[hkd]

My first time.

1997 STS, 127k miles, stock, 1/4 tank of gas.

Weather was 60degrees and overcast.

My second, and best run was as follows:

60ft 2.4141
330ft 6.5989
1/8ET 10.0119
1/8MPH 72.57
1000ft 12.9189

1/4ET 15.4051
MPH 90.49

My first run netted 15.4792 @ 90.33
Third run was 15.6827 @ 90.02
Fourth run was 15.7291 @ 88.95
Fifth run was 15.5941 @ 89.67
Sixth run was 15.6618 @ 89.97

After the third run I checked PCM for codes and it was throwing P0138 - Heated Oxygen Sensor (HO2S) Circuit High Voltage Bank 1 Sensor 2

I cleared it and it never came back.

For all runs, except the last one, I kept traction ON and started in 2nd.

What could I do to improve times? Any other info you guys want to know?

 

[JC316]

Uh, start in first gear.

 

[davesdeville]

What's the track elevation?

I'd love to pull down a 15.4 up here with our 5300' track elevations, plus a couple thousand feet for density altitude...

 

[hkd]

Elevation is 600ft.

JC316, you do realize putting the shifter into 2nd, still starts you in 1st, and provides a firmer shift into second right?

 

[kevinrea]

HKD ...

it does ?
how does it get a firmer shift into second ?

and, you mean, if you start out in second on the shifter., the car actually starts out in first anyway ?

what a screwy system that is.


kevin

 

[TexasBandit]

It's an automatic! It's going to start in 1st no matter what gear you select. How starting in second causes a firmer shift to 2nd is beyond me ... doesn't make any sense. The STS is actually classified as a gran touring car ... not a dragstrip superstar anyway. :thepan:

 

[hkd]

I have no idea why it is a firmer shift into second, but it is. Someone already explained the "starting with the shifter in 2nd still results in 1st gear."

All I know is if I gun it in D from a stop, the shift from 1 to 2 is pretty soft.
If I start in 2 and gun it from a stop, the shift from 1 to 2 results in my tires barking.

As for the car actually being classified as a 'gran touring car' and not a dragstrip superstar anyway, well, explain to me why i saw a metro, cougar, a million focus', 1500 truck, etc.

Why race anything at all? I guess we all should just own top fuel dragsters if we want to run down a dragstrip eh?

 

[gmendoza]

As for the car actually being classified as a 'gran touring car' and not a dragstrip superstar anyway, well, explain to me why i saw a metro, cougar, a million focus', 1500 truck, etc.

Why race anything at all? I guess we all should just own top fuel dragsters if we want to run down a dragstrip eh?

:helpless:

 

[Benjamin Simon]

When you start in 2nd, it changes the shifting to be more like a manual. It is just harder on the old tanny.

 

[WarrenJ]

Starting in second gear raises the hydraulic pressure in the tranny resulting in a faster/harder shift into second gear.

Some refer to this as "performance mode." I don't know if that's factory jargon however.

Regards,
Warren

 

[danbuc]

When you start in 2nd, it changes the shifting to be more like a manual. It is just harder on the old tanny.

Contrary to what many believe, that harder firmer shift is much better for the transmission than how it normally shifts. With the higher line pressure, it forces the clutch plates together without slipping. This reulst in less wear on the actuall transmission. The only downside is the extra shock the rest of the drivetrain recieves from the sudded surge cause by such a short and hard shift. When used in moderation (once eveyr couple of months or so) it's is not that bad, since it isn't putting constant stress on the car.

On the other hand during normal driving, the transmission is designed to provide a certain amount of slippage between clutch plates when engaging the next gear. This is what keep the shifts nice and smooth, and is worse for the transmission overall, than putting the shifter in 2nd and raising the line pressure. It is better on the drivetrain during regular driving though, plus it doesn't jerk you foward, and then suddenly throw you back in the seat every time it shifts.

As far as "performance Mode" this has nothing to do with manually selecting gears. Most cars that are designed to shift at a predetermined RPM (like our) will exibit some rise in line pressure when manually slecting a lower gear. The "Performance Shift Algorithm" is not designed to raise line pressure. What it was designed for, was to select and hold the most appropriate gear that would keep the car in it's optimal power band while driving "enthusiastically". A good example is when you hit the gas going around a long turn, and the car holds the gear until you exit the turn, allowing you to use the lower gears to accelerate out of it, until upshift. This is just like what you would do with a manual tranny whien entering the apex of a turn while going around the track, execpt all you need to do is step on the gas pedal and keep the RPM's up. The car does the rest.

 

[mcf1000x2003]

Thos are not really bad times.I took my 95 STS 105k at the time in august and hit 15.23 @ 92mph. When u ran did u skip the burnout and go around the water spot?I did when i ran and i also ran with the ps24 t/c code disabled. Does anyone know is it better to run with or without the t/c ps24 disabled ?

 

[davesdeville]

It's best to run with traction disabled, then launch it with as little wheelspin as possible.

 

[hkd]

I skipped the burnout and drove around the waterbox. The problem with disabling T/C on my 97 is that it defaults to a 2nd gear start then.

Speaking of launching, I tried to powerbrake and raise the rpms to around 2k, but this didnt seem to help.

 

[TexasBandit]

I can't answer for the other cars racing, but what I'm getting at is that you need to recognize that you aren't driving a Camaro or Mustang, but a luxury automobile. I really can't see any reason why anyone would want to race a Focus or a 1500 pick up for that matter. It's just an exercise in frustration! I really hope you didn't buy your Cadillac with the intention of beating a Honda! :hmm:

 

[mcf1000x2003]

lol there some hondas that can beat most of the corvettes at the track i go to im talkining like 11.2 and so on

 

[hkd]

I can't answer for the other cars racing, but what I'm getting at is that you need to recognize that you aren't driving a Camaro or Mustang, but a luxury automobile. I really can't see any reason why anyone would want to race a Focus or a 1500 pick up for that matter. It's just an exercise in frustration! I really hope you didn't buy your Cadillac with the intention of beating a Honda! :hmm:

not at all, and i completely understand your thinking. I was just wanting to get everyones opinion on the times, more so since I have heard the times are more around 14.8-14.9, with that one guy on here claiming 14.5

 

[Rich_M]

Starting in second gear raises the hydraulic pressure in the tranny resulting in a faster/harder shift into second gear.

Some refer to this as "performance mode." I don't know if that's factory jargon however.

Regards,
Warren

Cadillac calls it "spirited driving"

Regards,
Rich

 

[davesdeville]

I really hope you didn't buy your Cadillac with the intention of beating a Honda! :hmm:

Why not? It should beat every stock honda short of an S2K so I may as well show them my taillights...

 

[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

Why not? It should beat every stock honda short of an S2K so I may as well show them my taillights...

yeah, a 300hp ETC should be able to beat all the new hondas fairly easily except the S2000, and the V6 Accord/ Accord Hybrid should be very close.


My Two Cents:

While Cadillacs may not have been designed with drag racing in mind,but it's sure cool to surprise the person in the car next to you, and most cadillacs are built well enough where doing this once in a while isnt going to hurt anything, as long as you take care of them.