How much does the weather affect you times?

[Drewcool2]

How much does the weather affect 1/4 mile times. I can tell my car is a lot faster when the weather is right but does anyone have timeslips where the weather was different, and drastically affected your ET?

After searching through the fourms, this doesn't seem to be a topic that many people talk about.

 

[GinNBoost]

It definitely DOES have an impact on a car's performance. Turbos hate heat and love the cold (hence the intercooler). Cold weather usually proves to be a benefactor and actually enhances the overall affect of the intercooler. Usually at night around 50 degrees is when my car really feels strong, but on hot summer days the car feels like it drags. It's definitely not a mental thing either.

 

[Drewcool2]

I'm curious to see how much it affects 1/4 mile times.

 

[97TSIAWD]

I would say between 1/10 and 4/10 depending on the drop in weather. Anything under 50 is going to make a huge difference, a 40 degree day with sun shinning, watch out. I've noticed just bracket racing, when the sun goes down I'll pick up 2/10 at least. At the shootout however, my car got faster as the day went on, and it didn't get any cooler, until it rained.

 

[SBstar]

I remember reading a post where someone said everyone was running .3 to .7 slower one day because of the heat. He was asking about why he ran such a bad time then later found out that everyone was running bad that day because of the heat.

 

[Drewcool2]

I remember reading a post where someone said everyone was running .3 to .7 slower one day because of the heat. He was asking about why he ran such a bad time then later found out that everyone was running bad that day because of the heat.

Damn, 7/10. I hope I pick a day to go to the track where it gets nice and cold

 

['89beretta]

Weather definitely affects your 1/4 mile time. On an 85 degree humid day last summer I was running 14.3 - 14.5 @ 96-97 mph. Then a couple weeks later, on a 65 degree low humidity day I was running 14 flat to 14.2 @ 98-100 mph. Exact same setup with similar 60 ft. times.

So like what was mentioned before, your looking at a couple tenths of a second and a couple of mph. And like what was mentioned, a 45 degree sunny day and the cars seems to pull a lot harder to redline.

 

[BacknBlack92ESi]

For an example:

My friend has a nicely moded 05 STi. Ran early in the morning at the track at around 40-45 degrees. Ran a 12.6@108. After a couple runs and middle of the afternoon at around 55 degrees. He couldn't run any faster than a 12.8-12.9.

That just shows how temp makes a drastic change in ET and trap speed. My car could run faster if I ran on a colder day.

 

[boostedinaz]

You really cant us your ET as a gauge for temp difference. MPH is a better indicator of power than ET. Plus, as the weather, heat, and wind change it can affect the track itself. That can lead to a difference in traction and other factors that may change ET but not MPH. Driver error will also change ET, but may leave MPH the same.

The only accurate way to test this would be to dyno a car in the heat of the day then dyno it later in the evening to see what gains or loses there were.