Disappointed 13.34 @ 105.09mph

[kes21091]

For first time I took my car to the dragstrip. 2011 135i DCT with Dinan stage 2, AFE intake and BMW performance cat back. I went to island dragway in good old Great Meadows Nj, I used launch control and ran 7 times in a row the first time was the best R/T .408 60' 2.110 1/8 8.674 and 1/4 13.348. My worst run was 1/4 14.43 @ 104.25 with traction control completely off and I just sat there spinning.

[Ginger_Extract]

Having played with the N55/DCT combo, I can say that the LC is garbage. It's really not made for drag racing, that's where a torque converter really shines. What was the DA at the track? Your ET/trap speeds are what a stock car could do. When my car was bone stock, my N54/6MT went 13.2@105.x and I felt it had a 13.0 in it all day, and I was being a bit gentle.

[135iMike]

Originally Posted by kes21091

For first time I took my car to the dragstrip. 2011 135i DCT with Dinan stage 2, AFE intake and BMW performance cat back. I went to island dragway in good old Great Meadows Nj, I used launch control and ran 7 times in a row the first time was the best R/T .408 60' 2.110 1/8 8.674 and 1/4 13.348. My worst run was 1/4 14.43 @ 104.25 with traction control completely off and I just sat there spinning.

Are you on your runflats? They're tough to hook up with! I ran a 13.06 @ Raceway park with just a jb4 on runflats. 6 speed n55. Just head back there and try it again! ... what was the weather?

[mecanique771]

got same problem running best time 13.1

and got many mods

i think those car are just slow en quarter mile

[1911A145]

Best advise I can provide is this:

Stop worrying about the damn reaction time.

Take your time, sit at the green light for 20 seconds if you have to. Concentrate on the revs, the throttle control/modulation, everything. TAKE YOUR TIME and learn the car and how it acts. By BEST times have ALWAYS been with 3-4 second reaction times. They wont hurt your end time. Just be patient and practice and launch around 2500 and dont just put it to the floor out the gate. get on it at about 1/2 throttle until the car is fully in motion and THEN floor it all the way down.

[1911A145]

Originally Posted by mecanique771

got same problem running best time 13.1

and got many mods

i think those car are just slow en quarter mile

These cars are not slow in the 1/4 mile with FBO's and the right tune and DRIVER.

Racing isn't for everyone. Have you considered that it may just be you? What are your mods? tune?

Practice!

[mecanique771]

for me
awd wrx sti back ground running 11,5 et and cisa lapping card

for the car
cobb e tune on dyno from ptf in toronto
dp,dci,fmic,94 oct
yokahama 265-35-18 ao48 rear tire

and still in the 13

[1911A145]

Originally Posted by mecanique771

for me
awd wrx sti back ground running 11,5 et and cisa lapping card

for the car
cobb e tune on dyno from ptf in toronto
dp,dci,fmic,94 oct
yokahama 265-35-18 ao48 rear tire

and still in the 13

Really? Are you auto or 6spd?

I have the same mods as you, with 93 oct, and an OTS tune from COBB, not a custom tune, and I run 12.2 all day long. They car is accurate to the point of being boring.

[mecanique771]

manual yes

this thing spin like hell

but i love them on track

[lowbudgethero]

2.11 second 60' time is what's hurting you

[Suds]

Our cars aren't made for drag racing, the lowest I got was 13.1 quarter mile with Dinan S2.
Dinan adds mid range torque but no top end horsepower.
So the shift points really matter, 6krpm is the max.

Thankfully this was enough for me to get a better time slip than my co-worker with a Challenger R/T on the same night. By .2 seconds, he had an auto and me with a stick.

His times were consistent, I was all over the place from tire spin. The co-worker has been drag racing for years with some serious cars, but he now married, me i have about 15 runs now.

[Ivan_Sal]

That's strange, my times when 100% stock and Runflats. And these weren't with stellar reaction times either.

Best: 13.47 @ 105
Worst: 13.88 @ 102 (very first run)




Track was in Central Texas

[1911A145]

Originally Posted by Suds

Our cars aren't made for drag racing, the lowest I got was 13.1 quarter mile with Dinan S2.
Dinan adds mid range torque but no top end horsepower.
So the shift points really matter, 6krpm is the max.

Thankfully this was enough for me to get a better time slip than my co-worker with a Challenger R/T on the same night. By .2 seconds, he had an auto and me with a stick.

His times were consistent, I was all over the place from tire spin. The co-worker has been drag racing for years with some serious cars, but he now married, me i have about 15 runs now.

Our cars are also not made to drift, auto-x, road race, etc. But if you set the car up the right way, it can be made to fit what ever area you want.

Our cars are more set-up to drag race than any other racing. Bone stock they run low 13's and is a small, RWD car with a decent amount of power.

With just a tune, and downpipes, I ran 12.4's all day long. With no suspension mods, and just a few bolt ons, this car runs low 12's back to back. Not many other cars on the road do that...

Some people are better at certain things. You just may not be skilled on the drag strip.

[Vigilante375]

It's just practice, that is all it is.....and to get rid of the stock runflats. My best time for my stock '12 135i 6spd was 13.5 @ 102.6 with a 2.1 60' on All-Season NON-runflat tires. I'll be going back to the track once more, hopefully, I start modding.

IRS isn't the best for launching, that is where a SRA (solid rear axle) shines. But our 135i does do very well in the 1/4 mile compared to some of the bigger N/A cars; Camaros, Mustangs, Challengers.....etc.

If you have a dyno graph of your current setup then look to see where you are making peak power and determine the best point to shift. Our cars don't like shifting high in the RPMs, so don't run to redline or past 6k RPMs.

[Johnnyboy1000]

There is no way to launch the DTC cars perfectly. I have a 2011 135i DTC and always get beat by my buddy with a 2011 135i manual. All because of the launch. DTC is really for a road course.

[StormTrooper]

Originally Posted by kes21091

For first time I took my car to the dragstrip. 2011 135i DCT with Dinan stage 2, AFE intake and BMW performance cat back. I went to island dragway in good old Great Meadows Nj, I used launch control and ran 7 times in a row the first time was the best R/T .408 60' 2.110 1/8 8.674 and 1/4 13.348. My worst run was 1/4 14.43 @ 104.25 with traction control completely off and I just sat there spinning.

It could be cause you're not manual... just ran my 09' 135 m/t at a 1/8 mile strip and hit 8.64 twice in a ROW then the third time i hit 8.59... its all about the launch.
Btw my mods are AR downpipes, Berk full exhaust, AFE dual cold air intake, Active BOV and two good feet for getting the power to the ground
Tires= Continental extreme contact 265 rear and 225 in front, also lowered pressure my third run

[Freon]

Originally Posted by lowbudgethero

2.11 second 60' time is what's hurting you

This. kes21091, you need more driver mod. Also, better tires possibly since you did not state, so I'd assume you have the factory run flats. A decent set of performance street tires (Z1, Z2, PSS, Rivals, etc) and a good launch should put you around 1.9-1.95 60' time and with the same 105mph trap that should be a 12.9x. It seems like it is difficult to get a 60' time under 2.0 with the runflats. Probably possible under ideal circumstances, but they're not optimal.

Also, you can air your tires down a lot. Don't go out there with 38psi. I haven't done enough experimenting to know what would be optimal, and it will vary depending on your tire, but I'd probably air down under 30psi. I think I was trying 25-28psi with Dunlop Z1s and I was at least more consistent with lower pressure.

If you ditch your Dinan tune and get something like a JB4 or Cobb you will up your trap to 108+, and probably cut another tenth and be in the 12.7-12.8 range. Dinan's tunes are very mild.

[matacuero]

Had Dinan stage 2 tune previously and ran 12.9 at the track. Can't remember my 60 ft but it was around 2.09. Ditched Dinan and got a Cobb tune with fob and ran 11.76 with a 1.94 60 ft. Da was really low so I benefitted greatly.

I started that day running 12.4 and on my 6th run, I had the time above. So practice will go a long way. Also I disagree about a slow car, the 135 is relatively fast with just a tune with and 1/8 tank gas, removing excess weight as much as possible. Mr Blonde has great information on the set ups and many tips for the staging /driving.
Try again and give us an update!

[J-Rod]

Yesterday I got down the 1/4 in 13.1 @ 108 with just a jb4 on map 5 (had 3/4 fuel tank and half was 91, the other 93). My first run ever, no dps just the tune. Then all went downhill LoL. Got a couple of 13.6s and two 13.98s. So yeah my guess is "we're talking 'bout practice!"-A.Iverson hehe

[jafo1701]

Thought I jump in the conversation. I have a 2011 135i DCT with the BMW power kit. I've only done road courses and auto x never a quarter mile on the Drag Strip. Well my friend who Drags muscle cars convinced me to come out for a test n tune day next Sunday. Any pointers? I've heard people using launch control on all or most there runs, but thought there was a fail safe that stopped one from using it constantly. Is there a work around? Like mentioned above there is no other way to launch with DCT without launch control. Only other method with somewhat OK takeoffs that I could figure out is foot on the brake. Slightly rev the throttle. It will only let you rev up a couple hundred rpms above idle. Easy on the gas for a quarter second then foot down. It takes off pretty quick, maybe even faster then the launch control because there is no tire spin. Guess I'll try both next week see which is faster.

[dh58]

You can't mash the accelerator.. You need to push it as hard as it can but without wheel spin...

Here is a tip.. Start in 2nd and put the power all the way down..

Also for mataceuro, you're manual and rwd. Comparing to the wrx where you can put your foot all the way to the floor and still have grip isn't a great comparison. The wrx destroys a 135i off the line. AWD vs RWD.

What's holding you back is the wheel spin. What I would suggest is this.. 1st/2nd put the accelerator about 85-90% down.. you'll feel where it is too much.. when you get it right it will pull a 13 or lower.

[Everfly]

I ran best 12.5 with 2.3 60 foots 112 with wheel spins and this is the first time with this car with FBO 30/70 mixed. If i have some good traction i can run low 12'. I have DCT too