Took my stock 01 M5 to Carlsbad Raceway for some fun in the sun. It was the hottest day of the year - 98 degrees.
I managed a best run of 13.595 @ 104.93 and a top speed of the day of 106.05. I was pleased with these times and not so pleased with my driving ;p
I simply could not get the car to launch effectively. My 60 ft time on the 13.595 run was a miserable 2.301 and the best I could do was a 2.234 - ugh. The car was either spinning and axle hopping (broke the left rear sway bar bracket at some point - yikes) or bogging.
Since the car was new I was a bit timid on my shift points - 6,500. I also noticed that my clutch was slipping on hard shifts. In fact, I missed 4th and hit 6th on 1 run and it redlined (and smelled really bad).
So, although 13.595 is not too shabby I can console myself by imagining low 13's on a cooler day, shifting at 7k, a solid clutch and of course decent 60 ft times.
I am really enjoying my M5.
Cheers,
Doug
Here's a shot of me about to get spanked by a Viper (he ran 11.367 @ 133.16 - ouch).
13.5 is actually a really good time concidering what the temp was that day. That M5 sounds like it is really strong, so I would guess with a better launch, and perfecting the "interesting" clutch the E39 has, you will easily be in the low 13's, if not even high 12's. Let us know how you do!
I don't know. Even on a hot day, I think 13.5 could be improved upon. I wonder what elevation you were running at?
If you are shifting at 6500, you certainly are hampering acceleration. You need to use the full 7000 as much as possible. You will handicap your times fairly substantially by short shifting. I would guess 2 tenths better would have been possible, at least.
I don't know. Even on a hot day, I think 13.5 could be improved upon. I wonder what elevation you were running at?
If you are shifting at 6500, you certainly are hampering acceleration. You need to use the full 7000 as much as possible. You will handicap your times fairly substantially by short shifting. I would guess 2 tenths better would have been possible, at least.
This track is very close to sea level. And yes, no question that this could have been improved upon - 105-106 mph should be good for very low 13's. If I could have figured out the launch and gotten down to even a 2.1 in my 60 I'd be at 13.3 or better ... but I only had the car for 3 days and imho launching this thing is tricky.
The heat is a factor and it was a scorcher - it would not surprise me if this factor alone is worth at least a tenth.
Overall the car feels strong and I have some pretty fast cars to compare it to.
When I first bought my '01 I also found I was burning the clutch on fast shifts. You really have to get completely off the clutch very quickly on fast shifts. I'm sure that after a little more seat time you'll get it down. As far as the launch, you have to let the suspension load up before giving it full throttle in first or you'll either overload the tires or suspension (wheel spin or wheel hop). There are a number of accomplished drag racers here that have done some fantastic write-ups regarding best techniques to use to get your M5 into the 12's. Good luck with your progress and keep us updated with your posts.
I am also a new owner as well as new to the forum. I just purchased a 2000 M5 Carbon Black with Black sport interior. I took it to the track last week(Thunder Valley in Noble, OK). This track is known as a slightly slower track than those in North Texas, but it is the nicest in OK. The night was quite cool, but it was very humid and sprinkled off and on. I only got 5 runs in because of the rain. I decided to use the DSC for the first run... boy did I look like an idiot. I ran a 14.789 at 101. The following runs were...
13.7 at 103ish
13.8 at 102ish
13.7 at 103ish
13.546 at 104.53
I never felt that I pulled the full potential out of the car, but I was relatively happy with the last run. The factors working against me were the damp track and the launch. My best 60' time was 2.295 and I just didn't know how to make it launch any harder without spinning some. Also, my second gear shift would cause my rear to break loose as well as fishtail quite dramatically. I really do feel the fastest time possible in my bone stock car is a 13.2 or 3.
As a side note do you guys feel that the IATS mod would have made difference since the evening was quite cool(65 degrees)?
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