001. In reality, I should have known it would do that or better. I swear, the car gets stronger and stronger all the time. It seemed like after last winter, the car maintained winter-like performance in the summer. Now that it's cooling down, it feels stronger than it's ever felt. I'm guessing it's from breaking in. The car and tires have about 27k on them now. Grip wasn't too big an issue. I think mainly due to the real drag cars laying down pretty good rubber on the track. But it did peel out a fair bit. Here you can see one of my better runs. Listen to the announcer (you can also listen for the sound of Corsa, though it didn't pick up that well): http://members.aol.com/aurora402002/dragstrip/3rdrun.mpg We'll definitely have to meet up and line 'em up one day. That would be a real blast!
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Replying to: rjs200240 (Nov 14, 2004 2:46 pm) John |
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