[Shotimes] Shattering Axles with street tires, a review in pictures :-)

[Bruce Malachuk]

Went to Lebanon Vally Dragway the other night, hoping to get 14 flat or
better in the 1/4 in my Opal Frost 3.2 blah blah mods this and that. Last
time I ran I pulled 14.45@98.47 with out any real tuning and 3/4 of a tank
87 octane. Went back with my new 17in rims and tires (same tire ES100's),
quite a bit of MAF tuning and WOT fuel table tuning, a little added timing
from 3800 up, 1/4 tank of 93 octane, and an Autometer Quicklight shiftlight
set for 7200 RPM. Well first run I slip the clutch out at 4k or so like I
have done in the past, normally I get a bunch of wheelspin and no bogging.
Well this time was a little different. No wheel spinning, felt like it was
gonna be an awesome 60ft time. Then there is a bang just as I heard the
drivers wheel hop a few times. I didn't accelerate, and I feared that I brok
something in the tranny. Well shifted to second, nothing, then look in the
rearview and see my axle laying on the ground rolling down the track.
 
Granted it was my stock 118k mile axle, and it broke the shaft in 2 places,
made a mess, and I turned pretty red, but at least I learned that a NA 3.2
with cams and some tuning can shatter an axle on an attempt to break into
the 13's NA full street weight on street tires. Time to install the Stage
3's that I got from Mark, and find some 16in rims for the front to mount up
some less grippy tire so I can get spin rather than hop. Few ppl came up to
me and asked me what I had done to a Taurus to make it break an axle like
that, course my answer was not much it's pretty much stock :-) Well a STOCK
3.2 engine, STOCK reground cams, course the y-pipe and cat back make all the
difference. And I still don't have my BBB's or EH runners on the car yet.
 
Couple things I did different than in the past I would raise the rear tires
air pressure to 50 and drop the fronts to 30, I'm thinking that leaving the
tires at normal 37.5 hot might have left more tire in contact with the track
where underinflating them would leave them a little cupped and allow them to
spin more than stick. I also left my konis on full soft all the way around
as I got to the strip right at 6pm as they were starting to run. 
 
http://tinyurl.com/8fsvo
 
There is a dialup friendly folder in there too for the dialup users that
might be interested in the carnage.
 
Bruce J Malachuk

*	94 Opal Frost MTX 

*	93 Emerald Green MTX - SOLD 

*	93 Black ATX - New Parts CAR 

*	95 Silver Frost ATX SE - SLO -Buyer waiting 

*	96 TR - Cam Failed parts car :-(