60ft 1.840
330ft 5.040
1/8 7.684
MPH 92.36
1000 9.963
¼ 11.867
MPH 118.71 I know I rounded up :)

It’s been too long since I’ve drag raced and I’m a little rough around the edges. I actually just showed up to tune at Maryland International Raceway but got talked into racing the Time Attack WRX. Since I didn’t intend on racing I didn’t bother with my usual “racer’s tricks.” This was done with over ½ tank of pump fuel 93, catalytic converter, full roll cage, full interior, 18” wheels, and most of my stereo equipment (I was able to ditch the subs).

The car was very consistent with over 7 slips from 118 to 119 mph but I was very inconsistent with my 60ft times. LOL! I needed the catalytic converter in the car for inspection which really hurt performance as I had to remove as much as 4 degrees of ignition timing at some points over my standard map. Boost was about 21 psi peak and AFR was around 11.4 tapering to 11.1 which is good for pump fuel so I just left it at that.

The basics:
Element Hydra EMS WRX
Element GT65 Turbo Kit (no you can’t buy this yet ;) )
Element TBE with 3” Cat (this either)
2.5 STI Long block CP pistons with only 300 miles on the clock
http://www.elementtuning.com/elementtimeattack.htm for all the details

Thanks,
Phil Grabow
http://www.elementtuning.com

:eek:

freakin awesome

Nice work... at least you had fun!!! I`am also very inconsistent with my 60`fts... Phil do you think it would be worth it to just swap out the STI stock pistons for CP-Pistions.. When runnin around 18-30whp with a GT35R Turbo?? I was thinking of waiting for a new block? But thought It might be worth it to just swap out pistions and maybe rods!!!

Would my engin last long with the CP-pistions, And would it be safe to tune more agressive after the pistion swap?

I honestly don't know the reliability of the stock rods. I can say that 400 whp with a conservative tune is safe with stock pistons but with more power you're on borrowed time in my opinion. Liberal use of race fuel or sacrificing some power for reliability is a wise choice with the stock pistons. We've seen them handle over 500 whp but most are daily driven at about 400 whp.

With that said I think the piston swap is a no brainer if the engine is out and well worth the increased reliability. I actually have a spare block we will fully build when I decide what I really want.

I was a little nervous racing the car with such little mileage since we measured the pistons at only 2 thousandths clearance but I obviously had nothing to worry about and I can't hear the slightest amount of piston slap.

Thanks,
Phil
www.elementtuning.com

edit: I meant to say 2 thousandths but said 20 thousandths

Only 300 miles on the pistons ? What break in method do you prefer ? I have a fresh Crawford S3L that I will be fireing up wednesday . Any advice would be great from you since you have built and tuned lots of cars .

Great times for such late notice and no tuning for drag racing !

Dave

Break in time is heh well a highly discussed issue.
Friends of mine run SBF Nitrous motors running sub 10 second times.
Aside from dyno tuning time, they make 2 motor passes, then its right onthe spray. They have never had a motor break from improper break in.
So im a fan of U need to have higher cylinder pressures and rpms to properly seat in the rings.

This is my opinion so no flames or w/e your mileage may vary.

Nice #'s....real nice for pump/full weight and then some

Nice Phil!

Can't wait to see what you pound out with that setup!

Jorge (RiftsWRX)
www.ProjectWRX.com

Only 300 miles on the pistons ? What break in method do you prefer ? I have a fresh Crawford S3L that I will be fireing up wednesday . Any advice would be great from you since you have built and tuned lots of cars .

Great times for such late notice and no tuning for drag racing !

Dave

The main point is to make sure the rings are seated. Since this was the first time in the 300 miles that I did any sustained high boost/high RPM running I was looking in my mirrors for oil smoke and when none appeared I new the rings were seated. All that's needed to seat the rings is some variations of boost pressure and throttle without any sustained high rpm use.

02WRX,

I was not concerned with motor breakage either but more about the tune. New engines are always tight and thus create more heat which often leads to detonation on the same tune that was free of knock on a well worked in engine. On race gas this is rarely a concern but I was running pump fuel and a catalytic converter so I was just being cautious. A new engine is usually down on power also due to the increased friction over a well broken in engine.

Thanks,
Phil
www.elementtuning.com

Phil, you are an effin tease. Give us more info on your kit.

Congrats on the times though i already knew. :p Its nice to know im running the same turbo as you. :) For being on pump and full loaded weight plus backed off timing, that is very impressive. Cant wait to see what she does when all set up.

Cheers
Sinclair

I'm actually not trying to tease too much, that's why you have never seen a dyno plot but I'll admit to teasing a little ;)

One degree of ignition timing is worth about 2 hp so I really only lost about 1 mph with the timing reduction which is a fair trade for reliability.

Thanks,
Phil
www.elementtuning.com

Where do you want the boost on your GT65R kit? Looking at possibilities of a fully built block and was wondering if 26-28 psi is better for that turbo's efficiency/power?

Where do you want the boost on your GT65R kit? Looking at possibilities of a fully built block and was wondering if 26-28 psi is better for that turbo's efficiency/power?

This compressor actually works very well even at low boost pressure and this is why I went this route. No doubt it will start making massive power from 26-30 psi but you just can't get away with that on straight pump fuel. I may try to sneak up that high once we integrate the Aquamist water injection system into the Hydra. Honestly though 400 whp on pump is just fine with me ;)

Thanks,
Phil
www.elementtuning.com

Where does full boost come in? That's great have a sick time attack car that can pull an easy 11 second time slip.

It's a big turbo so boost response is very linear with 20 psi coming in about 4300-4400 rpm in 4th gear which is well suited on a 2.5. Big boost numbers are not required to make power with this type of turbocharger but don't expect to win any professional autocross events ;)

Going with a smaller exhaust housing dropped the 20 psi spoolup to around 4000 rpm but you sacrifice peak HP.

Thanks,
Phil
www.elementtuning.com

didnt u run 11.9 @ 112 or something with the old Stage4 + nitrous setup?

Something like that but yes, 11 second time slips are nothing new to me or my WRX. I ran 11.96@115 2 years ago with a vf30, C16 gas, 24 psi, catless, 50 shot NX, an ecutek reflashed ecu, UTEC, there may have been a Unichip tossed in there for good measure, fully lightened, bag of ice on the IC, and only 2 gallons of gas. LOL! Like I said, lots of racer's tricks are normally used.

I also recently ran a 12.4@112 mph with a VF30 and Hydra on pump gas as my car currently stands (no cage) but with full interior. It still think the VF30 is one of the best bolt on turbochargers as long as you don't want 400 whp on pump gas.

Thanks,
Phil
www.elementtuning.com

your car defintaly feels alot faster than that :) Im sure you can easily get mid 11's.

Im going to the track on the 15th, ill post the results . Should be good times after my element tune u did for me last friday :D

your car defintaly feels alot faster than that :) Im sure you can easily get mid 11's.

Im going to the track on the 15th, ill post the results . Should be good times after my element tune u did for me last friday :D

Well it always feels faster as a passenger but it most likely was when we went for a ride. I was running almost 25 psi and it was very cold outside which is a catalyst for monster power but it also keeps detonation at bay.

Good luck at the track and don’t forget it takes a good 4 runs to scrape the rust off the driver ;)

Thanks,
Phil
www.elementtuning.com

Wow..

That is fast. I've been in this monster on race gas and all lightened up. The accelleration going up a hill North of LA caught me off gaurd and my head snapped back and smacked the shell back race seat so hard I saw floaters. Ah those were the times eh phil? Time attack 2005 anyone? The GTR will be there, element tuned of course ;)

Wow..

That is fast. I've been in this monster on race gas and all lightened up. The accelleration going up a hill North of LA caught me off gaurd and my head snapped back and smacked the shell back race seat so hard I saw floaters. Ah those were the times eh phil? Time attack 2005 anyone? The GTR will be there, element tuned of course ;)

LOL! Time Attack is always a great time even though we don't sleep for days. I remember you complaining about that headache all day long ;)

Ah, I can't wait to get my hands on that Skyline again :devil:

Thanks,
Phil
www.elementtuning.com

Something like that but yes, 11 second time slips are nothing new to me or my WRX. I ran 11.96@115 2 years ago with a vf30, C16 gas, 24 psi, catless, 50 shot NX, an ecutek reflashed ecu, UTEC, there may have been a Unichip tossed in there for good measure, fully lightened, bag of ice on the IC, and only 2 gallons of gas. LOL! Like I said, lots of racer's tricks are normally used.

I also recently ran a 12.4@112 mph with a VF30 and Hydra on pump gas as my car currently stands (no cage) but with full interior. It still think the VF30 is one of the best bolt on turbochargers as long as you don't want 400 whp on pump gas.

Thanks,
Phil
www.elementtuning.comAh - the good ole days !

WoW... I Dream everyday That some day I will have a car that will run in Time Attacks!!!
you guys are living my Dream... Anyway are you guys going to be useing a STI or a Skyline this year, at the 05 Time-Attacks... And what do you guys think about those EVOS Placin at the top 4!!!! Do you think there is any chance that an STi could steal the Top-spot from that SPARCO EVO??!!?!? And on a another note, My friend is a Huge EURO car fan.. He trys to give me crap saying that next year at the time attacks, the Euro cars will smoke Japan ;) yea I cant wait to prove him wrong, When and where are the time attacks takin place... i would really like to watch the event ;)

good work as usual Phil! you are truly talented, and have awesome people skills. be safe, and hopefully i will see ya soon with a similiar set-up....working three jobs to get that 2.5 with the cp pistons

Very nice times with a cat in the system --- Thumbs up!!

Larry

WoW... I Dream everyday That some day I will have a car that will run in Time Attacks!!!
you guys are living my Dream... Anyway are you guys going to be useing a STI or a Skyline this year, at the 05 Time-Attacks... And what do you guys think about those EVOS Placin at the top 4!!!! Do you think there is any chance that an STi could steal the Top-spot from that SPARCO EVO??!!?!? And on a another note, My friend is a Huge EURO car fan.. He trys to give me crap saying that next year at the time attacks, the Euro cars will smoke Japan ;) yea I cant wait to prove him wrong, When and where are the time attacks takin place... i would really like to watch the event ;)

Element is going to show up with a Subaru and I believe World One is bring the R32 Skyline. I will be tuning both cars even though they will be competing against each other.

The European cars last year were no match for the tuning teams competing with Japanese cars with exception to the Turner Motorsport’s World Challenge BMW. If they show up with some 911 Cup cars we may be in trouble but they will need to compete in “unlimited.”

I think last year we had second place in the bag but we blew it with some last minute details. I believe 2nd through 4th place was separated by only .4 seconds which we could have made up with our fuel starvation issue alone. The Cusco EVO which won our class was around 3-4 seconds faster which we would not be able to match with last years configuration. We’ve already made some changes so hopefully we’ll be a contending for 1st place next year.

Thanks,
Phil
www.elementtuning.com

how do you get an invite for the time attack?

how do you get an invite for the time attack?

For recent Time Attack events you had to qualify by finishing in the top 25 of the previous event. Getting an invite as an individual might be very difficult. I don't really know how to get an invite since I was asked to attend the first year.

Good luck.

Phil
www.elementtuning.com

Congratulations Phil!

Heard there's a couple of your guys down in Puerto Rico that also ran 11.9s at 117mph with 93 pump gas. Any news about those crazy ricans? lol Keep the good work up!

Yes, those Puerto Ricans must be feed “drag racing formula” as babies. LOL! On the same base map they ran 11.6 @ 117 mph on pump fuel. I’ll be heading down there in a couple of weeks to tune a few of their cars to see what we can get out of them on race fuel.

Thanks,
Phil
www.elementtuning.com

Did you go to Puerto Rico already? Any news you can provide?

Yes, I was in Puerto Rico last week and the cars turned out well. We had a range of Hydra tuned WRXs and STIs that hit anywhere from 350 whp to 450 whp. One car with a Crawford 265 put down 422 whp on pump gas at only 19 psi without much effort. It will be interesting to see what it will do once it's fully tuned.

Snow flurries the week before in Chicago to "Africa" hot Puerto Rico. LOL!

Thanks,
Phil
www.elementtuning.com

Thanks,

Wow! How much more power do you expect from that car on pump? :banana: :disco: