Is there any hope for me?

[Melz]

OK so i've had a couple practice runs for my 'debut' @ PFM drags, now i don't wanna go!!! I'm a little disappointed in the times i'm pulling...Here's me thinkin 18 tops
On gas: 21.73@74.56mph :
On petrol: 20.13@78.29mph :

This xf ute currently is bored out 30thou, modified cam, high flow oil pump, reco carby, extractors onto a 2 1/2 exhaust is all the work that has been carried out so far.

I'm going to swap the borg tranny for a C4 (if i can find one) that is the only major plan at the moment.

What else should i be looking at? :

[Laminge]

some decent engine management I dare say

[XA-Coupe]

what diff ratio ??
Also, you might want to take the gas stuff off when you run on petrol to remove the restriction it gives.

[Melz]

Originally Posted by Laminge

some decent engine management I dare say

Is that an offer???? I do you a trade you do the 'engine management' on the xf and i polish the mags on the Minginator???

But seriously now im stuck, don't know what to do (expect put a 351 in!!!)

[Melz]

Originally Posted by XA Coupe

what diff ratio ??
Also, you might want to take the gas stuff off when you run on petrol to remove the restriction it gives.

Thanks Jeff just got under the ute and bumped me head!!! Its a 3.23 which i thought was an odd one but anyway...

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Melz

On gas: 21.73@74.56mph :
On petrol: 20.13@78.29mph :
:

looking at your top speed, you should change your tranny, your looking at 125kmh. All new XT falcons get their speed limited 180kmh. No point in having extra grunt when your car has the same top speed as a prime mover.

[naughts]

I think your missing a few cylinders and a several cubic inches!!!!!!!

[Melz]

Originally Posted by naughts

I think your missing a few cylinders and a several cubic inches!!!!!!!

Ok i'm looking for constructive & relevant comments... if i wanted the bloody obvious stated i would have gone to my holden obssessed future brother in law!!!!!!!!!

[dansedgli]

Is it auto or manual at the moment?

[Melz]

Originally Posted by dansedgli

Is it auto or manual at the moment?

Its currently Column auto... now regretting i changed it from column manual

[XA-Coupe]

Mel, you have checked the timing and made sure all your leads are OK etc etc ???
Were you gettign any wheelspin?? Did you stall it up all or just drive it off the line ?

[Melz]

Timing is said to be spot on. No wheel spin and i just drove it off the line...These were the quickest time's i got i did a few...

[The MaDDeSTMaN]

Replacing the stock webber carby with a 350 holly on a redline manifold should help (the extractors have helped the engine get the exhaust gases out better, but it can still only get the air-fuel mix in as fast as the webber can supply them, so it's probably the performance bottleneck), and that 3.23:1 diff, while much better then a 2.77:1 (like mine, *cries*), still isn't great for 1/4 mile work, a shorter ratio would help heaps too. Although having said that, the biggest problem is the gear ratios in the auto box, the gears are just too damn tall - great for fuel econ, hopeless for good times down the 1/4.

350 holly on redline intake manifold, 5 speed manual transmission, and somewhere around 3.7:1 ratio LSD diff would shave quite a bit of time off those 1/4 mile times. Unless I am very much mistaken, you'd get the most benefit from the 5 speed transmission, and the least work (although probably the least improvement too) would be the holly and intake manifold.

All depends how much money you want to spend, and how much you are prepared to lose when it comes to fuel economy, but then again, if you're taking it down the 1/4, fuel econ is never going to be your friend anyway. :hihi:

My 2c worth

[XA-Coupe]

Originally Posted by Melz

Timing is said to be spot on. No wheel spin and i just drove it off the line...These were the quickest time's i got i did a few...

hrmm... about the last thing I can think of at the moment is did you manually change or let the auto do it's work ??

[The MaDDeSTMaN]

The other suggestion is to stall up the auto before you leave the line, left foot firmly on the brake, put it in gear and put your right foot down until the revs are up a bit, then when you get the green (well, ever so slightly before, taking into account reaction time) take your foot off the brake and flatten your right foot to the firewall. Only way to find out how high to let it rev while you're stalling it up is experiment, you want it just below where it starts to lose traction and do a burnout, so it might be as high as 3000rpm, or as low as 1500rpm. You do have a tacho, don't you?

Oh, and as XA Coupe mentioned, you might get a slightly better time if you shift the gears yourself instead of letting the auto choose when to select the next gear, but that also depends on where your engine is making the most power - if it's making power beyond 4000rpm, but your auto shifts earlier then that, then obviously you'll do better if you select the gears yourself and shift up to second and then 3rd just after it's reached peak power, whereever that is in your rev range.

Hope I've been able to help, wish my XF was worth taking to the 1/4, as it is now, I'd get hammered by a stock standard manual 2.0 Escort down the 1/4, hahahaha!

[Melz]

Originally Posted by XA Coupe

hrmm... about the last thing I can think of at the moment is did you manually change or let the auto do it's work ??

I left the auto to it..

[Melz]

Thanxs for your input.... i will try stalling it up next time. She's changing at 3600 which i didn't think was too bad.And for the 5 speed... unfotunately not in this millenium with this particular ute!!! I'm not expect to be a world beater, but don't want to be beaten by the world!!! I am seriously considering a full drag setup in the near future, Ford badged of course!! But for now i'm playing with what i have.. If i can bet my hands on a C4 it should make a difference, but no i'm not taking it out of my xb!!

[The MaDDeSTMaN]

Originally Posted by Melz

Thanxs for your input.... i will try stalling it up next time. She's changing at 3600 which i didn't think was too bad.And for the 5 speed... unfotunately not in this millenium with this particular ute!!! I'm not expect to be a world beater, but don't want to be beaten by the world!!! I am seriously considering a full drag setup in the near future, Ford badged of course!! But for now i'm playing with what i have.. If i can bet my hands on a C4 it should make a difference, but no i'm not taking it out of my xb!!

3600 would probably be about right for a stock 4.1, but yours isn't stock anymore, best bet would be to get a dyno run and find out where it's making peak kw and peak torque, because I'd be willing to guess that with the mods you've done to it, it would be making power a bit higher in the revs then stock, might even be making peak power at 4000rpm, all depends on the cam and extractors really.

Stalling it up and letting it rev a bit harder will probably make a suprising amount of difference.

Here's a test you can do yourself, try selecting first gear, and stomp on the go pedal, keeping an eye on the revs (may be worth getting someone else to sit next to you to keep an eye on the revs while you watch in front of you, lol) and let it rev to 4500. At a certain point you should be able to feel that it's stopped pulling as hard as it did, when you know what revs this is at, you'll know when it's best to select the next gear.

For example, I did this in my completely stock XF and the power drops off from 3800rpm up, so there is no point me revving it that hard, however taking it up to 3800 then shifting to 2nd will make the most of my engines power.

Worth a try, and won't cost you anything other then the fuel you'll use

[XYGTHO]

Yes seems awfully slow. My bet is the gas setup is slowing it up. Take the gas setup off and get it dyno tuned as previosly suggested. Change all plugs, leads take off aircon ect. new fair and oil filters and oil of course. Change to a holley. Get some head work and what cam? Is it one to suit gas?

[Melz]

The car was dyno tuned about a month ago and ran worse :(... i will be running her up on the dyno next week and since the Advanced driving day was cancelled, im going to Heathcote with her next sunday the 16th and try my luck.... still lookin for a c4 though. I'm tryin to remember what cam was put in it... once i find all my paper work i'll tell ya.
Its been suggested to me to run without the air cleaner on, but my only issue will be pulling junk up through the carby, is it worth it?

[Stav]

Are you sure its not a 3.3 litre?I had one and it was very slow.

[The MaDDeSTMaN]

Originally Posted by Melz

The car was dyno tuned about a month ago and ran worse :(... i will be running her up on the dyno next week and since the Advanced driving day was cancelled, im going to Heathcote with her next sunday the 16th and try my luck.... still lookin for a c4 though. I'm tryin to remember what cam was put in it... once i find all my paper work i'll tell ya.
Its been suggested to me to run without the air cleaner on, but my only issue will be pulling junk up through the carby, is it worth it?

Did you get a print out with the dyno run charted on it, showing peak power?

[adxr8]

What year is the ute? Is it running the EST controlled distributor, if it is throw it away and put an early electronic in from an XD-XF.

This was by far the best mod for easy HP i did to my ute. Then the 4 barrel manifold and 600 Holley was great, picked up great throttle response and 20kmh in first 3 gears.

[Melz]

Useless - it is definetely a 4.1
Maddestman - the idiots in this place said 'oh our system doesn't have that capacity' so now im in the frame of mind if it doesn't have the capacity to show peak power, i will go elsewhere, which i am
adxr8 - it is a 1990. I'm contemplating a holley awell, but not four barrelled