Strike Force Quarter Mile Testing

Test Six: Quarter Mile
0:06 Dating back to the days of flathead Fords on dry lakebeds, quarter-mile acceleration is still a benchmark of performance. However, a vehicle properly set up for straight-line quarter-mile fun doesn't have to worry about turns like our roadgoing tuner cars; their tighter suspension and less weight transfer equates to reduced straight-line traction. Not that you can hook up 1000-plus horsepower with normal radial tires, even with the best suspension. With wildly overpowered vehicles, acceleration times aren't as quick as you might expect (due to excessive rear tirespin), but terminal velocity is shockingly fast. Such was the case with our group.

All too often, magazine stories include phrasing such as "If we only had more traction," so for fun we offered up a challenge to the tuners: three runs on Michelin PS2 radials and three runs on BFGoodrich DOT-approved Drag Radials. While not as grippy as true wrinkle-wall drag slicks, Drag Radials offer a glimpse of what a vehicle can do with added adhesion. Two tuners took us up on our challenge.

As the benchmark, the Z06 ran first. With not much drama the 505-horsepower car logged a 12.0-second e.t. at 123.5 mph. With a stout number as a target, the Livernois Mustang stepped up to the plate for its best swing. Despite the car's hurt engine, the Livernois crew insisted that testing progress. As expected, copious wheelspin, a defunct cam sensor, and an oily undercarriage don't make the best recipe for quick times, as evidenced by a 12.9-second elapsed time.

The Ford GT is so polished and predictable that, even with additional power, it's a cinch to drive. Short of pronounced tirespin at the top of first gear, the GT flew straight and true to numerous 11.3-second runs at 134.4 mph. Accufab said of its tuned GT, "If you're coming to a gun fight with a knife, the knife had better be sharp."

MTI's GTO was the second-easiest tuner vehicle to drive after the Ford GT. Severely traction limited, the GTO (with copious back-pedaling required) accelerates crisply through the gears to generate 12.6-second e.t.s with a strong 130.1-mph trap speed--all while hazing its Michelins. With only a solo acceleration pass under its belt and no runs on Drag Radials, we can only speculate on the true potential of this car.

The LPE Corvette idled into position with muscles bulging. Launching is tricky as just a few hundred extra revs generate fierce wheelspin, and the situation is made even trickier by the light-switch-like actuation of the competition clutch. Then the twin-turbo boost kicks in. On radials, during hard acceleration the LPE C6's tail wags right, then left, and right again well past 125 mph--and that's tickling the throttle. As a result, the LPE Vette ran an 11.9-second e.t., but finished at 134.1 mph. Wearing a set of BFG Drag Radials, the car hooked up better, but still would forcibly spin the rear treads with full throttle. The first run delivered an 11.1 at 151.0 mph. As the most powerful C6 in the world, the LPE Corvette serves as a rolling test bed for factory GM reliability. Unfortunately, during an aggressive second launch, the testing proved that with 1000 horses a C6's stock rear differential is as brittle as a GM manager's career. But chew on this: A few years back, we tested a similarly prepped LPE C5 with a heavy-duty rearend and a set of wrinkle-wall slicks. The e.t. with proper traction: 9.0 seconds at 153.6 mph.