Took the HHR to the track this last Friday night and did some racing with real lights and not a dash mounted meter!:lol: Cold track added up to low traction so my launches were crappy all night. Raced a 2.4SS Cobalt auto. He had a full exhaust system and his 17's had better tires than my crappy stocker 16's. First race I won! Ran a 16.901 and he ran a 16.977! I was also trapping 4mph higher than him all night. I really need to work on my launches! Coming from a previous honda owner I'm not used to having anything close to torque! Second race I lost because I missed 2nd. Oh well. Going again on Saturday to work on launches.

:lol: How were you launching with the clutch?

it would either bog down or spin too much... it sucked. Tried everything from lauching at 1500 to 3500... No good.

what mods you have to beat him?

Well, not to offend you, but coming form the cobalt community, trust me, there is by no means any way a 2.4ss can run that bad. 2.4 ss auto's are low low 16's or mid to high 15's, and the manuals onyl get better. Are you sure it wasnt a 2.2 with some ss badging or something to that affect.

Possible might need an anti/reduce torque damper to reduce the tire spinning.

Well, not to offend you, but coming form the cobalt community, trust me, there is by no means any way a 2.4ss can run that bad. 2.4 ss auto's are low low 16's or mid to high 15's, and the manuals onyl get better. Are you sure it wasnt a 2.2 with some ss badging or something to that affect.

I know this guy personally and know for a fact its a 2.4 SS. Our track elevation is over 3000 ft plus the track was cold. Both of us were running badly. My mods are:: REAL cold air intake, GMPP Mani, 2.25 Exh... That is it. He has a 2.4SS coupe, auto with short ram intake and 2.5" exh... He was launching good and with an auto never missed a shift.:nuts:

I know this guy personally and know for a fact its a 2.4 SS. Our track elevation is over 3000 ft plus the track was cold. Both of us were running badly. My mods are:: REAL cold air intake, GMPP Mani, 2.25 Exh... That is it. He has a 2.4SS coupe, auto with short ram intake and 2.5" exh... He was launching good and with an auto never missed a shift.:nuts:

The main reason you were running faster times in the 1/4 is tire size. Your 16's are smaller in diameter and lighter (total wheel/tire weight), than his 17's. This makes for slower spin-up down the track. Wanna prove this theory? Just swap wheels with the guy for a run next time and watch him walk away from you.

If you check the Honda boards, you'll find that most people drag racing are running 15's. Should you go down to a shorter tire height your track times would be even quicker. The engine will wind out quicker and top out faster. You don't need full top speed at the track in an HHR - you will never break 100.

And as far as slamming on "dash mounted meters" - why not watch the video on this page:

G-Tech Run (http://www.gtechpro.com/test.html)

It is impossible to "fool" a G-Tech. The accelerometer only "starts" when the car launches - there is no "reaction time" like at the drags. That makes it more effective at measuring the actual 1/4-mile time than strip lights, which always factor in the driver's sluggish response (reaction). I had a great conversation with the designer of the G-Tech at SEMA yesterday and they have another awesome new product coming out soon that is amazing...cant' wait!

Not too worried about reaction times. I am consistantly at .120 or under. Every dash mounted meter has a +/- error rate. +/- a tenth or 2.. most are this way. Thats the only reason I don't trust them. Numbers aren't 100% accurate. To me track times are. I know the elevation, temp, weight of my car, so on and so forth. I know what the other guys around here run. I can take any dash mount and say I ran a XX.XXX but nothing to prove it. Could have put it in a Corvette and say I ran a 13.xxx... point is at the track I have an assigend number. Pictures/video of my car with said number on it. Time slips with number above my times. Black and white proof of what I am running. Not a dash mounted piece of tech that can be moved. Anything can be fooled. Even the most sophisticated piece of tech in a car.

As far as tire sizes go. Even if his 17's were weighing more and had a bigger drag on power with rotating mass and all the mathematics you can summon, he was still slower in a faster machine. I hesitate to post things like this because of people like you. Hoping to get a positive feedback... like "wow a 2.2 with mods can acutally beat a SS cobalt, great job" would be too much to ask. Instead you have to be the end all know all of auto tuning and modification and belittle someone else's work that may not agree with your own. I'm sorry you feel the way you do and take pride in making other's accomplishments feel like they did nothing. I wasn't asking for the smallest reason as to why I beat him. I was just proud that my 3300 lbs HHR with a small 2.2 was beating a 2800 lbs 2.4 cobalt with same mods. Anyone else that has anything positive to say, and those that have already, thank you! But this is the reason I don't like posting about these things anymore. And probably won't. I will stick to monthly meetings with my local group and maybe a regional meeting or two. So long, and thanks for all the fish. Or something. :D

Good job. :thumb: You forgot to mention the aerodynamic difference on top of the weight and power differences. Our car is shaped like a brick compared to the cobalt. :lol:

Today's fact (no BS!)...

The Cobalt SS with 17's has a 205/50-17 tire, which is slightly shorter than the 215/55-16 on the HHR.

Good job everyone...:twothumbs

Today's fact (no BS!)...

The Cobalt SS with 17's has a 205/50-17 tire, which is slightly shorter than the 215/55-16 on the HHR.

It also weighs more because the rim is larger in mass.

Why not just swap tires with the guy (since he's a friend), and see what the results are then? You don't have to get all bent out of shape just because I made a logical suggestion.

My comment was based on the fact that we have done many runs here in an HHR with both 16's and 17's installed. The times are always quicker with the 16's.

Don't go away mad...and don't go away!

Good job everyone...:twothumbs

Like they work for you or something? :lol:

Moderater tell the vendor ^ that child like behavior belongs in kindergarden....

enOoNmAI--sounds like you had a good time at the drags and congrats on the win. I'm just jealous...here in Arkansas we only have a 1000' track (can you imagine the controversy if I posted times from that?). The closest 1/4 mile is over 2 hours away in Memphis. Not to add to the drama, but even at the drag strip, reaction time does not count against your overall time. Reaction time is the time from when the green light illuminates to when you no longer break the 'staged' light. When that is completed, and only then, is when your ET starts to accumulate and it stops ticking when you break the beam in the traps at the big end. At least that is how it worked when I raced at Englishtown, NJ (a NHRA track). If you don't believe me, wait for the green light and sit for a few seconds, then launch--providing you don't smoke the tires or miss a shift, your ET will be very close to you 'normal' time.

Congrad's,enOoNmAI, on your win. At least you are getting to the track. I live about 1 1/2 hours away from Englishtown and have not been able to make it their all summer. A few comments-
First, reaction time does not affect the 1/4 mile times. I have seen, and been in races, where a car with a quicker time lost the race because of his reaction time being slower. Second, your car ran great but common sense dictates that a lighter, more aerodynamic vehicle with a larger engine and more mods should be faster. It is simple physics. That said, different drivers in the same car can have very different results. Even with an automatic, there is room for driver error in the launch and if he is manually shifting the gears. And, just because he put a bunch of HP parts on his car doesnt mean that everything is going to work well together. I have a dear friend that is an Automotive Tech-went to school for it and even has a degree. Years ago he bought a Monty SS and took it to the track. Then he began the mods. He did everything that was recommended by the experts-chip, lower thermostat, ignition, fuel, etc. And his car kept running slower and slower. To this day, nobody knows why. The combination he used just did not work.

Regarding tires, if the overall height is the same between the 16's and 17's, then the final drive ratio wont be affected; Only the unsprung weight would change. I dont know if the 16 inch tires have more sidewall to make up the height difference, or it the car's electronics is recalibrated depending on the wheel size used.

FInally, I have done a few things to my HHR-intake, exhaust, plugs-and I really want to get to the track. I have the Escort version of the G-Tech and my problem with using it is finding both a flat place to run that is both safe to speed on and without local law enforcement present. Any grade, either up or down, will drastically change the time you get. And when I finally do make it to the track, I will have my timer running to see how accurate it is.

By the way, I am searching for wheels to change to, and one of the key factors is weight. They must be lighter than the ones I have on now.

Jason.....

Really nice job....and, I know part of the result, was your driving skills....part was your HHR mods :thumb: (but, I can't help but wonder about the mods done on the 2.4 .... maybe, just maybe....). In your second race how was your performance UNTIL the missed shift??

First, I'm not taking any "side" here...

But, how do you know the "track" equipment is accurate to .005/sec. or .01 mph. Somehow they certify their equipment as accurate to "something" as well. Nothing, with the exception of a space program, is carried out to 5 or 6 decimal places. So, nothing is accurate to infinity...like pi. I've also witnessed tracks "handle" their equipment to provide crowd pleasing results for celebrity drivers.

And again, I'm really glad to see you pulling those kind of times, but don't "knock" the G-Tech. They are reasonably reliable pieces of electronic equipment...which is used by many professionals in the auto field. I believe even Bob Bondurants Driving School was using them at one time (don't know if they still are). I've also seen magazine writers use them in long lead "shoot outs" for Corvette and Z's. and report the results in their respective publications. Many people have compared them with more expensive and much more sophisticated equipment...and have commmented, in a positive nature, to the results.

But, you are correct, when you hinted at the set-up techniques for a G-Tech...that is a very ESSENTIAL part and needs to have credibility for valued decisions. And, unfortunately we were not provided any!

I would hope that you continue to participate and provide information to this forum. If one individuals responses are questionable to you, disregard them...but, stay a member of this community. I, and a number of other members, appear to find your postings of value.:thumb: :thumb: ;) ;) :one:

Allow me to reiterate. Please dont leave us:one:

Thank you to all for kind words and backing up however the means may be. I respect most everyone's input from here as much as you all have shown me, and then some! :D I'm still going to be around, but posts like this may not be on quite as often. Besides I still have some more modding to do! :twothumbs:

Thank you to all for kind words and backing up however the means may be. I respect most everyone's input from here as much as you all have shown me, and then some! :D I'm still going to be around, but posts like this may not be on quite as often. Besides I still have some more modding to do! :twothumbs:

I also understand... about posting items...
Keep up the good work..