I hit LACR on a test ‘n’ tune night. It was extremely cold and many vehicles were having a tough time hooking up on the drag strip. The first run was wasted in a ball of smoke at the starting line with just a medium stab at the pedal. Two runs later we recorded a best of the evening: 15.32 seconds at 89.55 mph (corrected for 2700-foot elevation). I ran four more times in the 15.4-second range, trying to get more aggressive on the launch, but the track just wouldn’t hold the tires. By comparison, I saw a Hemi-powered Ram Rumble Bee running about six-tenths slower than the Roush.

With a little warmer track and playing with the tire pressure, I probably could have recorded a high 14-second time. But my biggest handicap was the shift point. Even though the peak horsepower comes in at 5400 rpm, the truck was shifting at about 5000 rpm. I tried to shift manually but the fuel cutoff came in at 5100 rpm. Perhaps if the engine management computer would allow the truck to stretch its legs a little more, mid-14-second times would be easier.