Round 1 *******MISSION ACCOMPLISHED*******
The Tommy Trans breaks onto the corvette scene and sets 2 records.[ already posted]
Round 2---My Maiden Voyage
I’ve been driving my car on the street quite a bit lately with the new race trans and I must say I’m hesitant to even put the street trans back in. I’m at the point where I can drive it with ease and have become a better driver for it. When you time it correctly it actually shifts smoother than a factory trans.
So, we continued with our plan of next having ME run this car on the strip. My plan at this point was to shift the car like I normally do at the track. FULL CLUTCH IN and out, and experiment with flat foot shifting vs slightly lifting on various shifts.
I knew I could be aggressive on the shifts and the trans but wanted to take it easy on the rear/launch.
My first shakedown pass was 10.6 which was a pleasant surprise. I full lifted all shifts and short shifted all shifts by 400 rpms.
After some minor tweaks and technique changes I ran 10.57@131.90. I powershifted that run but only cut a 1.598 60’ time.
My next pass I lined up with a fast S/C mustang and managed a 10.51@131+ nicking the limiter on all shifts so I new this car had more in it.
On the next run I was over anxious on the tree and actually went before the first yellow (not sure if the starter took a nap) and as you might have guessed, a big fat NT.
That run of course felt great but nothing to show for it.
Last pass I managed a 10.48 @ 131.57mph (on a 1.475 60’)
Round 2 *******MISSION ACCOMPLISHED********
Here are the details of the best run so far:
10.48@131.57
Powershifted all shifts at 6800rpms
Easy launch @4900 rpms with 17 psi warm in et streets (26x16x11.5)
All belts on.
½ tank of 92 octane (WAWA sucks).
Tuned by ME via EFI live.
DA= -100 (accord. To someone’s TAG)
Wind= 12mph NNW head/cross wind (coming out of 10:00 position)
TC-off AH-on
Notes:
I was a bit reluctant to launch the car very hard because I didn’t feel like breaking. The great thing is that I didn’t have to, and having the tires at 16psi and above greatly reduces my chances of that. My normal gauge only goes up to 15psi so I had to borrow one. lol. The time will come, soon enough, when I actually launch this car HARD and cut a 1.39 60’ time and see where it puts us.
MY CAR
03 Z06 Heads/Cam+bolt-ons N/A
Stock bottom end 346
Stock suspension/weight/shocks (last weighed 3318lbs)
Most recent dyno: 474rwhp 404rwtq
THE TOMMY TRANS
This is a custom built piece which has not entered the corvette scene until now as far as I know.
The trans makes powershifting easy and uneventful. It just clicks into place causing very little to no wear and tear when you do it right. This is one of the main reasons I accepted the offer to have Anger Management Tommy put this experimental trans in my car.
I had just spent $3000 for a rebuilt of my stock trans (Thanks MIKE T.) with no warranty whatsoever, so I didn’t want to risk damaging that one. That trans would not hold up long to the constant powershifting on the drag strip.
Another benefit I see with this trans is that even if the clutch is not operating 100% correctly (which many do not), the shifts will pop in fine. There are no hang ups with this trans. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I feel the average driver with some practice will pick up around .4 with this transmission alone, all else being equal.
On the street I’m even able to shift without the clutch with the proper technique.
This trans will shift at redline with just a slight stab/kick of the clutch which we will cover in Round 3 (our next time to the strip).
I am privileged to be a part of this ground breaking achievement and you can bet we will unleash the FULL potential of this trans in the near future.
Stay tuned for the next round………
Any technical questions about the Tommy Trans itself email Tommy at
tomdcarguy@aol.com or simply send him a private message on the Corvette Forum.
I would be happy to take anyone for a ride if they wanted to check it out.