Got some decent but not great passes in the Flex last night. We were finally able to tune the fuel pretty well for track passes but the car is shifting way too late, around 6500 rpm which is well past the torque and HP curve. 1K or 1500 RPM sooner nets big increases. Also the Flex is completely shutting down at about 90% down the track (right around 105-110 MPH), it just closes the throttle body completely and no more boost.... Best pass with me manually short shifting but banging off the rev limiter in 2nd was 12.5@110 with a 1.9 60' not a full pass, car shut me down on this one too). I need to start using nitrous at 3K RPM in first just to get the turbos spooling a little faster, it's the first time I have noticed lag in the car was the first 30' in first gear, then it lights up and TAKES OFF. The track was STICKY, couldn't force a burnout at all except when I rolled through the water box, locked the E-brake and power braked it. This resulted in the ECU being PISSED about the AWD system and closing the throttle body so crap pass. Everything now is in the tune, shift points and getting rid of the torque cap in the tune (that's what's closing the throttle at 90% down the track)

So recap:
1. I have to figure out scaling for the 3 bar map sensor so I can tune the car.
2. Do NOT do a forced FWD burnout the car gets mad
3. 275/50/17 M&H drag radials ROCK , plenty of traction.
4. The car reacts to everything it doesn't like by closing the throttle body
5. The AWD system and axles doesn't mind 600HP at all so far, when I forced the burnout the wrench came on and I thought I had broke the car, turned off the car then started it again, wrench off and car worked normally again.
6. If the car closes the throttle body on you, you must turn off the car to regain boost or if you continue to drive it you'll be at 0 boost at WOT and around 6psi at part throttle until you shut the car off.

Working through it, one puzzle at a time!
I should also mention the 1/8 miles were 8.2/8.3's which is .2/.3 higher than my last passes at the track, that's seriously affecting my 1/4 mile times as well. So many pieces to this puzzle.

Here's a crappy video of the best pass. I was working really hard to try and make boost off the line but the car just overwhelms the brakes....
The delay at me taking off we me trying to brake boost the car to get a better launch which worked with a 1.9 60', rest were all 2.1's...

Best pass of the night 12.5@110

Car weights 5035 with me in it and the right rear passenger seat out which is around 50lbs so right at 5085 (I'll weigh seat to verify this week)

Here's the burnout video where the car got mad...
http://youtu.be/6kfa-z74hgM

Baby steps are still progress. Nobody had ever explored these ECU's at the power levels you are at, as I am sure you are already aware. What where your 1/8 mile trap speeds and how did those compare to your previous bests?

Trap speed was down quite a bit, all of the ET and MPH was made in 3rd gear.
I'm also going to check my plugs and gap to make sure that I'm not getting spark blowout at 5500 RPM and up because I'm losing a ton of power up top.

Mike: I don't know 10% of what you know about cars... However, trust me that you don't want ever to attempt a burnout the way you did it... PM for details if interested... Save 5K$ : ~

You press e-brake and brake/boost it and the front wheel start spinning and it smells burn... Cool! Then you do t a little more and you realize it wasn't the smell of burned rubber but the tranny... Oops!
Put it to neutral, the car continues to move forward... Put it in reverse and the car still move forward?!? Not cool.
Your tranny will already be under enough stress with all your power, don't F it with an attempt to burnout...
The best way I found to heat my tires was to do donuts in the parking (left and right), then I don't go in the waterbox and I WOT the 50ft until stage line to make sure no rocks or dust on tires and it primes the meth at the same time...
But if you have slicks, I have no idea how you can do a safe burn... Maybe you will have to buy tire warmers like in F1?
Good luck and cool to follow the evolution of your Flex!

Sounds like the challenges you had when figuring out your fueling system, Mike.  This too shall pass, and I too hope it is all in the tune!  Maybe you will have to move to carbon brakes to get hold you need

I think 4DR's gonna need one of those big thick metal cable things that the F16's use to catch themselves while maneuvering in for their landing atop an aircraft carrier.

Then it can be whisked out of the way just as 4DR's building the power/boost/etc that he needs to hurtle himself down the track akin to Iron Man going subsonic through the skies above.

Now that'd be cool......

4DR in an Iron Man suit while racing his Flex!

Hahahahahaha...... Halloween is quickly approaching.

"Sent while on the road, burn'n meth, screeching tires, winding out the gears, & push'n the twins"

Bdp Mike: reading your post, it looks like you are getting drunk i preparation for your surgical intervention tomorrow! Lol

I think the stall converter sitting in my garage will help my brake stall issues.
Need to get tuning fixed and then I'll think about it, water to air IC will make me some more power as well. Easiest way to get out of the hole is a 50 shot of nitrous at 3K rpm or so, just enough to get me going quickly and hit boost

Hahaha..... I wish.

Stone sober actually.

I have to start fasting in about a 1/2hr from now.


"Sent while on the road, burn'n meth, screeching tires, winding out the gears, & push'n the twins"

A tailhook?  Hmmm, that plus a parachute, might just keep the Flex from taking flight

I love that stance!

Somebody took an awesome pic of the brick at the track!

Quote from: steve142857 on October 13, 2013, 11:53:49 PM
You press e-brake and brake/boost it and the front wheel start spinning and it smells burn... Cool! Then you do t a little more and you realize it wasn't the smell of burned rubber but the tranny... Oops!
Put it to neutral, the car continues to move forward... Put it in reverse and the car still move forward?!? Not cool.
Your tranny will already be under enough stress with all your power, don't F it with an attempt to burnout...
The best way I found to heat my tires was to do donuts in the parking (left and right), then I don't go in the waterbox and I WOT the 50ft until stage line to make sure no rocks or dust on tires and it primes the meth at the same time...
But if you have slicks, I have no idea how you can do a safe burn... Maybe you will have to buy tire warmers like in F1?
Good luck and cool to follow the evolution of your Flex!

I don't know about the staging areas at Mike's track in Tucson, but here in IA there is sand on the asphalt. While waiting to run, I rubbed my hand over my front tire and it was covered with sand.  I found that going thru the water bath and then doing a burnout like Mike did, got me the best times and the least amount of PCM resistance.

The alternative was to drive around the water bath and then do a burnout, but I seemed to spin out more often in first, where PCM drops boost, fuel, or advance. I have actually found the T/C helps runs, when tires aren't sticking with it off.

Here is my reasoning on going thru the water bath... If you can clean off and dry fronts afterward by doing a burnout, you have better traction than with dirty and cold tires.  Rears don't matter, as you can see in Mike's burnout.  They just don't spin loose.

Tire warmers would be really cool... as would a couple of BPD girls wiping down the fronts just before the lights... I think I would pay extra to see that!!!!!!

Quote from: 4DRHTRD on October 14, 2013, 12:26:59 AM
I think the stall converter sitting in my garage will help my brake stall issues.
Need to get tuning fixed and then I'll think about it, water to air IC will make me some more power as well. Easiest way to get out of the hole is a 50 shot of nitrous at 3K rpm or so, just enough to get me going quickly and hit boost

I forgot to ask you about that... Surprised you didn't install when you were working on the turbo switch. It will be interesting to see how the PCM handles that mod....