[hotrod182]

Went to Famoso yesterday. The forecast called for rain, so hardly anyone showed up. Often there was no one lined up at all. It was awesome with a great bunch of participants, and motorheads. It actually started to drizzle a few times, but the track crew was remarkable in their efforts to dry the track and reprep it as soon as possible. And only a $50 entry fee made it that much better. Had a great time seeing the different car and talking to all the motorheads.

As far as what other cars were running…I saw a new 5.0 with tune running 111mph traps. He said at that track a stock 5.0 is slower than 111mph, and ZR1s only trap about 125-127mph there. Lots of mean sounding old V8 cars there that I pretty much stomped on. However one old muscle car that I ran, only trapped at 125mph, but he ran 10.8 compared to my 11.8 even. Just goes to show what a good 60’ time will do for you. You would not believe how many people came running up to my car in the staging lanes and parking lot after seeing it go run after run with 129mph trap speeds.

So I came within .003 seconds of the overall 335I record, that is pretty close! (11.111 vs 11.108 of Lost Marine), but overall, I think this is the quickest ET of any 335I without LSD and dedicated drag slips. ( I run my daily driver Nitto NT555Rs which certainly aren’t the stickiest tires to run). So I have to be pretty satisfied with my run with the factors at hand. It is much easier to make the 200+ mile drive up there and race on your DD tires without the hassle of changing them at the track. It rained pretty hard on the way up there, yet they performed admirably with no slipping, etc.

Now for those of you that doubt the Vbox, I have again documented runs at the track comparing the Vbox with the Time slips. The Vbox reads down to .10 seconds resolution for the Ets. EVERY run read the same number as the time slip. Different tracks will measure differently. Some tracks actually read faster than the Vbox, but most will read ½-1mph slower. As I have confirmed before, Famoso falls into this category.

11.8 at 128.5mph Vbox (Bad launch)
11.814 at 127.38 time slip (1.12mph diference)

11.8 at 129.6 vbox (Bad launch)
11.808 at 129.07 time slip (.53 mph difference)

11.2 at 129.7 vbox.
11.245 at 129.08 time slip left lane (.62 mph difference)

11.3 at 130.60 vbox
11.332 at 129.59 timeslip.. (1.01 mph difference)

11.1 at 130.2 mph vbox
11.111 at 129.47 mph (.73 mph diff)

11.8 at 128.2 mph vbox (Bad launch)
11.850 at 127.23 mph (.97 mph diff)

Track Time Slip vs Vbox= between .53 and 1.12 mph difference

Once you establish what the average mph adjustment of the track vs Vbox is,
the Vbox variance from that min/max differential is only .59mph .
It is remarkably accurate. In otherwords, we know the track the Vbox reads at least .53mph faster than the time slip. And from that .53mph baseline, it only varies by .59mph at the most. To get a ½ mph accuracy is pretty darn remarkable.

Remember, the Vbox reads more accurately what you are doing AT the qtr mile line, whereas the track uses a distance to average your speed between the lights. If you accelerate suddenly towards the very end of the timing zone, then it will measure differently. In my case, the car is shifting right around 130mph, so that can cause some differences in the uniformity of acceleration.


For those of you wondering how viable nitrous is, and fearing that it is a one glory run solution. Realize my trap speeds remained consistent except for the ones with the bad launches, or short shifting. In other words, my quickest run was the 2nd to last run. I run no bottle warmer, etc. And this was 6 complete 0-130 runs. Didn’t even use ½ the bottle. This was run after run with 129mph trap speeds.

10 lb bottle:
starting weight: 25.425 lbs
ending weight: 21.6875 lbs
Total used: 3.73 lbs.


On the way back from Bakersfield, in over 100 miles of highway driving, I averaged 32.6mpg, with an average speed of 67.6mph. This is on map #0, so there is no artificial fuel enrichment that bypasses the computer calculations. Furthermore, this is on slightly larger diameter tires, so the speedometer doesn’t read artificially high. I am continually impressed by this car. The car runs like a champ! Truly a great combination of performance, stealth, luxury, AND efficiency!

[Syndicategt]

OMG! 11.1/129....I think thats the new record my friend. I wish you would do a few more bolt-ons and hit 10's

[Q4P]

very nice results; did you get any runs in without spraying?

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Do you have a pressure gauge on the bottle? I'm surprised you run no heater they are worth their weight in gold! Especially for someone that wants to achieve consistency like yourself.

[dlbrooks18]

These times are incredible, congrats hotrod! I think trap speeds > elapsed time anyways and true measure of horsepower, and not mention launching too hard can break something.. but you are so close to 10's!

[hotrod182]

Originally Posted by Syndicategt

OMG! 11.1/129....I think thats the new record my friend. I wish you would do a few more bolt-ons and hit 10's

MPH record, yes. And the only 335i to trap 100mph in the 1/8. But not the ET record, missed it by .003 seconds! Does anyone know how close that is? I would suspect even a slight breeze would make a difference, lol.

Originally Posted by Questforpower

very nice results; did you get any runs in without spraying?

Nope, had the car adapted on nitrous, and not a very good idea to be switching back and forth. Additionally, if I did a record run, it seems some people on this forum would suspect I was using nitrous on those runs. I already posted my non nitrous vbox times for the other weekend on 91 octane nonetheless. Didn't want to waste time and fuel running without. As it was, I ran out of time at the end of the day as I was begging to do one more run on nitrous, and they closed the track 1 hr early.

FYI: The 335i next to me (with full interior) almost trapped 120mph with his boost limit accidentally set at only 17psi! It had JB4 FBO/Meth. So 1.5 psi more, and weight reduction would put him well over 120mph.

[hotrod182]

Originally Posted by dlbrooks18

These times are incredible, congrats hotrod! I think trap speeds > elapsed time anyways and true measure of horsepower, and not mention launching too hard can break something.. but you are so close to 10's!

You are seriously right. 60' times are really not real world driving conditions. You are not at the intersection, doing warm up burnouts with your tires, and waiting for the light to turn green while lined up with someone, lol. Anything over 123mph or so CAN hit 10's with traction. 129mph traps, 10's are a given usually. On the other hand...even with 127-128mph traps, you can barely hit 11's sometimes (as evidenced by my 11.8 second runs). So I always laugh when someone traps 117mph ,and says they SHOULD be able to hit 11's. Yes its possible, but not as easy as it seems!

Here is a perfect example. This monster V8 hotrod killed me off the line, but I could clearly see my car gaining on him towards the end. I trapped 4 mph faster than him, but he beat me by almost a second!

[dlbrooks18]

Originally Posted by hotrod182

You are seriously right. 60' times are really not real world driving conditions. You are not at the intersection, burning out in your tires, and waiting for the light to turn green while lined up with someone, lol. Anything over 123mph or so CAN hit 10's with traction. 129mph traps, 10's are a given usually. On the other hand...even with 127-128mph traps, you can barely hit 11's sometimes (as evidenced by my 11.8 second runs). So I always laugh when someone traps 117mph ,and says they SHOULD be able to hit 11's. Yes its possible, but not as easy as it seems!

Here is a perfect example. This monster V8 hotrod killed me off the line, but I could clearly see my car gaining on him towards the end. I trapped 4 mph faster than him, but he beat me by almost a second!

Yep, do you remember last year at Famoso when we watched a Ferrari Italia run 11.8s at 128mph? They are capable of low 11's or even 10s at that trap with good traction.. my point is that trap speed is all that matters!

[mithiral67]

Can you post pics of your interior? Curious what seats out look like.

[Bagelfast]

Thats moving!!!!! Great work and thanks alot for comparing track times with the V-BOX this should put things to rest.

Alot of work that has helped the community hotrod! Thanks

Im gonna go out and do some runs on the VBOX, you have motivated me. My launches have gotten 100% better run after run with the VBOX helping.

[Chefcg1]

Originally Posted by Jeff@topgearsolutions

Do you have a pressure gauge on the bottle? I'm surprised you run no heater they are worth their weight in gold! Especially for someone that wants to achieve consistency like yourself.

interested as ell to know bottle pressure. Spraying on my GTO the heater was without a doubt mandatory for any consistency.

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by Chefcg1

interested as ell to know bottle pressure. Spraying on my GTO the heater was without a doubt mandatory for any consistency.

Yea I used to run 950-1000 PSI on my last car. Hit like a ton of bricks. At 800 it felt so much weaker.

[hotrod182]

Originally Posted by dlbrooks18

Yep, do you remember last year at Famoso when we watched a Ferrari Italia run 11.8s at 128mph? They are capable of low 11's or even 10s at that trap with good traction.. my point is that trap speed is all that matters!

Actually the last time at the AMG night rental at Famoso with Drew, there was a black 458 Italia. He was running 11.0x at 127.2 mph on stock tires! He wasn't trapping quite as high as me, but I was slower to the finish line even with my DRs.

Originally Posted by mithiral67

Can you post pics of your interior? Curious what seats out look like.

I will try and get a picture. But nothing exciting. Passenger seat removal..but the doorpanels, carpeting, etc..are all still there. So still very quiet, and comfortable, and I actually enjoy having the extra room to carry things.

Originally Posted by Chefcg1

interested as ell to know bottle pressure. Spraying on my GTO the heater was without a doubt mandatory for any consistency.

Bottle pressure was right at about 800psi before some of my fastest runs, and a little below 800 when I was all finished. Perhaps heating it up next time will give me that little extra boost I need?

[cn555ic]

Nice runs and so consistent bro. That nitrous is no joke! You using the same .46 jet or you went larger? I think 11.1 is a new record!!

JB nitrous integration FTW...Terry is the man! Another JB tuned car with a record!

[boostd92]

I don't get all the record runs.... it seems you spend a lot of time and money to gain a tenth or less when you could borrow a set of slicks, easily run a 10 second pass and be done with it

I'm just kidding... I love the strip too.

I've always said that aside from the 150mph+ monsters that require massive driving skill, the dragstrip is the track for builders and the road course is the track for drivers.

I love to build and drive, so a manual transmission car kinda gives you the best of both worlds... you control the launch, you control the shift quickness and points, etc. May not be as consistant, but from my experience, much more rewarding. Cutting sub 1.8's with a manual is something to celebrate, where doing it with an auto is just... every day

[RaNMaN]

good runs, congrats! have you ever had the car on a dyno? i'm wondering how much whp it makes.

to be honest though it's funny how the vbox always gives you a lower et and higher mph than the real time slip but that's why i don't trust those "boxes." a little bit of wheel slip and they can be off. if they use gps for positioning (for mph) then they are naturally going to be a little bit off. not trying to take away from anything you're doing though, congrats, just trying to keep people open-minded about things and give you my $.02

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by hotrod182

Actually the last time at the AMG night rental at Famoso with Drew, there was a black 458 Italia. He was running 11.0x at 127.2 mph on stock tires! He wasn't trapping quite as high as me, but I was slower to the finish line even with my DRs.

I will try and get a picture. But nothing exciting. Passenger seat removal..but the doorpanels, carpeting, etc..are all still there. So still very quiet, and comfortable, and I actually enjoy having the extra room to carry things.



Bottle pressure was right at about 800psi before some of my fastest runs, and a little below 800 when I was all finished. Perhaps heating it up next time will give me that little extra boost I need?

It will hit much harder at 900-950...

[hotrod182]

Originally Posted by 1LUMI335

Thats moving!!!!! Great work and thanks alot for comparing track times with the V-BOX this should put things to rest.

Alot of work that has helped the community hotrod! Thanks

Im gonna go out and do some runs on the VBOX, you have motivated me. My launches have gotten 100% better run after run with the VBOX helping.

Thanks a bunch. People that appreciate the numbers/results are the only reason I bother posting them. Thats awesome you have a Vbxo. Are you steptronic? If so, have you tried 2nd gear launches?

Originally Posted by cn555ic

Nice runs and so consistent bro. That nitrous is no joke! You using the same .46 jet or you went larger? I think 11.1 is a new record!!

JB nitrous integration FTW...Terry is the man! Another JB tuned car with a record!

LM had a 11.108, so I missed the record by .003 sec.
I have been using the 046 for quite some time now. Ever since I have been hitting 130 traps on the Vbox in the sedan. Again..the coupe was a strange beast...ran 133mph vbox with a measly 028. jet.

But its a different track, different day, different prep, so hard to say what could be. Famosa have never been considered a "fast" track.


FYI: I think it was hilarious that the radio announcer kept calling my car a "5 series". He loved my car though...

[dlbrooks18]

Originally Posted by hotrod182

Actually the last time at the AMG night rental at Famoso with Drew, there was a black 458 Italia. He was running 11.0x at 127.2 mph on stock tires! He wasn't trapping quite as high as me, but I was slower to the finish line even with my DRs.

Nice! Yeah I was referring to that Red Italia from the AMG rental meeting last December.. hey what do Drew's times look like?

[cn555ic]

Either way nice job and way to represent the 335..LM car is FBO with upgraded turbos is no joke..His car is fast as hell but yours with such limited mods and nitrous is ridiculous as hell fast! Thanks for the video

[Wedge1967]

Nice numbers.... Makes me want to go racing, but unfortunately living in the North West Coast, all the tracks are closed for the season. Keep up the good posts.

[hotrod182]

Originally Posted by RaNMaN

good runs, congrats! have you ever had the car on a dyno? i'm wondering how much whp it makes.

to be honest though it's funny how the vbox always gives you a lower et and higher mph than the real time slip but that's why i don't trust those "boxes." a little bit of wheel slip and they can be off. if they use gps for positioning (for mph) then they are naturally going to be a little bit off. not trying to take away from anything you're doing though, congrats, just trying to keep people open-minded about things and give you my $.02

The point is, you should trust the Vbox, sometimes more than some tracks. Remember, (except of the pro magazine models) the Vbox only measures to the tenth. If you look at that, every run was right on the money. The trap speeds is your actual speed at the finish line. Now it has already been proven, most tracks should read .5-1.0 mph slower than the Vbox, some read the same, and others read faster than the Vbox. The Vbox is GPS based, same technology used to track missiles, etc. GPS is a reliable enough source, doesn't care about wheelspin, etc. Mechanical accelerometers are more prone to error due to vehicle pitch, gear shifts, flywheel inertia, and wheel spin.

I mean, one way to look at it, is if the correction from the track averaging method and the vbox GPS method is on average .75mph difference, and the Vbox reads within .25mph slower or faster than that figure...that is pretty damn accurate. You have seen my runs, identical times and speed to a couple tenths of a mph...the chances of that happening with a unreliable method of measuring is very unlikely.

By the way..the car at sea level right now..in cool air is incredible. It is running so damn strong. I was just driving it and it feels like it wants to rip the wheels off when I hit the throttle. I know it will trap 124mph+ right now in street trim at sea level.